SEOUL, Apr. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The government remains open to talks with doctors if they come up with a unified and reasonable solution to resolve an impasse over a reform to hike the number of medical students, a senior official said Tuesday. The comments by Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang followed remarks a day [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreigners and overseas Koreans can only become eligible for the state health insurance coverage as dependents if they reside in South Korea for at least six months, according to the health ministry Tuesday. The tightened rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, comes as some foreigners have reportedly exploited the [...]
WASHINGTON, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has taken issue again with South Korean bills calling on foreign online content providers to pay network usage fees in a recent report, saying they could be “anticompetitive.” On Friday, the office issued the 2024 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Consumers in South Korea will soon have an easier time identifying plastic products made with a significant amount of recycled materials, allowing them to make more environmentally conscious purchasing decisions. The Ministry of Environment announced on March 28 that the “Labeling System for the Use of Recycled Plastic Materials” would [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Several emergency departments in major hospitals faced operational challenges on Monday, with some either turning away patients or reducing procedures due to the strain caused by a prolonged walkout by junior doctors. Senior medical professors, who play crucial roles in these hospitals, have begun reducing their working hours, citing [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – A survey of South Korean office workers has revealed that an automatic parental leave system paired with income protection during leave is viewed as the most critical labor policy needed to address the nation’s chronically low birth rates. According to the civic group Gabjil 119, which polled 1,000 office employees, [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Hur Young-in, the chairman of bakery giant SPC Group, did not show up for prosecution questioning scheduled for Monday on allegations that he forced bakers at a bakery affiliate to quit their labor union. The 74-year-old chairman is currently under investigation for his suspected involvement in an affiliate’s alleged [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – The defense ministry on Monday established a research center aimed at overseeing artificial intelligence (AI) development in the defense sector as part of efforts to introduce advanced technologies to the military. A founding ceremony for the Defense AI Center took place at the state-run Agency for Defense Development in [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday the government will accomplish medical reform, despite a prolonged walkout by junior doctors that have crippled public health services at major hospitals for nearly six weeks. “The government will accomplish medical reform by only looking at the people,” Cho told a government response [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The head of South Korea’s financial regulator on Monday urged local banks to continue improving their business practices, saying the government will continue to push for policies that encourage “change and innovation” through competition. Kim Joo-hyun, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), made the remark in a meeting [...]