Nov. 30

• ●Nearly 10,000 elementary school staff suffer from depression: data The Korea Herald
  An increasing number of those working at elementary schools across the country are suffering from depression, as government data showed Thursday that 9,468 elementary school employees were treated for depression in 2023.
  
  

• ●Health ministry to ban remote prescription of weight loss medication The Korea Times
  Korea's health ministry said Friday it will ban remote prescribing of weight loss medications, including Wegovy, released in the country in October, to prevent potential abuse.

Dec. 1

• ●Gov't adds 66 rare diseases subject to state support Korea JoongAng Daily
  Korea's disease control agency on Sunday said it has newly designated 66 rare diseases subject to government support this year, officials said.
  
  

• ●Consultative group to solve doctors' strike collapses after physicians, med schools drop out Korea JoongAng Daily
  A consultative body involving the conservative People Power Party (PPP), the government and doctors' groups broke up Sunday, 20 days after its creation for the resolution of a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, as doctors' groups decided to boycott future meetings.
  
  

• ●Lawmaker calls for larger scope of 'family' The Korea Herald
  Mentioning actor Jung Woo-sung and model Moon Ga-bi having a child while not marrying each other, People Power Party Rep. Na Kyung-won proposed introducing a policy similar to France's "Pacte Civid de Solidarite" to offer legal protection for children born to unmarried parents.
  
  

• ●Perceptions of health linked to education, parenthood, economic level: study The Korea Herald
  South Koreans with higher education, income and no children are more likely to perceive themselves as healthier than their peers, according to the Korea Health Promotion Institute's recent survey.
  
  

• ●Consultative body on doctors' walkout breaks up due to boycott by doctors The Korea Times
  A consultative body involving the ruling party, the government and doctors's groups broke up Sunday, 20 days after its creation for the resolution of a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, as doctors' groups decided to boycott future meetings.
  
  

• ●Disease control agency newly designates 66 rare diseases up for government support The Korea Times
  Korea's disease control agency on Sunday said it has newly designated 66 rare diseases subject to government support this year, officials said.

Dec. 2

• ●Why Gen Zers are leaving public servant jobs The Korea Times
  Low wages, rigid work culture and ineffective systems in Korea's public service sectors are driving away young public servants, encompassing millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen Zers, born between 1997 and 2012 - leading an increasing number of them to ditch their jobs.
  
  

• ●Number of older inmates rising sharply The Korea Herald
  A severe decline in birthrate pushing Korea to the verge of becoming super-aged society, the number of elderly inmates in correctional facilities is also increasing rapidly, with 1 in 6 inmates aged 60 years or older.
  
  

• ●Doctor groups withdraw from consultative body with ruling camp only 3 weeks after lunch The Hankyoreh
  A consultative body made up of representatives from the government, the ruling party, and the medical community created to resolve a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors has broken down three weeks after its formation.
  
  

• ●BOK warns of labor market risks as young Koreans exit workforce The Chosun Daily
  The number of South Koreans out of work, or those who are not seeking jobs, has surged by more than 25% in the past year, according to a new Bank of Korea report on Dec. 2.

Dec. 3

• ●Korea's prison population is aging rapidly The Korea Times
  Korea's aging population is driving changes in many sectors of society, and its prisons are no exception.
  
  

• ●Korean parents increasingly cross boundaries in grown-up children's work life Korea JoongAng Daily
  More and more Korean parents are increasingly interfering in their grown-up children's work lives, a phenomenon referred to as "overparenting."
  
  

• ●Korean gov't aims to increase paternity leave to 70% by 2030 Korea JoongAng Daily
  The Korean government on Tuesday set plans to enable 70 percent of working fathers to take paternity leave over the next seven years to boost the nation's chronically low birthrate and to foster a parenting-friendly environment.
  
  

• ●Migrant workers are 3 times as likely as Koreans to die in industrial accidents The Hankyoreh
  Tallying and monitoring the births and deaths of citizens is the most fundamental duty of any state, as such record-keeping is an acknowledgment of the very existence of the people that make up the community and the nation.
  
  

• ●Korea makes C-sections free for all pregnant women The Korea Times
  The government said Tuesday that C-sections will be made available free of charge to all pregnant women next year as part of its efforts to boost Korea's birthrate.

Dec. 4

• ●60% of job seekers in S. Korea 'passive': survey The Korea Herald
  A recent survey by the Federation of Korean industries reveals that six out of ten job seekers in South Korea are classified as "passive job seekers" with low expectations for employment.
  
  

• ●Korea to have more fathers take parental leave amid low births The Korea Times
  Korea's presidential committee on population policy on Tuesday unveiled plans to have up to 70 percent of fathers take parental leave by 2030 as the government intensifies effots to tackle the nation's pressing demographic challenges.
  
  

• ●Presidential official eyes possible resumption of consultative body on doctors' walkout The Korea Times
  A senior presidential official said Tuesday that a now-disbanded consultative body on a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors could be reopened, but urged relevant parties to make more efforts to resolve the medical impasse.
  
  

• ●Obesity, risky drinking on the rise among women in 20s and 30s The Korea Herald
  Obesity rates among women in their 20s and 30s in South Korea surged significantly last year, while risky drinking behaviors also climed among women despite a drop among men, government data showed on Tuesday.

Dec. 6

• ●School meal and child care services disrupted as non-regular workers plan strike Korea JoongAng Daily
  Non-regular school workers were set to launch a general strike Friday after wage negotiations with the education authorities fell through, their union said.