KIHASA Update
Window on Korean Society: June 29-July 05
- Date 2024-07-01
- Hits 157
June 29
●Matchmaking agency releases its 'standard model' of those who marry (The Korea Herald)
South Korean matchmaking company Duo recently released a report on the men and women who got married through its services, including the average heights, incomes, academic backgrounds and other conditions of its members.
June 30
●Presidential office, PPP discuss proposals to boost birthrate (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The presidential office and conservative People Power Party (PPP) held a meeting on Sunday to discuss legislative proposals intended to boost the country's rock-bottom birthrate.
July 1
●Seoul mayor vows action on birth rates, climate crisis (The Korea Herald)
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon vowed to keep Seoul's lead in addressing the population issue and climate crises, and to implement viable solutions that even the central government could learn from.●Gov't to establish new population policy ministry in next three months (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The Korean government will establish a new ministry to address the country's pressing demographic challenges, including low birthrates and an aging population.
July 2
●Minimum wage body votes down proposal for different rates by industry (The Korea Herald)
The Minimum Wage Commission on Tuesday voted down a proposal to adopt different rates by industry next year.●[Graphic News] Monthly births rise for first time in 19 months (The Korea Herald)
The number of babies born in South Korea marked on-year growth for the first time in 19 months in April, data showed, as the country is struggling to boost its ultralow birth rate.●10 days of torture: Korean mental patient's restraints only removed after death (The Hankyoreh)
At 7:33 in the morning, the man was carted off after being rolled up in a blanket by four orderlies.●Korea to create dedicated population strategy ministry to combat low birth rate, aging society (The Hankyoreh)
South Korea plans on creating a dedicated minitry for population strategy and planning to be overseen at the deputy prime minister level.●Regional support centers assist settlement of migrant workers (The Korea Times)
The new support center for foreign workers in North Jeolla Province utilizes all available resources including financial institutes and lawyers to help the workers in the region.●Local governments promote matchmaking programs to tackle low birthrates (The Korea Times)
Local governments are increasingly promoting matchmaking programs to address the low birthrate issue.●South Korea's 10-year rise in household debt tops advanced countries (The Chosun Daily)
South Korea's gross national debt, encompassing household, business, and government liabilities, surpassed 6,000 trillion won ($4.3 trillion) by the end of last year.
July 3
●Patients' groups to hold mass rally Thursday to protest doctors' strikes (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Patients' groups announced they would take to the streets for a mass rally in downtown Seoul on Thursday, appealing to the general public to participate in a protest prompted by mounting frustrations over a prolonged walkout by doctors.●Forum addresses paths to healthy aging (The Korea Herald)
In search of solutions to achieve healthy aging as countries around the globe are set to join the "super-aged" club, the 2024 Health Ageing Forum on Tuesday shed light on the value of disease prevention to increase the number of years lived in good health.●Policymakers, politicians, religious leaders vow to join forces to tackle low birthrate (The Korea Times)
Government officials and politicians from rival parties, as well as religious leaders, gathered Tuesday to put their heads together to tackle a demographic crisis caused by the country's ultra-low birthrate.
July 4
●Patients' advocacy groups call on doctors to end walkout (The Korea Herald)
Members of more than 90 patient advocacy groups staged a rally in central Seoul on Thursday, calling for doctors to end the ongoing walkout that has disrupted public health services for nearly five months.●Patients' groups demand end to strikes, legal protections (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Patients and their families shed tears during a rally calling for an end to doctors' strikes and legal protections to prevent a future medical staffing vacuums in front of Bosingak a bell pavilion in central Seoul, on Thursday.●No. of elementary school students per class could fall to single-digit levels in decade: teachers' group (The Korea Herald)
The average number of students per elementary class could fall to single-digit levels in 10 years due to ultralow birth rates, a teachers' group said Thursday.
July 5
●Govt. weighing measures to deal with trainee doctors who refuse to return to hospitals (The Korea Herald)
The government has been weighing measures on how to deal with trainee doctors who refuse to return to hospitals in protest of medical reform, according to officials Friday.●Elementary school class sizes forecast to shrink to single digits by 2034 (The Korea Times)
The number of students per class in elementary schools could drop to the single digits in 10 years due to the declining birthrate, leading to a significant reduction in the school-age population, Yonhap News Agency reported, Thursday.●7 in 10 Koreans report experiencing mental health issues, a rising trend (The Hankyoreh)
Seven out of 10 South Koreans have experienced mental health issues, such as overwhelming stress or continued feelings of depression, a new survey has found.