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 [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – Stalking crimes have increased in the past three years since the enactment of the anti-stalking law in 2021, a lawmaker said, citing government data. The number of such crimes stood at 13,283 last year, up 26 percent from 10,545 cases in 2022, according to the Office for Government Policy [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is turning to artificial intelligence to address a mounting environmental challenge: the massive volume of discarded clothing fueled by fast fashion. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced Wednesday that it will invest 25 billion won ($18 million) through 2030—including 17.5 billion won in government funding—to [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A proposed bill that would make it illegal to create or distribute sexually explicit material using artificial intelligence (AI)–generated virtual characters is sparking intense public debate in South Korea, reflecting growing unease over the boundaries of technology and expression. The amendment to the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – The government has raised businesses’ mandatory hiring rate for people with disabilities to up to 4 percent to help expand their job opportunities. Under new measures announced by the labor ministry on Oct. 1, private sector businesses will be required to fill 3.5 percent of their workforce with people [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s middle-aged population — once considered the backbone of the nation — is increasingly dying alone, as government attention and welfare programs remain focused on the young and elderly. According to data from the National Data Office and the National Assembly Research Service, 74.8 percent of the 21,897 [...]