The number of cases of teachers getting treated for depression has risen by about 180 percent over the past four years, data showed, another worrying sign that teachers are being pushed to the brink in and outside the classrooms. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service obtained by Rep. Shin Hyeon-young, the number of cases of teachers getting treated for depression surged 179.4 percent to 158,066, up from 88,127 in 2018. Similarly, the number of cases involving anxiety disor

Even as the government recently announced its plans to increase the number of E-9 visas for workers of foreign nationality to the largest number ever next year, the institutions that directly support foreign workers' lives in Korea are set to be abolished, as next year's budget for them has been completely cut for the first time in 20 years. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, there will be no government budget for the Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers for 2024. T

A strike by the Korean Railroad Workers' Union is to begin Thursday morning, raising concerns over transportation and logistics turmoil. According to unionized workers at the state-run Korea Railroad Corp., also known as Korail, the union will go on a four-day strike from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Monday. The strike is the union's first since November 2019. Members voted 64.4 percent in favor in a strike ballot at the end of August. The railway union's requests include the expansi

A year has passed since the Sindang Station murder, in which a female Seoul Metro employee was killed after being stalked by her ex-colleague, but most bills proposed since to beef up protection for stalking victims remain pending in parliament. Korea's anti-stalking law was revised to punish perpetrators without the consent of stalking victims and a law to support stalking victims was enacted in the wake of the murder case last year. Despite the revision, the scope defining stalking as a c

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has set its budget for next year at 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion), marking a 9.4 percent increase from this year. However, funding for teenage sex education and initiatives to prevent the recurrence of sexual and domestic violence have been reduced. The Ministry of Economy and Finance said Sunday that the budget for programs aimed at preventing the recurrence of domestic and sexual violence, including correctional treatment programs for perpetrators

This year's summer was unusually hot and humid, with the average summer temperature ranking the fourth-highest in South Korea's modern history, while the average quantity of rainfall ranked fifth, according to the national weather agency Thursday. The average temperature nationwide this summer was 24.7 degrees Celsius, 1 C higher than the average and the fourth-highest average temperature since 1973, when the weather observation network was expanded nationwide and started to compile re

Women are more economically active in South Korea's workforce than ever. The employment-to-population ratio for women aged 15 to 64 here hit an all-time high of 60 percent last year. However, the wage gap between women and men is widening, data showed Wednesday, as women still earn significantly less than men on average. It is the first time that this figure entered the 60 percent range since the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family started compiling data in 1997. The percentage of women

Seoul and Incheon were hit by an unusual "September tropical night" from late Monday to early Tuesday. It was the first such tropical night in September in 88 years, according to the weather agency, citing data. Tropical nights refer to hot evenings with the lowest temperature at over 25 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, temperatures remained above 25 degrees not only in Seoul and Incheon

Seoul Central District Court ruled on Friday that Mergeplus, the operator behind the problematic discount app, Mergepoint, must pay roughly 225 million won ($170,000) to 148 victims who had purchased unusable virtual coupons. The decision comes after a collective civil lawsuit identified the app's role in causing widespread refund chaos. The court found Kwon Nam-hee, CEO of Mergeplus Corporation, and its affiliated companies responsible for the incident but absolved six online shopping si

A probation officer was arrested on suspicion of ignoring a drug offender's repeated offenses in exchange for bribes, the Ministry of Justice announced Friday. The ministry pledged to intensify the oversight of drug offenders and relevant personnel to prevent such incidents in the future. Seongnam Jungwon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Thursday that it had arrested a probation officer in his 50s who is suspected of taking 5 million won ($3,789) in return for overlooking drug use b

As South Korea grapples with an alarming rise in drug-related crimes and an emerging online narcotics market, a ruling party lawmaker has proposed an amendment to the relevant law. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling People Power Party said Sunday he and 13 other lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection. The amendment stipulates that the Korea Communications Commission should prepare measures to pro

Despite the rain that has fallen across the country this week, hot weather is likely to return this weekend, according to Korea's weather agency on Thursday. The rain, which began falling Wednesday, expanded across the country Thursday as the North Pacific High receded. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the total amount of precipitation from Wednesday to Friday morning will be 50 to 100 mm in southern Gyeonggi Province, 20 to 80 mm in Seoul and remaining parts of the cap

Only about three percent of those classified as "criminal youth" who committed any of the five major violent crimes -- murder, robbery, rape, indecent assault and special violence -- were found to have been punished under the Criminal Act, while the majority of them received mild correctional measures, the data showed Wednesday. Juvenile offenders between the ages of 14 and 18 are designated as "criminal youth." Out of 18,084 juvenile cases sent to trial for the five major vi

The fate of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family appears uncertain, as it faces a state probe into its management of the World Scout Jamboree event, which concluded last week amid significant issues. The investigation could hold the ministry responsible for the inadequate preparation for the event, in which some participants left the campsite early, before an approaching typhoon cleared it entirely. The ministry's exposure to the debacle has already led to a revival in calls for its d

President Yoon Suk Yeol carried out special presidential pardons on Monday for 2,176 individuals, including 12 prominent business tycoons, ahead of the Liberation Day holiday that falls on Aug. 15, on the premise of reviving the economy. The Ministry of Justice announced the special presidential pardons for recipients including businesspersons from smaller enterprises, business tycoons, politicians, corporate executives and prisoners who committed minor offenses out of economic distress. A total

As the curtains fell on the 25th World Scout Jamboree on Friday in Seoul, ending with a grand K-pop concert, the controversies surrounding the event are far from over. Mired in issues including a persistent heat wave, inadequate preparation and typhoon-related disruptions, the recently concluded Jamboree is now at the center of the political blame game. While politicians argue over who holds the responsibility, efforts from companies, religious organizations and local governments across the nati

Typhoon Khanun made landfall on the Korean Peninsula Thursday morning, bringing heavy rain and strong winds across the country, leaving a trail of damage. A 67-year-old man was found dead in a stream in Daegu at around 12:33 p.m. Thursday, according to the Daegu Fire Department. Separately, at around 1:45 p.m., a man in his 60s in an electric wheelchair in Dalseong-gun, Daegu, was swept away by the current and reported missing. Police and fire authorities deployed 100 personnel to track down the

Fast-approaching Typhoon Khanun has thrown flights and ships into disarray on Wednesday as the national weather agency forecast a powerful storm that could become the first to traverse the entire Korean Peninsula from south to north since records began. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday, Typhoon Khanun had passed the sea southwest of Kyushu, Japan, and was 360 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo on Jeju Island at 9 a.m. Khanun was expected to move northward after pas

South Korea was on high alert on Tuesday as a strong typhoon with heavy rain and wind gusts strong enough to derail a train are set to hit the country's southern region starting on Thursday, raising concerns over possible flooding, landslides and other damage. According to a briefing by the Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday morning, Typhoon Khanun will hit South Korean waters 30 kilometers west of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province at 9 a.m. on Thursday. About 24 hours later, at 9

SAEMANGEUM, North Jeolla Province -- The heat has been troublesome for 15-year-old Swedish Scout David Yao and his teammates when they first entered the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, last week. But things are improving enough to continue their adventure, make friends with Scouts from global contingents and learn about different cultures, he said. “At first (the heat) was a shock to us because we are from Sweden. But we are getting used to it,” said Yao. &