NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered the government to reexamine its legal push to making work hours more flexible. Senior presidential secretary for public relations Kim Eun-hye said in a written briefing Tuesday that Yoon asked the labor ministry to consider various opinions expressed by workers, especially the young people, and review complementary measures to the revision. Last week, the ministry announced an overhaul to the current workweek system aimed at expanding work hour options for employees.
The government will provide financial support to a survivor of the Itaewon tragedy who remains hospitalized for more than 4 months. In a report to parliament on Monday, vice interior minister Han Chang-seob said that measures to assist the individual's hospital costs will be decided and executed by the end of April. The patient in his or her 20s suffered brain damage during the Itaewon tragedy in late October and has been paying some 5 million won in hospital bills every month without any support. The announcement comes after the health ministry earlier said that providing state-level aid is not feasible due to health insurance related regulations.