Government data showed Friday that the number of foreign workers victim to occupational accidents has increased every year since 2019, indicating that this year's figure could exceed the 10,000 mark for the first time ever. From January to August of this year, there were 6,715 reported cases of occupational accidents with foreign national victims here, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor data submitted to Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the ruling People Power Party. The figure rose eve

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

A July ruling by the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are eligible to apply for spousal coverage under the state insurance program, but recent reports have shown that state insurance authorities are still refusing to accept such couples as eligible for spousal coverage. Multiple media outlets reported this week that the National Health Insurance Service has turned down requests from same-sex couples to receive spousal coverage. A notification on such rejection was revealed recently, dat

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday it has conducted secret inspections into recent allegations of forced shopping, with findings confirming that such practices exist on some level among tourism packages here. The city hired several foreign nationals to pose as tourists in seven low-priced package tours -- three that were sold in China and four sold in Vietnam -- to check the programs' quality. Most of the packages focused more on shopping than tourism, which the city government&#

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

The host company of the 68th annual Miss Korea competition issued an official apology Thursday, concerning a question for the finalists about videos using deepfake technology. During this year's event in Seoul on Tuesday, 15 finalists had to answer various pre-prepared questions. One of the questions was, "If the image of myself in a deepfake video looks more attractive (than myself), how could I reduce the gap (between the image) and my actual self?" "It was wrong for us as

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2024

Emergency rescue operators in Busan said Thursday that an ambulance carrying a middle school student had been turned away from multiple hospitals due to a lack of medical staff, causing a delay of treatment for the boy. The mother of the 15-year-old living in Busan called the 119 emergency service when her son suffered what turned out to be acute appendicitis at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, according to the Busan Metropolitan City Fire and Disaster Headquarters. But the university hospital that

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2024

The South Korean police said Thursday it is investigating a man who called a ruling party lawmaker's office to say President Yoon Suk Yeol will die on Oct. 26. It was revealed that the man had said so based on a prophecy made by a local shaman. The man called the office of Rep. Ihn Yo-han of the ruling People Power Party Wednesday afternoon, saying, "The president will pass away on Oct. 26, so they should reinforce protection for him," according to Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Stat

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2024

South Korean internet circles have been buzzing over a heartwarming tale of a bus driver who rushed to help a man in a wheelchair stranded in the middle of a crosswalk on a rainy night. Several citizens during the Chuseok holidays posted online compliments about the driver of Seoul bus No. 470 for his actions in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, at around 9:40 p.m. on Sept.13. A man on a self-propelled wheelchair was wheeling himself across the crosswalk when the light changed and he was barely halfw

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2024

After police caught a man who warned of a knife attack at the Kangwon National University festival on Tuesday, it was revealed that members of the school's student council had played a crucial role in apprehending the suspect. The suspect -- who was revealed to be a 21-year-old student of the school -- posted on his Instagram page at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday that he would attack those at the student-run bar at the festival on the university's main campus in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He w

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2024

Despite the South Korean government increasing the quota of non-professional work visas to an all-time high this year, less than 30,000 have actually been recruited so far, data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor showed Wednesday. As of July, 29,316 foreign nationals were issued the E-9 visa for non-professional employment this year, according to the ministry data submitted to Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the ruling People Power Party. A total of 13,102 workplaces have received permits to hire wor

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

Accidents at kids' cafes are rising, with trampolines accounting for the largest proportion, prompting a government agency to issue a warning. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, 1,205 accidents occurred at kids' cafes -- indoor playing facilities for children -- from 2019 to 2023. The number of accidents went from 397 to 150 in 2020 and 97 in 2021, likely due to COVID-19 social distancing -- but the number rebounded to 225 in 2022 and 337 in 2023. The data showed that by equipme

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

North Korea's trash-carrying balloons have disrupted runway operations at South Korea's two biggest airports for an accumulated 413 minutes this year, government data showed Wednesday. Operations at Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport were disrupted 20 times this year as of Monday, according to the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration data submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. This first occurred at Incheon on June

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

A woman in her 30s in cardiac arrest died last week due to delays in finding an emergency room to treat her during the Chuseok holidays, a government report revealed Monday. It was found that emergency medical technicians in Busan called hospitals in the area 92 times to find a ER that could treat her, but failed to locate while the patient was suffering multiple heart attacks, according to the data submitted to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The woman su

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024

Next year's budget for a state-run call center for victims of digital crimes has been cut by nearly 20 percent, while the country sees a rise in such crimes, government data showed Tuesday. The Korea Communications Commission's 2025 budget for protection of internet users -- which is used to operate the Online Damage 365 Center for victims of digital crimes -- has been revealed to be 921 million won ($690,000), according to KCC data submitted to Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main oppositi

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024

A woman in her 20s is under investigation over allegations of releasing digitally produced pornographic images of her former boyfriend, in the first reported deepfake case involving a male victim in Korea. According to local media reports on Tuesday, Busan Metropolitan Police is investigating the suspect for allegedly releasing fake pornographic videos and images of the male victim, also in his 20s. She is also accused of other crimes such as sharing the victim's nude photos on social med

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024

The civic group behind a civilian patrol unit of dog owners said Tuesday said it was recruiting new members as it plans to expand its operations nationwide. The non-government Clear City (City Without Abandoned Dogs) said it had started receiving applications to join the Dog Patrol Program, which previously had operated only in Seoul, Busan, Incheon and other cities in Gyeonggi Province with the cooperation of the respective regional governments. First launched in 2022 in Seoul, the program invi

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024