15% of Korean wage workers have flexible work schedules: data

Government data showed Thursday that 15 percent of all wage workers in South Korea had flexible work schedules as of August last year, with nearly half of the remaining workers saying they wish to have such arrangements, too. The number of workers with flexible work arrangements decreased by 0.6 percentage point compared to the same month in 2023, according to Statistics Korea. The figure for regular workers, or permanent employees, was 20.1 percent, marking an on-year increase of 0.6 percentage

May 5, 2025

Nearly 7 out of 10 teachers cursed at by students: survey

A significant percentage of teachers in South Korea had students curse or use physical violence against them in school, a survey showed Wednesday, with conflicts concerning mobile phone use in the classroom seemingly increasing over the years. The Korean Federation of Teachers Unions surveyed 2,605 teachers across the country on students' phone use and violence against teachers on April 21-25. Of the respondents, 67.7 percent said students had used profanity against them in school, 22.9 percent

May 3, 2025

Young diabetics in Korea double in 10 years: study

The number of Koreans in their 20s and 30s diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has more than doubled in a decade, with approximately 370,000 people in this age group now living with the disease, a recent study shows. According to research published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal of the Korean Diabetes Association, 2.02 percent of Koreans aged 19-39 had Type 2 diabetes in 2020, up from 1.02 percent in 2010. The increase of diabetes cases among young adults is especially noticeable among those

May 1, 2025

As unused homes increase in rural South Korea, govt. mobilizes nationwide response

South Korea on Thursday announced a pangovernment plan to tackle the growing problem of unused houses, as rural areas face the looming threat of extinction amid population decline. While there are an estimated 134,000 so-called empty houses nationwide, making up 7.9 percent of all residential buildings, the problem is particularly acute outside metropolitan areas. As of 2023, 42.7 percent of these empty houses, or 57,223 homes, were concentrated in 89 regions experiencing population decline. The

May 1, 2025

2 suspects in massive Gyeongsang wildfires to be handed over to prosecution early May

Two men suspected of starting deadly wildfires that spread across southeastern South Korea and claimed 33 lives in late March could be referred to prosecutors in early May at the earliest, North Gyeongsang Province police said Wednesday. The suspects are currently not in physical detention, as a local court rejected the police’s request for arrest warrants last week. The court stated that investigators had already acquired enough evidence to prove the suspects’ involvement, and that the suspects

April 30, 2025

Korea rolls out air safety measures after Jeju Air tragedy

The South Korean government on Wednesday announced a series of air safety measures, including strict penalties for fatal accidents and new rules targeting potentially hazardous conditions at airports — factors believed to have attributed to the deadly Jeju Air crash landing in December that killed 179 of the 181 onboard. Strict punitive actions for airlines responsible for deadly aviation accidents are part of the plans announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Such airlin

April 30, 2025

Just tap the screen: Police discreetly rescue callers reporting dating violence

A police officer who received a silent emergency call recognized that the caller was in danger and guided her to use nonverbal signals to request help, according to the National Police Agency. On Tuesday, the NPA released a video highlighting a recent case handled by the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, in which a victim of dating violence called the 112 emergency hotline but was unable to speak. Senior Patrol Officer Kim Hye-jin, who responded to the call, suspected a foul play and told the calle

April 30, 2025

Korea's 'pandemic hero' joins Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign

Jung Eun-kyeong, former director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, joined the presidential campaign staff of the Democratic Party of Korea candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung. Jung, 59, the former head of the KDCA garnered nationwide fame for the agency's response to the recent pandemic induced by the COVID-19. Time magazine in 2020 named her one of the 100 most influential people of the year, as then-President Moon Jae-in commended her contributions to the nation's antivirus efforts.

April 30, 2025

14th century book stripped of treasure status after theft revealed

The Korea Heritage Service on Tuesday said it is revoking all administrative decisions related to the national treasure designation of the book Daemyeongryul (The Great Ming Code), due to the illegal acquisition of the ancient text by the museum director who applied for its designation. The decision to cancel the book’s status as a national treasure comes years after a 2022 court ruling confirmed that the text had been stolen and sentenced the museum director to three years in prison. A KHS subc

April 29, 2025

Over half of single parents in bottom 20% income group: study

A substantial number of single parents in South Korea have low financial instability and far less time to spend with their children than two-parent households, a study by a state-funded research institute showed Tuesday. As of 2021, 31.4 percent of all households with one parent and at least one unmarried child were in the bottom 10 percent in terms of household income, according to research by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Another 20 percent were in the second-lowest bracke

April 29, 2025