Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Tuesday that teachers who participated in a rally on Monday wouldn’t be punished, officially withdrawing his warning that such collective action “constitutes an illegal strike.” During his meeting with the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations and the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions, the minister announced that there wouldn’t be any disciplinary action taken against teachers and that he would listen to their voices rega

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2023

Unleashing a wave of anger over a series of suicides, teachers took to the streets across the nation Monday in an unprecedented move, demanding immediate legal protections to reinstate their authority when dealing with unruly students and pushy parents. Holding pickets reading “A Day to Pause Public Education,” tens of thousands of teachers participated in rallies held in different locations across the country, leaving their classrooms behind despite governmental warnings of discipli

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2023

Teachers across the country are set to hold a de facto protest Monday to commemorate a 23-year-old teacher who took her own life in July, despite the government’s warnings of disciplinary actions. About 70,000 teachers are expected to participate in the “Sept. 4 Rally,” according to an online community of teachers, to demand better rights for teachers in the classroom. In contrast, the government has announced that 30 schools nationwide -- with Seoul having the highest number a

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2023

Korea International School in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, said Sunday that it had tapped Cameron Fox, a seasoned educator with nearly 30 years of experience, as the school’s new director. According to the announcement, Fox will play a big role in pushing for better outstanding academic excellence of students and co-curricular programs that support high levels of student learning. “The KIS community will remain open and nimble to respond and adapt to the needs and growth of our school

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2023

Youn Bit-na, CEO of Et demain, was surprised to see first lady Kim Keon Hee wearing a 280,000 won jacket from her brand for a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. In a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday, the designer said the first lady had purchased the garment in March this year when she visited a Korean fashion showroom at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. The event was held to help promote and encourage budding designers and brands to expand their presence

Politics Aug. 31, 2023

The bereaved family of a 23-year-old elementary school teacher who reportedly died by suicide in July filed a claim to the Seoul Gangnam Seocho District Office of Education on Thursday to have her death recognized as work-related, claiming that she died due to an excessive workload and complaints from parents. The late teacher, who was a first grade teacher at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, struggled with a large workload and a student who had allegedly misbehaved in class, a

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2023

Taejae University, South Korea’s first future innovation university, is set to open with 32 students on Monday. The college is a benchmark of US-based Minerva University, an online institution with no home campus that requires every student to travel to seven countries to complete their degree. It is also Korea’s second four-year accredited cyber college, following only Konyang Cyber University, which launched its program in 2012. Students at Taejae University will start their first

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2023

The National Human Rights Commission said Wednesday that banning a child below 10 years old from a department store’s VIP resting area discriminates against children. The state human rights watchdog ruled that restricting children under 10 in such spaces based on age is not legitimate, citing Article 11 of the Constitution, which guarantees “equality for all citizens.” In March last year, a mother of a 100-day-old child filed a petition to the NHRC after she was denied entry in

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2023

Defense South Korea's Defense Ministry has proposed to raise expenditures by around 17 percent to advance the development of an indigenous three-axis defense system, aimed at countering North Korean missile and nuclear threats and retaliating in the event of an attack. Total defense spending is estimated at approximately 59.6 trillion won ($45.1 billion), a 4.5 percent increase from last year, according to the ministry. An estimated 41.8 trillion won is earmarked for expenditures related to

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2023

The Seoul Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul, built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and a go-to concert venue for big-name singers, will turn into a multifunctional site that could house various sports and cultural events. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that the sports complex will undergo three years of renovation starting Tuesday, and that the new space will welcome visitors in December 2026. The estimated budget for the renovation project is 360 billion won ($270 million). Under t

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2023

Teachers and the government are locking horns over a massive rally on Sept. 4 where some 70,000 teachers plan to participate by taking a day off from school despite the government’s threat of disciplinary action. Under the slogan “a day to pause public education,” the teachers will rally on Sept. 4 to demand that parliament pass a bill to grant teachers immunity from child abuse claims. While the second semester has kicked off for many schools, the teachers plan to walk out of

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2023

Relaxing by the poolside or a the beach in a bikini may not be banned by pool rules, nor is it deemed inappropriate, but walking around town in the skimpily stretched fabric could land one with a fine in Korea. Recently, several women have taken social media by storm for riding scooters and motorcycles while wearing bikinis in central Seoul. They were immediately reported to police for “causing discomfort,” and the issue has since sparked debate as to what is appropriate to wear in p

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2023

South Korea’s Education Ministry rolled out a set of new class policies last week to bolster waning teachers’ rights, but some experts have raised concerns that the measures would make teachers more vulnerable to child abuse accusations. When verbal discipline fails or students pose a physical threat to teachers or other students, the ministry’s guideline states that teachers will be allowed to use force to physically restrain disruptive students. They can also confiscate phone

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2023

Teachers will be allowed to remove disruptive students and confiscate their mobile phones if they continue to interrupt classroom operations and disturb other students starting next month, the Education Ministry said during a policy briefing Thursday. The new policy will apply to teachers working in elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. If a student fails to comply with a teacher’s instructions, teachers can ask the head of their schools for permission to hand out punishment

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2023

South Korea’s Ministry of Education on Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan aimed at attracting 300,000 international students to tackle the nation’s rapidly declining school-age population and to strengthen the competitiveness of local universities already reeling from enrollment shortages. To attract more foreign students to enroll in Korean universities, the Education Ministry plans to revise the International Education Quality Assurance System, which stipulates that more than 30 p

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2023