A blaze that occurred late Wednesday in a multiunit residential building in Paju, Gyeonggi Province left a woman in her 30s dead, while her six-year-old son was rescued by their neighbor. According to the Paju Police Station, the fire is believed to have started at around 11:30 p.m. at a unit on the first floor of the building. A neighbor saw smoke and helped bring the boy who was inside to safety, but was unable to rescue his mother. The child is currently being looked after by another family i

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2024

Over 2,000 websites running illegal lotteries were reported to authorities this year, but only 0.9 percent of them have been blocked by the government, Ministry of Economy and Finance data showed Tuesday. Of the 2,838 websites reported, only 26 had blocked as of July, according to ministry data submitted to Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Most of the reported cases -- 2,666 -- were still under deliberation by the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2024

Despite a slight increase in the number of female prosecutors over the last four years, only one in 10 chief prosecutor-level officials in South Korea is a woman, data from the Ministry of Justice showed Tuesday. Of the 46 officials at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level or higher as of September, just five were women, according to the data submitted to Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. SPO-level prosecutors are the second highest rank in Korea's pro

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2024

South Korean police on Tuesday said they have arrested two YouTubers who revealed the identities of the suspects in a 2004 gang rape case in Miryang, in a show of force against the self-proclaimed vigilantism that was opposed by the victim herself. The two YouTubers, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, are under investigation for the doxxing that took place on their respective channels between June and August this year, according to the cyber investigation unit of the Gyeongnam Provincial P

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2024

A fire broke out early Tuesday morning in Gwangju, killing one man, local fire authorities said. According to the Gwangsan Fire Station, flames engulfed a multi-unit residential building around 4:32 a.m. The victim in his 50s was unable to escape and was found dead after the firefighters extinguished the fire at around 5:13 a.m. The victim was a resident of a first-floor unit of the building. A couple in their 60s inhaled smoke during the evacuation, but did not suffer any major injuries. The

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2024

Nearly 70 percent of government workers dislike a long-standing custom in their workplaces that encourages lower-level officials to occasionally treat their superiors to a meal. Some 75.7 percent of respondents said they were aware of the tradition, according to a survey of 12,526 government officials across the country conducted by Rep. Wi Seong-gon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Nearly half -- 44 percent -- had experienced the custom within the past year. But the survey sh

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

More South Koreans were murdered in the Philippines than in any other Asia-Pacific nation from 2015 to June, according to government data released Monday. A total of 86 South Koreans were murdered in the region -- excluding Korea -- according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs data submitted to Rep. Kim Yeong-bae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Thirty-eight Koreans were killed in the Philippines, far surpassing the second-highest count of 13 that were murdered in Japan. China

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

The primary goals for South Korean divorcees when they remarry include economic stability and a chance to revitalize their lives, a recent survey by a local matchmaker showed. Only-You, a matchmaking firm dealing exclusively with divorcees, conducted a survey of 258 men and 258 women to find out what they are looking for most in starting a life with a new spouse. Of the women, 35.3 percent said they hoped to improve their financial situation, while 25.2 percent said they were looking for stabi

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

North Korea sent yet another fleet of garbage-filled balloons southward early Monday, marking the 25th such provocation this year and potentially adding to the property damage and injuries the balloons have caused already. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the balloons, presumed to be filled with trash, are projected to move toward the greater Seoul area, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. The JCS advised citizens not to approach the balloons and warned of potential danger when they fall to the gr

North Korea Oct. 7, 2024

The daughter of previous President Moon Jae-in has come under investigation by police concerning a drunk driving accident, which has sparked criticism from the conservative bloc against the liberal president that had called driving under the influence of alcohol "an action that amounts to murder." Seoul Yongsan Police Station said that 40-year-old Moon Da-hye drove her car into a taxi at around 2:50 a.m. Saturday in Itaewon-dong, Seoul, while driving drunk. Moon's blood alcohol co

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

Nearly two-thirds of South Korea's weather agency's forecasts for Seoul during the rainy season this year were incorrect, data showed Thursday. Rep. Lim Lee-ja of the ruling People Power Party analyzed Korea Meteorological Administration's rain forecast for Seoul from June 29 to July 27, and compared it to the actual weather in the South Korean capital. The KMA predicted rain for 27 of the 29 days. Lim found that of the 27 days it was supposed to rain, forecasts for 16 of these

Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2024

Local researchers conducted an analysis on a recent international survey about various social challenges, and found that South Koreans are among the people who are the most likely to feel that AI technology could threaten their jobs. Scholars of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs studied the data provided by the study "Societal Challenges, Public Opinion and Public Policies in 10 Countries," a survey of 10 countries conducted by the Digital Futures at Work Research Cente

Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2024

Demand for cellphone numbers in South Korea is expected to peak in 2032, but it will not lead to a shortage due to the projected population decline in the country, a government reported projected Friday. The need for mobile numbers beginning with the "010" is expected to reach 64.57 million by then, according to the Korea Information Society Development Institute's projections submitted to Rep. Choi Soo-jin of the ruling People Power Party. This would be 80.7 percent of the possib

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2024

A 61-year-old man, who cut the hose of an apartment gas line and threatened to start a fire with his family there, was sentenced to 1 year in prison, suspended for two years by a local court. The Uijeongbu District Court said Friday it had handed the guilty verdict to the defendant indicted for threatening and exposing others to explosive substances. Using gas or other explosive substances to cause danger to another person is punishable by at least one year in prison, according to the Article 17

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2024

A total of 136,796 workers in South Korea suffered work-related accidents last year, government data showed Friday, marking the highest figure in the past 10 years. The number of occupational accidents in the country increased by 11.4 percent from 128,379 in 2022, according to Ministry of Employment and Labor data submitted to Rep. Kim So-hee of the ruling People Power Party. Occupational accidents in the country have increased every year since surpassing 100,000 in 2018. Defined in Article 5-1

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2024