Feb. 9

• ●Over half of pet-owners unaware of infection risks from their pets: survey The Korea Herald
  More than half of pet owners in Korea are unaware that humans can contract parasites directly from pets, a recent survey led by a government agency showed Sunday.
  
  

• ●Korean universities turn to foreign students and adult learners as population declines The Korea Herald
  As South Korea grapples with its rapidly declining school-age population, universities are increasingly looking to international students and adult learners to fill the gap.
  
  

• ●Gov't, doctors remain poles apart as feud hits 1-year mark The Korea Times
  The conflict between the government and medical doctors in Korea has now reached a tense one-year mark, sparked by a controversial decision in February 2024 to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 per year over the next few years.

Feb. 10

• ●Seoul to give out $685 to newlyweds to boost rebounding birthrate The Korea Times
  Seoul plans to give 1 million won ($685) to newlywed couples who register their marriage in the capital this year to further boost the city's rebounding birthrate.
  
  

• ●Concerns grow over sustainability of national pension fund amid decreasing subscribers The Korea Times
  The number of national pension subscribers continues to decline due mainly to the low birthrate and aging population, data from the National Pension Service (NSP) showed Sunday, raising concerns over its sustainability.
  
  

• ●Workplace harassment in Korea rises, yet half of victims stay silent: survey The Korea Herald
  More than a third of South Korean office workers have experienced workplace harassment in the past year, but most choose not to report it, a new survey revealed.
  
  

• ●Trauma care medics' reality more dramatic than Netflix's 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call' The Korea Herald
  Netflix's first Korean medical series, "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," has gained global acclaim for its fast-paced and realistic depiction of medics working tirelessly to save lives.
  
  

• ●Korea to extend pilot program for Filipina nannies, but expansion in doubt The Korea Herald
  Seoul's plan to recruit more nannies from the Philippines remains in doubt, with a pilot scheme set to end this month without confirmation of its expansion into a full-fledged program.
  
  

• ●Koreans 51.7% content with living, least satisfied with wealth The Korea Herald
  South Koreans on average gave 52.7 points out of 100 in a recent survey on satisfaction with their lives, a report showed Monday, with their wealth the aspect they were least content with.

Feb. 11

• ●Teacher stabs 8-year-old girl to death at school in Daejeon Korea JoongAng Daily
  A teacher in her 40s stabbed to death an eight-year-old girl at an elementary school in Daejeon on Monday.
  
  

• ●Acting President Choi urges swift pension reform to address demographic crisis The Korea Times
  Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday called for the swift implementation of major reforms to the national pension system to address Korea's rapidly aging population, emphasizing the need for bipartisan agreement.
  
  

• ●No measles transmission detected after first case reported on Jeju since 2019 The Korea Times
  There have been no signs of a major measles outbreak on Korea's southern resort island of Jeju after a tourist was confirmed to have been infected with the disease last week, officials said on Monday.
  
  

• ●'She would still be here': Father expresses regret after 7-year-old daughter killed in school stabbing Korea JoongAng Daily
  "I can't believe this happened. She sent me off to work just yesterday morning," said the father of Kim Ha-neul, the 7-year-old girl who was allegedly stabbed to death by a teacher at her school in Daejeon.
  
  

• ●Korea to expand educational support for foreign, multicultural students The Korea Herald
  The Ministry of Education announced Tuesday that it would provide more resources to enhance public education for students with foreign parents or nationality, particularly in schools with many such students.
  
  

• ●Schock, outrage after elementary school teacher fatally stabs 8-year-old in Daejeon The Korea Herald
  Police investigating a tragic case of a teacher fatally stabbing an 8-year-old girl at an elementary school in Daejeon said Tuesday the teacher's attack had been planned but was not targeted, releasing her confession that she randomly chose the last student leaving the school.
  
  

• ●Gov't unveils plans to enhance education for students from multicultural families The Korea Times
  As the number of students from immigrant and mixed families continues to rise, the government announced new measures on Tuesday to improve tailored education programs, with the goal of boosting academic support and enhancing the overall learning environment.

Feb. 12

• ●Korean secondary schools go coed to survive as student enrollments nosedive Korea JoongAng Daily
  Plummeting student numbers are driving Korean single-sex schools to swtich to coeducational institutions to survive.
  
  

• ●Korea to draw up 'Kim Ha-neul law' to monitor mental health on teachers The Korea Herald
  In response to the tragic stabbing of an 8-year-old student by a teacher, the government is advancing legislation that would allow authorities to place teachers on mandatory leave if they are deemed unfit to perform their duties to mental illness or other conditions.
  
  

• ●Working parents fearful following Daejeon school tragedy The Korea Herald
  The recent murder of a first grade student by her teacher inside a Daejeon elementary school has left South Korea reeling, especially for working parents of young children.
  
  

• ●Yale professor cautions against stigmatizing depression after school stabbing The Korea Herald
  A Yale University psychiatry professor voiced caution against South Korean media reinforcing social stigma surrounding depression here with their coverage of a recent death of a student at school by a teacher with a history of the mental health condition.
  
  

• ●Seoul to transfer Filipino caregiver program to private sector after mixed reviews The Korea Times
  The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor will hand over the operation of the Filipino caregiver program to the private sector starting in March, following the completion of a six-month pilot phase that received mixed reviews.

Feb. 13

• ●Older Koreans' spending on age-related diseases jumps 28% to $4.6 bil. over past 5 years The Korea Times
  Korea is expected to spend around 6 trillion won ($4.6 billion) this year on treating diseases related to aging such as dementia, marking a 28 percent increase over the past five years, government data showed Wednesday.
  
  

• ●Are Korean schools safe? The Korea Herald
  The shocking murder of a first grader at the hands of her teacher inside an elementary school in Daejeon has ignited widespread concerns over school safety in South Korea.
  
  

• ●Ministry to release dating abuse diagnosis tool The Korea Herald
  The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Thursday said that it plans to pilot a tool for diagnosing dating abuse to help people in relationships detect signs of violence in advance and to assist counselors and the public to take prompt action to support victims of dating abuse.
  
  

• ●Vice health minister calls on doctors' groups to resume talks with govt. The Korea Herald
  Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo called on the medical community Thursday to resume talks with the government to resolve the prolonged deadlock over medical reform.
  
  

• ●45% of self-harm, suicide attempts involve teens, young adults The Korea Herald
  Nearly half of Koreans who received emergency medical care due to self-harm, including attempted suicide, in 2023 were in their teens or 20s, government data showed Thursday.

Feb. 14

• ●Gov't extends Filipino domestic caregiver pilot program by one year Korea JoongAng Daily
  The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Miistry of Employment and Labor announced Friday that the pilot program for Filipino domestic caregivers will be extended by a year.
  
  

• ●Seoul City to educate 300,000 'digital guides' to help older adults overcome kiosk anxiety The Korea Herald
  The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that more than 300,000 people would be educated this year through its "digital guide" initiative--a program aimed at assisting older adults and other individuals who have difficulty navigating digital devices and services.