Unionized parcel delivery workers in South Korea have voted to launch a strike later this month as they ask logistics firms to step in and resolve an ongoing conflict with an apartment complex and its residents over a ban on ground-floor parking. The delivery workers’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said Friday that 77 percent of 6,000 workers voted to approve the walkout. The strike will consist of some 2,000 workers from the union, details of which will be announced

African swine fever has returned to South Korean farms after seven months, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Wednesday, after it confirmed two cases at a farm of 401 pigs in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon Province. All domesticated pigs at the farm were culled immediately. A total of 11 African swine fever cases have been discovered from wild boars in Yeongwol-gun since the outbreak started in 2019. The pig farm is just 1.2 kilometers away from where the last case in the county wa

Oceans Minister nominee Park Jun-young is facing criticism over allegations his wife smuggled in highly valuable porcelain without a customs declaration and sold it to customers while running a cafe. Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the main opposition People Power Party first raised the issue last week, suggesting Park’s wife bought a large quantity of porcelain teacups, teapots, plates and ornaments in Britain and brought them back to Korea without reporting it to customs, before illegally selling s

For 28-year-old Hong Seong-kyun, buying a home in Seoul has been near the top of his bucket list for years, even before he started worrying about getting a job in the city. Born and raised in Seoul, he thought owning an apartment, however small it might be, was not a far-fetched dream. But years later, he has come to know otherwise. Hong now has about 15 million won ($13,370) sitting in his savings account, which guarantees nothing when it comes to housing. The 28-year-old spends about eight h

Parcel delivery workers are mulling whether to stage a full-scale strike later this month as they ask logistics firms to step in and resolve an ongoing conflict with some apartment complexes and their residents over a ban on ground-floor parking. A delivery workers’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said Sunday that 76 percent of its 371 lead members agreed to start a vote within the union on a full-scale walkout. The vote will take place Thursday for all delivery worke

Unseasonal snow fell on parts of Gangwon Province over the weekend, an unlikely event for May, when early summer weather is typically seen across the country. It is the first time in 22 years that it has snowed in South Korea in the month of May. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday that up to 18.5 centimeters of snow blanketed Gangwon Province from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. An influx of strong wind from the east concentrated a pack of rain clouds in mountainous regions

The South Korean Army deprived recruits of basic hygiene as part of its anti-COVID-19 measures, a civic group revealed, criticizing the military for neglecting soldiers’ basic rights. The Center for Military Human Rights Korea said in a statement Monday that the Korea Army Training Center was too strict in enforcing its COVID-19 prevention measures for recruits, even barring access to basic hygiene options during their weekslong training period. According to the nonprofit human rights ad

South Korea will accelerate its COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the additional vaccine doses it recently secured, the acting prime minister said Monday, dispelling concerns that a shortage could threaten the goal of achieving herd immunity by November. Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki said in a public message Monday morning that the country could expect to achieve herd immunity earlier than expected and was prepared to meet any additional demand in the future. The government has now secur

Following the Japanese government’s decision to release wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, South Korea is concerned of the potential harm it will bring when the radioactive water reaches local seas. But concern is especially high for Jeju Island, the first province in Korea that would be affected by the contaminated water once it is gradually released from 2023 onward. Experts have warned in their research reports that the radioactive water would re

COVID-19 self-test kits will hit stores in South Korea this month for the first time as the country looks to increase its virus testing capacity amid a continued resurgence in the number of new cases detected each day. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday that it had granted temporary use approval for two COVID-19 self-test kits, one made by SD Biosensor and the other by Humasis. The move will bring the self-test kits to local pharmacies and online stores by end of April or early M

The republication of an autobiography of the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung has ignited controversy in South Korea, where possession of the book could violate national security laws. Starting this week, a number of major South Korean bookstores have accepted purchase orders for “Reminiscences: With the Century,” which emphasizes the North Korean leader’s childhood and what he did to resist the Japanese colonial regime. But South Korean historians and experts have sai

Classrooms centered on remote learning are interfering with learning and compounding existing achievement gaps among students in South Korea, a report has found. The report released Tuesday showed that the achievement gap among middle school students grew faster in 2020 than in previous years. The authors asked the educational authorities to improve online learning systems and interaction among students and teachers. According to a study by the Seoul Education Research and Information Institut

Negotiations for next year’s minimum wage are expected to be anything but easy, with labor and business representatives again proposing radically different figures from the very start. The Minimum Wage Commission on Tuesday afternoon convened its first plenary meeting with its 27 members -- nine representatives each from labor, business and government. The commission has until mid-July to determine the new rate, which is to be formally announced Aug. 5. The first plenary meeting merely w

Kim Hae-yong, a former South Korean ambassador to Myanmar and New Zealand, officially started his term Friday as the fifth secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Center, the organization announced Sunday. The 64-year-old career diplomat replaces Lee Hyuk for a single three-year term to 2024. His appointment was confirmed during the 13th meeting of the center’s council, held online on Feb. 9. The secretary-general is a retired career diplomat who served with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Choi Keun-ho, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, used to ride an electric scooter to and from work every day. He was one of a growing number of consumers in South Korea opting to use this rather novel personal mobility option. But in January, after crashing into a woman and seriously bruising her, he stopped riding his scooter and instead opted to walk and take the bus. Choi said he paid the woman’s hospital bills and apologized multiple times, which the

South Korea on Tuesday strongly condemned Japan's decision to release more than 1 million tons of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant, saying the radioactive water threatens the safety of neighboring countries and their marine environments. The government expressed strong regret over the Japanese government's "unilateral" choice to release the radioactive water, saying the decision was made without discussions or negotiations with Korea. "This dec

Seoul plans to introduce its own social distancing system as an alternative to South Korea’s nationwide rules out of concern for small-business owners. In a press briefing Monday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the Seoul Metropolitan Government is preparing to announce new social distancing rules exclusively for the city, as the current nationwide system harms small-business owners and merchants. The city government is looking to have its municipal social distancing rules ready by the end o

Calls are growing for South Korea to institute a nationwide sickness benefit program as the criticism remains high over the effectiveness of the recently introduced vaccination leave policy. Labor activists argue for legislative support to help many workers who would be still obliged to continue to work even when reporting adverse symptoms after taking their shots, which could be helped with the introduction of the sickness benefit program. At the moment, the Korea Institute for Health and Soc

South Korea’s top science and technology institution is seeking to strengthen its globalization efforts and provide unique research opportunities in hopes of becoming one of the top 10 universities in the world within the next 20 years. Lee Kwang-hyung, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said in a press briefing Thursday that the school will focus on nurturing creative scholars, have them engage in novel research fields and thereby improve the competitive

Some 6.45 million voters rushed to polling stations Wednesday to cast their ballots for the mayor of Seoul and Busan, the two largest municipalities in South Korea. According to preliminary data from the National Election Commission, 56.8 percent of 12.16 million eligible voters cast their votes during the two-day-long early voting period and from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the election. Some 58.2 percent of 8.43 million eligible voters cast their ballots to choose the next mayor of Seoul.