Editor's Picks Archives | Page 3 of 208 | Be Korea-savvy

Archive by category Editor’s Picks

‘The More Capable, the More Likely to Leave’: Korea’s Talent Deficit Deepens

‘The More Capable, the More Likely to Leave’: Korea’s Talent Deficit Deepens

SEOUL, June 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is experiencing a widening deficit in high-skilled labor as more top-tier professionals, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence, continue to leave the country, prompting renewed calls for structural reforms to retain and attract global talent. In a report released Tuesday, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s [...]

Majority of Korean Workers Support Expanding Minimum Wage to Gig and Freelance Labor

Majority of Korean Workers Support Expanding Minimum Wage to Gig and Freelance Labor

SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Korean workers believe the legal minimum wage should be extended to cover gig workers, freelancers, and those in special employment arrangements, reflecting mounting concern over the widening protections gap in the evolving labor market. According to a survey released Sunday by the labor rights group [...]

Small Bites of Summer: Sliced and Mini Watermelons Surge in Popularity

Small Bites of Summer: Sliced and Mini Watermelons Surge in Popularity

SEOUL, June 15 (Korea Bizwire) — As summer temperatures begin to climb, South Korea’s major retailers are seeing a sharp uptick in sales of sliced and mini watermelons, reflecting a growing consumer preference for convenience and smaller servings—especially among the nation’s increasing number of one- and two-person households. Traditionally seen as a “the bigger, the [...]

Hacking Outage at Yes24 Sparks Public Backlash, Raises Questions Over E-Book Ownership and Platform Dependence

Hacking Outage at Yes24 Sparks Public Backlash, Raises Questions Over E-Book Ownership and Platform Dependence

SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A major hacking incident that has paralyzed South Korea’s largest online bookstore, Yes24, for more than four days has reignited public debate over the vulnerability and ownership of digital content—particularly e-books. The service disruption, caused by a ransomware attack disclosed on June 9, has left more than 20 million [...]

“Korean Is Not a Commodity”: Civil Groups Rally Against TOPIK Privatization

“Korean Is Not a Commodity”: Civil Groups Rally Against TOPIK Privatization

SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) –  A growing chorus of civic groups and Korean language educators is calling on the South Korean government to halt its plan to privatize the administration of the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), warning that the move would undermine the public integrity of the exam and place financial burdens [...]

Tobacco Market Undergoes Rapid Shift as E-Cigarettes and Flavored Products Rise

Tobacco Market Undergoes Rapid Shift as E-Cigarettes and Flavored Products Rise

SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s tobacco market is undergoing a seismic shift, with traditional cigarettes giving way to e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products that promise less smoke and odor — but are raising fresh public health concerns. A government-commissioned report released Thursday by the Korean Society for Smoking Cessation, titled “2024 In-Depth [...]

South Korea’s AI Push Faces Reality Check as Industry Calls for Practical, Vertical Solutions

South Korea’s AI Push Faces Reality Check as Industry Calls for Practical, Vertical Solutions

Seoul, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — As President Lee Jae-myung’s administration sets its sights on making South Korea one of the world’s top three artificial intelligence (AI) powers, a growing chorus within the tech industry is calling for a shift in focus — from grand-scale infrastructure projects to practical, sector-specific solutions that bridge the widening gap [...]

Gov’t Releases COVID-19 White Paper Chronicling Five Years of Pandemic Strategy

Gov’t Releases COVID-19 White Paper Chronicling Five Years of Pandemic Strategy

SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government has released a comprehensive white paper chronicling its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, detailing a 1,564-day journey from the nation’s first confirmed case to the official downgrade of the health crisis. Titled “2020–2024 COVID-19 White Paper,” the document was published by the Ministry of Health [...]

Seoul Sees Yearlong Rise in Births and Marriages, Signaling Demographic Shift

Seoul Sees Yearlong Rise in Births and Marriages, Signaling Demographic Shift

SEOUL, June 8 (Korea Bizwire) — For the first time in years, Seoul has recorded a sustained increase in both births and marriages, signaling a potential turning point in the city’s demographic challenges. According to data released on June 8 by Statistics Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of births in March 2025 reached [...]

Bank of Korea Warns of Japan-Style Stagnation Without Bold Reforms

Bank of Korea Warns of Japan-Style Stagnation Without Bold Reforms

 SEOUL, June 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea must embrace bold structural reforms and innovation to avoid falling into a prolonged period of low growth similar to Japan’s post-bubble stagnation, the Bank of Korea (BOK) warned in a policy report released shortly after President Lee Jae-myung’s inauguration. In its report titled “Lessons from the Japanese [...]