The Korea Times

Calls grow to protect privacy in civil lawsuits

This image is unrelated to the story. / GettyimagesbankBy Kim Jae-heunLegislators are seeking to protect the personal information of plaintiffs in legal documents, to prevent possible retaliation by defendants.Rep. Yoon Sang-jick of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) submitted a revision bill to the Civil Proceedings Act to a National Assembly committee, Tuesday, to remove plaintiffs' personal information, such as resident registration number, phone number and address, from written complaints and written judgments.Unlike criminal suits, a civil suit requires such information under the current law. Many plaintiffs have demanded the revision to protect themselves from retaliation. “Many victims withdraw their complaints out of worry they could be subject to retaliation by the defendants. We have to prevent secondary damage that comes from the disclosure of a plaintiff's private information by revising the law,” Rep. Yoon said. Yoon's proposal came after a 23-year-old woman posted a message on an online community in October titled “I'm scheduled to be killed

Jan 9, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Calls grow to protect privacy in civil lawsuits

Health

Marriage rate on sharp drop

This image is unrelated to the story. / GettyimagesbankBy Kim Jae-heunMany young people are delaying marriage until they find employment and save a certain amount of money. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), Tuesday, the marriage rate has plummeted rapidly over the last 20 years.Kim Soo-hyun had once planned to get married in her early 20s. It was her dream to have a family and go on picnics together by the Han River in Seoul.However, now at 31, Kim does not even have a boyfriend.“It was my dream to date a guy for two to three years and get married at age 24. I heard younger mothers give birth to more healthy babies,” Kim told The Korea Times. “But I learned the reality that you cannot get married if you don't have money or a job in Korea.”She said at least 50 million won ($44,456) is needed just for a wedding in Korea. But before that, a couple should have saved 200 million won together and borrow an additional 100 million won from the bank to start off at a small apartment in a commuter town outside the capital

Jan 8, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Health

Refusing checkup is discrimination against HIV carrier: rights watchdog

This picture is unrelated to the story. / GettyimagesbankBy Kim Jae-heunIt is discrimination against HIV carriers for a healthcare center to refuse them a medical checkup, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said.The rights watchdog advised the institution to educate its staff of human rights.According to the commission, Monday, an HIV positive patients made a temporary reservation in August 2017 for a medical checkup at the health examination center of a local university hospital, which was the region's only institution designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to provide medical consultations for people with HIV.He had been receiving treatment at the hospital's infectious disease division since 2012.However, the center turned down the person's request to confirm the checkup, telling him to go to the gastroenterology division as an outpatient instead. He protested, and the center decided later to accept his reservation. But he submitted a petition with the NHRCK about the case.The center claimed it did not have the necessary protection equipment for staff an

Jan 7, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Refusing checkup is discrimination against HIV carrier: rights watchdog

Foreign Affairs

Gov't to bring back trash from Philippines

Exported Korean wastes are dumped at a depositary site in Mindanao in Misamis Oriental Province, the Philippines, in this photo taken in December, last year. / Courtey of Green PeaceBy Kim Jae-heunThe government is set to bring back from the Phillippines illegally shipped plastic trash, the environment ministry said, Friday.“We are negotiating with the Philippine government to bring 6,500 tons of waste,” said Lee Byung-wha, a senior official at the ministry.“First, we will take care of 1,200 tons of the trash and then we plan to discuss how to bring the rest back.”A total of 6,500 tons of plastic garbage was exported to the Philippines in two shipments last year, declared as plastic synthetic flakes by Verde Soko Philippine Industrial, a Korean company. However, the shipment contained plastics, used batteries and diapers.In July, 5,100 tons of trash was sent to Mindanao in Misamis Oriental Province and 1,400 tons were shipped to Tagoloan in the same province three months later. Mindanao is an island in the southern part of the Philippines, which is o

Jan 4, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Gov't to bring back trash from Philippines

Others

Finally graduated

A student of Yangji High School in Sejong leaves the auditorium, to a rousing send-off by junior students during the commencement ceremony, Friday. Fourteen schools in the nation's administrative city held graduation ceremonies on the day. / Yonhap

Jan 4, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Others

Clash over for-profit hospital

Labor and civic group members try to enter the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province building on Jeju Island, Thursday, requesting a face-to-face talk with Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong. They are calling on him to withdraw the decision to establish Korea's first for-profit hospital and urging him to resign. They claim the approval of the hospital will lead to a polarization of medical services here. / Yonhap

Jan 3, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Law & Crime

Ex-special inspector Kim questioned

Kim Tae-woo, a former special inspector at Cheong Wa Dae, answers the press’s questions upon his arrival at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul, Thursday, to undergo questioning as a witness about the presidential office’s alleged surveillance on citizens. / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwonBy Kim Jae-heunKim Tae-woo, a former Cheong Wa Dae special inspector from the prosecution, was summoned, Thursday, to be questioned as a witness of the presidential office's alleged civilian surveillance.It is the first time for Kim to appear at the prosecution, following the main opposition Liberty Korea Party's (LKP) complaint against top Cheong Wa Dae officials for alleged abuse of power and dereliction of duty.“For the past 16 years, I have dedicated myself to the government service and thought it was a virtue to work hard on orders given from the top. I did the same while I was working at Cheong Wa Dae as a special inspector,” Kim told the press upon his arrival at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office in eastern Seoul.“Howeve

Jan 3, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Law & Crime

Doctors seek bill for safer treatment conditions

 A suspect in the murder case of a psychiatrist at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital is being escorted by police officers in front of the Jongno Police Station to head for the Seoul Central District Court for an arrest warrant review, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunDoctors' groups are seeking to set up a law that ensures a safer work environment, according to the medical industry, Wednesday.The move came after the death of psychiatrist Lim Se-won, Monday, at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul, who was stabbed to death during a consultation with a 30-year-old patient suffering from bipolar disorder.The Korean NeuroPsychiatric Association (KNPA) will lead the plan according to Lim's family's wishes to come up with measures for preventing potential similar lethal attacks by patients. “It is the bereaved family's wish to create a society where patients with mental problems can receive treatment without prejudice and discrimination under a safe environment,” a KNPA official said.“We will collect public opinions too, and currently we are considering maki

Jan 2, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Doctors seek bill for safer treatment conditions

Politics

Traffic laws to tighten in New Year

School buses are parked on a side road in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on July 31, last year. The image is not relevent to the story. / Korea Times photo by Park Joo-heeBy Kim Jae-heunStarting 2019, the nation's drivers will face stricter regulations, highlighted by the police's plan to get tougher on drunk-driving.Elderly drivers or those 75 years old or older will have to renew their driver's licenses every three ― not five ― years, effective Jan. 1, 2019. In the wake of public outcry, including President Moon Jae-in's own comments, for drunk driving that had been handled leniently despite its fatalities, police decided to lower the legal blood alcohol content limit to 0.03 percent from 0.05 percent. It is scheduled to take effect from June 25, 2019.The punishment for driving while inebriated becomes harsher, as well. The new law lists that drunk drivers can be imprisoned for from two years to five years and fined from 10 million won ($8,950) to 20 million won if they are caught more than twice. The current law imposes a maximum 10 million won or puts drivers in jail for less than three ye

Jan 2, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Politics

Wealth inequality passed down to future generations

By Kim Jae-heunChildhood poverty leads to lower chances of receiving a good education and finding a good job, resulting eventually in another round of poverty in adulthood. Contrary to this, children from affluent families have better chances of gaining a quality education with private tutoring, followed by decent jobs with high salaries and wealth in adulthood.A 34-year-old man surnamed Park lived in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, for six years until he returned recently to his hometown in the countryside of Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.It was his dream to open a Japanese-style bar in a metropolis and he strived to achieve it by working day and night at several restaurants as a part-timer. However, the reality was far more challenging than he had expected.“Making a living as a part-timer in cities like Anyang is almost impossible, especially if you are not a highly educated person. There are barely regular jobs for high school graduates like me except serving at bars or doing night shifts at convenience stores,” Park said during an interview with The Korea Times last week.Pa

Jan 2, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Kim Jae-heun

Read more

Calls grow to protect privacy in civil lawsuits

Marriage rate on sharp drop

Refusing checkup is discrimination against HIV carrier: rights watchdog

Gov't to bring back trash from Philippines

Finally graduated

Clash over for-profit hospital

Ex-special inspector Kim questioned

Doctors seek bill for safer treatment conditions

Traffic laws to tighten in New Year

Wealth inequality passed down to future generations

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