The World Briefly

April 12, 2024

Message Received

South Korea

South Korea’s prime minister and presidential advisers offered to resign on Thursday after the liberal opposition secured a landslide victory in the general election, a major setback to conservative President Yoon Suk-Yeol, the Associated Press reported. The opposition maintained its control of parliament for another term...

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Need to Know

April 10, 2024

The Third Wheel

South Korea

Politicians from the ruling People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party have traditionally held the top offices in South Korea. Currently, the two parties hold 270 out of 300 seats in the legislature, for example. However, only 24 percent of South Korean citizens trusted in those...

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The World Briefly

March 29, 2024

Stethoscopes and Strikes

South Korea

Senior doctors across major hospitals in South Korea resigned en masse this week, in solidarity with striking medical interns and residents, who have been protesting for more than a month against a government proposal to boost medical school admissions, the Los Angeles Times reported. On Monday,...

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The World Briefly

March 05, 2024

In or Out

South Korea

South Korea’s government on Monday began acting on their threats of suspending the medical licenses of thousands of striking junior doctors who failed to meet an ultimatum to return to work, as the walkouts have impacted the country’s healthcare sector, the Associated Press reported. More than...

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The World Briefly

February 21, 2024

Too Much of a Good Thing

South Korea

More than 1,600 trainee doctors in South Korea staged a walkout Tuesday to protest a recent government plan to admit more students to medical schools, a move that has resulted in cancelations of treatments and surgeries in many major hospitals across the country, Reuters reported. The...

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The World Briefly

January 04, 2024

A Bitter Race

South Korea

South Korean police on Wednesday raided the residence and office of a man who stabbed the country’s opposition leader in the neck earlier this week, an attack that shocked the nation and prompted calls for more security for politicians, the Associated Press reported. On Tuesday, a...

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Need to Know

January 03, 2024

A Matter of Taste

South Korea

Bruno, Max, Mia, Nana, Raspberry, Roxy, Trudy, and Zelda were not originally supposed to find loving homes in the US. These dogs were bound for dinner tables in South Korea – until a farmer decided to give up his 200 canines and started growing cabbages...

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The World Briefly

December 22, 2023

A Test For the Ages

South Korea

Dozens of South Korean students are suing the government because their high-stakes college admission examination ended 90 seconds earlier than scheduled, with plaintiffs saying the error affected their results, and possibly their future, the BBC reported. The lawsuit, filed this week by around 40 students, claims...

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The World Briefly

December 01, 2023

Who’ll Let the Dogs Out?

South Korea

Dog farmers staged a protest in the South Korean capital Thursday to oppose the government’s plan to ban dog meat consumption, a centuries-old tradition in the country, Time reported. About 200 protesters rallied near the presidential secretariat in Seoul, where they tried to release 100 dogs....

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Need to Know

September 20, 2023

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

South Korea

South Korean teachers say they have it tough. Their complaints include pupils assaulting them in the classroom, lawsuits from unhappy parents, and stress that turns their hair gray, the Telegraph reported. The salaries of teachers early in their careers, furthermore, are among the lowest in the Organization...

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The World Briefly

September 05, 2023

Desperate Measures

South Korea

South Korean teachers staged a mass walkout Monday to protest widespread harassment they face in their jobs from parents and unruly students, which has led to some educators taking their own lives as a result of the bullying and pressure they suffer, the Guardian reported. Around...

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The World Briefly

May 19, 2023

No Kidding Around, Please

South Korea

South Korea is debating whether it should eliminate its designated “no-kid zones” in public spaces and venues at a time when the country is currently dealing with declining birth rates, the New York Times reported. Earlier this month, lawmaker Yong Hye-in took her toddler to parliament...

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The World Briefly

April 25, 2023

In the Doghouse

South Korea

South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee has caused an uproar in the country this week after vowing to end the country’s controversial practice of eating dogs, the Korea Times reported. Her remarks received support from both ruling and opposition parties, with lawmakers from each side...

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The World Briefly

March 17, 2023

Letting Go

JapanSouth Korea

Japan and South Korea pledged to improve military and economic ties after a Thursday summit as they aim to mend relations strained by long-running historical disputes in order to shore up a united front against North Korea and China, the Wall Street Journal reported. South Korean...

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The World Briefly

March 07, 2023

Forced Labor, Volunteer Pay

South Korea

South Korea unveiled a scheme to compensate individuals who were forced to work for Japanese companies during Japan’s colonization of the country in the first half of the 20th century, a move that seeks to resolve a longstanding issue that has strained relations between the...

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The World Briefly

February 21, 2023

Worrisome Trend

South Korea

South Korea’s capital plans to remove its women-only parking spaces 14 years after introducing them, a move critics described as the latest example of “anti-feminist” policies in the country, the BBC reported. Introduced in 2009, the special parking spots were aimed to protect women following a...

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The World Briefly

February 08, 2023

Ruling on Responsibility

South Korea

A South Korean court ordered the government to compensate a Vietnamese woman who was wounded by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War, in a test case that could pave the way for similar lawsuits, the Associated Press reported. The case concerns 62-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh,...

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The World Briefly

December 12, 2022

Getting Younger

South Korea

South Korea will change its age-counting system next year, putting an end to the traditional system in which a person is older by a year or two, NPR reported. Parliament passed a set of bills this week that will require the use of the international age-counting...

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The World Briefly

November 09, 2022

Custody Battle

South Korea

South Korea’s former president and his successor are at war in a custody battle over two former “peace puppies” gifted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The two canines, named Songgang and Gomi, were given to then-President Moon...

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Need to Know

November 03, 2022

The Fifth Estate

South Korea

More than 90 percent of smartphone users in South Korea use the Kakao suite of apps to do everything from instant messaging and banking to watching videos and locating nearby beauty salons. When a data center fire recently caused the apps to crash for a...

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