Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Prolonged virus situation creates 'blind spot' for childcare
An instant noodle bowl is seen near the home of two boys who were seriously injured by a fire while cooking in Incheon, Sept. 17. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Kim Kwon-soo, 55, who is raising two elementary school-age grandchildren alone, said he was shocked and then heartbroken when he saw the news about two young brothers who were seriously injured trying to boil ramen while their parents were not at home.
“It was heart-wrenching news because the two brothers' situation seems like mine,” Kim said. “I don't have much time to take care of my grandchildren as I work all day at a mid-sized supermarket in my neighborhood.”
He said he can't quit his job or reduce his work hours as he is the only breadwinner. “I'm worried that the children could experience a similar accident while they stay at home due to the virus,” Kim said.
On Sept. 14, the brothers, 10 and eight, were seriously injured while trying to cook at their home in Incheon. Their mother, 30, was not home. The brothers were doing online classes due to the resurgence of COVID-19.
All schools in Seoul and its surrounding cities are offering online-only classes until Sep. 20, in line with the government's decision to extend stricter social distancing rules.
The measures apply to all kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools in Seoul metropolitan areas, including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, except high school seniors who have to prepare for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the yearly national university entrance exam slated for Dec. 3.
The Ministry of Education's extended ban on in-person classes reflects a sense of public anxiety over the possibility of schools becoming hotbeds for the coronavirus.
But the ban has brought its problems. There have been cases in which young children are not being properly cared for or have been physically abused at home.
According to a report released by the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC), four out of 10 children have been in such a “blind spot” for childcare since the COVID-19 outbreak here. The report was based on a survey in May of 8,965 people, including children, caregivers and child protection-related workers.
Among them, 38.3 percent of the children said they spent time alone, which is about 10 percentage points higher than a 2018 survey.
Thirty percent of the children were home alone for more than five hours a day.
As children who have nowhere to go spend more time at home, some fight with their parents, which has led to more domestic violence and physical abuse, the report said.
Experts said that the social distancing rules implemented since the virus outbreak have led to a change in lifestyle and an increase in mental stress, which intensifies conflicts at home.
According to Professor Jang Ye-rim of the Regional Trauma Center at Dankook University Hospital, 4.4 percent of trauma patients who attended the hospital in March, when social distancing began, were injured in domestic violence, or had self-inflicted injuries, which is double the number in previous years.
In the case of teenagers, the frequency of trauma caused by violence at home increased 10 times to 20 percent, compared to the average of 2 percent over the past five years.
“It turns out that teenagers are vulnerable to violence and more frequently commit self-injury during social distancing periods,” Jang said. “We should come up with ways to maintain a social distance but strengthen social solidarity at the same time.”