The Korea Times

Koreans show solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement

Activists stage a march starting from Myeongdong, central Seoul, Saturday, to show their support for the anti-racism movement over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiActivists, supporters and other observers joined a Black Lives Matter (BLM) solidarity rally Saturday, to voice their support for wider calls over addressing racism across the globe after the tragic death of George Floyd. It was one of several events that took place around the world in response to the death of Floyd, an African American man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, May 25.Some 130 people gathered in central Seoul to march from Myeong-dong to Hanbit Park by Cheonggye Stream holding signs reading “We Against Racism” and “Koreans for Black Lives Matter.”“Racial discrimination is not only prominent in the United States, but also something that can be found here in Korea, where multiple ethnici

Jun 7, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Koreans show solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement

Health

Coronavirus survivors face mental health challenges

Medical workers in protective gear carry a COVID-19 patient at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in this Feb. 19 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiIn early March when the country's coronavirus crisis reached its peak, especially in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, President Moon Jae-in referred to the COVID-19 pandemic as a “war,” during a weekly Cabinet meeting.Survivors of a war may struggle with a psychiatric condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other life-threatening experiences may present similar challenges as seen in former patients who have recovered from serious illnesses as they learn to cope with the mental health ramifications of those experiences.A patient, who was diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and discharged from hospital in 2015, described his experience of treatment for the virus infection as “something that ordinary people can never know unless they are in my shoes.”“It was so frustrating. I didn't know the outside world at all, and my famil

Jun 7, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Coronavirus survivors face mental health challenges

Society

Lotte, Coca-Cola, Haitai identified as top plastic polluters

A view of plastic bottles and other garbage floating along the seashore in this file photo. Lotte, Coca-Cola and Haitai have found to be the most polluting brands in an inspection of plastic trash conducted by a civic environmental organization. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiLotte, Coca-Cola and Haitai have been found to be the most polluting brands in an inspection of plastic trash conducted by a civic environmental organization. The retail giant, Lotte, was responsible for more plastic litter than the next top two polluters combined.The Korea Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) said Thursday that it collected plastic waste including bottles, cups, wrappers, and bags in 13 regions across the country with 215 volunteers on May 31. The volunteers individually picked up litter in the region they were living in for two hours on the day, and sorted it into various categories including plastic cups, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, plastic wrapping, glass bottles, disposable masks, cigarette butts, plastic packing material, and straws among other waste products.Among 12,055 pieces

Jun 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Lotte, Coca-Cola, Haitai identified as top plastic polluters

Society

Cram schools oppose gov't plan to tighten sanctions

Vice Education Minister Park Baeg-beom, second from left, inspects classroom conditions at a private education academy or hagwon, in Gangnam, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Ministry of Education is facing a backlash from cram schools over its plan to revise relevant laws to secure the legal grounds for sanctioning them if they violate quarantine rules, according to an association representing private learning institutes, Thursday.The ministry's decision to have cram schools strengthen quarantine comes as the spread of COVID-19 shows no signs of abating in the metropolitan area, while students are returning to classrooms under the government's phased reopening plan for schools. As more and more infections have been reported among students in private cram schools, worries linger over the continued spread of the virus among students who have particularly vulnerable immune systems. The Korea Association of Hagwons (KAH) said, however, it will reject any unilateral decision from the education ministry.“Most hagwons across the country are having a hard time financially and a

Jun 4, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Cram schools oppose gov't plan to tighten sanctions

S. Korea reports 39 new cases of coronavirus infection

Politics

Against Hong Kong security law

Members of civic groups hold a rally protesting Beijing's new Hong Kong security legislation, which has been criticized for ending the territory's autonomy, in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Thursday. The rally also commemorated the victims of the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Jun 4, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Society

Medical students found cheating on online exams

By Bahk Eun-jiInha University said Tuesday that medical students who cheated on the school's online tests will be given zero points as punishment for their misconduct.The university found that 91 students on pre-intern undergraduate courses engaged in the collective cheating that took place during online tests between March and April. Among them, 50 are first years and 41 are second years. The 50 first year students took the online exam April 11 in groups of two to nine, and 41 took the exam on March 12, 22 and April 18 in groups and shared answers through phone calls and social media. Inha University /Korea Times fileStudents who did not participate in the cheating raised the issue, and the school suggested the offending students come forward to report themselves while it launched an investigation. The 91 came forward and admitted they had cheated, the school official said. The university has been providing full-time online classes for the first semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of evaluation methods in which the professor in charge of each subject has discretion, the

Jun 2, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Medical students found cheating on online exams

Health

Gov't maintains high alert on rise of virus cases in metropolitan area

Quarantine officials disinfect areas outside a church in Suwon, south of Seoul, Monday, as church-linked virus cases were reported. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe health authorities urged citizens Tuesday to maintain intense social distancing measures amid the reappearance of new COVID-19 infections in the metropolitan area.The country's fight to contain the coronavirus pandemic is facing yet another difficulty after new infection clusters in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province were connected to small-scale religious gatherings. The cases associated with churches in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area have emerged as a new source of concern as at least 40 infections have been traced to churches in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and local government officials.The KCDC said it had found 38 new cases Monday, bringing the country's total to 11,541. Thirty-six were via local transmission, while the other two were traced to recent travelers from overseas ― one from the United States and the other from Kuwait. Among the local

Jun 2, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Gov't maintains high alert on rise of virus cases in metropolitan area

Society

Cram schools feared to become virus hotbed

A student stands in front of a private cram school building in Mokdong, southwestern Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are growing over private cram schools as more and more infections are being reported among students studying there, according to education officials, teachers and parents Monday.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) said an older sister of a second grader from Yangchung High School in Mokdong, southwestern Seoul, tested positive for the virus, Sunday. Although the second grader tested negative, not only the private institutions he went to but also others ones in the Mokdong neighborhood have been closed to prevent the spread of the virus. quarantine official disinfects a classroom at a private cram school in Mokdong, Seoul, Monday, after a family member of a high school student, who studied at a private institute in the region, tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day. YonhapEarlier on Yeouido, two middle school students tested positive for COVID-19 after an instructor at the academy they went to was confirmed to be infected May 27. Nearly

Jun 1, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Cram schools feared to become virus hotbed

Health

Food allergies at school: What students, parents and teachers need to know

An elementary school student eats lunch at a table equipped with plastic barriers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at a cafeteria in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Thursday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiFor most parents, keeping their children safe from coronavirus exposure is the top priority as more students resumed school as part of a phased process since last week.The many challenges now faced include having children comply with quarantine and social distancing rules but families with child who have serious allergies to certain foods have an additional layer of concern. The most worrying part is the school lunch system in Korea where students and teachers normally eat the same food, all together. Back in 2013, a nine-year-old elementary school student in Incheon, west of Seoul, died when he accidently ate curry that contained milk at his school. Born with a severe dairy allergy, he was taught from an early age to be vigilant about everything he ate and drank to prevent going into allergic shock. Although his parents had notified the school authorities about his allergy and asked his homero

May 31, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Food allergies at school: What students, parents and teachers need to know

Politics

Activist-turned-lawmaker denies misuse of donation

Lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party Yoon Mee-hyang, who led an advocacy group for victims of the Japanese military's sexual slavery during World War II, speaks during a news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bahk Eun-jiYoon Mee-hyang, an activist-turned-lawmaker, denied allegations of misappropriating funds during her years as head of a civic group purportedly advocating for Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery, during a press conference, Friday. Yoon's reaction came a week after prosecutors conducted search-and-seizure operations at facilities operated by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korean Council) last week, securing accounting documents amid snowballing allegations of the misuse of funds donated by the public to support the elderly victims. “Apart from deeply bearing Lee's criticism and opinion, it certainly is not true that the Korean Council has never delivered money raised from the public to the victims,” Yoon said during the pr

May 29, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji

Bahk Eun-ji

Read more

Koreans show solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement

Coronavirus survivors face mental health challenges

Lotte, Coca-Cola, Haitai identified as top plastic polluters

Cram schools oppose gov't plan to tighten sanctions

Against Hong Kong security law

Medical students found cheating on online exams

Gov't maintains high alert on rise of virus cases in metropolitan area

Cram schools feared to become virus hotbed

Food allergies at school: What students, parents and teachers need to know

Activist-turned-lawmaker denies misuse of donation

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