Articles by Lee Jaeeun
Lee Jaeeun
jenn@heraldcorp.com-
Seoul city aims to halve carbon emissions by 2033
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that the city aims to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2033 from the 2005 levels, and reach complete carbon neutrality by 2050. With the ambition of building a city safe from climate crises, the city has announced its new 10-year plan, named the Basic Plan for Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth in Seoul, which includes carbon-neutral and eco-friendly energy transition policies to cut carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2033 compared to 20
Social Affairs May 7, 2024
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
The corruption investigation office for high-level officials has called in key suspects for questioning over allegations that presidential and defense officials interfered in a sensitive military inquiry concerning the on-duty death of a Marine last year, multiple sources said Friday. Yoo Jae-eun, a legal affairs official at the defense ministry, and Park Kyung-hoon, a former acting chief of the Criminal Investigation Command under the defense ministry, underwent the Corruption Investigation Off
Social Affairs May 3, 2024
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Korean govt. looks to hire 5th professional calligrapher since 1962
The Korean government is seeking to employ a professional calligrapher as a civil servant to be responsible for crafting letters of appointment for high-ranking civil servants in the name of the South Korean president, according to the Ministry of Personnel Management. The ministry on Thursday announced its plan to hire a professional calligrapher by May 13. The position of calligrapher is the rarest among Korean public officials, with only four calligraphers hired by the government in the 62 ye
Social Affairs May 3, 2024
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
Over 60 percent of South Koreans supported an initiative of providing a 100 million won ($72,500) cash incentive for each newborn, aiming to tackle the country's low and declining birth rates, a government survey showed Thursday. The survey, conducted from April 17 to 26 by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission involving 13,640 individuals, aimed to assess the effectiveness of providing direct support to beneficiaries of birth boost policies. The survey queried whether significant
Social Affairs May 2, 2024
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Unions to hold Labor Day rallies nationwide
South Korea‘s labor groups, including the nation’s two major umbrella unions, are set to hold large-scale rallies nationwide on Wednesday to commemorate Labor Day. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country‘s two major umbrella trade unions, known for being independent and run democratically, plans to organize the “World Labor Day Convention” rally from Gwanghwamun in the central district of Jongno-gu to Daehan Gate in Jung-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m. Warm
Social Affairs April 30, 2024
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Police to open alleged stalking probe over pastor over Dior bag scandal
South Korean authorities announced Monday that they would investigate a Korean American pastor named Choi Jae-young, who gifted first lady Kim Keon-hee a 3 million won ($2,295) Dior bag, on allegations of stalking. National Office of Investigation chief Woo Jong-soo said at a press conference held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul that “Last year, Choi was accused of stalking (Kim), and (the police) completed a brief legal review of the case. The police determined that furth
Social Affairs April 29, 2024
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Medical tourists to Korea rises to record high of 606,000
South Korea attracted a record number of 606,000 foreign national patients in 2023, mainly for dermatological treatments and plastic surgery, the Health Ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the number of foreign national patients visiting Korea has hit a record high at 606,000, up 2.4 times from a year earlier, 248,000. This is the highest ever since 2009 when the ministry started to compile the number of foreign patients. Also, this figure is 1.2 times higher
Social Affairs April 29, 2024
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
Oh Dong-woon, the nominee for the chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, pledged on Sunday to strengthen the agency's role as an independent investigative body and ensure its effectiveness. “I have a heavy heart because I have been nominated as the chief of the CIO during a difficult time,” Oh told media while en route to his office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul, on Sunday, to prepare for his confirmation hearing at the National
Social Affairs April 28, 2024
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Seoul to promote luxurious side of the city
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that the city is now setting its sights on the global luxury tourism market and is preparing strategies to become one of the world's best luxury holiday destinations. Luxury, or high-end, tourism refers to a style of travel associated with top-quality service throughout the trip. It is about more than just luxury hotels and first-class air travel. It now means visiting extraordinary destinations and enjoying authentic and unique experienc
Social Affairs April 25, 2024
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Drone light shows over Han River in Seoul to begin Saturday
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that the Hangang Drone Light Show 2024 along the Han River would begin on Saturday. Five such shows have been planned for the first half of this year, following those held last year. In the second half of this year, five drone shows will be held from September to October, according to the city government. The drone light show will take place at the waterfront stage in Jamsil Hangang Park for 15 minutes at 8 p.m., starting April 27 and during Seoul
Social Affairs April 25, 2024
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
As South Korea grapples with a shrinking population, it is increasingly turning to foreign workers to fill crucial roles. Today, labor from overeseas is concentrated in low-paying unskilled jobs, but in the future, many will be hired to perform highly skilled work, according to Kim Young-Jung, president of the Korea Employment Information Service. Highly skilled jobs may include engineers, scientists, teachers, managers and IT professionals, he said. “Korea is getting more and more in need
Social Affairs April 24, 2024
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Korean woman loses W70m in Elon Musk deepfake scam
A Korean woman was persuaded to invest 70 million won ($50,770) after seeing a deepfake video of what appeared to be Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, according to local reports on Tuesday. Jeong Ji-sun, whom KBS has agreed to refer to by a pseudonym, shared how she became a victim of a romance scam on KBS's "In-Depth 60 Minutes." On the April 19 episode, Jeong opened up about how she first started talking with the con artist, who claimed to be Musk. “I experienced something like
Social Affairs April 23, 2024
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque already in trouble
South Korean Muslim YouTuber Daud Kim, who announced his plan to build a mosque on land he purchased in Incheon, faces myriad challenges, including a request to terminate the land contract, difficulties in obtaining permission due to road conditions, and resistance from the local neighborhood. Kim, a content creator in his 30s with more than 5.52 million YouTube subscribers, uploaded a post on his Instagram on April 11 announcing his plans to build a mosque, a Muslim place of worship, on land th
Social Affairs April 19, 2024
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First Filipino domestic helpers to arrive this summer: ministry
The South Korean government on Friday announced its plans to bring in 100 Filipino household helpers in July and deploy them as early as August. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said that discussions with the Philippine side on the plan for a pilot program for Filipino domestic workers have been completed. The Philippine government plans to post a job opening for 100 Filipino domestic workers willing to work in Seoul within this month. As Filipino workers are mandated to undergo initial and
Social Affairs April 19, 2024
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Civic groups call on govt. to end crackdown on illegal immigration
A coalition of eight South Korean civic groups and unions on Thursday called on the Yoon Suk Yeol government to end its intensified crackdown on foreign nationals residing illegally in the country. The coalition protested the government's recent joint crackdowns, condemning them as an "anti-human rights measure that will create an atmosphere of fear against unregistered immigrants, justify their oppression by treating them as criminals, and lead to numerous human rights violations.&quo
Social Affairs April 18, 2024
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