SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – In a nation often described as a “coffee republic,” South Koreans are increasingly reaching for decaffeinated brews, reshaping menus and fueling new debates about caffeine’s role in daily life. On a busy avenue in central Seoul, a café recently advertised only decaf coffee on a large signboard — a [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s gender wage gap at publicly listed companies grew wider last year, even as the gap in average tenure between men and women narrowed, according to new government data. An analysis of 2,980 corporate annual reports for 2024, released Friday by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Once regarded as isolated personal misfortunes, “lonely deaths” — people dying alone and unnoticed — are increasingly being understood in South Korea as symptoms of systemic failure. A government-commissioned study released Friday portrays the phenomenon as a “social disaster” demanding urgent intervention. According to the report, prepared by the Korea [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Democratic Party on Friday unveiled plans to impose far heavier financial penalties on media outlets for publishing false or manipulated reports, vowing to pass the legislation before the Chuseok holiday on Oct. 6. At a press briefing, the party’s special committee on media reform said it would [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s new culture minister offered a stark warning on Thursday, saying that behind the glittering image of K-pop, K-drama and other cultural exports lies a fragile industry infrastructure at risk of collapse. At his first press conference since taking office, Choi Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, said he [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s efforts to rescue its collapsing essential medical system by sharply raising reimbursements for high-risk surgeries have failed to halt the sector’s decline, new government data show. Even with more generous payments, essential care still accounts for less than 20 percent of total medical spending, while pediatric and obstetric [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — With more than one in four South Korean households now raising a pet, real estate developers are racing to appeal to so-called “pet families” by building apartments with dedicated pet-friendly amenities. According to data released Thursday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, 28.6 percent of households [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean women not only earn far less than men during their working lives but also receive significantly smaller pensions in retirement, according to new research presented Thursday by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). The study, conducted by senior researcher Jang Jin-hee of the KCTU’s Central Research [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Illegal private lending and debt collection crimes in South Korea have more than doubled in the past three years, with authorities warning that exploitative lenders are increasingly preying on financially vulnerable groups such as young job seekers. According to data released Thursday by Rep. Han Byung-do, violations of lending [...]
SEJONG, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A statue in Sejong that was dismantled more than a decade ago after residents complained it resembled the Grim Reaper may be resurrected, thanks in part to the global success of Netflix’s animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” The Government Complex Management Office confirmed Wednesday that officials are reviewing whether to reinstall [...]