Sept. 6

• ●'Essential' medical treatments became more profitable but continue to decline: data The Korea Herald
  Despite improvements in financial compensation for life-saving medical treatments, government data shows a continued decline in the proportion of such treatments being performed in a year.
  
  

• ●Korea's gender pay gap widens to over 30% The Korea Times
  Korea's gender pay gap widened last year, with the average difference between wages for men and women rising to 30.7 percent, up from 2023.
  
  

• ●Suicide rate among young Korean women nearly 4 times global average The Korea Times
  Korea has long carried the stigma of being the OECD country with the highest suicide rate, a problem previously seen as primarily affecting the elderly.

Sept. 7

• ●Young doctors abandon residences, open dermatology clinics instead The Korea Herald
  The number of general practitioners opening clinics in South Korea has grown sharply amid a prlonged standoff between the government and the medical community, with the vast majority focusing on dermatology.
  
  

• ●School violence doubles from 2020 to 2024 The Korea Herald
  The number of reports of violence against students has more than doubled from 2020 to 2024, with over 9,000 cases related to sexual or online abuse.
  
  

• ●They're tagged as 'just resting.' But S. Korea's youth feels anything but rested The Korea Herald
  Park Min-jin (not her real name), 26, never knew a life without pressure.
  
  

• ●State welfare spending to reach W237tr by 2029: report The Korea Herald
  The ongoing increase in the senior population in South Korea is expected to drive up the legally mandated government budget for welfare to 237 trillion won over the next four years, a government report submitted to the National Assembly showed Sunday.

Sept. 8

• ●Vaping possibly more addictive than smoking: study The Korea Herald
  A government-commissioned study showed Monday that use of e-cigarettes, opted by many as an alternative to cigarettes, could be more addictive than smoking.
  
  

• ●Korea's shortage of core medical services to worsen as new clinics focus on dermatology, plastic surgery The Korea Times
  Korea's health care system continues to grapple with persistent shortages in core medical services, underscoring the need for effective solutions.

Sept. 9

• ●Covid wave could last through September and spike during Chuseok, health authorities worry Korea JoongAng Daily
  The Covid-19 wave, which health authorities had expected would ease by the end of August, is now projected to persist through September, raising concerns that infections could rise further during the Chuseok holidays next month.
  
  

• ●Korea's higher education spending lags behind OECD average Korea JoongAng Daily
  Korea continues to lag behind other member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in higher education investment, while wage gaps by education level widen, government data showed Tuesday.

Sept. 10

• ●'I decided my child's sex over the phone': Why parents are leaving Korea to get IVF Korea JoongAng Daily
  Sohan, a Korean woman in her mid-30s who asked to be identified by an alias, flew to Bangkok, Thailand, in June of last year to get in vitro fertilization (IVF).
  
  

• ●Unemployment benefits for voluntary leavers, youth age limit 34 The Chosun Daily
  The government is pushing forward with a plan to provide unemployment benefits once in a lifetime to individuals who voluntarily leave their jobs.
  
  

• ●Pediatric patients turned away as ERs lack specialists The Chosun Daily
  A couple surnamed Choi, 32, living in Seoul rcently visited a hospital emergency room in the early morning after their 15-month-old baby had a seizure, only to be told, "Treatment is difficult as there is no pediatric specialist."

Sept. 11

• ●Out-of-wedlock births skyrocket as social attitudes change, young couples game the system Korea JoongAng Daily
  The percentage of children born outside of marriage jumped to 5.8 percent in 2024, nearly double the rate of 2020, as changing social attitudes led to more estramarital births and housing-related incentives encouraged coupled to delay official marriages.
  
  

• ●Seoul education officials unveil initiative to combat rising student suicide rates Korea JoongAng Daily
  In Seoul, student suicides have almost tripled since 2020.

Sept. 12

• ●Another cash handout scheme to be offered to 90 pct of citizens from Sept. 22 The Korea Herald
  Another round of a voucher scheme offering cash handouts to 90 percent of citizens will be implemented later this month, officials said Friday, as part of efforts to stimulate private consumption.
  
  

• ●Schools ensure disabled students' participation in Neulbom program following human rights recommendation The Chosun Daily
  A recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission to deploy educational support personnel so that students with disabilities can participate without discrimination in the 'Neulbom Selective Education' (formerly after-school) program has been reflected in school practices.
  
  

• ●In Korea, the 'Gen Z stare' is redefining how young people communicate The Korea Times
  "Whenever I ask a question, they just look at me blankly without saying a word."
  
  

• ●90% of citizens to get vouchers in second round of stimulus Korea JoongAng Daily
  Korea will hand out 100,000 won vouchers to 90 percent of its citizens starting Sept. 22 as part of the government's second round of stimulus meant to revive spending and shore up household budgets.
  
  

• ●Korea sets 10-year target to cut suicide rate by 40 percent, shed OECD's highest ranking The Korea Herald
  South Korea has unveiled an ambitious plan to bring its suicide rate below 20 deaths per 100,000 people within five years and to reduce the rate by nearly 40 percent over the next decade, aiming to shed its status as the country with the highest suicde rate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.