South Korea - The Korea Times

Population mobility hits 51-yr low in November: data

The number of Koreans relocating to new homes fell to the lowest level in 51 years for any November amid sluggish housing transactions and demographic changes, data showed Wednesday. Around 428,000 people changed residences last month, down 8.2 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This marks the lowest November figure since 1974, when 394,000 people moved. Population mobility has been declining due to an aging and shrinking population. Short-term trends are also influenced by housing transactions and the supply of new apartments. "Housing transaction volumes in September and October, which could affect mobility figures for November, rose slightly from a year earlier, but the number of completed apartment units declined," a ministry official said. The population mobility rate, which refers to the percentage of people relocating per 100 residents, decreased 0.9 percentage point on-year to 10.2 percent, which marked the lowest level since 2000, when the ministry began compiling relevant data. By region, Seoul logged a net outflow of 5,504 re

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap

Population mobility hits 51-yr low in November: data

Korea's childbirths rise for 16th consecutive month in October: data

The number of babies born increased for the past 16 consecutive months as of October, but the pace of growth slowed to the lowest since the start of this year, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 21,958 babies were born in October, up 2.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the 16th consecutive month of increase since July 2024 but also the slowest on-year growth of the year, the data showed. Cumulative childbirths through October stood at 212,998, up 6.5 percent on-year, marking the highest pace of growth for the cited period since 1991, the agency said. The total number of babies born over the 10-month period, however, was the third lowest after 2024 and 2023. The country's total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, went up 0.02 on-year to 0.81. By age group, the birthrate was the highest for women aged 30 to 34. The number of marriages in October came to 19,586, up 0.2 percent on-year. During the first 10 months of the year, a total of 195,764 marri

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap

Korea's childbirths rise for 16th consecutive month in October: data

2025 Top 10 National News Power shifts, nuclear ambitions, issues abroad reshape nation

Korea’s political and social landscape was turned upside down in 2025, as the nation saw a president ousted, his longtime rival swept into power and key institutions pushed to their limits at home and abroad. Koreans lived through a year of high drama that redefined the balance of power in Seoul and reshaped the country’s role on the global stage. At the same time, crises ranging from a paralyzing state data center fire to mass detention of Korean engineers in the United States exposed the vulnerabilities that accompany Korea’s status as a hyperconnected, export-driven democracy. Beyond politics, 2025 also laid bare the human cost of transnational crime and technological change. Rescue operations for Koreans trapped in Cambodian scam compounds, fierce debate over abolishing the prosecution’s headquarters and a surge of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cheating at top universities all forced hard questions about accountability, ethics and the rule of law. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, a green light for nuclear-p

Dec 24, 2025By Lee Hae-rin and Park Ung

[2025 Top 10 National News] Power shifts, nuclear ambitions, issues abroad reshape nation

44% of foreign residents in Korea report discrimination, yet remain happier than locals: survey

More than four out of 10 foreign residents in Korea say they have experienced discrimination, most commonly based on their country of origin, yet nearly eight in 10 of them did not raise complaints, largely because they believed doing so would not lead to change, a new survey found. Despite these experiences, a majority of foreign residents reported relatively high levels of happiness and life satisfaction in Korea — higher than those of Korean nationals. The findings were released Tuesday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as part of the 2025 Survey on Korean Attitudes and Values, conducted by KSTAT Research. The nationwide survey, which polled 6,180 respondents, was the ninth edition of the study, which was first launched in 1996 and has been conducted every three years since 2013. This year’s survey expanded its scope by including teenagers for the first time and conducting a separate survey of foreign residents who have lived in Korea for more than two years, aiming to capture a broader picture of social perceptions in Korea. According to the findings, 43.7 percent of

Dec 23, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min

44% of foreign residents in Korea report discrimination, yet remain happier than locals: survey

Seoul City's new income model offers ‘Stepping Stone’ out of poverty

Seoul’s Stepping Stone Income program is being promoted as a more effective alternative to Korea’s primary social safety net, the Basic Livelihood scheme, with new evidence suggesting that it helps low-income households move off public benefits while improving living standards, work incentives and community participation. At Tuesday’s international forum on the initiative, Mayor Oh Se-hoon and leading scholars said the three-year policy experiment offers a practical blueprint for overhauling social safety nets in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and increasingly precarious work. According to Lee Jung-min, an economics professor who led the research on the program’s effects at Seoul National University, the share of beneficiary households that exited from receiving benefits in the program's third year rose by 1.1 percentage points compared with its second year. Meanwhile, the proportion of households whose labor income increased climbed by 2.8 percentage points, while spending on basic goods and nutrition indicators also improved. Launched in 2022 and concluded in June, St

Dec 23, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Seoul City's new income model offers ‘Stepping Stone’ out of poverty

Union files complaint against Coupang founder over worker's death

The National Courier Workers' Union filed a complaint with the police against Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk on Tuesday, accusing the e-commerce giant of attempting to cover up an industrial accident. In the complaint submitted to the Korean National Police Agency, the union claimed that Kim instigated destruction of evidence and violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act in connection with the death of a worker. The complaint was cosigned by a labor group fighting for countermeasures to protect delivery workers from overwork. "Delivery worker Jang Deok-jun died from overwork at a Coupang logistics center in 2020. But Coupang and Kim systematically downplayed and covered up the incident and destroyed evidence, rather than admitting responsibility," the union said in a statement. The two groups said they also filed a complaint against Coupang Fulfillment Services, a Coupang logistics affiliate, on charges of negligent homicide and violation of the occupational safety law, calling for a thorough investigation in accordance with the law and common sense.

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap

Union files complaint against Coupang founder over worker's death

Record 81% of N. Korean defectors say they are 'satisfied' with life in South: survey

A record 81 percent of North Korean defectors living in South Korea said they are "satisfied" with their lives in the South, amid an improvement in their overall economic situation, a survey showed Tuesday. Of the 2,500 respondents, 81.2 percent said they were happy with their lives in South Korea, the highest figure since recordkeeping began in 2011, according to data from the Korea Hana Foundation, an agency affiliated with the unification ministry. The employment rate of North Korean defectors in South Korea stood at 61.3 percent this year, up 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier. During the same period, their jobless rate fell 0.9 percentage point on-year to 5.4 percent, while their economic participation rate increased 0.7 percent point compared with 64.8 percent the previous year. A foundation official said the gap in major economic data between South Koreans and North Korean defectors here was narrowing in signs that their economic situation has improved. The discrepancy in the employment and jobless rates of South Korean citizens and North Korean defectors this year had narro

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap

Record 81% of N. Korean defectors say they are 'satisfied' with life in South: survey

Korea reports new bird flu case at quail farm

Korea reported a new case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) at a quail farm in the central region Monday, bringing the total to 17 cases since the cold season began. The H5N1 bird flu was detected at the farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, about 130 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters (CDMH). The CDMH said it is conducting special quarantine inspections at the affected farm, while strengthening monitoring of vehicles visiting the sites to prevent further spread of the disease. Authorities will carry out comprehensive inspections of laying hen farms nationwide through the end of the year.

Dec 22, 2025By Yonhap

Korea reports new bird flu case at quail farm

New labor council chairman vows broader representation for youth, women, freelancers

The new chairman of the presidential Economic, Social and Labor Council pledged on Monday to overhaul a system he says has failed to sufficiently reflect the voices of youth, women and freelancers in national debates over work and welfare. “The question is whether the workers who could be most exposed to (today’s) risks are really being heard,” Kim Ji-hyung said at his first press conference at the council’s headquarters in Seoul. Addressing long-standing criticism that the council has been dominated by traditional labor unions, major employers and government representatives, Kim said the council will “actively look for ways to correct” the underrepresentation of groups such as young people, women, nonregular workers, platform workers and more. Kim described his agenda as a shift from “social dialogue among institutions” to one “with the people.” Under his leadership, he said, the council would be restructured to allow those most affected by decisions on employment and the future of work to play a more direct role in defining problems and shaping solutions. Kim pointe

Dec 22, 2025By Jung Min-ho

New labor council chairman vows broader representation for youth, women, freelancers

Gov't to activate emergency transport task force against planned rail strike

The government plans to activate an emergency transport task force this week to respond to a planned strike by unionized workers at the state-run Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), officials said Monday. The task force will be headed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and operate around the clock from Tuesday until the strike ends. It will comprise the Korea Airport Corp. and the Korea Express Bus Transportation Association, as well as the local governments of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. If and when the strike begins, authorities plan to deploy all available substitute personnel to maintain train operations on major routes and expand alternative transportation options, such as express buses and domestic flights. The KORAIL labor union has vowed to stage the strike demanding better working conditions, including that performance-based bonuses be calculated at 100 percent of base pay, rather than the current 80 percent.