SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — In response to a series of human rights violations involving foreign workers, South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor has announced intensified labor monitoring and a focused reporting campaign. From August 11 to 29, the ministry will operate a special period for reporting labor rights abuses affecting foreign workers, particularly [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, along with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), announced Thursday it will invest 12.4 billion won ($9.3 million) to support 11 blockchain-based pilot projects aimed at integrating the technology into everyday services. One of the flagship initiatives includes a blockchain-based “battery [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A government-issued consumer relief program aimed at boosting local spending is sparking a lively debate in South Korea—not over its effectiveness, but over who should control the funds when recipients are underage. The controversy centers on “Livelihood Recovery Coupons” distributed to minors, which are legally collected by the head [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Ministry of Environment on Wednesday unveiled new regulatory exemptions aimed at promoting the recycling of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and electronic waste, as part of a broader push to support emerging green technologies. Under the country’s regulatory sandbox framework, which allows temporary exemptions from existing laws [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is drafting an ambitious policy blueprint aimed at curbing the outflow of high-level science and technology talent while aggressively courting top-tier researchers from overseas, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. According to government officials, the Ministry of Science and ICT has identified an initial demand for [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — In a bold fusion of diplomacy and pop culture, South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has drawn attention online by promoting an upcoming global food security summit with a viral video inspired by a hit Netflix animation. The ministry’s spokesperson, Jeon Han-young, dressed as “Abby,” a lion [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday ordered a sweeping investigation and potential punitive measures against POSCO E&C, following a series of fatal industrial accidents at the company’s worksites this year. Speaking after yet another serious accident at a POSCO E&C construction site left a worker unconscious earlier this week, President [...]
National security concerns and U.S. trade pressure shape South Korea’s cautious stance on data sovereignty SEOUL, August 4 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government is deferring a key decision on whether to allow Google to export high-resolution mapping data until after an upcoming summit between President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, underscoring [...]
MASGA initiative aims to deepen Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation under Lee-Trump trade framework SEOUL, August 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s leading shipbuilders have formed a joint task force to coordinate participation in the newly announced Korea-U.S. shipbuilding partnership, known as the MASGA (Maritime and Shipbuilding Growth Arrangement) initiative—a $150 billion sector-specific fund unveiled as part [...]
SEOUL, August 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s emergency consumer coupon program, launched to revitalize local economies, achieved a 90% disbursement rate within just 11 days of rollout, but has since come under scrutiny over illegal cash conversions and human rights concerns related to the card’s design. The “Livelihood Recovery Consumer Coupons,” issued in prepaid [...]