President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday tapped Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Commissioner Woo Jong-soo as the new state investigation chief, ending the leadership vacuum created by an ex-prosecutor who resigned from the post amid a school bullying controversy involving his son. The new chief of the National Office of Investigation will oversee 30,000 investigators under the national police, according to Yoon's office. Launched in 2021, the NOI, often referred as the Korean version of the US' Federa

Social Affairs March 27, 2023

Over 600 elderly citizens from Busan and its neighboring regions have recently rallied support for Busan's bid to host the World Expo in 2030. The so-called "Silver Supporters" will be tasked with taking part in events to promote Busan's World Expo bid and to welcome the Bureau International des Expositions Enquiry Mission visit to Busan in early April. Busan is the third destination for the BIE committee, which represents the World Expo organizer to assess the feasibility of

Social Affairs March 26, 2023

The South Korean Supreme Court revealed Sunday that it recently found a religious man guilty of failing to fulfill his alternative military service as a social service agent, which exempts him from active duty as a soldier. The case to decide whether the 31-year-old Jehovah's Witness, whose further personal identity remains undisclosed, committed a crime has been remanded to a district court in Daejeon for further proceedings. A ruling by the nation's top court read that those who refu

Social Affairs March 26, 2023

  South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld a bill to curb the prosecution's investigative power on Thursday, putting an end to debate over whether the bill itself breaches rights protected by the Constitution. But the court partially acknowledged that there were procedural lapses in the process of passing the bill on the part of the Democratic Party of Korea, the main opposition that holds a majority of seats in the National Assembly. The nine-member court dismissed prosecutor-turned-Justi

Social Affairs March 23, 2023

BUSAN – Floating islands and hydrogen-powered trams were among the plans unveiled Thursday to turn Busan’s historic North Port area into a World Expo 2030 site. The city, bidding to host the event in 2030, plans to leave many harbor facilities in place to turn them into historic attractions and cultural facilities, while reducing the Expo’s environmental footprint. Redeveloping the area will “return the harbor to the people,” the city said, as the port is effectivel

Social Affairs March 23, 2023

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday proposed a revision bill for the South Korean government to observe Dokdo Day on Oct. 25. The bill floated by Rep. Lee and nine lawmakers seeks to designate Dokdo Day as an anniversary celebrated by the Korean government. It would not be a public holiday, according to the bill. The Korean civic group Party for Tokdo Protection has celebrated Dokdo Day since Oct. 25, 2000, the centennial of Joseon King Gojong's ordinan

Politics March 21, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday announced plans to build the second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Yeouido near the banks of the Han River, as part of the city government's Seoul renovation plan. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during his trip to Germany that the new concert hall will be inspired by the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, a concert hall located on the banks of Elbe River in Hamburg. According to the city government, the northern part of Yeouido Park will be transform

Social Affairs March 20, 2023

Seoul's proposal to renovate World Cup Park, which involves building a giant spokeless Ferris wheel, was inspired by Hyde Park in London, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Friday. "I was deeply impressed by Hyde Park where sculptures, galleries and birds come together in the forest in the heart of the city to provide citizens with a place to rest," Oh said in a statement. "I promise that Seoul's parks will better harmonize with the surrounding area and be equipped with various tourist a

Social Affairs March 17, 2023

The terrifying return of a mother depicted in Netflix‘s revenge drama “The Glory” can be prevented in real life, as long as the bullied protagonist Moon Dong-eun officially designates her mother as a perpetrator of domestic violence, said South Korea’s Justice Ministry on Friday. Under the revision of the Act on Registration of Family Relations effective in January 2022, a victim of domestic violence who managed to get away from their family may request that a perpetrat

Social Affairs March 17, 2023

Leaders of South Korea and Japan hailed a new era of bilateral ties strained for years over historic disputes on Thursday, with a list of agreements aimed at bolstering cooperation in the fields of security, economy and culture between the two countries. The agreements forged during a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held in Tokyo, the first in 12 years, came just 10 days after South Korea unveiled a deal with Japan. On March 6, the Korean governm

Social Affairs March 17, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol views a workweek of 60 hours or longer as "excessive," the presidential office said Thursday, adding that he has ordered further adjustments to be made to proposed reforms to working time limits. The Ministry of Employment and Labor's plan unveiled earlier this month aimed to allow maximum working hours of up to 69 hours in a week. The president expressed regrets over the plan drafted without an "adequate legal cap" on how long a worker could work

Social Affairs March 16, 2023

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon returned to South Korea on Wednesday from his weeklong trip to France, the Netherlands and Germany to learn about their immigration policies aimed at multicultural integration. The justice ministry, which oversees immigration-related policies and tasks in Korea, will put great effort into preparing new immigration policies based on the discussions the minister had with representatives of these European immigration authorities. Han told his counterparts, "No

Social Affairs March 15, 2023

South Korean workers will enjoy an extra day off if either Buddha's Birthday or Christmas overlaps with a Saturday or Sunday following a law revision, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced Wednesday. A new revision of the "Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices" will be presented to the public Thursday, allowing for alternative public holidays following Buddha's Birthday or Christmas for the first time. Koreans celebrate Buddha's Birthday on Apri

Social Affairs March 15, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered Tuesday to reexamine a proposed plan to reform the 52-hour workweek, amid criticisms that the proposed revision has stopped short of reflecting the voices of younger generations. "Yoon ordered (the government) to reexamine the proposal itself and its communication with the public to seek improvements," Yoon's office said in a statement. The presidential office also ordered the government to take various employees’ opinions, especially among millenn

Social Affairs March 14, 2023

South Korea's presidential office on Sunday reaffirmed its push to ease strains over the wartime forced labor dispute with Japan amid further backlash following the Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister's refusal to acknowledge the victims as forced laborers. President Yoon Suk Yeol's office released Sunday clips of Yoon saying during the closed-door meetings with the Cabinet on Tuesday that his effort to mend ties with Japan "will deliver on his presidential election campaign promise" as

Foreign Affairs March 12, 2023