Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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[Herald Interview] Son Suk-ku chooses to be swayed by others in navigating life
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Health minister vows to speed up medical reform despite walkout by trainee doctors
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Sunday that the government would hasten its policy of increasing the number of medical students while issuing warnings against defiant trainee doctors who attacked their colleagues returning to the medical field. "It is completely unacceptable to attack people who are working day and night in the field and coerce them to participate in the collective action," Cho told a government response meeting. "We will thoroughly investigate it and take stri
March 10, 2024
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Is S. Korea violating ILO rules in fight against junior doctors?
Amid the ongoing standoff between the South Korean government and medical professionals, a new criticism has been raised from within medical circles that the back-to-work order imposed on junior doctors in teaching hospitals violates international labor standards. The doctors' walkout in South Korea began in mid-February as a boycott of the government's plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota by at least 2,000 places each year, from 3,058. As of Thursday, nearly 12,000 jun
March 10, 2024
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Man gets 1-year jail term for assaulting pregnant girlfriend
A South Korean court on Sunday said it has sentenced a 30-something man who had repeatedly assaulted his pregnant girlfriend with a one-year prison term. The defendant, whose identity was withheld by the authorities, has been accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend multiple times in Cheongju, 112 kilometers from Seoul, in August 2022, after accusing her of causing him to lose in a video game. He is also accused of hitting the victim in the face multiple times for secretly looking into hi
March 10, 2024
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Falls in employment linked to higher suicide rate: study
A recent think tank study showed that the suicide rate in South Korea tends to go up as the employment rate falls with the effect stronger among women and the younger population. The report by the state-run Korea Labor Institute analyzed the data of 16 major cities across the country between 2000 and 2021, comparing the suicide rates with both employment and unemployment rates. They found that suicide rates go down as employment rates go up, and rise proportionally to the unemployment rates. In
March 10, 2024
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Fruit vendor praised as hero after taking down man wielding knife
A store owner who took down a man on a rampage while wielding a knife is being heralded as a hero here, after reports of the incident made headlines Friday afternoon. According to Gangbuk Police Station, a man in his 50s attempted to start a fire in the streets of Suyu-dong, northern Seoul at around 1:25 p.m. on Friday. When a passerby tried to stop him, he swung a knife and inflicted a minor injury to the victim’s face. Sensing danger, Jo Yu-chan, a local fruit vendor who was near the sus
March 10, 2024
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Late bloomers eye medical schools amid hike plan
Amidst the South Korean government's move to boost the medical enrollment quota, a growing number of Koreans in their 20s to 50s are flocking to private academies in a determined bid to prepare for medical school applications, or what they are calling their "second chance" in life. Due to rising demands, private academies that help students prepare for the Korean college entrance exam, or Suneung, have recently opened late-night classes targeting those who already have careers but
March 10, 2024
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Court denies compensation for death after COVID-19 vaccine
South Korean court said Sunday it has recently ruled against the compensation for the family of an 88-year-old woman who died shortly after being vaccinated for COVID-19, saying her death could not directly be linked to the vaccination. According to officials, the victim experienced severe chest pain an hour and 30 minutes after receiving the shot on April 23, 2021. She died two hours and 37 minutes after the vaccination. The bereaved family requested financial compensation from the government,
March 10, 2024
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Court upholds dismissal of Air Force sergeant accused of abusing colleagues
South Korean court said on Sunday it has rejected the request made by a former member of the Air Force to reverse his dismissal, saying the military's decision is justified. The Chuncheon branch of the Seoul High Court upheld the earlier court ruling that ruled in favor of the Air Force dismissing the senior non-commissioned officer, who had the rank of "wonsa" which is roughly equivalent to chief master sergeant in the US Air Force. He was removed from the post in May 2022 after
March 10, 2024
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1 in 5 teens have faced online abuse: survey
About 1 in 5 teenagers in South Korea have been subject to online abuse, a recent survey by state-run think-tank found Sunday. The National Youth Policy Institute conducted the study in November on 1,038 teens here, comprising of 508 middle school students, 507 high school students and 23 teens not attending schools. Some 20.1 percent of the respondents said they had been insulted, generally hurt online in the past six months, while 3 percent said they have been subject to cyberbullying over 10
March 10, 2024
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Institutes launch 'office workers' class' for doctor-wannabes, amid med school craze
Private education institutes across South Korea have been expanding the number of classes for students preparing for medical school, with some promoting night classes for office workers wishing to become doctors. Mega Study, a major private education institute, held an information session earlier this week about a night class for medical school hopefuls which will open on March 18. According to the institute, the majority of the inquiries were made by those in their early to mid-30s who were gra
March 9, 2024
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Many men fear paternity leave would lead to disadvantages at work: survey
The majority of men who have taken parental leave think taking a leave of absence for childcare is still difficult in South Korean society, with their leading concern being parental leave putting them at a disadvantage for promotion, a recent survey by a think-tank indicated. The KCTU Research Center, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, surveyed 1,720 of its members who took paternity leave at least once to find how they felt about the system. In the survey conducted throug
March 9, 2024
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Govt. set to complete sending 1st suspension notice to striking doctors
The South Korean government is expected to wrap up sending out the first notice of its plan to suspend the medical licenses of striking trainee doctors next week as part of its disciplinary action against them, sources said Saturday. About 90 percent of 13,000 medical interns and residents have remained off their jobs through mass resignations for nearly three weeks in protest of the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment. The government earlier ordered the striking d
March 9, 2024
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Fishing boat capsizes, leaving 4 dead, 5 missing
Rescue operations were under way after a fishing boat with nine crew members on board capsized off the southern coastal city of Tongyeong, leaving four dead and five others missing, according to the Coast Guard on Sunday. Two South Koreans and seven Indonesians were aboard the 20-ton vessel when it overturned in waters 68 kilometers south of an island in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday morning, according to officials. About 20 ships and four airplanes were mobilized for an unde
March 9, 2024
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Japanese candy tests positive for radioactive material before being imported to S. Korea
A small amount of cesium, a type of radioactive material, was detected in a Japanese confectionery product slated for import to South Korea, prompting the importer to cancel its plans, the food safety agency here said Friday. During radiation inspections for imported products, 1 bequerel (Bq) per kilogram of cesium was detected in a candy manufactured in Shizuoka prefecture in Japan, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The company intending to import 122 kg of the affected product
March 8, 2024
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Govt. to set up reporting center to ensure trainee doctors’ safe return to hospitals
The South Korean government said Friday it would set up a reporting center within the Ministry of Health and Welfare dedicated to ensuring trainee doctors’ safe return to hospitals as their protest against the expansion plan entered its third week. The center aims to prevent the direct and indirect harm that junior doctors who wish to return to their positions may suffer, as an list of returning doctors was posted online recently. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Friday
March 8, 2024
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Travel ban lifted for ex-defense chief appointed as ambassador
South Korea's Justice Ministry on Friday lifted the ban on leaving the country placed on former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, who has been named ambassador to Australia, amidst ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment. The Justice Ministry announced that its travel ban review committee has determined that Lee's formal complaint against his travel restriction was justified. The ministry elaborated that the ban on him leaving the country had been repeatedly extended without any o
March 8, 2024
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Police pledge action as list of returning doctors goes viral online
A circulated online list containing the names of doctors who did not participate in the prolonged walkout and instead remained or returned to their positions has prompted the police to pledge action against the individual responsible for its distribution. The National Police Agency released an official statement, stating that it will “strictly handle any acts that interfere with normal medical procedures.” “Posting full names of trainee doctors returning to work and writing thr
March 8, 2024
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Tragic death of city official shows growing prevalence of doxing in Korea
The suicide of a Gimpo city official, who became the target of malicious complaints after their personal information was leaked online, has sparked controversy in Korean society. In response, some netizens are pledging to reveal the identity of cyberbullies, shedding light on the concerning prevalence of doxing in South Korea. As of Friday, the personal information of the user who revealed the late official’s name, department and phone number has been posted to many online communities. &ld
March 8, 2024
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Police launch investigation into attack on ex-soccer player in election campaign
The police on Friday launched a probe into the alleged assault on former soccer player Lee Chun-soo while he was participating in former Land Minister and ruling party candidate Won Hee-ryong’s street campaign ahead of the April 10 general election. The Incheon Gyeyang Police Station received a report from Won’s office at 10 p.m. on Thursday claiming that Lee, who recently endorsed the former land minister for the upcoming election, was “physically assaulted.” Lee was att
March 8, 2024
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Korea ranks last in OECD for women’s working environment 12 years in row
South Korea ranked last, at 29th out of 29 OECD countries, in the working environment for women for 12 consecutive years, according to UK-based The Economist on Thursday. Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, The Economist released the glass-ceiling index. This UK media outlet has published the index annually since 2013 for OECD member nations, assessing factors such as women’s labor participation rate, gender income disparity, the proportion of women in high-ranking posit
March 8, 2024