Less than 60 percent of Korean women aged 15-64 work, some 18 percent less than their male counterparts. This, according to the OECD, is the seventh-largest gender disparity in labor force participation among its member nations. Female workers in Korea earned 31.1 percent less than their male counterparts on average as of last year. This gender pay gap is the highest in the club of 38 mostly developed countries and is about 20 percentage points higher than the OECD average of 12 percent. Turni

Hashtag Korea Feb. 1, 2024

In 2011, Cho was 12 years old when the first baby arrived. He recalled sensing the presence of a new family member in the house when he came home from school one day -- the air smelled different, with the scents of milk and of an infant. Entering the house, he stumbled over baby products. Then, there, in the center of the living room lying on a blanket neatly spread out, was a small baby. “The baby was so tiny and I constantly checked to see if he was breathing,” said Cho Ddol-bok,

Hashtag Korea Jan. 31, 2024

South Korea defaults to heterosexuality as the predominant sexual identity publicly represented by political leaders. Among national politicians and elected parliamentarians, there have not been any public disclosures of a politician's sexual orientation throughout Korea’s entire legislative history. This lack of openly acknowledged LGBTQ+ representation in the country's top political leadership underscores the degree of exclusion and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in

Politics Jan. 25, 2024

As of 2022, individuals with disabilities make up 5.2 percent of South Korea's population. Using basic arithmetic, this percentage corresponds to approximately 15 seats in the country’s 300-member unicameral parliament. In reality, just four seats are currently occupied by individuals with disabilities, constituting only 1.3 percent. The first person with a disability to win a parliamentary seat as a constituency representative was Lee Chul-yong. In 1988, on the ticket of the libera

Politics Jan. 24, 2024

Nearly 140,000 South Koreans expressed their intention to donate their body parts and organs after death last year, up 18 percent from the previous year, according to government data released Tuesday. Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that new registrations for the donations of organs, tissue and eyes reached 139,090 in 2023. New donor registrations recorded 115,517 in 2020, 158,940 in 2021 and 117,584 in 2022. In South Korea, the procurement of organs and tissues is restrict

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2024

Across cultures and political systems, a common trait is that those in decision-making roles, particularly in politics and state governance, are often older than the average voter. This observation holds true in the context of South Korea’s unicameral parliament and central government, where the decision-making process is predominantly controlled by people in their 50s and 60s. Before delving into age representations in the parliament and government, here's a quick overview of Korea&#

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2024

Born as Yoon-hwa in South Korea in 1974, she became Petra Zwart of the Netherlands at the age of 1. Her adoptive Dutch family provided a warm and welcoming home to both Zwart and her biological brother, who was adopted at age 5. Even so, Zwart recalls finding it difficult to fit in as a child, due to her East Asian appearance being different, "like an ugly duckling." She and her brother were among the nearly 170,000 babies that Korea has sent overseas for adoption since 1953. Despite

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2024

Half of Korea's population are women, yet in the realm of politics, women are a minority group. In the current 21st session of parliament, the representation of female lawmakers stands at 57 out of the total 300 members -- only 19.1 percent. This percentage places South Korea significantly below average in terms of gender diversity in politics compared to other nations. The average among the 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations is 33.8 percent, while the

Politics Jan. 21, 2024

Choi Seung-hoon, 32, a regular patron of self-service venues in Korea, recently broadened his experiences in unstaffed shops by purchasing a takeaway sashimi dinner set for one. “I usually eat alone,” he told The Korea Herald at Sea Fridge, an unmanned sashimi store near Sangwangsimni Station, central Seoul, as he looked through the glass refrigerator door at a selection of vacuum-packed, aged fish, mostly in packages with one or two servings. “I think this is good because I

Social Affairs Jan. 20, 2024

The head of the Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative Federation in Jeonbuk State was arrested by the police for verbally and physically abusing her employees, as well as unfair work practices and withholding wages, according to the police. Sunchang Police Station in Jeonbuk State said Friday in one incident, the chairperson, surnamed Koh, allegedly assaulted an employee three times at a funeral for joining a labor union. The head was also accused of assaulting other employees with her shoes reported

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2024

Authorities are deliberating about how to help a young, struggling dolphin whose tail has been entangled in a discarded fishing net for months. The calf, presumed to be under one year of age, was first spotted swimming with its tail entangled in the net in November last year by researchers from Jeju National University. It was seen again last week, still with its tail in the net, in waters off Seogwipo City. Professor Kim Byung-yeop who leads Jeju National University’s dolphin research t

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2024

Northern European countries are scaling back their long-standing overseas adoption programs following reports of illegal practices, a move that will likely impact South Korea, one of the leading countries in sending babies abroad for adoption. Norway is contemplating a temporary suspension of all international adoptions after local news outlet Verdens Gang exposed illegalities and corruption in the process of bringing in foreign-born babies to be adopted by Norwegian families. The primary coun

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2024

When South Koreans think of the ideal home, they envision it to be a sanctuary for relaxation and peace, favoring personal solitude over family bonding time, according to a global survey by Ikea. According to the Swedish furniture giant’s annual Ikea Life at Home Report 2023, released globally last week, 58 percent of the respondents of Korean nationality consider their ideal home to be a place where they can relax and unwind comfortably, a figure notably higher than the global average o

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2024

South Korea will officially adopt body cameras for police officers to better manage violent crimes, as well as stipulate measures to ensure the protection of personal information. According to the National Assembly and the National Police Agency on Sunday, a partial revision to the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers recently passed the plenary session of the National Assembly. The revision sets out the basis for the legal introduction of body cameras and specific standards for

Social Affairs Jan. 14, 2024

The unpaid fines of former President Chun Doo-hwan, who died in November 2021, are likely to be set at 86.7 billion won ($66.2 million), following a lawsuit that enabled authorities to confiscate an additional 5.5 billion won, marking the final indemnity payment from the former dictator. This would bring the total collected fines to 132.72 billion won out of the 220.5 billion won imposed in relation to his 1997 conviction for rebellion and bribery. Local media outlets and legal sources reporte

Politics Jan. 4, 2024