Mar. 02

• ●Tensions loom as doctors plan mass rally in deepening clash over med school quota (The Korea Herald)
  Tensions were rising Saturday as defiant doctors were set to hold a mass rally over the weekend in protest against the government plan to increase medical school admissions, with no sign of a breakthrough amid growing risks of a major medical disruption.
  
  

• ●South Korea publicly orders some doctors who walked off the job back to work (The Korea Herald)
  South Korea's government late on Friday publicly ordered 13 doctors, at least some of whom have been vocal about a walkout by roughly 9,000 physicians over a health system reform plan, to return to work or face penalties.
  
  

• ●Should companies offer incentives to unmarried couples? (The Korea Times)
  A heated debate is arising over the appropriateness of companies offering financial incentives to employees who have declared an intention not to get married.

Mar. 03

• ●Top 0.1% of Korea's employees averaged 685m won each in yearly bonuses: report (The Korea Herald)
  Of all the South Korean employees who reported having received bonuses from their companies in 2022, individuals in the top 0.1 percent got an average of 685.26 million won ($513,000) each, a National Tax Service report showed Saturday.
  
  

• ●Tension hit fever pitch as doctors hold mass street rally (The Korea Herald)
  Tensions between the Yoon Suk Yeol government and the medical community have escalated to a boiling point, with doctors flooding the streets in a massive protest on Sunday, defying the government's ultimatum to return to work by Thursday or face legal consequences.
  
  

• ●40% of Korea's female workers say they were paid less due to their gender (The Korea Herald)
  Roughly four out of 10 South Korean female employees said they have received less in wages from their employer due to their gender, a survey showed Sunday.
  
  

• ●[From the Scene] Day of Rage: Doctors resist pressure to bend (The Korea Herald)
  Expressing frustration and anger at the South Korean government's recent decision to increase the annual medical school quota by 2,000 starting in 2025, tens of thousands of doctors, interns, rsidents and medical students walked the picket line Sunday afternoon to urge a reversal of the planned hike.
  
  

• ●Marriages in Korea fall by 40% within a decade (The Korea Herald)
  In another piece of grim news underscoring South Korea's looming demographic crisis, the number of marriages in 2023 fell by 40 percent compared to the level recorded a decade ago, government statistics revealed Sunday.
  
  

• ●Koreans working 200 hours fewer than decade ago: data (The Korea Herald)
  South Korean workers' actual annual working hours have decreased by nearly 200 hours over 10 years, yet people here still work far longer than the average of the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
  
  

• ●[KH explains] Why is S. Korea mulling ease on marriage ban between blood relatives? (The Korea Herald)
  The debate on consanguineous marriage is heating up, as the government appears to be moving toward easing laws related to intrafamily marriage.
  
  

• ●Yearly working hours for Koreans fall by 200, but remain far longer than OECD average (The Korea Times)
  The average annual working hours for Koreans fell by nearly 200 hours over the past decade but still remain about 150 hours longer than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), data showed Sunday.
  
  

• ●Number of marriages in Korea down 40% over past 10 years, driving down total fertility rate (The Korea Times)
  The number of marriages in Korea plummeted 40 percent over the past 10 years, leading to a decrease in the country's birthrate, government data showed Sunday.
  
  

• ●S. Korea's second and subsequent births fall to less than 100,000 (The Chosun Daily)
  The number of second and subsequent birth fell below 100,000 last year for the first time ever in South Korea.

Mar. 04

• ●Health minister says no change in principle against 'illegal' labor action by trainee doctors (The Korea Times)
  Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday there is no change in the government's principle against "illegal" labor action by trainee doctors, warning that the government would begin legal steps to punish those who defy an order to return to work.
  
  

• ●Doctors take to streets in protest of medical school quota hike (The Korea Times)
  Tens of thousands of doctors and medical students gathered in Seoul's Yeouido, Sunday afternoon, in protest against the government's plan to increase the medical school admissions quota, marking their largest-scale rally in years.
  
  

• ●Medical school expansion applications close today, South Korea expects 2,000+entries (The Chosun Daily)
  As the South Korean government's deadline for universities to submit their medical school admissions applications approaches on Mar. 4, many universities are expected to request a significant increase in their enrollment capacities.
  
  

• ●Gov't begins procedures to suspend striking trainee doctors (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government doubled down on Monday by beginning administrative procedures to suspend the licenses of some 7,000 junior trainee doctors on strike.
  
  

• ●Gov't warns striking doctors that suspensions could delay careers by a year (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government warned striking trainee doctors Monday that the inevitable three-month-long license suspension could delay their careers to become professional doctors by a year if they do not return to work.
  
  

• ●Seoul starts to suspend license of 7,000 unreturned doctors (The Korea Herald)
  The South Korean government on Monday started taking legal steps against some 7,000 trainee doctors who refused to return to work by moving to suspend their licenses for at least three months.
  
  

• ●What's next for protesting doctors? (The Korea Herald)
  South Korean government on Monday refused to give in to doctors' protests against its plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota, as the threat of the mass suspension of medical licenses for striking trainee doctors loomed over the country.
  
  

• ●Impending government sanctions don't deter Korean doctors from leaving hospitals (The Hankyoreh)
  Medical residents and interns remained stalwart in their walkout on Sunday, continuing their collective action on the eve of the commencement of government sanctions against those who do not return to the nation's hospitals.
  
  

• ●Marriages nosedived 40% over last 10 years in Korea, a factor in low birth rate (The Hankyoreh)
  Statistics show that at around 190,000 in 2023, the number of marriages in South Korea last year was down by 40% compared to 10 years ago.
  
  

• ●Newlyweds say average monthly child cre costs exceed W1.4 mil. (The Korea Times)
  Newly married couples without children often anticipate spending over 1 million won ($751) monthly per child once they start a family, with the average child care cost estimated at 1.4 million won, a poll showed, Monday.
  
  

• ●Over 100 civilians visit military hospital emergency rooms amid doctors' walkout (The Korea Times)
  More than 100 civilian patients have visited military hospital emergency rooms since trainee doctors at general hospitals began a mass walkout last month in protest of the government's medical school admissions plan, the defense ministry said Monday.
  
  

• ●Gov't takes steps to suspend licenses of some 7,000 defiant trainee doctors (The Korea Times)
  The health ministry said Monday it started taking procedures to suspend the licenses of around 7,000 trainee doctors who have defied the government's order to go back to work, warning that such punishment would be "irreversible."
  
  

• ●Disruptions to medical services feared to worsen (The Korea Times)
  Patients could face more significant disruptions to medical services as the government and doctors continue to clash over the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to increase medical school admissions quotas.
  
  

• ●Young Koreans shift to 'freeter' lifestyle, avoiding full-time jobs (The Chosun Daily)
  Thirty-nine, No proper job. Helps nearby farms and collects rice for meals. Goes on a trip once enough money is collected from part-time jobs.
  
  

• ●S. Korea's horse racing track teeming with lonely seniors (The Chosun Daily)
  "You lose money but cannot quit. The horse racetrack is both heaven and hell for the elderly."

Mar. 05

• ●Gov't considering criminal complaints against agitating doctors (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government on Tuesday said it is considering filing criminal complaints against trainee doctors who encouraged others to walk off their jobs in protest of the government's plan to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools.
  
  

• ●Historic elementary schools face closure as enrollments nosedive (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Due to a striking decline in student population, elementary schools with a 100-year-old history face the risk of closure.
  
  

• ●Korea's best hospitals skewed in central region: report (The Korea Herald)
  Several hospitals in South Korea made their way into a list of "best hospitals" around the world, all but one of which were located in the Greater Seoul region, drawing a contrast to several prestigious hospitals in Japan which were located in non-central areas.
  
  

• ●Yoon to expand state-backed college student aid (The Korea Herald)
  President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday announced plans to expand state-backed scholarship programs to woo South Korea's young generation.
  
  

• ●Med schools demand over 3,400 new student seats despite protests (The Korea Herald)
  South Korea's 40 medical schools have collectively requested an increase in the annual student quota by 3,401 starting in 2025, defying doctors' calls to resist the government's plan to expand the quota by 2,000 a year.
  
  

• ●Ministry to consider legal action against junior doctors leading protest (The Korea Herald)
  The Health Ministry on Tuesday said it was considering filing criminal complaints with the police against the trainee doctors who are leading the protest against the government's plan to expand the annual medical school student quota.
  
  

• ●Aging Korea needs foreign caregivers: report (The Korea Herald)
  South Korea should come up with various measures to attract foreign nationals to work here as care workers, as the country faces a shortage in the sector to care for it rapidly aging society, a report by the Bank of Korea argued, Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Korea begins process to suspend medical licenses of over 7,000 protesting trainee doctors (The Hankyoreh)
  The South Korean government has begun the process of taking administrative measures, including medical license suspensions, against over 7,000 medical interns and residents who have left their posts in protest of government policies.
  
  

• ●Gov't secures evidence on 7,000 striking trainee doctors for looming disciplinary action (The Korea Times)
  The government has secured evidence that about 7,000 trainee doctors remain off the job in defiance of the return-to-work order, an official said Tuesday, suggesting disciplinary action against them is impending.
  
  

• ●Medical professors escalate protests against hike in enrollment quota (The Korea Times)
  Some medical school professors shaved their heads or tendered resignations on Tuesday in protest over the government's plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota, as the strike by about 9,000 trainee doctors entered its third week and the health ministry threatened to take disciplinary action against defying a return-to-work order.
  
  

• ●Universities seek 3,401 additional medical student admissions for 2025 (The Korea Times)
  Forty universities with medical schools naionwide have applied for expanded new medical student places, which would be an increase of more than 3,000 spots, for next year.
  
  

• ●Medical schools request far more additional admission seats than gov't plan (The Korea Times)
  Forty medical schools nationwide have applied for a combined 3,401 additional admission seats, a number that far exceeds the government's planned increase of 2,000 more slots, a government official said Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Close to minimum: Wage realities for subcontractor workers (The Chosun Daily)
  A 22-year-old Kim Na-yeon (pseudonym) has been working full-time at an environmental measurement agency near the largest concentration of parts and root companies, Banwol-Sihwa National Industrial Complex, for the past three years.

Mar. 06

• ●After-school program off to slow start with low participation rate in Seoul (The Korea Times)
  Only 6 percent of elementary schools in Seoul operate after-school programs--even though the child care services were initiated nationwide on Monday.
  
  

• ●President Yoon announces tax-free corporate childbirth incentives (The Chosun Daily)
  The South Korean government decided on March 5 to eliminate the tax burden on both companies and their employees by offering a full tax exemption on childbirth incentives given to workers, such as those provided by Booyoung Group.
  
  

• ●Yoon slams striking doctors for 'taking lives hostage' (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday called for a relentless government response to striking doctors who "take people's lives hostage," slamming ongoing walkouts as a "violation of the right to life."
  
  

• ●BOK advocates foreign worker use to address caregiving shortage (The Chosun Daily)
  The Bank of Korea (BOK) proposes employing foreign workers to address the shortage in the caregiving sector, suggesting a differential application of minimum wage to ease cost burdens.

Mar. 07

• ●Gov't injects billions of won into medical services as trainee doctors walk out (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Amid the mass walkouts of more than 10,000 junior trainee doctors, the government is pouring billions of won to sustain health care services and gain momentum for medical reform in the long run.
  
  

• ●Government coughs up extra funds to nurse medical system back to health (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government on Thursday said it will expedite emergency measures aimed at addressing fears over stretched medical resources.
  
  

• ●Abortion in S. Korea: neither illegal nor legal (The Korea Herald)
  Kim, a 33-year-old woman living in Seoul, was taken by surprise when she found out she was pregnant late last year. 
  
  

• ●S. Korea to inject W188b to fill in medical void amid doctors' protest (The Korea Herald)
  The South Korean government announced Thursday that it would spend 188.2 billion won ($141 million) from the state health insurance fund for a month to address the medical care gap left by trainee doctors' collective walkouts that started three weeks ago.
  
  

• ●Healthcare expenses surge 511 times, doctors increase only sevenfold (The Chosun Daily)
  "The operational structure of hospitals must be reformed," President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Mar. 6 during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting in Sejong over the ongoing collective action of trainee doctors (intern and resident doctors).

Mar. 08

• ●Tragic death of city official shows growing prevalence of doxing in Korea (The Korea Herald)
  The suicide of a Gimpo city official, who became the target of malicious complaints after their personal information was leaked online, has sparked controversy in Korean society.
  
  

• ●Korea ranks last in OECD for women's working environment 12 years in row (The Korea Herald)
  Wouth Korea ranked last, at 29th out of 29 OECD countries, in the working environment for women for 12 consecutive years, according to UK-based The Economist on Thursday.
  
  

• ●Medical professors quit in droves over expansion plan (The Korea Herald)
  Medical professors are quitting in droves in a show of protest against the Korean government's planned hike in the medical school enrollment quota, as they join trainee doctors in taking collective action.
  
  

• ●S. Korea shown to have highest gender pay gap among 33 OECD countries (The Chosun Daily)
  South Korea was found to have the highest gender pay gap among 33 OECD countries.