Father of newborn saves five lives through organ donation

Park Seong-bae, a 41-year-old father of a 60-day-old daughter, had his organs donated to five patients after his brain death on Jan. 30, the Korea Organ Donation Agency said Friday. Born the eldest son in Busan, Park worked at a shipyard after graduating from college. He had a soft personality and enjoyed playing soccer on weekends, according to his peers. He suffered a severe headache on Jan. 19 and was rushed to a hospital, but never regained consciousness and was later declared brain-dead. Af

March 13, 2026

Education Ministry notifies universities of expanded medical school quotas for 2027-2031

South Korea on Friday confirmed the medical school admission quota for the 2027 academic year will increase to 3,538, as part of a five-year plan to boost the number of newly qualified doctors by 2031. The Ministry of Education said it has notified universities of the increased medical school admission quotas allocated to select institutions. There will be 490 additional seats in 2027 and 613 more seats annually from 2028 to 2031, compared to the base figure of 3,058 in 2024. The government emph

March 13, 2026

Chief judges warn of 'external pressure' on courts after judicial reform laws take effect

Forty-four chief judges from courts nationwide gathered Thursday in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, to discuss follow-up measures after three judicial reform laws took effect the same day. “There are concerns that the fundamental structure of Korea’s judicial system may change following the passage of the three judicial reform laws,” said Ki Woo-jong, acting minister of the National Court Administration, during the meeting. The three laws include provisions allowing constitutional complaint

March 13, 2026

Leaving a teaching job in Korea? Here's what foreign instructors need to know

When a private English academy in South Korea abruptly terminated a 30-year-old American instructor’s contract, her first thoughts were about her visa and pay. “I remember going blank, thinking about what was going to happen to my visa, and whether I would be able to receive my severance pay,” said the instructor, who asked to remain anonymous. Her concerns are shared by many foreign national teachers working in South Korea. As of 2024, 13,443 instructors were residing in the country under the E

March 12, 2026

Rights watchdog urges broader stimulus aid for foreign residents

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Wednesday that it had advised the interior minister and other relevant officials to expand eligibility for government relief payments, including the so-called “consumption coupons for livelihood recovery,” to cover more foreign residents. The government distributed coupons worth up to 550,000 won ($375) to Korean residents in 2025 as part of efforts to stimulate domestic consumption. The policy largely excluded foreigners, though it allowed limi

March 11, 2026

Nearly half of Korean high school students use AI weekly for studies: survey

Nearly half of South Korean high school students regularly use artificial intelligence in their studies, a recent survey found. According to research released Wednesday by the Jinhak Educational Assessment Research Institute, 47.7 percent of students said they use artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT and Gemini, for studying at least once a week. By frequency, 25.2 percent said they use AI tools one to two times a week, 14.4 percent reported using them three or more times week and 8.

March 11, 2026

Inside Korea’s migrant population: 10 key takeaways from latest survey

The Ministry of Statistics and the Ministry of Justice on Tuesday released the results of their annual Survey on the Residence and Employment Status of Migrants, offering a snapshot of how foreign residents and naturalized citizens live and work in South Korea. The government has conducted the survey since 2017, examining demographic, visa and employment trends among migrants aged 15 and older who have stayed in the country for at least 91 consecutive days. Here are some key findings from the 20

March 10, 2026

Government to increase retirement age in phases

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Tuesday that the Ministry of Employment and Labor had informed it the government would begin working to meet its recommendation to gradually raise the statutory retirement age. “We plan to draft new legislation to gradually raise the retirement age as part of the government’s national agenda,” the ministry said, according to the commission. “The government will actively support discussions so that labor and management can find common ground in a

March 10, 2026

More regions pay grandparents for child care

Jeju will begin offering stipends to grandparents caring for their grandchildren starting in March, following strong public approval of a similar program in Seoul. A survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in February found that 99.2 percent of guardians were satisfied with the program, while 99.5 percent said they would recommend it to other caregivers. “I want to give my parents money for taking care of my children, but I’m glad the city is supporting them on my behalf,” said a p

March 10, 2026

Justice Ministry to crack down on illegal foreign delivery riders

The Ministry of Justice said Monday it will launch a two-month crackdown on foreign nationals working illegally as food delivery drivers, citing a rise in unauthorized employment. The ministry designated March and April as intensive enforcement months, saying some international students have recently begun working as delivery drivers using borrowed or falsified Korean identities, raising concerns that local job opportunities are being affected. Major delivery platforms such as Baedal Minjok, Bae

March 9, 2026