The Korea Times

Experts advocate for immigration amid population decline

Elderly people gather in Tapgol Park in central Seoul to socialize in this Sept. 23, 2019 photo. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government should change its immigration policy drastically in the face of the declining population, experts said Monday. According to a paper titled “Searching for the Direction of Mid- and Long-term Korean Immigration Policy,” published in the latest issue of the journal entitled Multicultural Content Research by Chung-Ang University's Institute of Cultural Contents, the establishment of a ministry in charge of managing immigration issues is necessary to implement comprehensive related policies.Kim Yeon-hong, an official of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea who authored the paper, said, “The situation will become so serious that the nation's population will see a significant decrease in 2020, and the country, by 2030 will face national-security challenges due to a shrinking active military.” “In order to maintain the current size of the economy, the inflow of immigrant workers will be inevitable.” Kim s

Oct 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Experts advocate for immigration amid population decline

INTERVIEW 'Korea's population outlook makes immigration talk inevitable'

Health

Korea sees increase in male nurses

By Bahk Eun-jiWhile nursing professionals still remain predominately female, the number of male nurses has steadily been growing in recent years. The concept of male nurses is nothing new, but the trend is obviously set to accelerate. Figures show that men in nursing are increasing every year ― 3,460, graduated from the 203 nursing colleges across the country in 2019. According to the Korean Nurses Association (KNA), men comprised 14.7 percent of all successful test takers of the national nursing exams this year. Among a total of 21,582 test applicants, 3,179 men passed. The figure is far above the 3.36 percent recorded back in 2008. Of the total 13,330 applicants for the exam at the time, only 449 were men. Over the last 13 years, the number and proportion of male applicants who passed the exam has increased each year.And for the first time, the number of male nurses in Korea has surpassed 20,000 since licenses for male nurses were first issued in 1962, reaching 21,042. “Male nurses, who have been considered rare in this field, are also recognized as proud professionals,&rdquo

Oct 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Health

Concerns grow over possible mass infections among young people

A street in Hongdae, one of the busiest entertainment districts in Seoul, is crowded with people after the government eased social distancing rules imposed to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, in this Oct. 12 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are growing again over possible mass COVID-19 infections in Korea as young people have started socializing more often in night clubs and other entertainment establishments amid the easing of social distancing rules, according to medical experts Friday.They pointed out that people in their 20s and 30s seemed to be displaying a more laid-back attitude regarding compliance with quarantine rules as many of them have begun to fill bars and clubs in nightlife districts in the Seoul metropolitan area such as Itaewon and Hongdae. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, a group infection was recently confirmed at a pub in Incheon, west of Seoul. After the first confirmed cases Wednesday, 12 additional cases were reported through contact tracing. The person who appears to be the source of the infection cluster works at the bar, and eight pat

Oct 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Concerns grow over possible mass infections among young people

New virus cases in double digits for 2nd day

Law & Crime

Man arrested after smoking 100 cigarettes at PC cafe

A man in his 20s smokes 100 cigarettes in a smoking room at a PC cafe in Ulsan on Wednesday in this screen capture from CCTV footage. Screen captured from SBSBy Bahk Eun-jiA man in his 20s was arrested for lighting up about 100 cigarettes in a smoking room at a PC cafe to make a provocative YouTube video, police said Friday.According to the Ulsan Nambu Police Station, the man opened seven packs of cigarettes in the smoking room in Ulsan at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.In CCTV footage, the man is seen lighting the cigarettes and smoking them with both hands. He then throws the butts on the floor while smoke fills the room. “Smoke kept coming out as if there was a fire in the smoking room,” a cafe patron said. “The inside was full of smoke.”The cafe owner rushed to the smoking room when he saw the CCTV footage. “I thought the store was burning,” SBS quoted the owner as saying. “I was so frightened that I called the police because I thought he were here to set a fire.” Police who attended the scene said the man stated that “I was filmi

Oct 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Man arrested after smoking 100 cigarettes at PC cafe

Society

Gov't to disclose information on fathers who don't pay child support

By Bahk Eun-jiThe government is pushing ahead with a plan to disclose personal information about parents refusing to pay child support, according to the Ministry of Education, Thursday. During a ministerial-level meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae announced that her ministry will seek all possible measures to support children and adolescents from single-parent families so that they can receive quality education and care. A screenshot of the Bad Fathers website in this Jan. 15 photo. Korea Times file “The education ministry plans to disclose the list of those ex-spouses who do not pay child support as it is not simply a financial issue but an important matter that is closely related to children's survival,” Yoo said. There is already a website called Bad Fathers, disclosing the personal information of men and women accused of refusing to pay child support. Their ex-spouses provided identifying information such as name, address, occupation

Oct 15, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Gov't to disclose information on fathers who don't pay child support

Society

Korea, Russia celebrate 30 years of cultural exchange

Lee Sang-kyun, president of the Korea-Russia Culture and Arts Society, delivers an opening speech at an event to mark the 30th anniversary of the two countries' cultural exchanges held by the organization at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Seoul Cyber University By Bahk Eun-jiThe Korea-Russia Culture and Arts Society (KORACS) said Monday it had held a virtual international conference last week to discuss active cultural exchanges and future relations between Korea and Russia with the Gorchakov Fund.Under the theme of “30 Years of Korea-Russia Culture and Arts Exchange and Future Tasks,” the global conference took place Thursday at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, according to KORACS.The seminar marked 30 years of cultural and art exchanges between the two countries and discussed the direction for future relations and cooperation.At the conference which was held virtually in Seoul and Moscow in real time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee Sang-kyun, presid

Oct 12, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Korea, Russia celebrate 30 years of cultural exchange

Health

Korea eases social distancing amid COVID-19 slowdown

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a meeting on the COVID-19 response at the government complex in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government decided to lower the current Level 2 social distancing measures to Level 1 across the country, effective Monday, as the country's virus situation has been showing signs of abating, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday.“Over the past two weeks, the number of confirmed cases in Korea has decreased to an average of less than 60 per day, signaling a curbing of the virus' spread,” the prime minister said in a regular government COVID-19 response meeting. “The nation's social distancing level will be adjusted to Level 1, but the quarantine management of high-risk factors such as door-to-door sales will be maintained at Level 2,” he said.By keeping a balance between the sustainability of employment and business and the effectivness of prevention measures, Chung said the government will minimize the possible economic damage caused by suspension of business operations and related facilities.However, in the Se

Oct 11, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Korea eases social distancing amid COVID-19 slowdown

Under eased social distancing rules, baseball league reopens stadiums

Health

What to know about MIS-C

Elementary school students wearing masks go to school with their parents in Seoul, in this Sept. 24 photo. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanBy Bahk Eun-jiNearly 25,000 people in Korea have tested positive for COVID-19 since the coronavirus pandemic started, but there is another health threat primarily affecting childrenOn Oct.5, the health authorities here officially confirmed the first two cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) ― 11- and 12-year-old boys. MIS-C is a rare but severe condition that manifests about two to four weeks after the onset of COVID-19 in children. The cause of MIS-C has not been identified yet, so it has been called a “mysterious illness.” As research and data build up, the characteristics of the illness are gradually being revealed. Here is some information about the syndrome mainly based on recent research.Causes and symptomsMIS-C presents symptoms of inflammation in various parts of the body, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. It appears to occur mainly in those aged under 19.

Oct 11, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Society

Gyeonggi Province asked to offer COVID-19 subsidies to foreigners

Migrants and Korean activists protest at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, urging local governments to pay COVID-19 subsidies to foreign residents, in this April 26 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe state-run human rights agency asked Gyeonggi Provincial Government Sunday to provide financial support to foreign residents under its jurisdiction amid the ongoing controversy over the exclusion of non-Koreans from the disaster relief fund.For the second time, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) advised Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung in March to offer the subsidies allocated by the government to all foreign residents in the region with registered addresses, but it was later confirmed that some foreign residents weren't covered.The fund was created to reduce the people's financial burden during the COVID-19 pandemic.Previously, a New Zealand-born ethnic Korean and a Chinese-Korean resident in Gyeonggi Province filed a petition with the human rights agency, claiming that foreigners in Gyeonggi Province were excluded from the list of eligible recipients for the fund.Regar

Oct 11, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Gyeonggi Province asked to offer COVID-19 subsidies to foreigners

Society

Gov't to provide financial support for children born abroad amid pandemic

By Bahk Eun-jiThe government plans to provide financial support to parents with pre-school and elementary-age children regardless of their “nationality” amid a controversy over the exclusion of foreign nationals from the “special childcare support fund,” according to the minister of education. The fund has been created to reduce the public burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae /Yonhap In response to a question from Rep. Kang Min-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) during an audit by the National Assembly Education Committee on what the government will do to support students of parents with foreign nationality, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye said the ministry has been reviewing the matter at the request of municipal and provincial education offices.“But the National Election Commission said it could not be done by the education office itself because it could violate the Election Law, and that it wou

Oct 8, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Bahk Eun-ji

Read more

Experts advocate for immigration amid population decline

Korea sees increase in male nurses

Concerns grow over possible mass infections among young people

Man arrested after smoking 100 cigarettes at PC cafe

Gov't to disclose information on fathers who don't pay child support

Korea, Russia celebrate 30 years of cultural exchange

Korea eases social distancing amid COVID-19 slowdown

What to know about MIS-C

Gyeonggi Province asked to offer COVID-19 subsidies to foreigners

Gov't to provide financial support for children born abroad amid pandemic

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