The Korea Times

Professors are main perpetrators of sexual abuse at graduate schools: survey

By Bahk Eun-jiMore than six out of every 10 cases of sexual violence against graduate school students are committed by their professors, a survey showed, Tuesday.According to the survey of 83 male and 230 female graduate school students at Kyung Hee University conducted by the school's student counselling center from December to January, 24.3 percent, or 76 respondents, said they experienced sexual harassment or assault during their coursework.GettyimagesbankAmong the respondents who experienced sexual harassment or assault, 65.5 percent, or 36, said the perpetrators were their professors, while 21.8 percent, or 12, pointed to senior or junior students.Thirty-one, or 40.8 percent of such cases, involved sexually-harassing remarks made during classes, while in 26 cases, the students reported finding themselves in forced drinking situations with, or being pressed to pour drinks, for the perpetrators.All respondents said they felt insulted or ashamed after experiencing sexual harassment. But most of them did not make official reports over fears of retaliation or no positive outcome.The

Jun 2, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Professors are main perpetrators of sexual abuse at graduate schools: survey

Defense

Air Force under fire for mishandling of sexual violence case

By Bahk Eun-jiThe military has launched a full-scale investigation into the allegation that a master sergeant of the Republic of Korea Air Force killed herself after the Air Force tried to cover up her accusation of sexual harassment made against a male colleague.Defense Minister Suh Wook attends a session of the National Assembly National Defense Committee in Seoul, Monday. YonhapAccording to the bereaved family of the master sergeant and multiple media reports, Tuesday, the woman, stationed at a unit in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, was allegedly sexually harassed by her colleague, identified only by his surname Jang, inside a car on their way back to the base from a private dinner she was forced to attend in early March.She reported the incident to her senior officers the next day, but they allegedly tried to cover it up and persuade her to reconcile with Jang, instead of taking adequate measures to protect her such as separating her from the alleged perpetrator. They even allegedly contacted her boyfriend, a fellow military service member she later married, to ask him to pe

Jun 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Air Force under fire for mishandling of sexual violence case

Air Force officer dies in suicide after being sexually harassed by colleague: officials

Society

ESG factors affecting consumer choice

Figure Officials of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) participate in a forum about ESG management criteria at the KCCI Headquarters in Seoul in this May 24 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPublic expectations of companies' social role are growing, and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles have become a new set of criteria influencing consumer choice, according to a recent survey published Monday. ESG principles refer to a set of standards for evaluating the performance of companies according to their commitments to social responsibility ― via, for example, reducing carbon emissions, increasing gender equality, creating better conditions for workers and respecting the environment.According to the survey, conducted on 300 people by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in early May, 63 percent of respondents said that companies' ESG activities affected their purchase of products.More than 70 percent of respondents answered that they have not purchased goods from specific companies, because they had poor evaluations in terms of ESG practic

May 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Health

Rally against Japan's radioactive water release plan

Fishery workers and people in the water sports business hold a rally using fishing boats and yachts in waters off Daebu Island in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, the Korea-designated Ocean Day, to protest Japan's plan to discharge radioactive-contaminated water stored at the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Yonhap

May 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Rally against Japan's radioactive water release plan

Health

Government's mask-free plan triggers concerns

Children wearing waterproof masks play at an outdoor swimming pool in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 23 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are mounting over the government's plan to allow people receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to remove their masks outdoors starting in July, with experts and citizens calling it premature.Last week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the plan as part of the government's efforts to encourage people who may be reluctant to receive their COVID-19 shots.Those who receive their first COVID-19 vaccine shot will no longer be required to wear masks outside and be exempt from the gathering ban of more than eight people among direct family members. Those vaccinated twice will be free from the gathering ban on five or more people.However, some online users expressed concerns on internet communities.“Many say the possibility of virus transmission outdoors is relatively low, but there are still many people without masks, with the country still being far from achieving herd immunity,” an online user said at a portal site.&

May 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Government's mask-free plan triggers concerns

Health

20% of foreigners overstaying their visas amid pandemic

A quarantine official passes by entrants from abroad lined up for undergoing quarantine procedures at Incheon International Airport, in this April 17, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-hoBy Bahk Eun-jiThe rate of foreigners illegally staying here has hit a record high this year, with migrant workers and travelers being held back due to the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Sunday. According to the data released by the Korea Immigration Service, the rate of foreigners overstaying visas in the country stood at 19.7 percent as of April, the highest ever recorded. Sitting at 16.3 percent last January when the first coronavirus patient was reported here, the rate has increased steadily, other than last July. It rose to 18 percent in April 2020, when the first wave of the pandemic hit the country, and exceeded 19 percent in November in the wake of the third wave of COVID-19.The number of foreigners staying in the country illegally has not shown any signs of decreasing as well. After reaching a record high of 396,700 people in July 2020, the number posted a slight decline unt

May 30, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

20% of foreigners overstaying their visas amid pandemic

'It's not easy to live in Korea as foreigners'

Global Community

'It's not easy to live in Korea as foreigners'

A group of foreign student volunteers carry charcoal briquettes for impoverished residents in Busan, in this Jan. 13, 2016 photo. Korea Times fileKorea's residents of foreign nationality see disparities between Korea's image, realityBy Bahk Eun-jiMerita, an Iranian national working at a Korean company here, has been in Korea for 10 years. Although she speaks Korean quite well and has adapted to Korean culture, she feels she is still regarded as an outsider. “Being fluent in Korean helps me to be closer, but at some point it stops, and I have never been close or intimate with Koreans,” she told The Korea Times.“Koreans don't accept us, they see us as 'aliens,' no matter if you speak Korean or if you marry a Korean,” Merita said. “(Despite my 10 years of stay), I don't feel a real connection (with Korean nationals) and none are categorized as my best friends.”Merita is one of many foreign residents here who has experienced the downsides of living and working in Korea despite her best efforts to assimilate.A recent survey by InterNations, the world's

May 30, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

'It's not easy to live in Korea as foreigners'

20% of foreigners overstaying their visas amid pandemic

Society

Spycam case at school raises public ire

A police officer checks for hidden cameras in the restroom of a private academy in Gangnam District, Seoul, in this July 31, 2018 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThere has been a public outcry over a recent case in which a male teacher allegedly installed hidden cameras in a restroom for female teachers at the high school where he works. According to Yongsan Police Station, Wednesday, a faculty member of the high school in Seoul found two hidden cameras in a female teachers' restroom and reported this discovery to the police last month.During an investigation, the police identified the male teacher as a suspect and searched his house. They are examining his phone and other materials seized from his home and investigating whether he distributed the clips online. The teacher was indicted without physical detention.Upon hearing the news, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) immediately arranged an inspection of the restrooms of another high school where the teacher had worked before. They found one camera at a female restroom for students.The SMOE said that it has dismissed him

May 26, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Society

Local festivals adapt to new normal amid pandemic

A fire in the shape of the phrase “COVID-19 Out” blazes on Saebyeol Oreum volcanic cone in Jeju Island during the Jeju Fire Festival in this March 13 photo. Visitors watch the fire from their cars after making reservations for participation. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMore than a year into the pandemic, many people are saying that the days of large festivals and concerts that draw huge crowds appear to be have ended for good.As many cultural events across the country were cancelled last year and some of them this year too, people who have made a living from such events are suffering financially.Some local governments, however, have begun to adapt to the “new normal” by using alternative platforms to continue to celebrate the festivals and revitalize the local economy.Festival organizers are choosing realistic alternatives, such as focusing on outdoor activities when possible, limiting the number of visitors, and introducing pre-booking systems.Jeju Island decided to hold many parts of its signature Jeju Fire Festival virtually in March, broadcasting the most popular

May 26, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Local festivals adapt to new normal amid pandemic

Society

School teachers' vlogs stir controversy

A petition filed on the Cheong Wa Dae website urges the state to prohibit teachers from recording vlogs in classrooms. Captured from Cheong Wa Dae websiteBy Bahk Eun-jiTeachers recording video clips in classrooms for their vlogs, in which students often appear, is causing a stir here. Some say teachers should be allowed to record such content as a part of their creative activities, while others voiced concerns over the possibility of students' identities and other personal information being exposed without their or their parents' permission, and teachers being distracted from their own duties and job of teaching.A growing number of teachers are creating vlogs of their daily lives, and uploading the recorded content on social media and YouTube. Clips include their morning routine of going to work, preparing for classes, communicating with students and eating meals.Under the Public Officials Act, civil servants can carry out YouTube activities which are regarded as creative activities in private life, such as hobbies, leisure, and self-development, which are not subject to regulations.

May 25, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Bahk Eun-ji

Read more

Professors are main perpetrators of sexual abuse at graduate schools: survey

Air Force under fire for mishandling of sexual violence case

ESG factors affecting consumer choice

Rally against Japan's radioactive water release plan

Government's mask-free plan triggers concerns

20% of foreigners overstaying their visas amid pandemic

'It's not easy to live in Korea as foreigners'

Spycam case at school raises public ire

Local festivals adapt to new normal amid pandemic

School teachers' vlogs stir controversy

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