South Korea officially dropped its maximum workweek to 52 hours on Sunday, in an effort to improve the quality of life among its citizens by tackling the country’s notoriously long work hours.The new law, which was a campaign promise by President Moon Jae-in, went into effect for businesses with more than 300 employees, state-run agencies and government offices starting Sunday.  Under the law, which slashed the maximum weekly work hours to 52 from 68, workers in Korea will be allowed to work 40

Kim Ha-jin, a 30-year-old working professional in Seoul, loves buying chocolates after work. “I don’t buy boxes of chocolates,” she told The Korea Herald. “I usually buy one or two pieces at high-end chocolatiers, such as Godiva or Laderach. It usually costs about 5,000 won. It’s a treat that I give myself after long, grueling hours in the office.”Before getting into chocolates, Kim said, she was into “luxurious but small” beauty products. “I would get the cheapest products, such as pink lipstic

South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the revision of current laws by next year to give conscientious objectors -- those who refuse mandatory military service on grounds of conscience or religious beliefs -- the option to perform an alternative service of a civilian nature. The order was announced following the ruling which found that not providing alternative measures for the objectors is against the Constitution. The nine-judge panel, headed by Chief Justice Lee Jin-sung, anno

With some 500 Yemeni nationals seeking asylum on Jeju Island, many in South Korea say the country is facing its first “refugee crisis.” 　Indeed, the influx of the refugees from Yemen has triggered a fierce backlash among Koreans against immigration rules of Jeju Island, where, unlike the rest of South Korea, most foreign passport-holders can stay for a month without a visa. 　Many of those who oppose the visa-waiver program say Yemenis will only “create problems” in Korea, especially against loca

One of the owners of the now-defunct, illegal file sharing site known for its rampant circulation of revenge porn and spy cam porn has been arrested, police said Tuesday. 　It was also revealed that some of the remaining suspects are foreign-passport holders and currently live overseas. 　The arrested person, who is only identified by her last name Song, is known to be one of the four individuals, including her husband, who had been running the illegal site from 1999 to 2016, using overseas server

The Gender Ministry on Monday announced plans to “better treat” government-certified ‘care helpers’ for young children.   　The announcement comes months after a Gwangju court ruled earlier this year that such individuals should be legally recognized as “laborers,” meaning they are entitled to paid leave and overtime pay, among other benefits. 　The court ordered that the government affiliated agencies must pay a total of 169 care helpers, all based in Gwangju, their overdue paid leave. The court

The Human Rights Commission on Thursday released a report detailing state violence against “vagrant” children in a facility in Gyeonggi Province, which the commission believes to have lasted for some 40 years from 1942-1982.　The report claims that some 4,691 children were kidnapped, brutally abused and coerced into harsh labor. Although the facility, named Seongam Hagwon, was characterized as a shelter or welfare institution for vagrant children or orphans, the report reveals that many of the ch

A Seoul court once again turned down a request for a warrant to arrest Lee Myung-hee, the wife of the Korean Air Lines chairman who has been accused of abusing her employees as well as unlawfully hiring domestic helpers from the Philippines.　“It is difficult to determine whether it is necessary to place Lee Myung-hee in custody,” the Seoul Central District Court said, rejecting the arrest warrant which was filed on Monday by prosecutors. 　Authorities suspect that Lee, 69, along with her daughter

As far as she remembers, Hong Hye-eun says, she always had to give up at least one of the following -- safety, privacy and a decent living condition -- in almost all of the housing she’s lived ever since she moved out of her parents’ house as a teenager.　In her final year at high school, the 30-year-old moved out because her parents’ home in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, was too crowded and loud. She had six siblings, and had a university entrance exam to prepare for. The place where her

Foreign-born women who moved to South Korea upon marrying Korean men are often subjected to financial abuse by their spouses and in-laws, a new government study showed Wednesday.　The study, organized and released by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, came to the conclusion after surveying 920 foreign-born women married to South Korean nationals last year. 　The largest proportion of the surveyed women, 42.4 percent, came from Vietnam, followed by China (29.4 percent) and the Philippin

Roh So-young, director of a contemporary art gallery in Seoul and the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo, has been accused by her former drivers of ‘gapjil,’ a Korean term that refers to abuse of subcontractors and employees by those in powerful positions.　According to local news reports, Roh Soh-young, 57, allegedly verbally abused her ex-drivers, for things such as not having any chewing gum ready in the car. One former driver claimed that Roh insulted him over unexpected tr

Some 200,000 South Korean women have been diagnosed with infertility annually since 2010, and among them, 60 percent have experienced depression, government data showed Tuesday.　The study, organized and released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, also showed that 86.7 percent of 214,588 Korean women who were treated for infertility in 2015 said they have felt depressed, worthless and isolated. 　At the same time, 26.7 percent said they have considered taking their own lives due to depression

Victims of a toxic disinfectant for humidifiers that was sold in South Korea from 2001-2011 held a rally in central Seoul on Tuesday asking the public, especially local pharmacists, to boycott products by Oxy, a local subsidiary of British conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser that also produced the fatal cleaning product. 　“Oxy should leave this country, Oxy should leave this country for good,” the victims, many of whom have lost their family members after they came in to contact with the product, cha

It was not an unfamiliar sight when Cho Hyun-ah, the Korean Air heiress whose “rage” over nuts delayed a flight some four years ago, once again bowed and apologized for her “troubles” last month over another set of criminal allegations, this time of illegally hiring domestic helpers from the Philippines. She admitted to the wrongdoing.　Given the wealth of the Cho family, one might wonder why Hyun-ah and her mother Lee Myeong-hee sought domestic helpers from overseas, particularly from the Philip

The upcoming local and parliamentary by-elections, slated for June 13, is widely perceived as an assessment of the Moon Jae-in administration‘s first year.A total of 824 seats in provincial and metropolitan assemblies, 2,927 lower-level local councilors, and 17 superintendents of education will be decided. And in the parliamentary by-elections, National Assembly seats for 12 districts are up for grabs.The lack of female candidates at the upcoming elections is glaring. The ruling Democratic Party

The beauty of Joseon-era architecture and modern skyscrapers in Seoul can be seen all at once -- if one visits major royal palaces at night this summer. On the Changgyeonggung nighttime tour, people are now allowed to stroll around the palace under the moonlight, surrounded by its beauty and nature that surrounds the palace buildings.According to the Korea Tourism Organization, Changgyeonggung is an ideal destinations for anyone who is interested in seeing Korean palaces in Seoul. Designated as

Exposure to air pollution, particularly to nanoparticles classified as PM2.5, may cause early first periods among young girls, which is known to increase one’s risk of developing other health conditions, such as breast cancer and early menopause, a new study showed on Tuesday. 　Scholars at Ewha Womans University came to the conclusion after researching 639 young girls aged 13-17 who participated in a survey from 2010-2012. Their findings showed that participants’ exposure to nanoparticles was li

South Koreans prefer girls over boys when adopting a child domestically, government data showed Monday.　According to a report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, of the 465 Korean children adopted in the country in 2017, 68 percent were girls.　The preference for girls over boys among Korean adoptive parents has existed since the early 2000s. In 2001, 58 percent of all children adopted domestically were girls. In 2013, the proportion increased to 70 percent, and dropped slightly to 65 percent

After South Korea’s Constitutional Court reviewed a challenge from a medical doctor who was prosecuted for performing almost 70 abortions on Thursday, the nation continues to be divided on whether or not abortion should be decriminalized.　The doctor, who performed the illegal procedure 69 times from November 2013 to June 2015, said at the court that the current ban endangers women and their well-being, as it limits their right to choose their own destinies and make choices for their reproductive

The number of newborns with birth defects has increased significantly in South Korea from 2008-2014, possibly due to pregnant women’s increased exposure to air pollutants and endocrine disruptors, a research showed on Wednesday.The study by Inha University researchers, came to the conclusion after analyzing the National Health Insurance data on 3,208,617 newborns born 2008-2014. Their research showed that the number of newborns with birth defects increased by 67 percent during the time period. I