The Korea Times

Delivery workers vow not to work on Saturdays

Members of the Committee for the Prevention of Work-related Deaths of Delivery Workers pay tribute to delivery workers who died due to overwork at a press conference held at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in Jung-gu, Seoul, in this Sept. 17 photo. / Korea Times photo by Seo Ji-hunBy Lee Hyo-jinParcel delivery workers vowed not to work on Saturdays for the next two weeks following the recent death of an overworked fellow worker, said the Committee for the Prevention of Work-Related Deaths of Delivery Workers, Tuesday.Over 4,000 courier service workers are expected to participate in the group action.Although they announced that the delivery strikes will be held on the next two Saturdays, they will continue not working on Saturdays if the government and the logistics industry fail to form a negotiation group for improvement of working conditions, said the committee. The move comes after the recent death of a 48-year-old delivery worker last Thursday, marking the eighth case this year alone. The deceased delivery worker surnamed Kim was an employee at CJ Logistics center in Gan

Oct 13, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Delivery workers vow not to work on Saturdays

Foreign Affairs

WHO omits Dokdo from map of Korea

The map of Korea on the WHO website does not include the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo, while the map of Japan covers them. / Courtesy of Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) By Lee Hyo-jin The World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to add the easternmost islets of Dokdo to a map of Korea on its official website, despite repeated calls from civic activists and citizens here, according to the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) Tuesday. VANK is a civic diplomacy organization with more than 120,000 members.In the 'countries' section of the website, the health organization provides brief information about each member state including a map. The map of South Korea is missing some of its territories including Dokdo and nearby Ulleung Island in the East Sea. However, the islands are included in the map of Japan, which some believe gives the impression that they are Japan's territory. The country has been making repeated territorial claims on Dokdo, over w

Oct 13, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Politics

Civic groups urge Berlin to keep 'Statue of Peace'

People read the epitaph of the Statue of Peace installed in the central Mitte district, Berlin, in this Sept. 27 photo. / Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jinCivic groups are calling on the City of Berlin to retract its order to remove the statue of a girl symbolizing Korean victims of wartime sex slavery by Japan, installed in the central Mitte district, according to activists, Monday. The Korea Verband, a Germany-based civic group, plans to file an injunction at the local administrative court against the district office's order. The group installed the “Statue of Peace” on Sept. 25, upon the city's approval. But nine days later, the local government withdrew its decision and ordered the group to take it down by Oct. 14, threatening to remove the statue itself if the group does not follow the order. The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korean Council), announced that it has submitted several reports regarding Berlin's

Oct 12, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Civic groups urge Berlin to keep 'Statue of Peace'

Law & Crime

Man arrested for making drone voyeur videos

A man in his 40s was arrested in Busan for allegedly filming voyeur videos by drone, according to Busan Nambu Police Station, Thursday. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin A man in his 40s was arrested in Busan for allegedly filming sex acts in private residences from a drone, according to the police, Thursday.Busan Nambu Police Station announced that they requested a warrant for the man who was arrested for allegedly operating the drone. Another man in his 30s who accompanied him is also being questioned without physical detention. The crime took place Sept. 19 around midnight in a high-rise apartment complex in Suyeong District, southern Busan. The two men operated the drone worth approximately 1 million won ($865) to hover outside windows of the apartment complex. The drone was installed with high-quality camera gear. It circled over the apartments for about three hours before it crashed. Startled by the loud noise, apartment residents reported the fallen drone. Police recovered it and found footage of sex acts of several couples. But the drone operators had already fled the scene. A

Oct 8, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Man arrested for making drone voyeur videos

Society

1 in 4 office workers are YouTubers on the side: survey

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jinKang Tae-kwon, an office worker in his 30s, has his own YouTube channel with more than 100,000 subscribers. Its main focus is on introducing Korean culture to non-Koreans, which is unrelated to his job at a state-owned company in the agricultural sector.“I've always wanted to make interesting content of my own and communicate with people across the world using my language skills. As I couldn't achieve my dream in my workplace, I created my own thing.”He did not expect his channel to get so big when he started it in 2018. So he was surprised when it actually led to additional income. At its peak, he was making around 2 million won ($1,726) a month. “I seriously considered quitting my job to become a professional YouTuber, which may have led to higher income. But I decided to leave it as a hobby,” he said. Kang is not the only office worker in Korea to own a YouTube channel as a sideline or a hobby in addition to their main job. Thousands of 'office worker vlogs' are posted on YouTube. Ordinary people with various careers such as tea

Oct 8, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

1 in 4 office workers are YouTubers on the side: survey

Trends

Teens buy luxury brands to 'flex' on social media

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin “Eighteen-year-old high school student's shopping haul at Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Thom Browne!” “Fifteen-year-old girl unboxing cosmetics from Dior and Prada bags.” These are just two video titles among hundreds posted on YouTube in which teenagers “flex” their newly bought luxury items worth millions of won. Other social media channels such as Instagram or TikTok are also flooded with similar posts.“Flex,” a term widely used among teenagers to boast outwardly about one's extravagant lifestyle by showing off expensive clothing, cars or homes, has settled as a trend. Videos and photos of teens showing off their fashion and beauty products of high-end brands gain thousands of likes. “There are some students in my school wearing expensive sneakers from Gucci or Balenciaga, which I think their parents must have bought them,” said a 15-year-old student surnamed Park.“I don't see a problem in them buying what they want with their own pocket money or the money earned through part-time jobs,&

Oct 7, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Teens buy luxury brands to 'flex' on social media

Young people' growing demand for imported cars reflects changing values, tough reality

Law & Crime

Gov't to allow abortion in early stage of pregnancy

Members of the Joint Action for Reproductive Justice, a coalition of pro-choice groups, hold a press conference urging the government to completely abolish anti-abortion laws, in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, in this Sept. 28 photo. / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinKorea will allow abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, while maintaining its current anti-abortion laws for those seeking abortions after this period, the Ministry of Justice announced Tuesday.The ministry will officially pre-announce revision bills to the related Criminal Law and Mother and Child Health Law, Wednesday. The move comes after a landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court in April 2019, which concluded that banning abortion in the early stages of pregnancy was a violation of the right to self-determination. In line with the ruling, the court had recommended to guarantee women's rights to terminate a pregnancy within the first 22 weeks, after which a fetus can technically survive independently from the mother. The revision bills from the ministry also include some exceptions to allow the procedure during the fir

Oct 6, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Gov't to allow abortion in early stage of pregnancy

Society

Seoul Botanic Park to hold int'l symposium, 'Power of Plants'

Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo District's Magok in southwestern Seoul. / Courtesy of Seoul Botanic Park By Lee Hyo-jinSeoul Botanic Park, the city's first botanical garden in Gangseo District, will hold an international symposium Thursday, under the theme “Power of Plants,” according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The event will be held online using the video conference hall at Seoul City Office as the park is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be broadcasted in real time from 7:40 a.m., through the park's official YouTube channel. The conference aims to share creative ideas on ways to enhance the quality of exhibitions and educational content in botanical gardens and seek innovative methods for contactless operation of the park in the future. In the first session, various botanical experts from across the world will give lectures on “The Role of Botanical Gardens in the COVID-19 Crisis.” Lecturers include vice presidents of the New Yo

Oct 6, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Seoul Botanic Park to hold int'l symposium, 'Power of Plants'

Society

Animal abandonment increasing in Korea

Two dogs are locked in a cage at an animal shelter in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, in this Sept. 22 photo. / Courtesy of Beagle Rescue NetworkBy Lee Hyo-jin Lee Hyung-joo, an animal rights activist, was busy during this Chuseok holiday as hundreds of pets were abandoned by people visiting family or tourist destinations.“Stray dogs or cats are easily spotted in local highway rest areas. People who abandon their pets tend to leave them as far from home as possible, so they find holidays and summer vacations to be the right time,” said Lee, head of Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education (Aware). During Chuseok in 2019, 728 animals were reported lost or abandoned, according to Pawinhand, a platform for animal adoption. The exact number for this year is yet to be tallied, but Lee expects it won't be much different from last year. Data shows that holidays are not the only period animals are left abandoned. Over 135,000 homeless animals were found nationwide in 2019, up 10 percent from 2018, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The num

Oct 5, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Society

Eased regulations on electric scooters feared to cause more accidents

A man rides an electric scooter on a road in Seoul in this 2019 file photo. / Korea Times file By Lee Hyo-jinEased regulations on electric scooters, which will go into effect from December, are feared to lead to more personal mobility device (PMD) related accidents, according to three Seoul residents, one of who is an E-scooter rider herself.In May, the National Assembly passed the revised Road Traffic Law in a bid to improve public accessibility to smart mobility. E-scooters will be categorized as personal mobility devices and riders will be subject to the same traffic regulations as bicycles. Anyone above the age of 13, even without a driver's license will be allowed to ride e-scooters. It is currently only available to those over 16 years old, possessing a driver's license, as the devices falls under the category of low engine capacity 2-wheeled vehicles. “It seems ridiculous to let unlicensed minors who lack fundamental knowledge about traffic rules ride on the

Oct 1, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Delivery workers vow not to work on Saturdays

WHO omits Dokdo from map of Korea

Civic groups urge Berlin to keep 'Statue of Peace'

Man arrested for making drone voyeur videos

1 in 4 office workers are YouTubers on the side: survey

Teens buy luxury brands to 'flex' on social media

Gov't to allow abortion in early stage of pregnancy

Seoul Botanic Park to hold int'l symposium, 'Power of Plants'

Animal abandonment increasing in Korea

Eased regulations on electric scooters feared to cause more accidents

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