Over 30,000 teachers and supporters rallied in downtown Seoul on Saturday, calling for the revision of South Korea's child abuse law, which they argue allows parents to unjustly accuse teachers of misconduct without a thorough investigation. The protesters say the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes permits parents to accuse teachers of child abuse and report them to law enforcement without thoroughly investigating the situation or providing opportunities fo

Social Affairs July 30, 2023

Fuming with rage and shedding tears were bereaved family members of victims in the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon last year, following the Constitutional Court's verdict Tuesday that cleared Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min of legal accountability for the incident. An unidentified man's yelling sparked an outcry from the bereaved family members, who flocked to the crowded street in front of the court as they were attempting to speak to the press. Tuesday marked 270 da

Social Affairs July 27, 2023

SEJONG -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday South Korea will overhaul its disaster response strategies to cope with climate change more effectively. On Wednesday, Han told reporters he plans to discuss comprehensive reforms to the current disaster response system with government officials and lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party on Friday. He did not detail what specific measures would be introduced to deal with the effects of climate change. Hans office will take charge of a ne

Social Affairs July 26, 2023

South Korea's Constitutional Court on Tuesday dismissed a motion to impeach Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min in a unanimous 9-0 ruling, clearing Lee of his liability for a crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district that killed 159 in October last year. In their verdict, court justices cleared Lee of charges in the motion, which claimed Lee neglected his duty of taking preventative measures, and violated the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety by failing to es

Social Affairs July 25, 2023

The South Korean central government and prosecution are scrambling to hold local authorities accountable for the inadequate disaster response over the recent underpass flooding that killed over a dozen people in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on July 15. In a statement Monday, the Office for Government Policy Coordination accused officials from the provincial government and the National Agency for Administrative City Construction of a "grave dereliction of duty" and asked the pro

Social Affairs July 24, 2023

A man who went on a deadly stabbing rampage that killed one person and injured three in Seoul said Sunday he committed the crime because "life was hard." "I committed the crime because life was hard for me," he said on his way to the Seoul Central District Court. "I was in a bad situation for a long period of time. I did extremely wrong things. I am a useless human being. I'm sorry." Later in the afternoon, the court said in a statement that it issued an arre

Social Affairs July 23, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to attend a trilateral summit with his US counterpart Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the United States in August, according to Yoon's office on Thursday. "A meeting between leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan is to take place in the US," the presidential office said in a statement. Earlier on Thursday, a media report from Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun revealed that the trilateral meeting is expected to be held on Aug. 1

Social Affairs July 20, 2023

A blame game has begun over the deadly tunnel flood that took 14 lives in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, with criticism growing over the lack of a timely response, and authorities passing the buck. An association of civic groups in North Chungcheong Province on Wednesday accused multiple local authorities of failing to prevent a "serious civic accident" under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, where those responsible might face at least a year in prison or a fine of up to 1 b

Social Affairs July 19, 2023

South Korea's Justice Ministry said Tuesday it has filed an lawsuit in England to block a June ruling in an international arbitration court that ordered Seoul to pay $107.8 million in damages and legal costs to US hedge fund giant Elliott Investment Management. The Justice Ministry claimed that the National Pension Service, a public pension scheme that was at odds with Elliott over the controversial merger in 2015 of two key Samsung Group affiliates -- Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries -

Social Affairs July 18, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for speedy disaster relief in areas battered by monsoon rains that have showed no signs of abating over the past couple of weeks, and hinted at designating affected areas as special disaster zones. Yoon said in a Cabinet meeting in his office that the government will muster up all available resources such as state budget funds and aid workers by prioritizing rescue operations, recovery work and support for victims of the heavy rain. "Citizens'

Social Affairs July 18, 2023

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration on Monday launched an audit looking into all available administrative records to determine which government entity should be held responsible for failing to take adequate safety measures against flooding in South Korea, namely the deadly submerging of a tunnel in North Chungcheong Province. The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced Monday it had learned about emergency calls to police calling for swift evacuation and closure of the underpass hours b

Social Affairs July 17, 2023

South Koreans with a valid driver's license can soon be eligible to drive in Vietnam with an international driving permit under a bilateral pact that goes into effect on July 23, police said Sunday. The Korean National Police Agency expected some 4.3 million Korean travelers to take advantage of the international driving permit to drive in the Southeast Asian country. Vietnamese tourists are already able to drive in Korea with an international driving permit. Any Korean with a driver's

Social Affairs July 16, 2023

Monsoon rain left at least 26 people dead and 10 others missing, with more than 5,500 people forced to abandon their homes as nearly 300 millimeters of rain swept South Korea on Saturday. As of 10 p.m., 17 deaths were confirmed in North Gyeongsang Province, four each in North and South Chungcheong Province and one in the administrative capital of Sejong City, according to figures from the Central Disaster and Countermeasures Headquarters at 11 p.m. The death toll rose by four in the past five ho

Social Affairs July 16, 2023

Disgraced Korean American singer Steve Yoo clinched a victory in a ruling that approved his visa application to reside in Korea as an overseas Korean on Thursday, potentially reopening a path for Yoo back to Korea for the first time since his banishment in 2002. The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Yoo in his case against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, which turned down his request for an F-4 visa issuance. It was the first ruling that opened the way for Yoo, also known by

Social Affairs July 13, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it confirmed a plan to carry out a public transit fee hike that would set the basic subway fare at 1,400 won ($1.09) and city bus fares at 1,500 won for transportation card holders taking a single ride, within this year. The projected hikes on the transit system -- which moves over 10 million people on weekdays -- mark the first in eight years since June 2015, when Seoul increased fares for subways by 200 won and buses by 150 won. A municipal gove

Social Affairs July 12, 2023