SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has received 122,095 refugee applications since implementing its refugee program in 1994, with only 1,544 individuals being granted refugee status — an approval rate of 2.7% — according to statistics released by the Ministry of Justice on February 3. The country began accepting refugee applications in March 1994 [...]
GWANGJU, South Korea, Jan. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean city of Gwangju has reciprocated a symbolic gift from the U.S. state of Virginia with a gesture that underscores shared democratic ideals. On January 16, Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung sent the city’s flag to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin via professors from Chonnam National University’s Food [...]
JEJU, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Jeju Island will commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the Jeju Haenyeo Anti-Japanese Movement, the largest women-led independence movement in Korea, with a special ceremony on January 12. The event will honor the courageous haenyeo (female divers) who, in 1932, led mass protests against Japan’s colonial exploitation and ethnic discrimination in [...]
GWANGJU, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) —On January 3, 2025, as South Korea’s High-Ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Agency (CIO) attempted to execute an arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges of insurrection, a symbolic gesture captured national attention. At Gwangju City Hall, a Virginia state flag—known for its historical association with resistance against tyranny—was raised, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — In a landmark decision, South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that online sexual insults do not qualify as a sexual offense under the country’s criminal code unless there is clear intent to satisfy “sexual desire.” On November 28, the Supreme Court’s first division, led by Justice Seo Kyung-hwan, overturned a [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has determined that excluding a female firefighter from driving a large vehicle due to her gender constitutes discrimination. The decision follows a complaint filed by the firefighter, identified as Ms. A, who works at a fire station in Incheon. Ms. A alleged [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – In a landmark decision, South Korea’s Supreme Court has held the state accountable for inadequate accessibility for people with disabilities, ordering compensation and setting a precedent for broader systemic reform. On December 19, the court ruled that the government must pay KRW 100,000 (approximately $70) in damages to each plaintiff [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Some North Korean defectors who were repatriated from China last year were sent to prison camps in North Korea for being exposed to Christianity, which the regime regards as a threat to its leadership, a report showed Thursday. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an international Catholic pastoral [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – A memorial ceremony honoring forced labor victims, including Koreans, at an old Japanese mine complex kicked off as planned Sunday, with South Korea boycotting it over Tokyo’s pick to send a senior official with hard-line views on history to the event. South Korea’s foreign ministry did not attend the [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s abrupt decision to boycott a memorial ceremony at Japan’s Sado Mine has ignited controversy, with Seoul accusing Tokyo of reneging on promises to honor Korean forced laborers from Japan’s colonial era. The decision, announced on November 23, underscores tensions over Japan’s perceived backtracking on commitments to address historical [...]