The Korea Times

Cultural Heritage Administration hit for discrimination against foreign children

Foreign residents visit Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Feb. 14, 2021. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jin The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) is drawing criticism for its discriminatory policy against children of foreign nationality, which initially excluded them from free admissions to royal palaces on Children's Day. In its recent announcement, the CHA said that royal palaces and tombs including Gyeongbok Palace, Deoksu Palace and Changdeok Palace would offer free admission to visitors on Children's Day which falls on May 5, the presidential inauguration day on May 10 and during the Royal Culture Festival period which runs from May 10 to 22. The announcement reads that on Children's Day, visitors aged 12 and under along with their guardians can freely enter. However, it noted that foreign children are exempt from the policy. This sparked debates among online users, with many criticizing the CHA for discriminating against young children based on nationality. A coalition of some 40 migrants' rights civic groups condemned the CHA, demanding it to immediately rectify the discriminatory measure.&ld

Apr 28, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Cultural Heritage Administration hit for discrimination against foreign children

Politics

OECD expresses concerns over prosecutorial reform in Korea

By Lee Hyo-jin The Working Group on Bribery (WGB) under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has expressed concerns over a controversial prosecutorial reform bill here which seeks to reduce the prosecution's investigative powers. National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug proposed a compromised version of the prosecutorial reform bill, which if bill passed, WGB chair Drago Kos was quoted as saying on April 22 that it is likely that laws stipulating the prosecution's investigative power on all crimes, including corruption, will be removed.The OECD logo is seen in this October file photo. AFP-YonhapThe prosecutorial reform bill aims to stop prosecutors from investigating crimes in six major categories: corruption, economic affairs, public officials, elections, the defense industry and large-scale incidents with mass casualties.The letter was sent on the day when Park proposed a compromised version of the reform bill, in an effort to defuse the tension between the two rival parties ― the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and conservative main opp

Apr 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

OECD expresses concerns over prosecutorial reform in Korea

Moon signs controversial prosecutorial reform bills into law

Society

Journalists worldwide discuss pandemic-related misinformation

Around 100 journalists from 60 countries gathered in Seoul Monday to discuss self-regulatory activities of the media and effective fact-checking systems at the World Journalists Conference 2022, hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea. Courtesy of Journalists Association of KoreaBy Lee Hyo-jin Around 100 journalists from 60 countries gathered in Seoul Monday to discuss self-regulatory activities of the media and effective fact-checking systems at the World Journalists Conference 2022, hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea (JAK).The conference, which kicked off Sunday for a three-day run, was held in a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overseas journalists were invited to participate online, while Korean journalists and foreign correspondents joined offline at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.Since 2013, the annual event has gathered journalists from around the world to discuss a variety of media-related and other pending issues, becoming one of the major journalism events worldwide.This year's event was held under two themes: “Current status of fact-che

Apr 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Journalists worldwide discuss pandemic-related misinformation

Society

Foreign residents suffer discrimination in health insurance system: report

gettyimagesbank By Lee Hyo-jin Residents of foreign nationality who are enrolled in Korea's national health insurance program suffer from discrimination in the system compared to their Korean national counterparts, according to a recent report released by the National Assembly Research Service. The report, released on April 20, found that the rise of foreign national subscribers has helped improve the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)'s fiscal soundness, but many of them experience disadvantages over Korean national enrollees.Foreign nationals who are employed in companies here are enrolled in the national health insurance via their employers. Those who are freelancers or self-employed are automatically registered as “regional subscribers” after they have resided in Korea for six months.As of 2021, of the 1.64 million foreign national residents in Korea, 1.26 million are registered for the state health insurance. The number of foreign national subscribers reg

Apr 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Health

Eating in cinemas, planes and public transport allowed starting today

A notice at a movie theater in Seoul reads that eating snacks will be allowed from Monday. YonhapCOVID-19 downgraded to Level 2 infectious diseaseBy Lee Hyo-jin Starting Monday, eating snacks in cinemas, sports venues, planes, long-distance buses and interregional trains will be allowed, as the government has further eased antivirus regulations amid the phased transition to post-Omicron daily life. In addition to their decision to remove social distancing measures on business operating hours and private gatherings from April 15, the health authorities have announced they are easing additional COVID-19 measures, except for the mask wearing requirement.Moviegoers and spectators at sport events will now be able to enjoy snacks, while department stores and supermarkets will be able to offer food samples to customers ― which has been prohibited since last July. Workers at a large supermarket in Seoul prepare to offer free coffee samples to customers, Sunday. Beginning Monday, department stores and supermarkets will be able to offer food and beverage samples, a practice that has been prohi

Apr 24, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Eating in cinemas, planes and public transport allowed starting today

Health

Experts warn of new COVID-19 wave this fall

A COVID-19 screening center near Seoul Station is empty, Thursday, as the country sees a steady decline in new infections. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Local experts have warned that Korea may see another wave of COVID-19 infections this fall, during which as many as 2,700 fatalities could occur, depending on how many among the population have received a second booster shot.They described the current situation as a “hyper-endemic,” which means that the coronavirus is persistent at high levels, and urged caution over the possible emergence of a new variant. During a conference hosted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, Jeong Eun-ok, a professor of mathematics at Konkuk University, projected that a new wave may hit the country as early as November or early next year, due to weakened immunity among the population. The professor predicted the wave would cause, roughly 700 to as many as 2,700 fatalities, depending on how many people receive a fourth injection of the vaccine. In the worst-case scenario, where most of the population is not inoculated wi

Apr 21, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Experts warn of new COVID-19 wave this fall

Health

Will incoming Yoon administration legalize telemedicine services?

A doctor at a clinic in Jung District, Seoul, talks over the phone with a COVID-19 patient undergoing home treatment, Feb. 17. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jinTelemedicine companies, which have been enjoying a contactless boom since the government has temporarily permitted their services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are now calling for establishing them legally so as to create a stable business environment.They have pinned high hopes on the legalization of their businesses as the transitional committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is positively reviewing deregulatory policies related to digitalization in the healthcare sector.Telemedicine, which enables doctors to treat patients remotely via telecommunications technologies, was technically illegal here in the pre-COVID-19 era under the Medical Services Act.However, through a revision to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, since February 2020, the provision of virtual healthcare services has been allowed in a limited manner as the country's infectious disease crisis level hit the highest level of alarm.The revision h

Apr 21, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Will incoming Yoon administration legalize telemedicine services?

Global Community

Korea's farms hit hard as pandemic leads to foreign worker shortage

This photo shows a greenhouse owned by Koo Jin taek, a farmer in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. He would normally be harvesting the lettuce during the spring season, but this year, he had to destroy the crops due to the shortage of farm workers. Courtesy of Koo Jin-taekSince start of pandemic, only one-tenth of foreign national workers have entered KoreaBy Lee Hyo-jin Koo Jin-taek, a vegetable farm owner in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, would normally be harvesting thousands of heads of lettuce during the spring season, but instead, he had to destroy his crops, as there was simply no one to harvest the perfectly tradable vegetables.“It is literally heartbreaking to have to destroy them. But I have no choice. With only five workers on the farm, it is impossible to harvest the crops,” the 55-year-old farmer told The Korea Times.Koo ― who currently owns 45 greenhouses producing lettuce, chicory and other leafy green vegetables ― initially had nine workers from Cambodia before the COVID-19 pandemic started. But the number has been cut down to three since then. And only recently wa

Apr 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea's farms hit hard as pandemic leads to foreign worker shortage

Health

Long COVID worries persist amid Korea's transition to post-Omicron era

A street in Myeong-dong in central Seoul is crowded with people, Sunday. YonhapGovernment lifts most social distancing measures; daily cases fall to 10-week low of 47,743By Lee Hyo-jin While the country is transitioning in phases toward a post-Omicron-era, a significant number of COVID-19 survivors, who are suffering from the lingering symptoms of the virus, are finding it hard to return to their daily lives.For Kim So-hyun, a 29-year-old office worker in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, her COVID-19 symptoms have not gone away, even though her required seven-day self-isolation period ended in late March.“I've been suffering from migraines and fatigue, along with coughing, which get worse at night. But what worries me more is that there doesn't seem to be a cure for this, and I don't know how long these symptoms will last,” she said.Her questions about the debilitating condition still remain unanswered even after she visited a hospital last week, where she was prescribed cough syrup and advised to rest. Like Kim, roughly 10 percent to 30 percent of people who have recovered from

Apr 18, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Long COVID worries persist amid Korea's transition to post-Omicron era

Society

How COVID-19 has altered perceptions of face masks

Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Metro Line 5 is crowded with people wearing face masks in this photo taken on Aug. 24, 2020, the first day the mask mandate was imposed across the city. YonhapSome people won't give up masks, even if pandemic wanesBy Lee Hyo-jin It isn't an exaggeration to say that face masks have become the new normal in Korea, as nearly two years have passed since they have become mandatory in public places amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Before the health crisis began, masks were mostly reserved for celebrities to hide their identity or as a fashion item, or worn in the spring during days of yellow dust or fine dust. But now, the protective gear has evolved into a must-have item, changing its perceptions among Koreans. However, as the country moves forward from the Omicron wave, whether to wear the masks is soon expected to become a matter of personal choice again, as the government is considering dropping the mandate.As daily infection numbers are slowing down, the government is shifting its approach to pandemic-related restrictions, moving to a new way of living

Apr 17, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Cultural Heritage Administration hit for discrimination against foreign children

OECD expresses concerns over prosecutorial reform in Korea

Journalists worldwide discuss pandemic-related misinformation

Foreign residents suffer discrimination in health insurance system: report

Eating in cinemas, planes and public transport allowed starting today

Experts warn of new COVID-19 wave this fall

Will incoming Yoon administration legalize telemedicine services?

Korea's farms hit hard as pandemic leads to foreign worker shortage

Long COVID worries persist amid Korea's transition to post-Omicron era

How COVID-19 has altered perceptions of face masks

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