Sept. 7

• ●Gov't urges doctors to return to med school quota talks (The Korea Herald)
  The government said Saturday that the medical communty should draw up its plan for proposed talks over an increase in the medical school admissions quota amid prolonged strikes by junior doctors.
  
  

• ●Philippines calls on Korea to pay minimum wage to caregivers (The Korea Times)
  The Philippine government urged Korean authorities to ensure that Filippino caregivers in Seoul receive the minimum wage, Thursday, stressing that equal treatment under Korea's Foreign Employment Act was a key condition of the bilateral pilot project.

Sept. 8

• ●Doctors' group demands withdrawal of med school quota hike plan for 2025, 2026 (The Korea Herald)
  A major doctors' lobby group demanded Sunday the government cancel its plan to raise the medical school admissions quota for 2025 and 2026 and discuss the possible quota adjustment for 2027 or afterward.
  
  

• ●Substitute military doctors to be immune from medical malpractice damages (The Korea Herald)
  Military and public health doctors deployed to emerency rooms to help ease medical staff shortages will be granted immunity from liability for damages resulting from medical malpractice, health authorities said Sunday.
  
  

• ●Parties, gov't move to form consultative body with doctors to end medical crisis (The Korea Times)
  Political parties and the government are working to establish a consultative body for negotiations with doctors' groups to resolve Korea's months-long medical crisis, which originated from disputes over an expansion in medical school admission quotas.

Sept. 9

• ●Cancer surgeries decline sharply after doctors' strike (The Korea Times)
  The number of cancer surgeries decreased significantly in the first five months after a junior doctors' strike began in February, data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) showed Monday.
  
  

• ●Crisis of hospital ERs deepens amid staff shortage (The Korea Times)
  The number of emergency care centers in full operation has fallen markedly over the past week as hospitals are experiencing a serious staff shortage amid the prolonged standoff between the government and trainee doctors over the state medical reform plan, officials said Sunday.
  
  

• ●Emergency room doctors doxxed for refusing to join strike (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  A "blacklist" of emergency room physicians who chose to treat patients rather than participate in the ongoing doctors' strike was found circulating online on Monday.
  
  

• ●Provincial patients continue to prefer top hospitals in Seoul (The Korea Herald)
  Patients from outside Seoul coming into the capital still heavily favor the city's "Big 5" hospitals, government data showed Monday.
  
  

• ●S. Korea to expand support for single parent households (The Korea Herald)
  With families becoming increasingly diverse in South Korea, support for single-parent households will be expanded, including the introduction of a new budget to increase housing provisions and the amount of the advance payment system for child support.
  
  

• ●Medical schools begin receiving admissions applications for 2025 despite doctors' protests (The Korea Times)
  Universities nationwide began collecting admissions applications for 2025 on Monday, including 39 medical schools, despite ongoing protests and walkouts by doctors calling for the withdrawal of the increase in medical school admissions.
  
  

• ●'Blacklist' of emergency room doctors found amid deepening crisis at hospital ERs (The Korea Times)
  The health ministry said Monday it has requested police probe into those who drew up and circulated a "blacklist" of emergency physicians opting not to join their striking colleagues, calling such acts an "inexcusable crime" and vowing a stern response.
  
  

• ●S. Korea faces $24 bn tax shortfall as budget surplus dries up (The Chosun Daily)
  The South Korean government is facing another projected tax revenue shortfall this year, estimated at around 32 trillion won (approximately $24 billion), following last year's $42 billion deficit.

Sept. 10

• ●Gov't to temporarily raise health insurance payments to hospitals for Chuseok holiday (The Korea Times)
  President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday the government will temporarily raise health insurance payments to hospitals for the upcoming Chuseok holiday to better reward their services and to prevent disruptions in emergency medical care.
  
  

• ●Defaults surge among young Koreans in their 20s (The Chosun Daily)
  A 28-year-old Korean who moved to Seoul in 2017 borrowed 4 million won from a savings bank at an interest rate exceeding 10%.
  
  

• ●Young married people earn more, more likely to own home (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Married young people annually earn approximately 8 million won ($5,950) more than their unmarried counterparts, according to a report released by Statistics Korea on Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Korea pledges W5tr to improve medical training amid prolonged standoff (The Korea Herald)
  Amid a monthslong stalemate between the government and medical communities over the state's decision to increase the medical school enrollment quota, South Korea said it will inject about 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) by 2030 to improve medical education conditions.
  
  

• ●Korea launches online counseling service for suicide prevention (The Korea Times)
  The health ministry on Tuesday launched an online counseling service for those with suicidal thoughts as part of effort to address the serious mental health problem, officials said.

Sept. 11

• ●Professors uneasy about plan to share med school cadavers (The Korea Herald)
  The Korean government's plan to allow the transfer of donated cadavers between medical schools to cope with shortages and enhance the quality of education as it prepares for the first hhike in medical school admissions in 27 years is facing ethical concerns.
  
  

• ●Syphilis cases in S. Korea surge amid stricter reporting rules (The Korea Herald)
  Amid reports of a spike in syphilis infections in the US, Japan, and other countries, recent data shows that South Korea is also experiencing a similar rise in its own cases after reporting requirements were tightened.
  
  

• ●Seoul to host 10th global conference of alliance for healthy cities (The Korea Times)
  The 10th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities is scheduled to take place at Seoul's Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) from Sept. 25 to 27.
  
  

• ●Parents with at least $22,318 in unpaid child support to face identity disclosure, travel ban (The Korea Times)
  Parents who have at least 30 million won ($22,318) in unpaid child support or default on such payments three times or more will be subject to penalties, such as overseas travel bans and driver's license suspension, the gender ministry said Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Governors' association highlights regional development as key to combating population decline (The Korea Times)
  Mayors and governors of 17 cities and provinces nationwide convened, Tuesday, for a meeting organized by the Governors Association of Korea (GAOK) to discuss strategies aimed at tackling the nation's declining population and the growing threat of rural extinction.
  
  

• ●Number of deaths at emergency rooms falls despite doctors' walkout: gov't (The Korea Times)
  The number of deaths at hospital emergency rooms declined during the first seven months of this year as fewer patients with mild cases visited ERs for treatment amid the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, the health ministry said Wednesday.
  
  

• ●Only 3 in 10 Koreans in late 20s through 30s are married, data shows (The Hankyoreh)
  Only 3 in 10 South Koreans aged 25 to 39 are married, statistics show.

Sept. 12

• ●Single-person households forecast to take up over 40% of total in 2052 (The Korea Times)
  The proportion of one-person households in Korea is projected to surpass 40 percent in 2052 amid a delay in marriages and rapid aging, the statistics agency said Thursday.
  
  

• ●Number of ER doctors drops over 40%; 7 hospitals consider partial shutdown: survey (The Korea Times)
  The number of emergency room doctors fell more than 40 percent nationwide and seven hospitals are considering the partial suspension of emergency care services, a survey showed Thursday.
  
  

• ●Future of 4-way consultative body looks bleak (The Korea Times)
  A four-way consultative body comprising major political parties, the government and doctors' groups is unlikely to be launche before the Chuseok holiday, according to politicians and doctors, Wednesday, as key stakeholders failed to find a breakthrough in the conflict over President Yoon Suk Yeol's medical reform plan.
  
  

• ●Gov't urges doctors to become partners for medical reform (The Korea Times)
  The government has once again urged the medical community to engage in dialogue and participate in a consultative body to address the ongoing medical crisis, which stemmed from a dispute over the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to increase medical school quotas.

Sept. 13

• ●Single-person households in Korea to top 40%, led by elderly living alone (The Chosun Daily)
  The number of single-person households in South Korea is set to peak in 2041, according to Statistics Korea, a government body.
  
  

• ●Doctors reject participation in govt.-led consultative body amid standoff over medical school quota hike plan (The Korea Herald)
  Doctors and medical professors announced a decision Friday not to join a consultative body proposed by the government and the ruling party to resolve the monthslong medical standoff, saying that it is "premature" to do so unless the government changes its course.