As public opinion toward doctors worsens over the medical vacuum caused by physicians’ collective action against a planned increase in medical school admissions, a planned medical drama seems to be suffering the fallout. “Wise Resident Life” is a spin-off of the 2020-2021 series Hospital Playlist, and depicts the lives and friendships of professors and doctors at the fictional Yulje University Hospital. It is scheduled for release on tvN in the first half of this year. Earl

Social Affairs Feb. 25, 2024

A few years ago, Kim Sun-yong (not her real name) stumbled upon a Facebook post written by an acquaintance from work. The author, an American who was battling late-stage cancer with no prospects of recovery, asked his Facebook friends for suggestions on what to include on his bucket list as he braced for the inevitable. Most comments expressed their sadness about the man's impending death and offered suggestions as asked. But one comment written by a person with a Korean name responded, &

Hashtag Korea Feb. 25, 2024

Many Koreans are planning to travel to Japan during the three-day holiday starting on March 1, a national holiday commemorating the independence movement against Japanese rule, according to the aviation industry on Wednesday. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said among the international routes departing from Incheon Airport from March 1 to March 3, the route to Matsuyama, Japan, has the highest reservation rate. As of Wednesday, the reservation rate is in the high 90 percent range. The overall averag

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2024

Korea’s ancient founding myth features two predatory animals, a tiger and a bear, both of which once freely roamed the hilly terrains of the Korean Peninsula. By the late 1990s, however, both species had become extinct or nearly extinct in the wild, while hikers and trekkers came to replace them as rulers of the mountains. In 2004, a government-led restoration effort was launched for Korean moon bears, starting with the introduction of six Asiatic black bears from Primorsky Krai, Russia. T

Hashtag Korea Feb. 20, 2024

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2020, there has been a notable shift in public opinion in South Korea regarding the acceptance of homosexuality. The survey revealed that the percentage of individuals who believed that homosexuality should be accepted by society increased from 25 percent in 2002 to 44 percent in 2019. This shift suggests growing openness and changing attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues within South Korean society over the years. However, it's impo

Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2024

Lee Myung-shik, 63, is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of acute myelitis, a condition he developed after retiring from his public service job in 2019. Unable to perform basic bodily functions independently, he requires the constant use of a urinary catheter and the assistance of his daughter to manually remove stool from his rectum. “Usually, when a person’s lower body is paralyzed, they normally do not have any sensation from the affected parts, but it’s different in

Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2024

At Melting Of, a dessert cafe in Seoul’s vibrant Hongdae neighborhood, seven tables buzzed with youthful energy among the predominantly female patrons. "It's too cute to eat!" one woman at a table exclaimed in a high pitch as the order arrived, just a moment before beginning to devour the treats. At another table occupied by a young couple, the woman was absorbed in taking photos of a pandoro sweet bread with cream shaped into a rabbit. She meticulously reviewed each photo

Food Feb. 17, 2024

A free, unmanned monorail has opened in Jung-gu, Seoul, officials said on Friday. The Jung-gu Office said the 100-meter long monorail connecting Shindang Hyundai Apartment to Daehyeonsan Reservoir Park began operating from Thursday. This is the first time in Seoul that the monorail has been introduced as a means of transportation. The monorail has three platforms in total: the starting point, the middle point and the ending point. It takes about 3 to 4 minutes from the departure point to the f

Social Affairs Feb. 16, 2024

People of non-Korean origin are increasingly making their presence felt in South Korea, turning a society historically characterized by cultural and racial homogeneity into one that is increasingly diverse. In 2006, a mere 1.1 percent of people living in Korea were foreign nationals, naturalized Koreans or their children. As of Nov. 1, 2022, their share rose to a record-high 4.4 percent, with 226 million individuals residing in the country for more than 90 days at the point of the survey. This b

Hashtag Korea Feb. 15, 2024

South Korea ranked fourth in the world in terms of the number of Starbucks stores in the country, following the United States, China and Japan, with an increase of over 100 new stores in 2023. According to the Starbucks global website on Sunday, the number of stores in Korea at the end of last year stood at 1,893, marking an increase of 116 from the previous year. There are 38,587 Starbucks stores worldwide, with the US hosting the largest number at 16,466, followed by China with 6,975 stores. T

Industry Feb. 12, 2024

Lee Jung-ah, 36, recently ended her yearlong relationship with her boyfriend, mainly due to her parents’ opposition. They told her they disapproved of him because he did not match up to her professional and educational background. They worried that they would lose face in front of their relatives and acquaintances if she married him. Now, Lee is hoping to find someone who can uphold the "chemyeon" of her father, who is a university professor, although she believes the chances of

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2024

The top 10 percent of content creators accounted for 76 percent of all creators’ total income in 2022, according to data released Thursday. The National Tax Service data, obtained and released by Rep. Yang Kyung-sook of the Democratic Party of Korea, put the number of people who reported income as individual media creators at 39,366 in 2022 and their total aggregated income at 1.14 trillion won ($859 million). The data showed that the majority of the income is concentrated among some highl

Technology Feb. 9, 2024

Find the answer at the bottom. Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year, is a time when many families come together to celebrate various traditions and connect with their ancestral heritage. On this day, which falls on Feb. 10 this year, many families perform a ritual called "jesa" or "charye" to remember and honor their ancestors and share a variety of foods. One essential dish to have on Seollal is rice cake soup, called tteokguk. It is believed that eating a bowl of tteokg

Hashtag Korea Feb. 9, 2024

In Korea, the issue of workplace diversity rarely extends to sexual minorities, but some companies -- mostly big exporters with world-class brands and local units of global firms -- have adopted corporate policies that prevent discrimination based on sexual or gender identity. The first company to do so was IBM Korea. In 2011, the Korean unit of the US firm announced a job posting that expressed a preference for hiring individuals from sexual minority groups. Major Korean firms, including Samsun

Hashtag Korea Feb. 5, 2024

Around the world, people with disabilities are less likely to be employed than people without disabilities. In South Korea, the employment rate stands at 36.1 percent for people with disabilities, while the figure for those without a disability is 63 percent. The Korean government and public organizations are required by law to retain 3.4 percent of jobs for individuals with disabilities. In the private sector, companies with more than 50 employees are mandated to fill 3.1 percent of the payro

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2024