SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Virus or not, a growing number of people have been caught attending parties in violation of COVID-19 rules, with some business owners opting to open and pay a fine than not open at all. South Korea has experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with more than [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Politicians are coming up with various welfare promises as they prepare for next year’s presidential election, but the working-age population or the number of future taxpayers, whose taxes are vital in supporting these welfare policies, is plunging. Statistics Korea’s 2020 Population and Housing Census showed that the working-age population [...]
SEOUL/BUSAN, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Unionized parcel delivery workers are demanding better working conditions to cope with the intense summer heat, saying several couriers collapsed in the scorching weather this week. According to the Parcel Delivery Workers’ Solidarity Union, a 57-year-old courier at a Lotte Global Logistics terminal in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of [...]
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) – Gulping a can of beer alone after a grueling night shift has been a monthslong ritual for Kim Jae-yeon, a nurse at a general hospital in Seoul, since her favorite watering hole shut down amid the pandemic and the hospital she works at told medical staff to avoid gatherings. [...]
SEOUL, July 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea, the country with the highest poverty and suicide rates of seniors among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states, is struggling to improve the lives of senior citizens. A report from Statistics Korea released on Tuesday shows a gloomy forecast for older Koreans. Among 14.8 [...]
SEOUL, July 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial authority said Wednesday it plans to expand the ecosystem of the so-called open banking platform by inviting users of fintech services, allowing more people to enjoy simpler financial transactions. South Korea launched the open banking service in 2019, which centers on allowing customers to use any [...]
SEOUL, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) — In the midst of a surge in momentum for environmental movements looking to overcome climate change, an increasing percentage of young Koreans are deciding not to have children because they do not want their offspring to suffer from the environmental collapse. Kim Woo-seop, a 28-year-old office worker, is concerned [...]
SEOUL, July 23 (Korea Bizwire) — With the onset of the vacation season, the so-called ‘workation,’ referring to working from a vacation destination, is spreading throughout the business world. As a contactless working environment is becoming a new norm in the pandemic era, companies are allowing employees to work not only from home but also [...]
SEOUL, July 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the front-running presidential contender for the ruling Democratic Party, made a campaign pledge Thursday to distribute universal basic income of up to 2 million won (US$1,736) per year to all citizens. “Within the (five-year) term of the next administration, (I) will provide 2 million [...]
URAYASU, Japan, July 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics will be getting a taste of home during their stay in Japan, thanks to a makeshift kitchen built in a hotel near their living quarters. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) has set up its meal service center at [...]