SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans in their twenties have become the nation’s smallest adult generation for the first time on record, as a long-running decline in births and rapid population aging continue to reshape the country’s demographic landscape. According to data released Sunday by the National Data Agency, the population of people in [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of disputes over public access and shared resources are flaring up among apartment complexes in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam area, reflecting what some sociologists call an “urban tribalism” fueled by skyrocketing property values. In Gangdong District, residents of the 4,066-unit Godeok Arteon complex voted late last month to [...]
A Seoul court rules that stress from complaints and investigation did not amount to an occupational injury. SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A Seoul court has denied a claim that the suicide of a postal worker, who had faced public complaints and disciplinary action over a mail delivery mistake, constituted a work-related death. According to [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — While much of the world races to unlock the economic and therapeutic potential of medical cannabis, South Korea remains mired in outdated regulations that treat even non-psychoactive compounds as narcotics. Lawmakers and experts warn that this rigid stance is stifling domestic innovation, draining public healthcare funds, and pushing patients [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that employees working every other day, such as taxi drivers on alternating shifts, are entitled to only half of the standard weekly holiday allowance, marking a significant clarification in how labor laws apply to nonstandard work schedules. In a decision announced in August, [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — After decades as a gatekeeper of content, South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) is undergoing a transformation — from a censorship-era pre-screening body into a modern agency focused on post-release oversight and player protection. Under the reforms, GRAC will delegate most general game ratings to private organizations while [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Korea’s fine dust pollution during the winter months comes from China, according to new government data underscoring the persistent cross-border nature of the country’s air quality problem. A report released Wednesday by the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) found that 55 percent of ultrafine [...]
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – A leading Washington think tank has warned that South Korea’s reluctance to challenge China militarily or economically could complicate U.S. strategy in Asia, even as it praised Seoul’s technological prowess as vital to the allies’ shared interests in an era of intensifying competition with Beijing. In a report released Wednesday [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite the country’s rapidly aging population, more than half of South Koreans have never discussed death or end-of-life care with their families, reflecting deep cultural reluctance to confront mortality, a new study shows. According to a report published this year by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 54.3 [...]
Government Kicks Off “New Leap Fund” to Wipe Out Old Debts for Over 1 Million Borrowers SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government has launched a new debt relief initiative aimed at helping long-term defaulters rebuild their financial lives, but officials face a key hurdle in securing cooperation from private lenders that [...]