Jul 19

• ●'Aboha': Koreans who opt for a life less extraordinary The Korea Herald
  Every evening, 31-year-old office worker Choe Sung-ha used to scroll through social media platforms and browse online portals, looking for something to fill her after-work hours.

Jul 20

• ●Adoptees left with mixed feelings, unanswered questions as Korean government reins in 'baby exports' Korea JoongAng Daily
  For decades, thousands of Korean children were sent abroad for adoption, their lives determined by private agencies operating with minimal oversight and often incomplete documentation.

Jul 21

• ●Gov't cracks down on abuse of growth hormone treatments Korea JoongAng Daily
  The government is cracking down on the misuse and abuse of so-called height growth injections, otherwise known as growth hormone treatments.

Jul 22

• ●Socially connected seniors better prepared for death: report The Korea Herald
  Senior citizens with more people to reach out to for help were more prepared for their death compared to their more isolated peers, a recent study showed Tuesday.
  
  

• ●New health minister vows to push for 'people-centered' medical reform The Korea Times
  New Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong reaffirmed her commitment Tuesday to "people-centered" medical reforms that she said will be acceptable to both the public and the medical community, amid expectations for the resolution of the prolonged standoff between the government and junior doctors.

Jul 23

• ●Korean births increase for 11th straight month, marriages highest in six years Korea JoongAng Daily
  Korea may be seeing the first glimmer of a demographic turnaround, with births and marriages having risen in tandem for nearly a year - a milestone not seen since the early 1990s.
  
  

• ●Heart says yes, savings say no: People open to marriage, under certain conditions Korea JoongAng Daily
  In Korea, the heart may be willing, but the bank account - and the workplace - are holding people back from saying "I do."
  
  

• ●Korea's birth rate rises for 11th month amid marriage, policy push The Korea Herald
  Driven by rising marriages and supportive government policies, the number of newborns in South Korea increased for the 11th consecutive month in May, according to Statistics Korea on Wednesday.
  
  

• ●South Korea's health insurance crackdown reduces foreign dependents The Korea Herald
  A year after South Korea introduced stricter health insurance rules for foreign residents, misuse of the system has noticeably dropped, especially among Chinese national.
  
  

• ●Population mobility rises 8.6% in June on base effect, increased home transactions The Korea Times
  The number of Koreans relocating to new residences increased 8.6 percent from a year earlier in June, mainly due to a base effect and a rise in housing transactions, government data showed Wednesday.
  
  

• ●Korea sees 14-year high rate of growth in births for May The Korea Times
  The number of babies born in Korea jumped nearly 4 percent from a year earlier in May, marking the sharpest increase for May in 14 years, government data showed Wednesday.

Jul 24

• ●Over 40% of eligible Koreans apply for consumption coupons in first 3 days Korea JoongAng Daily
  More than 40 percent of eligible Koreans applied for the first round of the government's consumption coupon program in just three days, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Thursday.
  
  

• ●Gov't cancels briefing on medical students' return amid lack of consensus Korea JoongAng Daily
  The Education Ministry on Wednesday announced that it would unveil a plan this week to accommodate the mass return of boycotting medical students, but abruptly canceled it, citing the need for more time for consulting among medical schools.
  
  

• ●Overworked and underappreciated, Korean doctors eye New Zealand's greener pastures Korea JoongAng Daily
  Hundreds of Korean doctors ar eyeing new opportunities to practice medicine in New Zealand, which now accepts Korea-issued medical licenses and exempts Korean practitioners from taking another qualification exam.
  
  

• ●Enduring impact of 'gapjil' in Korean society's power dynamics The Korea Times
  A uniquely Korean concept has long shaped the country's fraught power dynamics.
  
  

• ●'She's throwing a tantrum': Child demanding consumer coupons sparks philosophical debate online Korea JoongAng Daily
  As the government begins distributing consumption coupons to its citizens in an effort to stimulate Korea's economy, one family's dispute regarding voucher ownership has sparked debate online.
  
  

• ●Sri Lankan migrant worker still traumatized after workplace humiliation in Korea Korea JoongAng Daily
  A Sri Lankan migrant worker said he continues to suffer from trauma months after co-workers tied him to a forklift and mocked him at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla, in an incident that has fueled national outrage and triggered a government investigation into the abuse of foreign laborers.
  
  

• ●More than 560,000 young Koreans spend over a year searching for jobs: data The Korea Times
  More than 560,000 young Koreans have remained jobless one year after their graduation, data showed Thursday, while nearly half of them have been searching for jobs to no avail for three years.
  
  

• ●Young workers say raising retirement age will hurt efficiency, older people disagree The Korea Herald
  As South Korea mulls raising the legal retirement age from 60 to 65, a generational divide is growing, with younger and older Koreans split over the potential impact on productivity, employment opportunities and workplace dynamics.

Jul 25

• ●Med school dropouts can return, ministry rules - but some may get extra exams Korea JoongAng Daily
  The Ministry of Education decided to allow medical students who left school to return for the second semester, signallying an end to a 17-month standoff over class boycotts.
  
  

• ●Gov't moves to end medical standoff, but backlash grows over preferential treatment The Korea Times
  The government is stepping up efforts to resolve a nearly 17-month standoff with trainee doctors and medical students over plans to increase medical school enrollment by 2,000 students as officials offer a path forward for striking students and begin talks with trainee doctors who have walked off the job.