A coalition of doctors, nursing assistants and other medical professionals is poised to go on a daylong nationwide general strike this week, as the medical sector remains split over the Nursing Act, which was passed in the National Assembly last month, where the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea holds the majority. The coalition of 13 medical associations including the Korea Medical Association (KMA) and the Korean Licensed Practical Nurses Association said they would go on a one-day nat

Families that communicate in group chat rooms on mobile messaging apps are more likely to have stronger bonds compared to those who don’t, a study showed Sunday. “There is a higher chance that families with group chat rooms feel more satisfaction due to in-depth communication,” according to a report released by the research team led by Sogang University communications professor Cho Jae-hee. “Family members who are part of such chat rooms are more inclined to accept shared

Five out of 100 South Koreans aged 19-34 are effectively isolated from society, a new study shows. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the incidence of isolation among youth stood at 5 percent as of 2021. Compared to its previous survey conducted in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, the figure has significantly risen from 3.1 percent. The researchers define "isolation" as the state in which an individual maintains no meaningful social interactions with peo

South Korean men in the top income bracket are likelier to be tying the knot, data showed Sunday, suggesting that income inequality could be a major factor in exacerbating marriage and childbearing rates. According to data released by the Korea Labor Institute analyzing labor and fertility trends, men with higher economic status were less likely to be unmarried and childless than low-income men. The finding came to light in research conducted from 2017 to 2019, which excluded variables related t

TWINS HOMECOMING DAY -- Quadruplets stood side by side, holding hands at the "Twins Plus Homecoming Day" event held at the Seoul National University playground on Saturday. The Seoul National University Medical Research Center invited families with multiple pregnancies, including twins or more, who were delivered at the hospital, and opened a one-day amusement park. Professor Jeon Jong-kwan of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology explained that the purpose of the event was to ha

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 20,000 for the second consecutive day on Saturday, as the country moved to end almost all COVID-19 restrictions and return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 19,352 cases, including 30 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,390,699, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's tally was down from 19,989 cases a day earlier but was about 7,000 higher than a week ago. The country added six COVID-1

Google chose Korean and Japanese as the first service languages for its artificial intelligence-based chatbot, Bard, to expand its presence to compete with ChatGPT, which is backed by Google’s rival Microsoft. “They're incredibly dynamic and exciting regions, which are at the cutting edge of an opting technology,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday, explaining the reason for launching Bard services in Korean and Japanese in advance of the 40 other most spoken langua

Former Defense Minister Song Young-moo and other high-ranking officials underwent a search and seizure Friday over allegations that Song had committed an abuse of power. He is alleged to have coerced subordinates to lie about his remark on the legitimacy of a hypothetical military crackdown on peaceful protesters demonstrating against former President Park Geun-hye. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials raided the homes and offices of former Minister Song, former reserve

A 21-year-old man doing his compulsory military service remains unconscious for the sixth day since his suicide attempt on Sunday, which his family claimed was triggered by bullying from his superiors in the military. The victim reportedly attempted to take his own life around 12:15 a.m. at a South Korean Air Force base located in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province, after which he was found by fellow soldiers and moved to a nearby hospital. He has been in intensive care since. The initial investigatio

A man suspected of breaking a woman's nose after she refused to give her phone number to his friend has been booked by the police in Seoul on Thursday. He is being questioned for assault charges. According to Gangnam Police, an unidentified suspect is accused of punching the female victim around 2:45 a.m. on Sunday in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. The attack resulted in a broken nose, requiring six weeks of medical treatment. Surveillance footage revealed by a local news outlet showed a man

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 on Friday, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an end to almost all COVID-19 restrictions in the latest step to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 19,989 cases, including 17 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,371,675, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally was down from 20,574 cases a day earlier but was higher than the previous Friday's 18,752 cases. The

PODGORICA, Montenegro — A trial opened in Montenegro on Thursday against Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon and another citizen of South Korea who are charged in the Balkan country with using forged identification documents, state-owned media reported. The two have pleaded not guilty and offered 400,000 euros ($437,000) each to be released on bail, the RTCG television report said. The court in Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, hasn't yet decided on the motion. Do Kwon was arrested in

The head of an investment consulting firm was arrested Thursday for suspected stock manipulation that has shaken the local financial markets. The Seoul Southern District Court issued an arrest warrant for Ra Deok-yeon, the head of an unregistered investment consulting firm, citing the risk of him destroying evidence and fleeing. Prosecutors had filed for the writ late Wednesday and the court held a detention hearing earlier in the day. Ra's firm was at the center of the recent collapse of s

A Korean-Chinese man allegedly enraged by an internet gambling loss went on a stabbing spree in a working-class neighborhood, southwest of Seoul, earlier this week, killing two people and seriously injuring a third, police said Thursday. The suspect, a 39-year-old Chinese national of Korean descent, was apprehended by police after committing the murders at a permanent rental apartment in Siheung, 26 kilometers from Seoul, at around 8 p.m. Wednesday. He reportedly began the stabbing spree after l

A man in his 60s was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday for starving to death more than 1,000 cats and dogs abandoned by breeding farms. The sentence, delivered by the Suwon District Court's branch in Yeoju, 61 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is the maximum penalty the country's Animal Protection Act allows for animal cruelty. The 66-year-old man was indicted on charges of starving more than 1,000 cats and dogs to death since February 2020. He took over the animals, abandoned b