According to research from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), there are 5.64 million self-employed people in Korea. This is 21.0% of total employees, and the figure has decreased since 2008 when it was 25.3%. The ratio is quite high compared to those of OECD countries. In 2017, 25.4% of the total employees were self-employed and this is the fifth highest among OECD countries: unlike domestic figures, it counted unpaid family workers as self-employed people. Another report of the MSS claims that 67.6% of self-employed people started their businesses ‘because there was no other choice othe

Before the summit On Jan. 1, Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, sent a positive message about holding the second North Korea – United States summit through his New Year’s address, although he also said he would seek a new path if there were unilateral U.S. sanctions and pressure.Responding to Kim’s speech, Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, tweeted that he is also looking forward to meeting with Chairman Kim who realizes that North Korea possesses great economic potential. Accordingly, from the start of 2019, North Korea and the U.S. revealed th

Deep-fried laver, dried laver coated in a batter of glutinous rice starch, dried, and deep-fried, is a Korean snack, is just one product of Korean culture that has gained fame. How did this seemingly ordinary snack catch the eyes of million? The answer, ‘Korean Fever’, also known as the ‘Korean Wave’. With people, being captivated with Korean culture, it holds a powerful influence power over them. A TV show scene showing a celebrity eating deep-fried laver was all that was needed to propel the dish into the international spotlight. There are various elements to ‘Korean Fever’. Those elements i

Lee Guk-jong, the celebrated head of Ajou University Hospital’s trauma center, recalled Yoon Han-deok as being instrumental in organizing Korea’s emergency care system over the last 15 years.According to the National Medical Center (NMC), a public hospital as a subpart from the Health Ministry, Yoon Han-deok, the head of its National Emergency Medical Center, was discovered passed away in his office. At just 51, Yoon died of an apparent heart attack. A NMC doctor who conducted a preliminary autopsy concluded that Yoon’s heart attack may have been caused by years of stress and overwork. His dea

Whoever purchases a product or service from a company is the company’s customer. Whether the customer lives in the country of the company’s foundation or in a foreign country, every customer paid for the product and deserves to be treated accordingly. However, for the companies that rely on statistics and only care about their profit, the story is quite different. One such company that discriminates in the Korean market is the Japanese gaming company, Nintendo.Nintendo is a worldwide electronics and video game company founded on Sept. 23, 1989. Nintendo sells gaming consoles such as the Ninten

The income gap between the upper and lower classes has widened in the past three years. The percentage of the poor has been declining for the past two years. However, compared to member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Korea’s relative poverty rate is very high. According to the Korea Daily’s analysis of income concentration in 21 OECD member countries that have released indicators to the WID (World Inequality Database) since 2010, the top 10 percent of income earners who earn over 50 million KRW annually in Korea take up 43 percent or more of tota

On 2018 Dec. 20 The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSD)’s patrol aircraft conducted a threatening low-altitude flight for a considerable duration over ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great destroyer, which had been conducting a humanitarian rescue operation for a North Korean fishing vessel in distress. The aircraft made a threatening “8-shape” flight by continuously flying with 500-meter distance and 150-meter altitude. 150m is the lowest altitude for safety even without any people or buildings present. Japan claimed that it had conducted the flight to observe what operation ROK ship was conducting

Last summer, approximately 700 red imported fire ants were discovered in Pyeongtaek Port. This was the fourth time it was found in Korea since the first discovery from Busan. Meanwhile, red imported fire ants are classified as a part of ‘100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species’ by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).Invasive Species are defined as “any kind of living organism that is alien to an ecosystem and causes harm.” The problem is that Invasive Species account for approximately 42% of threatened or endangered species and provide risks towards the ecosystem. As much of h

Recently, high concentrations of fine dust, i.e. toxic haze, are causing high alerts. Fine dust is a particle smaller than 10 micrometers and larger than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Exposure to such particles is reported to be linked to occurrence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and to increase the death rate. Ultrafine dusts, that are the cause of current issues, in particular poses a big threat.It is widely known and believed between the general population that about 30~50% of the fine dust comes from China. This belief, fact is also announced by the Ministry of Environment. Howe

When Kakao Taxi service was started in March 2015, taxi businesses and Kakao had been working together. The two companies were in a position to coexist with signing business agreements with taxi operator and labor unions. However, the relationship between the two sides has gone sour when Kakao released ‘KakaoT’ by dispersing Kakao Mobility. Kakao Mobility introduced KakaoT in a bundle of chauffeur service and taxi service. In addition to increasing user convenience by bringing mobility services together, it was also a groundwork to launch carpool services. The taxi industry has been protesting

Kim Yong-kyun, a 24-year-old temporary worker, was found dead at the Taean Thermal Power Plant, crushed by a steel conveyer belt. He worked for the Korea Engineering & Power Services, a subcontractor for the Korea Western Power that is in charge of operating the conveyer belts that supply fuel to the Taean thermal power plant. Workers in the industry say it is manifestly dangerous for a single person to supervise the operations of a power plant on their own. They asked the company to change the inspection process by making sure that at least two people do the job together. However, their deman

Recently, there have been a few incidents where Asians were confronted with severe open racism. On Nov. 17, one of the most well-known Italian designer brands, Dolce & Gabbana, D&B, uploaded a series of short advertisement videos for a runway fashion show in Shanghai that was eventually cancelled due to an international outcry against the brand’s racism. The videos featured a Chinese model - dressed in a traditional Chinese dress with traditional Chinese music playing in the background – constantly struggling and failing to eat Italian food with chopsticks. Whilst the female Chinese model cons

On Nov. 24, certain regions including the Mapo-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Eunpyeong-gu of Seoul were entirely paralyzed due to a fire incident that took place in the KT Cable Tunnel in AhHyun Station. All KT telecom users in these specific regions, automatic telling machines, some kiosk machines, cash register, and etc. were disabled. The fire brought inconvenience to one of Seoul’s most overpopulated area. People, regardless of situation, couldn’t contact each other or use the internet to access search engines, social network system, and etc. However, these damages only turned out to be the tip of an

The online presidential petition system, which allows people to file a petition anonymously, has seen more than 357,000 petitions made since it was launched in August 2017 by the Moon Jae-in administration. And with the government’s pledge to respond to petitions that gain more than 200,000 signatures within a month, the online petition board has become a popular route for Koreans to express their concerns and complaints to the president.The petitions, ranging from those related to trivial daily difficulties to crimes and unfair judgment, have triggered discussions on social norms, ethics and

Due to recent events like the ‘Seoul Gangseo-gu PC Room Murder’ incident, voices demanding the abolition of the insanity defense law is rising. The law in question, insanity defense, also called the mental disorder defense, reduces a sentence given to a mentally ill criminal. Insanity defense argues that the defendant is not responsible for the crime and action because the defendant at the time was under episodic or persistent psychiatric disease that undermined one’s judgement.For the precise definition of insanity defense, in Article 10 of the Criminal Code, (1) An act of a person who is not

Last year, four premature infants died in the intensive care unit for newborns at Ewha Women’s University Hospital on the night of Dec.16. All suffered cardiac arrests and died within a two-hour span. The Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that the same type of Citrobacter freundii bacteria found in the IV nutrition was injected into the infants’ veins. Lee Hyung-min, head of the infection management department of KCDC, said “the IV nutrition may have been infected while the medical staff prepared it.” The police summoned a nurse and a nursing assistant and quest

America’s technological capital, Silicon Valley, has had a significant influence on the world’s economy, stock market, and culture. The Bay area is also home to three of the world’s five most valuable companies. Tech giants such as Alphabet (Google’s parent), Apple, Facebook, and various start-up companies all claim Silicon Valley as their birthplace. However, these days’ entrepreneurs are looking elsewhere for a place to call home. It is significant that the valley is starting to decline as other hubs are becoming more attractive. More people are leaving the area than arriving. Venture capita

Regarding the consecutive 2018 inter-Korean summits and North Korea’s efforts for denuclearization, the World is attending to the Korean peninsula. This is because the Korean War – only to be temporarily paused due to an armistice – may come to an end this year. Since April, there have been four summits between Moon Jae-in, President of South Korea, and Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, where the two met in person and discussed the steps to the end of the Korean War. Recently, after the 4th summit, North Korea even declared to shut down the Tongchang-ri facility, North Korea’s main satellite

Korea is full of anniversaries named ‘~day’ to give meaning for specific dates. Such anniversaries are mainly created by companies as a method of advertisement. As a matter of fact, it is not wrong to say that such ‘day-marketing’ continues throughout the year. One of the most popular day-marketing is Pepero-day, Nov. 11. There are rumors regarding the origin of Pepero-day. Some say that Pepero-day started when middle-school girls in Yeongnam, Gyeongsang-do traded pepero among them as a meaning of “let’s become slim like pepero!” and became a symbol and loved over time. Others believe that a p

A group of women have declared against Korean society to boycott any purchase of economic goods on the first Sunday of every month. Starting this year on July 1, The Korean Women’s General Consumption Strike (KWGCS) announced the start of a boycott movement against consumption to show Korean society the importance of women’s role in the economy and the magnitude of women economic capabilities. KWGCS suggested three means of participation: 1) strike on all economic activity every first Sunday of a month, 2) SNS blackout and 3) 38 savings plan. The movement was inspired by Iceland’s Women’s Day