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Reporter : Lee Hyo-jin
Thu, March 30, 2023 | 14:11
Indoor mask mandate likely to be dropped from Jan. 30
The indoor mask mandate, which has been in place for over two years in Korea, is highly likely to be removed at the end of January, after the Lunar New Year holidays which run from Jan. 21 to 24. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will announce detailed measures Friday on when and how the mask rule will be phased out.
Gov't urged to bring in foreign caregivers to tackle shortage of workers
The government is being urged by operators of nursing facilities to ease visa rules and attract more foreign nationals to work as caregivers here as the country grapples with an increasing shortage of paid caretakers amid a rapidly aging population. Caregivers are hired to assist the elderly and sick people either in their homes or at nursing facilities. Their responsibilitie...
Cold snap to grip nation following heavy snow
Heavy snowfall has blanketed the mountainous regions in Gangwon Province and the eastern coastline, Sunday, triggering the government to mobilize the emergency response system. As of 3 p.m., mountainous regions in Gangwon Province, such as Misiryeong of Mount Seorak were piled under 57 centimeters of snow, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Other regi...
Will Korea lift mask mandate before Lunar New Year holiday?
The government remains prudent over scrapping the indoor mask mandate despite its previous plans to review relaxing the measures actively once the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations enter a stable downward trend. The number of new infections and critical cases have been showing a declining trend over the last couple of weeks, with 32,570 daily cases reported for Sa...
Korean gov't refutes claims of discrimination against Chinese travelers
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has refuted claims raised by Chinese media that travelers from China are subject to “insulting” treatment on arrival here, such as being locked up in a dark room, due to Korea's strengthened entry measures. Under tightened COVID-19 restrictions, travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau who plan to stay in Korea for 90 days or less should ta...
Health ministry pushes to raise medical student quota despite backlash from doctors
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and medical groups are at loggerheads over the government's proposal to increase the medical student quota, a plan which the government had previously retracted following fierce protests from doctors in 2020. The thorny issue was brought up again in the ministry's New Year policy briefing to President Yoon Suk Yeol, Monday, promising to spee...
Health ministry seeks speedy pension reform
The Ministry of Health and Welfare will expedite its pension reform plan, which has been set as one of the Yoon Suk yeol administration's top three reform projects for this year along with labor and education. During a New Year's policy briefing to the president, Monday, Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong said his ministry will announce detailed estimates of the state-run pension f...
Russian asylum-seekers stranded in Incheon airport
Vladimir Maraktaev celebrated the first day of 2023 in the departures hall at Incheon International Airport, some 2,000 kilometers away from his home in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. It was the first time for the 23-year-old to spend New Year's Eve alone without family and friends. Instead of family gatherings and holiday feasts, he bought himself a cup of coffee for 5,00...
Elderly population outgrows social safety net
Korea's consistently low birthrate coupled with a higher life expectancy is rapidly transforming the country's demographic structure. The latest data from Statistics Korea projects the nation to become a super-aged society by 2025, in which over 20 percent of its 52 million population are aged 65 and older. In line with the increase in the elderly population, the number of ec...
Korea to take drastic measures to tackle population decline
The government will take drastic measures to tackle Korea's demographic crisis of its falling birthrate and rapidly aging society, said Na Kyung-won, head of the presidential committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, who floated the idea of writing off loans for married couples who give birth to children.
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