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Health

Opinions divided over increasing child abuse

Amid a growing number of reported child abuse cases at daycare centers, discussions about how to solve the long-running problems are drawing mixed responses, ranging from stronger punishment of abusers to better labor conditions for carers. / GettyimagebankBy Kim Jae-heunAmid a growing number of reported child abuse cases at daycare centers, discussions about how to solve the long-running problems are drawing mixed responses, ranging from stronger punishment of abusers to better labor conditions for carers.According to the National Child Protection Agency, Sunday, reported child abuse cases at daycare centers have rapidly increased in the past 5 years. Between 2014 and 2017 the number of recorded cases rose from 295 to 840. The agency is an affiliate of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.Looking at laws on special cases concerning child abuse crimes, a babysitter working at a nursery facility can face additional punishment for assaulting a child. The penalty can rise by 50 percent compared to an assault case against an adult. However, if the child survives, precedents show most nurse

May 5, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Opinions divided over increasing child abuse
Society

Seoul City to hold free circus shows in May

Seoul City will present free circus shows at Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, throughout May starting from Saturday. / Courtesy of Oil Tank Culture ParkBy Kim Jae-heunSeoul City will present free circus shows at Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, throughout May starting from Saturday.This is the second time for the city government to offer the event and it is the country's only circus festival. The first session of the month-long event, “Seoul Circus Festival: Circus Cabaret,” will run for three days from this Saturday to Monday.Twenty-five local and foreign teams will perform various types of circus acts in a 9-meter-high tent set up there. The tent can hold an audience of up to 300, with a stage 8 meters in diameter.Two teams from France and one each from Belgium and Taiwan are making their Korea debuts while local teams will provide performances showing the history of Korean circus, including shows by the 94-year-old circus troupe Dongchun Circus.After Circus Cabaret, performances will continue on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of May

May 2, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Seoul City to hold free circus shows in May
Health

Expert warns of possible flooding, landslides after Gangwon fire

A forest in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, burns down in this April 7 photo. A wildfire devastated over 2,000 hectares of mountainous terrain in five regions of the province, raising concerns over possible flooding and landslides in the upcoming summer rainy season. /Korea Times fileBy Kim Jae-heunExperts are warning about possible floods and landslides during the rainy season in Gangwon Province, where a massive blaze burned over 1,757 hectares of mountainous terrain in early April. “Without a doubt, the province will see another natural disaster such as a flood because all the trees in the affected mountainous region were burned down,” Han Moo-young, a professor of the Department of Civil & Environment Engineering at Seoul National University, said during an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday. “Trees play the role of a natural dam by preserving rainwater during the monsoon. If there are areas that do not suffer a flood after a wildfire, that is because it didn't rain at all or didn't rain much.”Han is a water expert who has been researching rainwater

May 1, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Expert warns of possible flooding, landslides after Gangwon fire
Others

Jumping toward dream

A woman does a standing long jump as part of a physical strength test to become a firefighter at a gymnasium in Seo-gu, Incheon, Wednesday. Firefighter hopefuls have to undergo a written examination, physical test and interview. / Yonhap

May 1, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Jumping toward dream
Society

Asian Friends to host life planning camp for multicultural children

Asian Friends, a non-governmental organization, will host a three-day life planning camp for children from multi-racial families. / Jeju Special Self-Governing ProvinceBy Kim Jae-heunAsian Friends, a non-governmental organization, will host a three-day life planning camp for children from multi-racial families.The camp, sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and The Korea Times, will take place at Dobong Forestville in Seoul from July 22 to 24. The participants will stay together for two nights there.The program is for children with a multiracial background in Seoul and surrounding metropolitan areas, and about 40 people can join the camp. Middle and high school students will have the priority to be selected.At the camp, certified labor attorney Koo Kyen-seo will help children figure out what they may want to do in the future and give guidance on how to achieve it. “We've learned that children from multicultural families suffer identity crisis and many have a hard time adapting to school. Through this program, we want to help children find what they want to do in the fu

May 1, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Asian Friends to host life planning camp for multicultural children
Others

May Day

Member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions celebrate May Day at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul, Wednesday. The umbrella union urged the government to ratify some key conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to guarantee wider freedom of assembly. Another umbrella union, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, held a separate event to celebrate the day. / Yonhap

May 1, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Society

Lotus Lantern Festival to be held on weekend

A lotus lantern parade related events will take place in downtown Seoul over the weekend, ahead of Buddha's Birthday on May 12. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentBy Kim Jae-heunA lotus lantern parade related events will take place in downtown Seoul over the weekend, ahead of Buddha's Birthday on May 12. The Lotus Lantern Festival will be held from Friday to Sunday on the streets of Jongno and around Jogye Temple, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, Monday.The festival, called Yeondeunghoe in Korean, is listed as national intangible cultural heritage No. 122 and has been practiced for over 1,200 years since the era of Unified Silla to celebrate Buddha's Birthday. The lantern parade on Saturday evening is the main part of the event.While large lanterns will lead the way from Heunginjimun to the streets of Jongno and toward Jogye Temple, citizens can join the parade from any point of the course to walk the streets of the capital city with small lanterns in their hands. The city government expects 100,000 citizens to participate in the parade, with many more watching from th

Apr 30, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Lotus Lantern Festival to be held on weekend
Politics

Constitutional Court swings left

President Moon Jae-in, third from right, greets justices Lee Mi-sun, left, and Moon Hyung-bae, right, before awarding appointment certificate as the Constitutional Court justices at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. / Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jinBy Kim Jae-heunDespite strong protests from conservatives, President Moon Jae-in moved ahead with the appointments of two new constitutional justices to make the top court more liberal.In addition, the decision is raising speculation that the top court's future rulings on hot-button issues such as abolishing the death penalty and protecting homosexual military conscripts from persecution may tilt to progressive stances. During his visit to Central Asia last Friday, Moon appointed Lee Mi-sun and Moon Hyung-bae to the nine-member bench of the Constitutional Court, increasing the number of its non-conservative justices to six, the number needed to achieve a two-thirds majority. “President Moon did not want to leave justice seats at the Constitutional Court empty, not even for a day, and he approved the designation of two justices online,

Apr 26, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Constitutional Court swings left
Health

Gov't to strength state-run babysitting service

 Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hae speaks during the ministers' meeting at the government complex in Sejong, Friday. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunThe government said, Friday, it will enhance its state-run childcare system by mandating personality and aptitude tests for would-be babysitters.The plan came after a 58-year-old woman hired by the state as a babysistter was arrested recently for abusing a 14-month-old baby. The parents found out through surveillance recordings made by a nanny cam they had installed at their home.“I feel a heavy burden about it and the government will make sure no such incident happens again,” Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during the ministers' meeting at the government complex in Sejong. “We will work to improve the childcare system so that parents can fully trust and leave their child with us.”The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it will adopt personality and aptitude tests starting next month when recruiting for its babysitting service. Psychologists and experts in preventing child abuse will join the interviews

Apr 26, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Gov't to strength state-run babysitting service
Society

3 mil. foreigners visit Seoul in Q1

Some 3.03 million foreigners visited Seoul from January to March this year, recording the largest number of visitors in the first quarter of a year. / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoonBy Kim Jae-heunSome 3.03 million foreigners visited Seoul from January to March this year, the largest number of visitors in the first quarter of any year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, Wednesday.It was more than the previous record set in 2017 when nearly 2.92 million people toured the capital, followed by 2.8 million in 2016 and 2.65 million last year.The city government says improvements in relations with China, which soured with economic retaliation in early 2017 over Korea deploying a U.S. anti-missile system here, has brought back a large number of tourists from the neighboring country.Seoul City also released an annual report on foreign visitors' travel patterns after surveying 6,000 people.According to the report, foreign visitors stayed in Seoul for 5.44 days on average last year, an increase from five days in 2017. Nearly half of them had already visited at least once before.They als

Apr 24, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
3 mil. foreigners visit Seoul in Q1
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