The new year brings with it a raft of new legislature, being led by directives from Seoul. This is a mixed bag, with both cuts and increases, but public health moves include a crackdown on smoking in enclosed spaces and there will be an improvement in welfare for families with children. The Jeju Weekly will bring you more on each of these stories throughout the year.

Health & Welfare
1. Smoking ban in all PC and billiard rooms
2. Expansion of standard child-care provision to include children aged three and four (previously available only for five-year-olds)
3. Increase in government subsidies for lung and stomach cancer health insurance
4. Expansion of aid for compulsory vaccinations for infants and seniors
5. Compulsory displaying of prices for haircuts and other services in beauty shops

Law
1. Tougher punishment for sexual offenders, including increasing the maximum jail term to life imprisonment for child sex offenders (current maximum is five years)
2. Lowering the legal adult age from the current 20 to 19 (to become effective as of July, 1)
3. Abolition of the law which defines as illicit sexual acts committed under false promises of marriage
4. Requirement for families to receive permission from the Family Court when adopting children

Public administration and security
1. Restoration of Hangeul Day (October 9) as a non-working public holiday
2. Increase in the sewage service charge by five percent
3. Expansion of financial aid for families with three children or more

Agriculture, livestock, and fisheries
1. All dog owners required to register their pets with the regional government and attach an identification tag to each animal
2. Increased marking of country of origin for food in restaurants
3. Increased export of samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) to the USA

Others
1. Raise in the minimum hourly wage 6.1 percent from the current 4,580 won to 4,860 won