Women working at the Seoul Metropolitan Government earn about 11 percent less than their male colleagues, data showed Wednesday, marking a smaller gap than the average figure registered by members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The data found that the gender wage gap, referring to the rate of men’s average pay to that of women, reached 11.28 percent last year, lower than 12.8 percent, the latest average of member nations of the OECD. Female civil servants f

Seoul police are investigating a local firm for falsely advertising itself as the University of Oxford’s affiliate in charge of admissions.  “The University of Oxford has promoted countermeasures against the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. It launched the ‘Oxford Graduate School Management Center’ in South Korea in charge of helping international students, especially from Asian countries with their preparation for graduate school admission,” the company introduce

Helping hands in short supply as virus resurgence dampens typical year-end giving events

In Jeju Island’s less populated areas on the midslope of Hallasan, around 2,000 wild dogs are believed to be living in packs for hunting and breeding, a recent study revealed. According to Jeju National University’s Wildlife Rescue Center, which led the research, the population of wild dogs in the midsection of the mountain, lying between 300 meters and 600 meters above sea level, is estimated to be somewhere between 1,626 and 2,168. The researchers explained they are domestic dog

SEJONG -- The number of South Koreans who moved to different residences in the country dropped for the 11th straight month in November amid fewer newly available apartments, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences sank 7.1 percent on-year to 567,000 last month, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the 11th consecutive month the number has dropped and was lower than the 10.7 percent decline posted in September. The fall was attributable

The number of babies born in South Korea sank to a record low in October, data showed Wednesday, highlighting the country's bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate. A total of 20,736 babies were born in the country in October, down 5.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest tally for any October since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. The October figure was also down from 21,920

Citizens in Seoul picked infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as the most dangerous health hazard, followed by fine dust and climate change, a survey showed Wednesday. Infectious diseases topped the list of dangerous health and environmental factors with 4.21 points on a 5-point scale in an online survey of 1,000 Seoul citizens and 321 experts on public health and the environment, according to the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. Fine dust came in second at 4.02 poi

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 5,000 for the first time in three days Wednesday and the number of critically ill patients surged to a record high. The country added 5,409 new COVID-19 infections, including 5,283 local infections, raising the total caseload to 620,938, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure marked a rise from 3,865 on Tuesday and 4,206 on Monday, but it represented a sharp decline from a daily record h

A vehicle skidded on an icy road in central South Korea and struck and killed three migrant workers who were out on the road to take care of an earlier accident, police said Tuesday. The mishap happened in the city of Asan, about 85 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday evening when four people -- two Russians, one Uzbek and one Kazakh -- were helping out the Filipino driver of a 1-ton freight truck stranded on the slippery road. The four had got out of their Sorento SUV on the way home to help

Lists of businesses not discriminating against those without a vaccine pass grow longer as support flows in

Travel from Ulsan to Busan by subway to take less than an hour

About 78 percent of salaried workers support the 52-hour workweek that was introduced in 2018 to reduce long working hours, a labor ministry survey showed Tuesday. According to the survey of 1,300 people, 71 percent said the reduction of the maximum weekly working hours to 52 from 68 was a good decision. Of the wage earning respondents, in particular, 77.8 percent were in support of the shorter workweek. The Nov. 26-30 survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.72 percentage points and

UN special rapporteurs on human rights expressed concerns over the October arrest of the leader of a major South Korean umbrella labor union, and the government has countered that his arrest was warranted because he organized illegal rallies in disregard of antivirus rules. The special rapporteurs sent a letter to the South Korean government on Oct. 22, saying Yang Kyeung-soo, the leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), legitimately exercised his rights to freedom of expressi

Police launched an investigation Tuesday into allegations that the wife of Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, falsified credentials on her resume for teaching jobs. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has taken over the complaints filed against Yoon's wife, Kim Keon-hee, and planned to hold an interview Wednesday afternoon with civic group officials who filed the complaints, officials said. Two civic groups filed the complaints, claiming Kim f

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in 28 days Tuesday due partly to antivirus restrictions and fewer tests over the weekend, but the number of critical cases remained high. The country added 3,865 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 615,532, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure marked the first time daily cases fell below 4,000 since Nov. 30, and represented a sharp decline from a daily record hi