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Banker's death caused by stress from new duties: court
A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a bank employee was work-related, caused by excessive stress from his new assignment. The Seoul Administrative Court ordered the state-run Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (K-Comwell) to pay full benefits to the bereaved family and reimburse them for funeral expenses, ruling in favor of the family, who filed a lawsuit last year. The man, who was 38 years old when he died, had been working at a local bank since 2012 and was assigned
Aug. 4, 2025 -
KOTRA to offer consulting services to small businesses amid new US tariff
The state-run trade promotion agency said Monday it has launched a consulting program for small and medium-sized businesses to help them develop trade strategies following the recent trade deal between Seoul and Washington. Last week, South Korea struck a trade agreement with the United States under which Washington began imposing 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods, down from the initially proposed 25 percent. The reciprocal tariffs went into effect Friday (US time). The Korea Trade-Invest
Aug. 4, 2025 -
Heavy rainfall causes flooding, evacuations in southern Korea
Heavy rainfall in South Korea’s southernmost provinces led to widespread flooding, evacuations and at least one death, according to local authorities Monday. Fire departments in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province had reported hundreds of incidents as of 5:30 a.m. Monday. In Gwangju alone, 172 flooding cases were reported, while 406 total damage reports, including loss of life, came in from South Jeolla Province. Muan in South Jeolla Province received 289.6 millimeters of rainfall from Sunday to 7
Aug. 4, 2025 -
S. Korea on high alert amid downpour forecasts; heavy rain pounds Muan
Heavier-than-expected downpours were forecast in South Korea's southern provinces, with a near-record 142.1 millimeters of rain falling in the southwestern county of Muan in just an hourlong span Sunday, the state weather agency said. The precipitation reported in Muan between 7:10 and 8:10 p.m. Sunday accounted for roughly 11 percent of the annual average rainfall in the county. The country's record hourlong precipitation stands at 145 mm, logged in July 1998. As of 9 p.m., 30 to 80 mm of rainf
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Lee calls for measures to curb fake news on YouTube
President Lee Jae Myung has instructed the government to draw up measures to fundamentally prevent the spread of fake news through online platforms, like YouTube, minutes from a Cabinet meeting held in June showed Sunday. "There are too many instances where fake news is used to earn money," Lee was quoted as saying in the minutes from the June 19 meeting disclosed by the interior ministry. "Resorting to illegal actions to earn money should be fundamentally prevented." Lee suggested imposing puni
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Heat-related death toll rises to 19 amid extreme heat wave
A total of 19 people have died from heat-related illnesses in South Korea so far this year as the country endured severe heat waves, health authorities said Sunday. More than 3,100 patients had visited emergency rooms for heat-related conditions as of Wednesday since mid-May, when authorities launched the heat-related illness surveillance system, and 19 have died, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Compared with the same period last year, the number of patients and dea
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Cosmetic factory explodes in Yeongcheon
Three employees were injured, one of them seriously, and another was reported missing after a cosmetic material factory in the southern city of Yeongcheon exploded and caught fire Sunday, firefighters said. Firefighters received a report at around 12:42 p.m. that a chemical factory producing materials for cosmetics had exploded and caused a fire at an industrial complex in Yeongcheon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Among the 13 employees who were working at the factory, the incident le
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Daughter of Korean priest detained by ICE after visa hearing
A 20-year-old South Korean student at Purdue University and daughter of an Episcopal priest has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after attending a routine court hearing over her visa status, according to news reports Sunday. The Episcopal Diocese of New York and immigrant advocacy groups are calling for the immediate release of Go Yeon-soo, saying she was unfairly detained despite having legal status, and that immigration authorities bypassed proper legal procedures. G
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Filibuster anticipated as DP floats 'Yellow Envelope' bill
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday reaffirmed its intention to unilaterally push forward a pro-labor bill — dubbed the “Yellow Envelope Law” — through a plenary session scheduled for Monday, with the People Power Party vowing to launch a filibuster to block its passage. Labeling the bill — which would revise Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act — as “corporate-killing legislation,” the People Power Party has hinted at delaying its passage for 24 hours through an unlimited debate d
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Defining week ahead for ex-presidential couple
A defining week lies ahead for the special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee as it plans to make another attempt to execute the warrant to arrest jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and bring him in for questioning, following Friday's failed attempt. The team also plans to summon the former first lady for questioning on Wednesday. Yoon, who was already detained as another special counsel investigates major charges that include abuse of power and production of false docu
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Dual rainstorms on path to hit S. Korea this week
Following days of intense heat, South Korea is bracing for another round of intense rainfall, with back-to-back nationwide downpours forecast this week. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, moisture brought into the Korean Peninsula due to the lingering impact of Typhoon Co-may — which struck Shanghai a week earlier and has since reduced to a tropical depression — are set to bring extreme rainfall across the country, with a particular focus in the Greater Seoul region, which inc
Aug. 3, 2025 -
10 deaths a day as S. Korea’s suicide fight falls short among seniors
An average of nearly 10 older South Koreans died by suicide every day between 2019 and 2023, according to a sobering new report that underscores the growing mental health crisis among the country’s aging population. In total, 18,044 seniors aged 65 and older took their own lives during that five-year period, amounting to over 3,000 deaths each year, the report said. The findings, published in the Journal of the Korean Medical Association and authored by Dr. Oh Dae-jong of the Workplace Mental He
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Worker's death after 3-straight company drinking sessions ruled work-related
A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a worker following three consecutive company-related drinking sessions constitutes a work-related death, local media reported Sunday. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled in favor of the bereaved family of a worker who died from acute alcohol intoxication after attending consecutive company gatherings. The family had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service’s decision to deny survivor benefit
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Daily maximum power demand hits record high in July amid extreme heat wave
South Korea's average daily maximum power demand hit a record high last month as the country endured one of the most severe summer heat waves on record, data showed Sunday. The country's peak power demand in July averaged 85 gigawatts, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Power Exchange. The reading marked the highest level for any July since 1993, when the government began compiling relevant data. The monthly high was recorded in August 2024, when the figure came to 87.8 G
Aug. 3, 2025 -
Working long hours at night doubles health risks: study
Shift work, nighttime work, and longer working hours could be more than twice as harmful on one's physical and mental health compared to those with regular working conditions, a study by a government-affiliated think-tank showed Thursday. The recent report by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute researched the detrimental effects of what it called "irregular labor conditions," and found that those working in shifts, long hours and at night are 129 percent more likely to develop
Aug. 2, 2025