Park Jun Hee News Today

Typhoon Khanun was weaker than initially predicted, as it lost speed while moving north along the peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Friday. The weather agency added that Khanun had left the country at around 6 a.m. Friday and entered North Korea, where it was heading toward the capital Pyongyang. Typhoon advisories were lifted across the country, and the alert level was lowered from "seriou...

The Ministry of Education said late Thursday that it had launched an investigation into a case where a deputy director-level official at the ministry reported their child’s elementary school for child abuse. Following the complaint, the teacher was immediately removed from their post. According to reports citing the Elementary School Teachers’ Union, the ministry official used their position to file a com...

South Korea was bracing for one of the most destructive typhoons in years as Typhoon Khanun, accompanied by copious rainfall and destructive winds, pummeled the country on Thursday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Khanun, which means “jackfruit” in Thai, could be the first to traverse the entire Korean Peninsula from south to north, threatening to bring extensive destruction in its wake. The ...

As teachers struggle with maintaining authority over unruly students and dealing with assertive parents, a survey released Wednesday shows that a majority of South Koreans support granting educators immunity from child abuse charges concerning actions taken for educational reasons. A joint poll conducted by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV showed that 74.3 percent of respondents answered “yes” when a...

As murder threats are sparking grave fears in South Korea following the recent deadly stabbing rampage in Bundang, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday that it would create new legal provisions to seek punishment for writers of online murder threats or those possessing weapons in public places. Upon the recommendation of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to amend laws related to public intimidation, the ministry s...

As teachers struggle with maintaining authority over unruly students and dealing with assertive parents, a survey released Wednesday shows that a majority of South Koreans support granting educators immunity from child abuse charges concerning actions taken for educational reasons. A joint poll conducted by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV showed that 74.3 percent of respondents answered “yes” when a...

Parents in Seoul will have to make reservations through an app to meet or speak over the phone with teachers under a voluntary pilot program to be rolled out in November, Seoul Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said Wednesday. The reservation system is aimed at putting more safeguards in place for teachers at schools, after educators complained of being harassed by parents who have appeared unannounced at schools...

With summer in full swing, Seoul City has planned a month of fun-filled activities by the Han River, from outdoor movie screenings to silent disco parties. The 17-day festival, with 24 summer programs at eight Han River parks, will run from Friday until Aug. 20. The event kicks off with a music festival Friday in Yeouido, western Seoul, with jazz vocalists Woongsan and Maria Kim set to perform. Visitors can also go f...

The bereaved family of a 23-year-old junior elementary school teacher who took her own life last week released part of her diary indicating that she had struggled with too much work and an unruly student on Tuesday, amid the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. “After going to work on Monday, I was bombarded with an immense workload and chaos caused by a student. I just wanted to ...

Amid growing concerns over recent cases of teacher abuse by students and parents, the government announced Monday that it would revise a student rights ordinance to safeguard teachers’ rights and enhance their authority in classrooms. The ordinance -- adopted in 2011 for schools in Gyeonggi Province and in 2012 in Seoul by progressive education superintendents -- is a set of legally binding guidelines that bans...