KIHASA Update
Window on Korean Society: July 13-19
- Date 2024-07-15
- Hits 214
July 14
●Nearly 40,000 cases of workplace bullying reported in 5 years (The Korea Times)
Over the past five years, nearly 40,000 cases of verbal abuse, bullying and other forms of workplace harassment have been reported in Korea, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Sunday.●South Korean retirees extend work years to support younger generations (The Chosun Daily)
Mr. Chae, a 62-year-old resident of Seoul, retired from a major company two years ago.
July 15
●Trainee doctors show little signs of returning as hospitals set to complete accepting their resignations (The Korea Herald)
Trainee doctors appeared to have shown little signs of returning to work as hospitals were set to complete accepting their resignations on Monday, despite the government's proposal of an olive branch to end a prolonged walkout.●70 and Still Working: S. Korea sees unprecedented senior employment rate (The Chosun Daily)
For the first time in history, the employment rate for those aged 70 and over in South Korea has surpassed 30%. This means that 3 out of 10 individuals in their 70s or older are working and earning money.●Junior doctors won't return to training hospitals, warn SNUH professors (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Medical professors at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) said they expect most junior doctors will not return to hospitals by Monday, the deadline for training hospitals to finish processing their resignations.●Rather than 'freeloading,' foreigners actually subsidize NHIS: data (The Korea Herald)
Data provided by the National Health Insurance Service showed again Monday that foreign national subscribers pay more in contributions than they get back in benefits, debunking the belief that they are "freeloading" off the state-run health insurance program and demonstrating they actually subsidize the system.●Junior doctors unresponsive as hospitals process resignations (The Korea Herald)
Some 10,000 junior doctors who left hospitals five months ag in protest of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's decision to expand the medical school quota, remained unresponsive on Monday even though hospitals they worked for started to process their resginations under the government's instruction.●Business closures near 1 million last year, highest since 2006 (The Korea Herald)
The number of business owners who filed for business closure approached 1 million last year, the highest number since related data began to be compiled in 2006.●SNU med professors call on gov't to change stance for trainee doctors' strike to end (The Korea Times)
Medical professors at Seoul National University (SNU) said Monday that striking trainee doctors will not return to work if the government sticks to the current medical reform plans, calling for a "transparent and reasonable" policy push.
July 16
●[Graphic News] Elder abuse cases steadily rising: data (The Korea Herald)
South Korea is experiencing a growing number of elder abuse cases as its population rapidly ages, according to a recent report from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.●So much for retirement? Korea sees rapid growth of over-70 workforce (The Hankyoreh)
The first half of 2024 saw a 150,000-person increase in Korea's 70-plus workforce, the largest increase since statistics have been recorded.●Seoul to accept applications for Filipino nannies amid caregiver shortage (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Households in Seoul can apply to hire Filipino nannies starting Wednesday.●Soonchunhyang Hospital ER in Cheonan to close during nighttime (The Korea Herald)
Amid monthslong medical disruptions, Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Cheonan said Tuesday that its ER would run at minimum capacity this week.●Korea's abortion law in limbo for over 5 years (The Korea Times)
The legal question of whether an abortion can be performed on a nine-month-old fetus is currently under intense scrutiny in Korea, as the country examines and potentially reforms its abortion legislation.
July 17
●Nearly 1 year needed for graduates to get first job: data (The Korea Times)
It takes nearly one year for college graduates to get their first job, data for this year showed Tuesday, marking the longest period ever.●Health minister vows to persuade trainee doctors to return to work, while most of them unresponsive (The Korea Times)
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Tuesday he will continue to persuade trainee doctors to return to work, while most junior doctors remained unresponsive to the government's dovish attempts to resolve the ongoing walkout.●81% of S. Korean young adults stay with parents, struggle to stand alone (The Chosun Daily)
Park, a 29-year-old resident of Gyonggi-do, has never lived apart from his parents.●Junior doctors likely to be dismissed en masse as resignation deadline passes (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Over 12,000 junior doctors are expected to be dismissed from their training hospitals as the deadline for registering resignations passes, despite the government's best efforts to entice them to return to the medical front line.●Korea's weapons in war against suicides (The Korea Herald)
How can a nation fight a suicide crisis?●First Filipino 'caregivers' to arrive in Korea in September for pilot program (The Hankyoreh)
A group of Filipino caregivers will arrive in Korea in August and begin providing services to families with young children in September, amid ongoing controversy about whether the migrant workers should receive the standard minimum wage or a reduced rate.
July 18
●Gov't says trainees who don't return may be recruited as military doctors (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The government on Thursday expressed regret that over 10,000 striking trainee doctors are presumed to have resigned from their hospitals, as the deadline for them to return to work passed earlier this week.●Supreme Court upholds ruling permitting same-sex spousal health benefits (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The Supreme Court Thursday upheld a ruling that a same-sex partner is eligible for spousal health benefits from a state insurance company.●Hospitals process resignations of nearly 7,700 trainee doctors (The Korea Herald)
Local training hospitals have completed processing the resignations of nearly 7,700 trainee doctors who have left their posts over the past five months to protest the medical school quota hike, the health ministry said Thursday.●Top court recognizes legal rights of same-sex couple for 1st time (The Korea Herald)
South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of a same-sex couple, who sought to receive the same spousal coverage as heterosexual couples from the National Health Insurance Service.●Demographic crisis looms: UN warns S. Korea's population to halve by 2089 (The Chosun Daily)
The United Nations predicts South Korea's population will shrink drastically to 25.85 million in 2089, roughly half its current 51.71 million.●Young Koreans live with parents for longer amid job market woes (The Chosun Daily)
In South Korea, 81% of people in their 20s live with their parents, the highest rate among OECD countries.
July 19
●Korea strives to prevent undocumented births (The Korea Times)
A new policy aimed at protecting single mothers and their newborns is set to go into effect on Friday, as Korea takes steps to address the issue of "ghost babies," or infants left without birth resignation, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Thursday.●Global shifts in old age: '60 is the new 40' in UK-Australia, 'old age' now 75 in Japan (The Chosun Daily)
Taiwan's parliament has passed a bill to amend the Labor Standards Act, effectively abolishing the 65-year-old retirement age.