KIHASA Update
Window on Korean Society: September 21-27
- Date 2024-09-23
- Hits 162
Sept. 21
●40% of Korea's workers who reported bullying faced retaliation: survey The Korea Herald
Some 40 percent of South Korean workers who reported workplace bullying said they faced retaliation from their superiors afterward, a survey by a local civic group showed Wednesday.●Over 82,000 Korean young people unemployed, not searching for job long-term The Korea Herald
Nearly a quarter million South Korean young people have been unemployed for at least three years, recent government data showed Thursday, with over 80,000 saying they were neither looking for work nor receiving education related to their career during the period.●Rural counties show interest in attracting prisons to deal with population decline The Korea Times
A growing number of rural counties across the country are increasingly viewing the hosting of prisons and other correctional facilities as a strategy to counteract the accelerating economic and demographic challenges they face, according to government officials, Friday.
Sept. 22
●1 in 5 households to have breadwinner over 80 in 30 years The Korea Herald
While South Korea is on track to become a "super-aged society" by 2025, with over 20 percent of the population aged 65 years or older, one in five households in South Korea will have a breadwinner aged 80 or older, recent data showed.●Health minister says could revisit 2026 med school quota if medical community offers alternative proposal The Korea Times
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Sunday that the government could revisit its medical school admission quota plan for 2026 if the medical community offers a rational alternative.
Sept. 23
●S. Korea's population to shrink over 30% to be at world's 59th in 2072: data The Korea Times
South Korea is projected to see its population drop significantly over the next 50 years, and its global population ranking fall by 30 notches over the ultra-low birth rate and rapid aging, data showed Monday.●Yoon sends congratulatory gift, letter to parents of newborn quintuplets The Korea Times
President Yoon Suk Yeol sent a congratulatory gift and letter to the parents of newborn quintuplets Sunday, his office said.●Two Filipino caregivers involved in pilot program suspected of running away Korea JoongAng Daily
Two Filipino caregivers who arrived in Seoul last month have abandoned their accommodation and are currently unreachable.●Regulator makes over 3,000 requests for removal of suicide-related content since 2020 The Korea Herald
South Korea's telecommunications regulator has requested platforms to revise their content to delete information that can potentially induce suicide on 3,243 occastions since 2020, government data showed Monday.●Korea promotes positive images of older workers amid aging population The Korea Times
As Korea is expected to become a super-aged society next year, with more than 20 percent of the population being 65 years or older, the government is stepping up efforts to promote positive images of older workers.
Sept. 24
●Officials discuss Filipino caregivers' work conditions after disapperance Korea JoongAng Daily
Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss improving working conditions for Filipino domestic caregivers, following the recent disapperance of two caregivers from their jobs.●Seoul seeks to improve foreign nanny program after two abscond The Korea Herald
In the wake of two caregivers from the Philippines abruptly disappearing just two weeks into Seoul's foreign caregiver pilot program, officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor convened a meeting in Seoul Tuesday to address operational challenges faced by the caregivers.●Malnutrition cases nearly triple in last 5 years The Korea Herald
The number of patients suffering from malnutrition in South Korea has increased by nearly three times in the last five years, particularly among low-income households, data showed Tuesday.●Despite 92 calls to ER, young heart attack patient dies The Korea Herald
A woman in her 30s in cardiac arrest died last week due to delays in finding an emergency room to treat her during the Chuseok holidays, a government report revealed Monday.●Only 1.4% of med students get low-income scholarships The Korea Herald
Only 1.43 percent of all medical school freshmen over the past decade received scholarships for students from low-income households, government data showed Tuesday.●Gov't considers flexible pay, visa extensions for Filipino caregivers after 2 disappear The Korea Times
The central and local governments are considering allowing Filipino caregivers to choose between a weekly or monthly pay system and extending their permitted stay from the current seven months to three years.
Sept. 25
●School violence reports climb as Korea's classroom culture shifts Korea JoongAng Daily
The proportion of students in Korea who experienced school violence has exceeded two percent for the first time in about 11 years.●Student violence on rise since pandemic The Korea Herald
The number of elementary, middle and high school students reporting being bullied at school increased for the fourth straight year, pushing the corresponding rate to 2 percent for the first time in 11 years.●School violence victims account for over 2% for 1st time in 11 years: education minitry survey The Korea Times
Elementary to high school students who say they have experienced school violence increased for four consecutive years to over 2 percent this year for the first time in 11 years, an education ministry survey showed Wednesday.●Yoon vows incentives for companies supporting work-life balance The Korea Times
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday the government will introduce tax and other incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises that take steps to support employees' work-life balance as part of efforts to encourage young people to have more children.●Number of people changing residences falls to lowest in 48 years The Korea Times
The number of Koreans who moved to different residences in the country last month fell to the lowest level in nearly 50 years, data showed Wednesday.●Childbirths in Korea rise by most in 12 years in July The Korea Times
The number of babies born in Korea rose by the largest margin in 12 years in July as the country is struggling to address the grim demographic changes of ultra-low birth rate and rapid aging, data showed Wednesday.
Sept. 26
●July marriages hit record surge in S. Korea The Chosun Daily
The number of marriages in South Korea surged unexpectedly during the July off-season, continuing the upward trend from April and May, when weddings increased by over 20% compared to the previous year.●Boy's emergency medical treatment delayed 2 hours due to staff shortage The Korea Herald
Emergency rescue operators in Busan said Thursday that an ambulance carrying a middle school student had been turned away from multiple hospitals due to a lack of medical staff, causing a delay of treatment for the boy.●Seoul wins WHO award for age-freindly policies The Korea Herald
Seoul has received an award from the World Health Organization for its policies dedicated to improving the management of senior health in the city, the city government said Thursday.●Korea sees highest level of K-12 school violence in 11 years The Hankyoreh
A government survey has revealed that 2 out of 100 students in elementary, middle and high school suffer from school violence, demonstrating the highest proportion of victims since the first school violence survey conducted in 2013.●Nearly 20% of Koreans aged 65 and older in 2024 The Korea Times
People aged 65 and older took up nearly 20 percent of Korea's population this year amid rapid aging and the ultra-low birthrate, data showed Thursday.
Sept. 27
●$2.5 bil. to be invested annually in reforming large general hospitals to focus on critical patients The Korea Times
The government plans to invest 3.3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) of its health insurance funding annually over the next five years to reform large general hospitals to better prioritize the treatment of critically ill patients, the interior minister said Friday.●S. Korea faces sharp demographic shift, increasing burden on working-age population The Chosun Daily
South Korea is projected to face a sharp demographic shift in the coming decades, with a declining birth rate and aging population leading to increased social burdens on the working-age population.●Gov't to invest $2.5 billion in critical patient treatment over five years Korea JoongAng Daily
The government plans to invest 3.3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) annually into improving the treatment of critically ill patients at tertiary hospitals over the next five years, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min announced Friday.●S. Korea to iject W10tr by 2027 to reorganize tertiary hospitals The Korea Herald
South Korea will use 10 trillion won ($7.6 billion) of health insurance financial reserves by 2027 to reorganize tertiary hospitals to reduce nonessential medical care functions and enhance their critical care, the government unveiled Friday.●Student suicides hit record high with 214 in 2023, doubling in just 8 years The Korea Times
The number of elementary, middle and high school students who took their own lives in Korea reached 214 last year, the highest number ever recorded and more than double the figure from eight years ago.