SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign residents in South Korea will soon find it easier to access non-bank financial services through mobile and online platforms, as the government expands its real-time ID verification system beyond the traditional banking sector. On Friday, the Ministry of Justice and the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute announced [...]
SEOUL, May 30, 2025 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Koreans enrolling in government-run smoking cessation clinics has halved over the past decade, while quit rates have also dropped significantly — raising concerns about waning public engagement with anti-smoking efforts. According to new data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Smoking-related deaths in South Korea exceeded 70,000 in 2022, with the associated socioeconomic costs reaching 13.6 trillion won (approximately $10 billion), according to new government data released Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the figures were derived from an analysis of cohort studies and national mortality [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — A new study suggests that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds in South Korea are significantly more likely to take multiple gap years (“N-sus”) and enter university through standardized test-based admissions — raising concerns that recent reforms aimed at fairness may be deepening educational inequality. According to a report published [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Biawire) — South Korea’s declining school-age population has led to a steady drop in university enrollment, with vocational and technical colleges bearing the brunt of the demographic shift. In response, universities are increasingly recruiting nontraditional students — including adult learners and international students — to fill empty seats, a new government [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is exploring the commercial potential of hydrogen combustion engines as an alternative path to decarbonizing heavy-duty vehicles, the Ministry of Environment announced Thursday. The ministry will host a policy forum on May 30 at Seoul’s Ferrum Tower to discuss strategies for expanding hydrogen-powered transportation. The event, organized [...]
SEOUL, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Ministry of Environment has launched a new industry-wide council aimed at addressing the mounting environmental damage caused by clothing production and disposal. The inaugural meeting of the “Apparel Environmental Council” was held on May 29, 2025, in Yongsan, Seoul, with 21 organizations in attendance, including five major [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Following a historic year of profitability, the white-collar labor union at SK Hynix has entered annual wage negotiations with a bold proposal: an 8.25% salary increase alongside expanded performance bonuses and benefits. The first round of 2025 wage talks was held on May 28 at the company’s Icheon campus, marking [...]
SEOUL, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) — After three years of steady decline, exposure to secondhand smoke in South Korea is once again on the rise — particularly in indoor workplaces and public spaces — prompting renewed calls for stronger tobacco control measures. According to new data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency [...]
SEOUL, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has emerged as the world’s second-largest market for paid ChatGPT subscriptions, trailing only the United States, amid a dramatic surge in the use of generative AI services nationwide. According to the 2024 Intelligent Information Society User Panel Survey released Thursday by the Korea Communications Commission and the [...]