Journalist

Park Jayeon
  • South Korea releases list of 28 designated presidential records from Sewol ferry disaster day after dropping appeal
    South Korea releases list of 28 designated presidential records from Sewol ferry disaster day after dropping appeal The Presidential Archives under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Wednesday it has provided requesters with a list of presidentially designated records related to rescue efforts on the day of the Sewol ferry disaster. The disclosure followed an April 10 Seoul High Court ruling that overturned the government’s decision to withhold the list. The government decided not to file a further appeal, making the ruling final. The case began with a June 2017 information request seeking disclosure of the list of designated presidential records tied to passenger rescue efforts on the day of the disaster. The archives had denied the request, citing Article 17 of the Presidential Records Act and the protected status of the materials. But the court, in a remand trial, said it was difficult to conclude the legal requirements for designation had been properly met and found the nondisclosure unlawful. The released information is a list of 28 designated presidential records produced or received on April 16, 2014, by the presidential secretariat and the National Security Office, among others. The contents of the individual records were not included in the disclosure. Han Seong-won, head of the Presidential Archives, said the agency respected the court’s decision, quickly completed administrative steps related to dropping the appeal and delivered the list to the requesters. Han said the archives also plans to provide the list soon to the 4.16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Family Association, which requested the same information, adding that the disclosure is expected to help protect the public’s right to know and improve administrative transparency. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-30 14:43:37
  • South Korea Expands High-Fuel-Price Relief to All Gas Stations, Regardless of Sales
    South Korea Expands High-Fuel-Price Relief to All Gas Stations, Regardless of Sales 행정안전부는 30일 '고유가 피해지원금 범정부 TF' 제3차 회의를 열어 연 매출액이 30억원을 초과하는 주유소를 고유가 지원금 사용처로 추가하기로 했다고 밝혔다. 이번 조치는 서민경제 지원 등을 위해 마련한 '고유가 지원금'이 사용처 제한으로 전국 주유소 상당수에서 쓸 수 없다는 지적이 나온 데 따른 것이다. 전국 주유소의 약 58%가 연매출 30억원을 넘는 것으로 파악된 바 있다. 개선 조치에 따라 주유소에서는 연 매출액과 관계없이 고유가 지원금을 사용할 수 있게 된다. 신용·체크카드 및 선불카드로 지원금을 받은 경우 5월 1일부터 주소지 관할 지자체에 있는 주유소에서 연 매출액과 관계없이 지원금 사용이 가능하다. 다만 주유소와 인근 대형매장이 사업자등록번호를 공유하면서 같은 단말기를 사용하는 경우에는 해당 주유소가 사용처에 포함되지 않을 수 있다. 지역사랑상품권으로 지원금을 받은 경우 기존 지역사랑상품권 가맹점인 주유소와 고유가 지원금 사용을 위해 한시적으로 추가 등록된 주유소에서 연 매출액과 관계없이 지원금을 사용할 수 있다. 가맹점 등록 여부는 지방정부별로 다를 수 있어 지역사랑상품권 앱이나 지방정부 누리집 등에서 가맹점 목록을 미리 확인할 필요가 있다. 윤호중 행정안전부 장관은 “이번 조치를 통해 국민들의 유류비 등 가계비 부담이 완화되고, 보다 편리하게 고유가 피해지원금을 사용하실 수 있게 되길 바란다”며 “정부는 앞으로도 사용 과정에서 불편함이 없는지 세심히 살피고, 국민의 눈높이에서 제도를 운영해 나가도록 하겠다”고 말했다. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-30 14:15:33
  • National Fire Agency, Pediatric Emergency Society to Upgrade 119 Child Emergency Response
    National Fire Agency, Pediatric Emergency Society to Upgrade 119 Child Emergency Response The National Fire Agency said April 30 it confirmed practical cooperation steps with the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine after holding a meeting the previous day to strengthen response systems for pediatric emergency patients and improve transport. The agency said the talks were arranged as hospitals face growing difficulty accepting pediatric emergency patients amid regional imbalances in pediatric medical resources and a shortage of residents. It said the goal is to combine firefighters’ pre-hospital response capabilities with the society’s expertise to find more fundamental solutions. The two sides agreed on three priority tasks aimed at improving survival rates for pediatric emergency patients and said they would move immediately to implement them. First, they will fully revise the 119 emergency call consultation manual to reflect children’s physiological characteristics, which differ from adults. The agency said it will refine phone-triage protocols and symptom-specific transport guidance — including for seizures and foreign-body ingestion — with advice from the society to help field crews make faster, more accurate decisions. Second, they will overhaul training for paramedics to raise and standardize pediatric emergency care skills. The agency said it will actively cooperate as the society designs its own pre-hospital pediatric emergency care education program, and will develop and distribute customized simulation training content based on surveys of field training needs. Third, they agreed to make more active use of 119 air ambulances (firefighting helicopters) to address limits in pediatric specialty infrastructure, which is heavily concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, and to reduce transport delays. The agency and the society said they will work to improve the efficiency of using firefighting aviation resources so critically ill children can be transported quickly, within the golden time, to the most appropriate hospital anywhere in the country. Commissioner Kim Seung-ryong of the National Fire Agency said pediatric emergency response requires more careful and precise expertise, and that cooperation with the society would help strengthen the nation’s safety net. “By combining field experience with the society’s specialized skills, we will do everything we can so our children can receive optimal emergency medical services anywhere in the country,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-30 10:05:39
  • South Korea launches task force to prepare Major Crimes Investigation Agency opening
    South Korea launches task force to prepare Major Crimes Investigation Agency opening The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Thursday it has launched an opening preparation team to support the planned October start of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency. The team is a dedicated unit meant to ensure a stable launch of the new agency, which is to be created on Oct. 2 as part of a broader overhaul of the criminal justice system aimed at separating investigations from prosecutions. The preparation team will be housed within the Interior Ministry. Vice Minister Kim Min-jae will serve as head, and Lee Jin-yong, second deputy chief prosecutor at the Incheon District Prosecutors Office, will be deputy head. It will have three divisions — general affairs, investigative practice planning, and finance and facilities — with a staff of 64. Officials will be seconded mainly from the Justice Ministry and the Interior Ministry, as well as the prosecution and the National Police Agency. The ministry said the team will be built around personnel with hands-on investigative experience, including investigators, to help ensure continuity of casework after the agency opens. The team’s work will focus on four areas. First, it will lay the institutional groundwork for operations by revising and organizing laws, rules and other working-level regulations related to the agency, and by setting up investigative procedures and interagency cooperation systems. Second, it will design the agency’s detailed structure, staffing and placement standards, and personnel rules, and handle recruitment of public officials to work there. Third, it will prepare for the transfer of cases and investigative capacity from existing investigative bodies, including procedures for handing over cases and crime intelligence, processes for warrant applications and case referrals, and a phased transfer of personnel and expertise in key areas such as anti-corruption, economic crimes, narcotics and forensic science. Fourth, it will build the operational foundation, including offices and information systems. Plans include securing and remodeling headquarters and regional offices, creating interview and office space, and establishing electronic systems needed for work, including the Korea Criminal Justice Information System (KICS), an electronic approval system and a website. The ministry said the team will work closely with related agencies, including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Justice Ministry and the National Police Agency, to carry out tasks in stages and launch the agency on Oct. 2 as planned. Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung said the launch of the preparation team puts key work — including securing office space, staffing and building systems — “on track.” He said the ministry will do its best to help the new agency take root as an investigative body that protects the public’s rights and earns public trust. 2026-04-30 00:03:19
  • 550,000 Apply on Day 1 for First Round of High Fuel Price Relief; 316 Billion Won Paid
    550,000 Apply on Day 1 for First Round of High Fuel Price Relief; 316 Billion Won Paid About 550,000 people applied on the first day of applications for the first round of the government’s “high fuel price relief payment,” with 316 billion won paid out, officials said. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said April 28 that applications opened at 9 a.m. the previous day and totaled 552,900 as of midnight. That equals 17.1% of the 3,227,785 people eligible for the first round. By method, 198,572 applicants chose credit or debit cards. For local gift certificates, 92,739 applied via mobile and 31,763 for paper vouchers. Another 229,826 applied for prepaid cards. In July last year, credit and debit cards accounted for 76% of applications on the first day of the first round of “livelihood recovery” consumption coupons. The first-day application rate for those coupons was lower, at 13.8%. By region, Seoul recorded the most applicants with 86,418, followed by Gyeonggi with 86,368. Next were Busan (50,173), South Jeolla (45,550), South Gyeongsang (41,179), North Jeolla (39,537), North Gyeongsang (35,924) and Incheon (29,992). The relief payment was created to ease household burdens that have grown with higher oil prices and inflation tied to the war in the Middle East. Payments vary by income level and place of residence, with additional support for non-capital areas and regions facing population decline. The first round is being issued first to basic livelihood recipients, near-poverty households and single-parent families. Basic livelihood recipients receive 550,000 won, while near-poverty households and single-parent families receive 450,000 won. Residents in non-capital areas and population-decline regions receive an additional 50,000 won each. To reduce congestion in the first week, applications follow a day-of-week schedule based on the last digit of an applicant’s birth year. Those ending in 1 or 6 applied April 27; 2 or 7 on April 28; 3 or 8 on April 29; and 4 or 9 and 5 or 0 on April 30. The schedule will be lifted afterward. Vulnerable people who miss the first-round window (April 27 to May 8) can apply during the second-round payment period (May 18 to July 3), which covers 70% of the population. The relief payment must be used by Aug. 31, and any unused amount will expire.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:51:19
  • South Korea Designates Labor Day and Constitution Day as Public Holidays, With Substitute Days
    South Korea Designates Labor Day and Constitution Day as Public Holidays, With Substitute Days Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (July 17) have been officially designated as public holidays starting this year, following approval by the Cabinet. The Ministry of Personnel Management said April 28 that the Cabinet passed a partial revision to the regulation on public holidays for government offices, adding the two days and applying substitute holidays when they overlap with weekends or other holidays. The move follows the National Assembly’s passage in January and March of amendments to the Public Holidays Act to designate Constitution Day and Labor Day as public holidays. Labor Day had been observed as “Workers’ Day” under a 1963 law, giving private-sector employees a paid day off. But public officials, teachers and others not covered by the Labor Standards Act were not guaranteed leave. After the name was changed to “Labor Day” through a legal revision in November last year, it is now a public holiday for the first time in 63 years, extending the day off to all citizens. Constitution Day marks the promulgation of South Korea’s Constitution on July 17, 1948. It was designated a national holiday and public holiday in 1949, but was removed from the public holiday calendar in 2008 with the introduction of the five-day workweek. The latest action restores it as a public holiday for the first time in 18 years. Choi Dong-seok, head of the ministry, said designating the two days as public holidays “has value beyond simply adding another day off,” and expressed hope it would prompt the public to reflect on the value of labor and constitutional principles, including popular sovereignty.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:33:17
  • South Korea Sets 30 Million Won Reward for Itaewon Disaster Truth-Finding, Extends Healing Leave to 1 Year
    South Korea Sets 30 Million Won Reward for Itaewon Disaster Truth-Finding, Extends Healing Leave to 1 Year The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Tuesday that a partial revision to the enforcement decree of the special law on protecting victims’ rights, determining the truth and preventing a recurrence of the Oct. 29 Itaewon disaster was approved at a Cabinet meeting and will take effect May 11. The revision sets detailed standards for paying rewards to people who contribute to truth-finding and clarifies requirements for victims seeking to extend healing leave. Under the decree, a total of 30 million won will be paid in rewards to those who provide direct and decisive information that had not been made public through the media or other channels. The reward applies when, without the information, truth-finding would have been impossible or significantly difficult. Payment will be decided through review and a resolution by the special investigation committee. Any reward obtained through improper means will be recovered, the ministry said. The decree also spells out conditions for extending healing leave for victims recovering from physical and psychological harm. Previously, healing leave was available for up to six months. With the revision, workers can extend leave by an additional six months — up to one year total — if they submit a doctor’s diagnosis or medical opinion written within 30 days of the submission date. Workers seeking an extension must apply to their employer seven days before their leave ends. Even if a leave period ended before May 11, an application can be filed seven days before the date the worker wants the leave to begin. Separately, an amendment to the special law taking effect May 11 will extend the deadline to apply for victim recognition to within six months after the special investigation committee ends its work. It will also extend the deadline to apply for healing leave to within one year after the committee’s activities conclude. Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung said, “The government will do its utmost to support victims of the Itaewon disaster to focus on recovery and fully regain their daily lives.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:22:03
  • Vice Minister Kim Min-jae Inspects Local Centers Ahead of High Oil Price Relief Payments
    Vice Minister Kim Min-jae Inspects Local Centers Ahead of High Oil Price Relief Payments The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said April 24 that Vice Minister Kim Min-jae visited Seoul’s Jongno district to closely review preparations and hear difficulties from the field ahead of the start of first-round payments for high oil price relief assistance on April 27. Kim, who led the inspection, went to the Sungin 2-dong community center to check whether arrangements were in place so applicants would not face inconvenience, and he encouraged local government staff handling the work. He checked whether there were enough prepaid cards for distribution and whether the card design could reveal whether a recipient is part of a vulnerable group. He urged careful attention throughout the process to prevent inconvenience for residents. Kim also asked the center to secure sufficient indoor waiting space, noting that many in-person visitors are older people who have difficulty applying online. As the first round targets vulnerable groups, he called for close management to ensure no one is left out. After hearing concerns such as heavier workloads from accepting offline applications, the ministry said it would strengthen publicity and guidance to further expand use of the simpler online application process. “To ensure people can receive the high oil price relief payments without inconvenience, the ministry and local governments must work closely to make thorough preparations and build a rapid response system,” Kim said. He added that, based on last year’s experience successfully completing the consumer coupon program for livelihood recovery as “One-Team,” officials would fully apply that know-how and capacity to be fully prepared. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-24 17:03:16
  • South Korea Overhauls Volunteer Service Law for Citizen-Led System After 21 Years
    South Korea Overhauls Volunteer Service Law for Citizen-Led System After 21 Years The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 24th that the National Assembly has passed a full revision of the Framework Act on Volunteer Service to foster a self-sustaining, civil society-led volunteer ecosystem. The revision aims to build a “citizen-centered volunteer ecosystem” that expands volunteers’ autonomy and creativity, building on infrastructure previously developed by the government. Under the revised law, government-run volunteer centers will be phased out. Of the nation’s 246 volunteer centers, 110 are directly operated by public officials. Those centers will have a three-year transition period to incorporate or shift to operation by a contracted nonprofit, a move the ministry said is expected to strengthen professionalism and independence. The revision also creates a legal basis for local governments to establish regional volunteer promotion committees that include private-sector experts, aiming to better reflect community needs in policy. For the first time, the law spells out a basis to train and support volunteer managers — key personnel at grassroots groups and volunteer centers who coordinate activities and connect volunteers. The government will provide administrative and financial support, and plans to detail qualifications and scope in a presidential decree. The law’s title will change from the “Framework Act on Volunteer Activities” to the “Framework Act on Volunteer Service.” It also broadens the definition of volunteer service to include providing talent and skills, not only time and effort, and it covers volunteer work conducted through online platforms. The eligible participants are expanded from “citizens” to “individuals,” including foreign residents. To strengthen infrastructure, the revision clarifies the legal basis for operating the 1365 Volunteer Portal and codifies the basis for compiling volunteer statistics, which were designated as government-approved statistics in January, enabling more data-driven policymaking. The revised law is set to take full effect one year after it is promulgated. Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung said the revision marks a shift beyond a government-led era to one in which citizens’ voluntary participation and creativity become a key driver in solving social problems. “On the stable legal foundation 마련ed for the first time in 21 years, we will provide full support so volunteer service can take root as a valuable asset to our society,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-24 14:36:09
  • Gender Equality Ministry Seeks Local Governments for Public Sanitary Pad Pilot
    Gender Equality Ministry Seeks Local Governments for Public Sanitary Pad Pilot The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday it is accepting applications through May 21 from about 10 basic local governments to run a pilot program providing free “public sanitary pads” for use when needed. The pilot, to be operated this year, is designed to ensure that anyone can access sanitary pads at the moment they are needed, reflecting that the products are essential items used repeatedly over long periods. The ministry will hold a briefing for local governments on April 30 and accept applications through May 21. It plans to select participating localities in early June, considering factors such as population and regional characteristics, and to launch the program in phases starting in July. Under the plan, sanitary pad dispensers will be installed at major public facilities, including community centers, public libraries, cultural centers, welfare centers, public health centers, family centers and youth centers, for free use when needed. Pads stocked in the dispensers will be products that meet Ministry of Food and Drug Safety standards. In high-traffic locations, the ministry plans to install machines that can hold larger quantities and automatically tally usage to support efficient operations and a stable supply. Minister Won Min-kyung said the pilot will “strengthen women’s health rights and create an environment where anyone can freely use sanitary pads in emergencies,” adding that the ministry will work with local governments to implement the program without disruption.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 15:02:31