SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea’s population ages, anxieties over access to cremation facilities have resurfaced among grieving families, echoing memories of last winter’s so-called “cremation crisis,” when a surge in deaths led to delays in funeral schedules. Yet government data and industry officials say that, for now, the system remains largely [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday pledged a sweeping crackdown on what he described as entrenched ties between religious groups and political power, calling such practices “a path toward national ruin” and signaling possible expansion of ongoing investigations. Speaking at a New Year press conference, Mr. Lee warned against the organized [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s artificial intelligence–based labor law consultation service recorded more than 117,000 inquiries last year, underscoring growing demand for round-the-clock guidance on wages, working hours and employment rights, the Labor Ministry said Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, usage of the AI-powered service rose sharply in 2025, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — A long-delayed redevelopment project in northern Seoul, once known as the city’s last remaining daldongne — or hillside shantytown — will proceed as planned after a court rejected a request to halt construction over concerns about stray animals. The Seoul Northern District Court recently dismissed an injunction filed by a [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing share of young South Koreans are stepping away from the labor market altogether, a shift that economists say reflects deeper structural strains in an economy struggling to adapt to technological change and slowing growth. According to a report released Tuesday by the Bank of Korea, the proportion of [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Older South Koreans participating in government-sponsored job programs earned an average of about 405,000 won ($300) a month last year, with most saying the primary reason for working was to cover basic living expenses, according to a nationwide survey released Monday. The study, published by the Korea Labor Force Development [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Traffic accidents on icy winter roads are significantly more deadly than those occurring under normal driving conditions, South Korea’s transportation safety authority said on Monday, underscoring the dangers posed by freezing temperatures and black ice. An analysis of national accident data from 2022 to 2024 by the Korea Transportation Safety [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly eight in 10 local governments outside South Korea’s capital region say they face a serious risk of population decline, underscoring the deepening divide between Seoul and the rest of the country as demographic pressures mount. In a survey released Monday by the Federation of Korean Industries, 77 percent of [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – Police on Monday searched the home of a far-right activist under investigation for defaming statues of a girl representing victims who were forced to Japan’s wartime brothels during World War II, a police official said. Investigators carried out the search and seizure at the residence of Kim Byung-heon, who [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A large majority of South Korean workers say the rapid spread of artificial intelligence is likely to widen labor-market inequality and deepen wealth polarization, according to a new nationwide survey. The poll, conducted in October 2025 by research firm Global Research on behalf of the labor advocacy group Workplace Abuse [...]