The Korea Times

Foreign workers have higher risk of occupational accidents

gettyimagesbankExperts advise stronger monitoring of workplace safety, proper and timely treatment By Lee Hyo-jin A 24-year-old Uzbek worker at a waste disposal company in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, died after getting stuck in a shredding machine, July 29. In the same month, a 33-year-old Sri Lankan worker at a plastic manufacturing factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was found dead after he was caught in a compressor. These cases are among many tragic deaths of workers of foreign nationality who have fallen victim to occupational accidents in Korea. Data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor submitted to Rep. Kang Eun-mi of the social democratic minor opposition Justice Party showed that one in eight ― or 12 percent ― of the victims of fatal occupational accidents that have occurred over the past 18 months were workers of foreign nationality. A total of 1,113 workers died between January 2020 and June this year, 135 of whom were foreign national workers. Given that workers of foreign nationality hold only some 4 percent of the total 24 million salaried employee positions in

Aug 9, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Foreign workers have higher risk of occupational accidents

Society

Subway unions in 6 cities consider joint strike

Commuters pack the platform of Sindorim Station in Seoul, July 9.  Subway operator unions in the nation's six major cities, including Seoul, are threatening to go on strike in protest of restructuring plans. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Subway unions across the country are threatening to go on a general strike in solidarity with the Seoul union in protest against a proposed restructuring plan by the subway operator of the capital. In response to rising deficits, the contested plan includes employee layoffs and a wage freeze.Members of the unions in the country's six major cities of Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Incheon and Gwangju will vote from Aug. 16 to 19 on whether to participate in the joint strike, according to the union of Seoul Metro, Sunday. This is the first time for these unions from different cities to push for a joint walkout. Seoul Metro, which operates lines 1 to 8 in the capital, has been suffering rising deficits in recent years. After two city government-affiliated corporations, one running lines 1 to 4 and the other lines 5 to 8, merged into Seoul Metro in May 2017,

Aug 8, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Subway unions in 6 cities consider joint strike

Health

Korea to invest $1.9 bil. to become global vaccine hub

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, on his plan to make Korea a global vaccine hub. The President unveiled the government's strategy for Korea to become one of the top five countries in vaccine production by investing 2.2 trillion won ($1.9 billion) over the next five years. YonhapMoon pledges support for domestic vaccine developmentBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea aims to become one of the top five countries in vaccine production, with President Moon Jae-in vowing full support for establishing a global vaccine hub and domestic development of vaccines, which will thus contribute to a stable global supply of COVID-19 vaccines. The Moon administration announced Thursday it would invest 2.2 trillion won ($1.9 billion) over the next five years into the vaccine industry, designating it as one of the nation's strategic industries. “Without a sufficient supply of vaccines for all countries, we will not be able to prevent the spread of the coronavirus amid continuous emergence of new variants. Korea will take the lead in solving this problem by becoming a glob

Aug 5, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea to invest $1.9 bil. to become global vaccine hub

Health

Experts call for preemptive measures against Delta plus variant

A medical worker works at a government-designated COVID-19 treatment hospital in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. YonhapAuthorities to decide on whether to extend strictest social distancing FridayBy Lee Hyo-jin Medical experts here are calling on the government to take preemptive measures against the possible spread of the COVID-19 Delta plus variant, as they view that downplaying its threat may pose a serious risk to the country's efforts to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported Tuesday that it had identified the first two cases here of the Delta plus variant, a sub-lineage of the Delta strain first detected in India.One of the patients was a man in his 40s with no recent overseas travel history, while the other was a man in his 50s who returned recently from the United States, according to the KDCA.Both had been fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, raising concerns that the new strain may be resistant. “Though we should be vigilant about the Delta plus variant, we don't need to be overly concerne

Aug 4, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Experts call for preemptive measures against Delta plus variant

Health

Gov't vaccine delivery system faces criticism

People receive coronavirus vaccines at a vaccination center in Gwangjin District, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Criticism is rising over inconsistencies in the government's COVID-19 vaccine delivery system based on different types of medical facilities, under which some smaller clinics are required to transport the vaccines on their own, raising concerns that this may spoil the temperature-sensitive vaccines. Under the current system, health authorities take responsibility for deliveries of 10 or more vials, whereas for smaller shipments, staffers of medical facilities themselves must transport the vaccines using their own containers.But many smaller medical facilities are not equipped to transport the vaccines that must be stored at low temperatures. This has prompted concerns that the vaccines may spoil especially quickly during the summer.A public petition was uploaded on the Cheong Wa Dae website, July 30, by a writer claiming to be a pediatrician who criticized the health authorities for shifting the responsibility for vaccine transport onto medical facilities.“Prev

Aug 4, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Gov't vaccine delivery system faces criticism

Health

'Abortion consultation' included in health insurance

Members of the Joint Action for Reproductive Justice, a coalition of pro-choice groups, participate in a press conference in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, calling on the government to include abortion in the public health care system, March 8. Korea Times photo by Hong In-kiBy Lee Hyo-jin Women are now able to receive medical consultations on abortion legally and at a reasonable price, as the medical service has been newly included in the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Monday. The health ministry announced the inclusion as a follow-up measure to a landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court in April 2019 which found the ban on abortion was unconstitutional because prohibiting it in the early stages of pregnancy was a violation of women's right to self-determination.Although the so-called anti-abortion law has been abolished in Korea, due to an absence of revisions to related bills, women seeking an abortion have been left without access to accurate medical information and consultations within the public healthcare system. From

Aug 3, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Health

Controversy rises over allowing online sales of prescription glasses

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin Controversy is growing over whether the government should allow prescription glasses, which are categorized as a medical device in Korea and thus only available for purchase at offline optical stores run by licensed opticians, to be sold online. Deep-eye, an eyewear startup company selling glasses frames online, recently requested the government's easing of regulations to allow online sales of prescription glasses, a measure it viewed would enhance consumer convenience and growth of the eyewear market.The company plans to sell glasses to users of its mobile app, eliminating the need to visit an offline store. To place an order, consumers can select frames using a virtual fitting tool, after which they should enter valid prescription data from an examination by an eye-care professional taken within six months. Other necessary information such as face shape and pupillary distance can be measured using the app.“Unlike in Korea, ordering prescription glasses online has long been available in other countries such as the U.S. and Japan,” an officia

Aug 2, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Controversy rises over allowing online sales of prescription glasses

Health

Gov't to conduct survey of multicultural families

Students with multicultural backgrounds attend a foreign language and culture class at an elementary school in Seoul in this file photo. Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jinThe Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will conduct a survey of multicultural households nationwide, hoping to reflect their diversifying needs in government policies better. The ministry announced Sunday that the triennial survey will be conducted from Aug. 2 to 31 of some 32,000 multicultural households across the country, to obtain detailed data on their economic activities, family lives, childcare situations and education. “Through this large-scale survey, we aim to analyze precisely the current status and needs of such families,” said Kim Kwon-young, a ministry official in charge of multicultural family policies.According to data from Statistics Korea, there were 370,000 multicultural households in the country as of 2020, accounting for 1.8 percent of total households. The figure has continuously increased over the past few years, from 319,000 in 2017, to 335,000 in 2018 and 350,000 in 2019.The numb

Aug 2, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Gov't to conduct survey of multicultural families

Law & Crime

Police launch crackdown on crimes by foreign nationals

Organized crime by foreigners on riseBy Lee Hyo-jin The National Police Agency (NPA) announced a crackdown Sunday on crimes committed by foreign nationals ― including possible cross-border criminal acts ― that will run from August through October. Targets of the crackdown will be criminal organizations engaged in loan sharking, drug trafficking and illegal gambling, as well as illegal foreign exchange transactions.In cases of assault, the NPA will actively cooperate with provincial police agencies to organize special investigation teams, if deemed necessary, in order to uncover the possible involvement of local or international criminal organizations.The law enforcement authority said it had recently found that a growing number of crimes by foreign nationals ― such as drug-related offenses and the operation of illegal businesses ― were associated with organized crime groups.From April to June this year, 391 foreign nationals were apprehended, among whom 133 were taken into custody, according to police data. About a third, or 34 percent, of the latter belonged to one of five criminal

Aug 1, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Police launch crackdown on crimes by foreign nationals

Health

Korea faces shortage of surgeons

gettyimagesbankMedical students shun surgery departments due to heavy workload, insufficient compensation By Lee Hyo-jin In television shows and movies, surgeons are often portrayed as heroes, not only for their medical knowledge and surgery skills, which save lives, but also for their sacrifice and commitment putting patients first. But the reality is different. In Korea, the surgery department has long been one of the least popular specialties among medical students due to poor working conditions and significantly lower salaries, compared to the heavy workload.Students who have graduated from medical schools here go through a one-year internship in a hospital after which they choose a department to go through three to four years training as a resident.But surgery-related departments have been failing to fill their slots for residencies for the past few years. In 2021, only 141 trainees applied to the general surgery departments at 55 hospitals across the country, leaving over 30 slots empty among the total 178. The cardio-thoracic department filled only 25 out of 60 places. In 2020

Jul 29, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Foreign workers have higher risk of occupational accidents

Subway unions in 6 cities consider joint strike

Korea to invest $1.9 bil. to become global vaccine hub

Experts call for preemptive measures against Delta plus variant

Gov't vaccine delivery system faces criticism

'Abortion consultation' included in health insurance

Controversy rises over allowing online sales of prescription glasses

Gov't to conduct survey of multicultural families

Police launch crackdown on crimes by foreign nationals

Korea faces shortage of surgeons

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