SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Friday called on the opposition-controlled National Assembly to reconsider its decision to vote on an impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo, saying that such a move would deal a significant blow to government affairs. Choi spoke on behalf of Cabinet members, as the [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has the highest traffic fatality rate for seniors among OECD member countries, with elderly suicides also remaining alarmingly high despite recent declines, according to a 2024 report. Data reveals that the number of elderly suicides is over 2.6 times greater than traffic-related deaths. A study by Professor Jung [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s healthcare spending on chronic diseases has reached 90 trillion won annually, with such conditions accounting for 85% of total medical expenses and causing eight out of 10 deaths, according to a report released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on December 26. The “2024 Chronic [...]
CHEONGJU, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — In the city of Jecheon, South Korea, two chubby-cheeked characters with snow-white skin and beaming smiles have captured the public’s imagination. Meet “Je-je” and “Cheon-cheon,” the official mascots whose charm has evolved from initial skepticism to beloved civic symbols. When first introduced four years ago, some likened the rotund pair [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Insurance payouts for small business closures in South Korea have reached a historic high of 1.3 trillion won in 2024, reflecting the deepening impact of the economic slowdown, according to the Korea Federation of SMEs. The federation reported on December 25 that payments under the “Yellow Umbrella” business closure insurance [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a retrial for two former heads of humidifier disinfectant makers who had been sentenced to prison terms for producing and selling toxic products that resulted in illness and death among customers. The top court overturned the four-year prison sentences for Hong Ji-ho, former [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the deletion of a public curfew in an initial draft of the martial law decree issued earlier this month, a lawyer for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun claimed Thursday. Kim’s lawyer, Yoo Seung-soo, said the former minister had originally written the draft that included [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) —Sejong emerged as the leading region for work-life balance in South Korea in 2023, according to a report released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Wednesday. The region excelled in providing optimal working hours, leisure opportunities, and effective implementation of work-family integration policies. The annual Regional Work-Life Balance [...]
GUMI, Dec. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — On Christmas morning, hundreds of bottles of drinking water were delivered to the Korean Optical High Tech factory in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, where two dismissed workers have been staging a grueling rooftop sit-in protest for 352 days. The delivery was a result of a spontaneous nationwide campaign sparked [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — In a landmark decision, South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that online sexual insults do not qualify as a sexual offense under the country’s criminal code unless there is clear intent to satisfy “sexual desire.” On November 28, the Supreme Court’s first division, led by Justice Seo Kyung-hwan, overturned a [...]