The Korea Times

Concerns emerge over premature vaccination incentives

Citizens wait for any possible side effects after receiving the coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Dobong District, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapVaccinated people can go outdoors without wearing masks from JulyBy Lee Hyo-jinThe government announced a set of incentives Wednesday that will be offered to people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. These come as part of efforts to boost public participation in its inoculation program. However, medical experts are questioning the effectiveness of such measures, saying that eased social distancing regulations included in them may lead to a resurgence of the coronavirus. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that its current social distancing measures, including mandatory mask wearing in public and the ban on five or more people gathering together, will be gradually eased for vaccinated people.Starting from June, those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine will be exempt from the gathering ban with direct family members, which currently is allowed for up to eight people. From July, they will be able to go outdoors

May 26, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Concerns emerge over premature vaccination incentives

New cases spike above 700

Health

Change of visa status shouldn't bar foreigners from health insurance: human rights commission

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin The nation's human rights watchdog said Tuesday that a change in visa status should not be a reason to bar people of foreign nationality, who have previously made health insurance contributions, from the national health insurance program. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) delivered the opinion in response to a petition filed by Ko Gi-bok, head of the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea, on behalf of a migrant worker from Indonesia.The migrant worker is in his 30s and entered Korea in 2015 under the Employment Permit System (EPS), working at a factory in Gyeonggi Province for four years and ten months, according to Ko. During this period, he had been enrolled in the national health insurance via his employer. Although his visa expired as of November 2020, he could not leave the country immediately, due to ongoing legal procedures over delayed payments from this company, which went bankrupt and failed to pay him. So the government granted him a G-1 visa, allowing him a temporary stay. But the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)

May 25, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Health

Calls grow for more effective measures against dog attacks

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is being urged to implement additional measures against dog attacks, as current laws seem to be ineffective in preventing such incidents against people, as well as other animals.Under the current law, five breeds that are categorized by the government as “aggressive breeds” ― Tosa, American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier and Rottweiler ― and dogs crossbred from these, must be leashed and muzzled in public areas. Owners of these breeds are required to sign up for insurance to cover any attacks by their pets that cause injury. When a dog attack results in a person's death, regardless of the breed, the dog owner can be sentenced to up to three years in prison and fined 30 million won ($25,300). If an attack causes injury, its owner faces up to two years in jail or a 20 million won fine.However, experts point out that the current rule determining canine aggression depending on breed is ineffective in preventing attacks, as it lacks an understanding of the animals' characteristics. &ldqu

May 24, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Calls grow for more effective measures against dog attacks

Woman mauled to death by stray dog

Health

No. of refugees screened hits record high in first quarter

Asylum seekers participate in a rally organized by Amnesty and NANCEN, a local refugee rights' group in Jongno, central Seoul, September 2018, calling for better treatment and review processes. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin The number of refugee screenings conducted by the immigration authorities in the first quarter of the year has surged to a record high, according to government data, Sunday. The authorities reviewed 3,638 cases filed by asylum seekers from January to March ― up sharply from 6,254 cases that were screened during all of 2020 ― according to data released by the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice.This is a fourfold increase from 813 screenings conducted in the same period in 2020.The data indicate that the authorities reviewed around 1,200 asylum seekers a month, marking the first time that the number of applicants screened monthly surpassed 1,000.In addition, as of March, a total 16,531 asylum seekers were on the waiting list for review. Among them, 4,044 asylum seekers had reapplied, requesting the government to review their case for a second

May 24, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

No. of refugees screened hits record high in first quarter

Health

Will bilateral partnership fix Korea's vaccine shortage?

Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra pose at a meeting held in Washington, Friday. Courtesy of the Ministry of Health and WelfareBy Lee Hyo-jin While the Korean and U.S. health authorities have agreed to build a comprehensive partnership on the production and development of COVID-19 vaccines, it remains to be seen whether such an agreement will speed up vaccine arrivals here as a much-anticipated vaccine swap deal is missing, according to experts, Sunday. South Korean Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol and his U.S. counterpart Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, held a meeting in Washington, Friday, with President Moon Jae-in in attendance, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The event came on the sidelines of the summit between Moon and U.S President Joe Biden.Based on a mutual understanding that the speedy supply of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial to overcoming the pandemic, the two sides vowed to cooperate in the development and production of vaccines by combining the U.S.'s technolog

May 23, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Will bilateral partnership fix Korea's vaccine shortage?

Health

US vaccine provision to Korea getting more feasible

Vials of Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines are seen in this illustration picture, on March 19. Reuters-YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A recent decision by the U.S. administration to share its COVID-19 vaccines with other countries is expected to accelerate ongoing talks between South Korea and the U.S. on a “vaccine swap,” especially in this week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden. Biden announced Monday that his administration will send ab additional 20 million doses of domestically approved vaccines ― Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson ― overseas by the end of June, in addition to the 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine he had already authorized to share with other countries.“We know America will never be fully safe until the pandemic that's raging globally is under control,” Biden said recently, noting that the U.S. had committed to sharing five times more vaccine than any other country had donated. Although the U.S. president did not disclose which countries they would be, Seoul and Washington are likely to boos

May 18, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

US vaccine provision to Korea getting more feasible

Korea remains confident about receiving Moderna, Pfizer vaccines

Law & Crime

Rumors, speculation abound over college student's death

People hold signs at a rally held at the Banpo Han River Park, southern Seoul, Sunday, calling for thorough police investigation to uncover the truth about the death of a college student who went missing April 25 and whose body was found in the Han River five days later,. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Rumors and speculation are growing about the case of a college student who was found dead in the Han River five days after he went missing from Banpo Han Rover Park, southern Seoul. Son Jeong-min, 22, a medical student at a university in Seoul, was found dead in the Han River, April 30, five days after he was last seen by his friend, whom he allegedly had been drinking with in the park from 11 p.m., April 24, until after 2 a.m. the next morning.The friend said they both got very drunk and fell asleep in the park, and when he woke up at around 4:30 a.m., Son wasn't there. Assuming that Son had already left, he went home. But as Son did not return home, his parents reported him missing to the police.Five days later, his body was found in the Han River near the place where the two had been drinking

May 17, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Rumors, speculation abound over college student's death

Health

Health authorities: Vaccine tourism undesirable, risky

gettyimagesbank By Lee Hyo-jin While public attention is growing over so-called “vaccine tourism” for people seeking to visit other countries in order to get COVID-19 vaccine shots, health authorities said they do not recommend such trips, as they entail certain risks. “Although vaccine tourism is legally allowed, I wouldn't advise people to arrange such trips,” Bae Kyung-taek, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday during a radio interview with MBC.“It would take over a month, for instance, for an individual from Korea to complete the vaccination process in the United States,” he said.Currently, several countries, including the U.S. and the Maldives, are offering vaccines to foreign visitors.People would need to spend one or two days travelling to the country, then stay there at least four weeks in order to receive two doses of the vaccine with a three-week interval in between. Then, upon their arrival back in Korea

May 14, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

Health

Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

A medical worker at a nursing home receives her second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at a public health center in Sejong City, Friday. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin The government is considering offering incentives to people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, as a means of encouraging citizens to participate actively in the vaccination program. But experts argue that the incentives should be accompanied by more support measures in case of possible side effects. Starting from May 5, health authorities have allowed fully vaccinated individuals to skip a mandatory two-week isolation period after returning from overseas or coming in close contact with a virus patient.On May 11, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that it is considering easing social distancing restrictions on immunized people. The ministry said that it may exempt immunized people from gathering bans of five or more people, as well as ease limits on the operating hours of businesses, o

May 14, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

Law & Crime

Professor accuses school of covering up rape allegations

A public petition posted by a female professor at Yeungnam University, who claims to have been raped by a male colleague, is accusing the university of trying to cover up the crime. The petition has gathered over 170,000 signatures as of Thursday morning. Screenshot from Cheong Wa Dae's official websiteBy Lee Hyo-jin A female professor at Yeungnam University in North Gyeongsang Province, who claims to have been raped by another professor, is accusing the university of trying to cover up the alleged crime.She posted a public petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, Wednesday, introducing herself as professor Kim Hye-kyung of Yeungnam University. The names of the people and university involved have since been blurred out by the website managers. “I was raped by a male coworker working at the same research center (in the school), but the school is attempting to cover up the case. After the incident, I demanded that the head of our center separate him from me, but I was told to 'stop making a fuss,'” the petition read.“Then, they began to exclude me from my work and dutie

May 13, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Concerns emerge over premature vaccination incentives

Change of visa status shouldn't bar foreigners from health insurance: human rights commission

Calls grow for more effective measures against dog attacks

No. of refugees screened hits record high in first quarter

Will bilateral partnership fix Korea's vaccine shortage?

US vaccine provision to Korea getting more feasible

Rumors, speculation abound over college student's death

Health authorities: Vaccine tourism undesirable, risky

Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

Professor accuses school of covering up rape allegations

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