May 19

• ●Korea set to finalize medical school expansion plans (The Korea Herald)
  South Korea is set to finalize the implementation of plans for university medical school admissions for the upcoming year, anticipated this week, integrating the government's proporsal to augment the annual medical school enrollment quota.
  
  

• ●Korean women scramble for 'safe breakup' after series of femicides by ex-boyfriends (The Korea Times)
  A 27-year-old woman, who asked to be identified only by her surname Lee, said she did not see it coming when her boyfriend, whom she had planned to marry, started obsessing over her ever since they started living together.
  
  

• ●Gov't calls on universities to finalize medical school quota for 2025 (The Korea Times)
  The government on Sunday called on universities to quickly revise their regulations to reflect an increased medical school quota for next year, in light of a court ruling that paved the way for the hike.

May 20

• ●Govt. calls for junior doctors who left worksites to return to hospitals by Monday (The Korea Herald)
  Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong called for junior doctors who left worsites for months to return to hospitals by Monday, while urging the medical community to resolve a protracted standoff over the government's medical reform through dialogue.
  
  

• ●[Graphic News] Increase of multiple jobholders in Korea (The Korea Herald)
  Data from Statistics Korea has shown that the number of multiple jobholders, who engage in one or more side jobs, is rapidly increasing, particularly among the younger generations and those in their 40s.
  
  

• ●Seoul mayor presents plan to lure foreign talent, establish multicultural society (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Monday unveiled a comprehensive plan to attract and retain foreign talent by offering scholarships and implementing new child care policies.
  
  

• ●Gov't tells junior doctors to return or face delayed certification (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government on Monday called on striking junior doctors to return to hospitals before Tuesday or risk delaying the board certification of their specialties.
  
  

• ●Patients must now present ID cards to receive health insurance (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Patients visiting medical facilities are required to present their ID cards to receive health insurance coverage beginning Monday.
  
  

• ●Minister urges med schools to get on schedule with expansion plans (The Korea Herald)
  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho urged medical universities in South Korea Monday to swiftly adopt the government revision of the academic plan for 2025, which would finalize the remaining procedures to augment the medical enrollment quota.
  
  

• ●Hospital visits to require IDs for insurance coverage (The Korea Herald)
  Starting Monday, an identity verification process has been mandated for those wishing to receive national health insurance benefits for medical services in South Korea.
  
  

• ●First 100 Filipino domestic helpers due September (The Korea Herald)
  The first 100 Filipino domestic workers will arrive in Seoul as early as September, with observers saying they are expected to earn at least 1.5 million won ($1,135) per month, in line with this year's minimum wage, according to South Korea's Labor Ministry, Monday.
  
  

• ●Aging population and low birth rates drive alarming rise in South Korea's debt (The Chosun Daily)
  South Korea's government debt is growing at an alarming rate.

May 21

• ●Regional med schools prepare to increase admissions quotas (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  With the government considering last week's appellate court ruling as a legitimization of its medical recruitment policy, national universities are clearing the path to add admission slots to their medical schools.
  
  

• ●Only 5% of trainee doctors return to hospitals amid protracted walkout (The Korea Herald)
  Only 5 percent of the trainee doctors who have left their worksites for three months have returned to hospitals, a senior official said Tuesday, through the government renewed its appeal for them to resolve the protracted standoff over medical reform through dialogue.
  
  

• ●Govt. mulls conditional driver's licenses for those 65 and up (The Korea Herald)
  Having a driver's license for those aged 65 and over could be made conditional, as the South Korean government is reviewing measures to decrease the number of traffic accidents in the country.
  
  

• ●Commission set for 1st session to determine 2025 minimum wage (The Korea Herald)
  The tripartite commission of labor, management and the public launched the process Tuesday to determine next year's minimum wage, with the nation focused on whether it will exceed 10,000 won (&7.35) per hour for the first time.
  
  

• ●3 months into doctors strike, finding an emergency room in Korea is harder than ever (Hankyoreh)
  "We suspect this to be a case of drug intoxication, but the patient needs testing since they're not regaining consciousness."

May 22

• ●[Graphic News] Medical tourists visiting Korea reach record high (The Korea Herald)
  According to the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of foreign national patients visiting Korea reached a record high of 606,000 last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
  
  

• ●Govt. floats conditional driver's licenses for seniors, then revises it to 'high-risk drivers' (The Korea Herald)
  The South Korean government's plan to implement conditional licenses for "senior citizen drivers" has been reworded to "high-risk drivers," following a public backlash over potential infringement of the human right to mobility for older people.
  
  

• ●Yoon calls low birth rate 'national emergency' (The Korea Times)
  President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday he will reexamine the policy response to tackle Korea's low birth rate by creating a new ministry fully dedicated to overcoming what he called a "national emergency."

May 23

• ●S. Korea's gender pay gap worst in OECD (The Korea Herald)
  South Korea has the worst gender pay gap among the 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development according to 2022 data, an OECD estimate showed on Thursday.
  
  

• ●Supreme Court breaks precedent to allow nullity of marriage after divorce (The Korea Times)
  A marriage can be annulled even after it ends in divorce if there are special circumstances, such as the lack of a substantial marital agreement, the Supreme Court said Thursday, breaking from its precedent set for the past 40 years.
  
  

• ●Vice gender equality minister call for advanced payment system for child support (The Korea Times)
  The vice gender equality minister has urged parliamentary passage of legislation calling for the state to provide divorced single-parent households with child-rearing expenses first and then recoup the money from the divorced spouse.
  
  

• ●Gov't renews call for doctors to come to dialogue amid protracted walkout (The Korea Times)
  The health ministry urged the medical community Thursday to come forward for dialogue to resolve the months long walkout by trainee doctors, though there seems to be no sign of any immediate breakthrough as neither side has budged an inch.

May 24

• ●First medical school admissions quota hike in 27 years finalized by higher education board (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Korea has finalized its first increase in medical school admissions in 27 years following a review and approval by a university admissions screening committee on Friday.
  
  

• ●Income, education level increased for arranged international marriage: report (The Korea Herald)
  Shifting trends have emerged in international marriages arranged by brokers, reflecting a rise in the educational background and income of individuals seeking foreign spouses through marriage agencies.
  
  

• ●6 out of 10 Koreans don't plan to have babies (The Korea Herald)
  Six out of 10 Koreans do not have plans to have babies, data showed on Friday, as the nation has had the lowest fertility rates for years.
  
  

• ●Tax-payers shouldering most of burden for pension childbirth credit programs (The Korea Herald)
  In a bid to battle the low fertility rate in South Korea, there are ongoing talks to expand the benefits for childbirth by adjusting the childbirth credit system, which reduces the mandated subscription period of National Pension plans for those have have given birth.
  
  

• ●Migrants in South Korea are organizing for communities beyond their own (The Hankyoreh)
  The migrant workers center in Paju was bustling with people when the Hankyoreh visited on May 12.