The Korea Times

Autopsy shows surgeon's error caused Shin's death

By Kim Se-jeong The National Forensic Service (NFS) said Monday that a perforation found in the small intestines of the late singer Shin Hae-chul was likely to have been caused during an operation on Oct. 17.This indicates that Shin’s death might have been caused by surgical error.After performing an autopsy, forensic scientist Choi Young-sik told reporters, “An initial examination showed the perforation appears to have been from the operation.”Choi said the final results of the autopsy would be available next week.The autopsy was performed at the request of Shin’s family. His wife Yoon Won-hee has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kang Se-hoon, president and chief surgeon of Seoul Sky Hospital, claiming her husband’s death was caused by medical malpractice.Depending on the results, Kang may face criminal charges, police said.Officers from Songpa raided the hospital last week, and are currently examining medical records from the hospital and the Asan Medical Center, where Shin arrived unconscious days after Kang operated on him.Shin was pronoun

Nov 3, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Gov't to go migrant-friendly

By Kim Se-jeongKim Hee-jungGender equality ministerGender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hee-jung has promised policies that are friendlier to interracial families.“It’s critical to help society understand that we are becoming a multicultural society,” Minister Kim said in a recent interview. “Marriage immigrants are here, all doing their part.”As of 2013, the number of such immigrants stood at 280,000 ― adding their spouses and children makes this 750,000. The ministry expects the number to reach 1 million in 2020.Kim, a lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, played a crucial role in the establishment of a support center for interracial families in her constituency in the Yeonje district of  Busan.She was a member of the National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee last year before becoming minister in July this year.“Making a new policy is necessary. But what’s more significant is to disseminate the information so that people take advantage of it,” she said.“No work in my ministry can be successful without c

Nov 2, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

1,000 fish found dead near Samsung factory

By Kim Se-jeong Suwon local government and environmental NGOs are conducting investigations into what caused about 1,000 fish to die in a small stream cutting through the city.The dead fish were found the Woncheon Stream on Friday morning near Joongang Bridge, close to a Samsung Electronics manufacturing facility.“We suspect toxic water from the factory killed the fish,” said an official.The city government is expecting the results of initial examinations today. The NGOs also took samples for their own analysis.A Samsung spokesman blamed a subcontractor for polluting the stream.“A contractor handling the factory’s sewage and wastewater management discharged an excessive amount of sodium hypochlorite,” said the spokesman.However, environmentalists suspect more toxic chemical than sodium hypochlorite was discharged from the factory.“From the way they died, it takes a more toxic chemical to kill them instantly,” said one activist from Korea Friends of the Earth.The activist expressed concerns that the discharge could destroy more fish downs

Nov 2, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Hole found on Shin's intestine

Visitors read a book about the late singer Shin Hae-chul at Kyobo Book Center in central Seoul, Sunday. Shin’s albums and songs, as well as publications about the signer became immensely popular after his death, which is thought to have been caused by a doctor’s error, on Oct. 27. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The family of the late singer Shin Hae-chul has presented crucial evidence suggesting that Shin’s death was caused by medical malpractice during an operation.Police said Sunday they are examining medical records the family received from Asan Medical Center, where Shin arrived unconscious days after having a surgery in a different hospital.According to the documents, a surgeon from the medical center found a “perforation” in his small intestine, which was believed to have been created following a surgery on Oct. 17 at Seoul Sky Hospital in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul.The records show that the hole was one centimeter wide, located 70-80 centimeters along his small intestine. Water and food waste were flowing out from the hole, causing peri

Nov 2, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Nursing professors, students gather to discuss challenges and future

By Kim Se-jeongIm Sook-bin, dean of the College of Nursing at Eulji UniversityThe third Eulji International Conference is a venue where nursing professors and students come together, critically evaluating nursing education over the years and discussing ways to best proceed.“I hope this conference will project a sense of direction for the future of nursing,” said Im Sook-bin, dean of the College of Nursing at Eulji University, which organized today’s conference, and the president of the Korean Society of Nursing Science.“I feel we teach students theories that they hardly apply into practice. Practice is much more important than knowing theories, and I think the teaching method should be reformed to address this need,” Im said in an interview.In addition, she said nursing is more than simply a job. “I find more nursing students that are like nomads. They don’t seem to feel it’s their lifetime commitment. They are quick to get bored and tired, and to leave to do something else.”She said the competitive social environment is an impedi

Oct 30, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

Nursing professors, students gather to discuss challenges and future

South Korea

Nursing school in Malawi sets example

Students at Daeyang Nursing College and Midwifery watch an instructor measuring a baby’s weight in Malawi. / Courtesy of Susie KimBy Kim Se-jeongSusie Kim is with Daeyang College of Nursing and Midwifery in Malawi.When Professor Susie Kim’s Malawi students routinely showed up late for classes, she thought it had something to do with the local culture.“I explained to them to be on time. But, they were still late, and what’s funny was that they were all late by 15 minutes as if they had agreed,” said Kim, who is the principal at Daeyang College of Nursing and Midwifery in Malawi.She will be one of the speakers at the third Eulji International Conference on challenges in the nursing profession, hosted by Eulji University. The one-day forum will be held today at the Hotel Riviera in southern Seoul.She shared her frustrations about her late students with one of her colleagues who said the problem might be that none of them own watches. “He was right. No one was wearing a watch, and for them the sun is their watch,” she said, adding that she eventu

Oct 30, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Prosecution drop charge against ex-president against Macquarie case

By Kim Se-jeongThe prosecution Tuesday dropped charges against former President Lee Myung-bak alleging he offered business favors while mayor of Seoul to an Australian infrastructure investment company operating subway Line No. 9.The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said it would no longer pursue breach-of-trust charges against Lee, who was accused of inflicting losses on Seoul City by spending taxpayers’ money to plug a shortfall for the Macquarie Korea Infrastructure Fund (MKIF).Lee served as mayor of the capital between 2002 and 2006.The investigation began after a civic group, the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, filed a complaint against Lee in 2012.The group claimed he had allowed MKIF, which was the second-largest shareholder of Line No. 9, to collect excessively high fares, as well as having the city cover losses.MKIF added that as a result of this contract, the city has already had to cover 126.7 billion won since the opening of the line in July 2009.However, the prosecution found the deal had not been changed unfavorably against the city, as the

Oct 28, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

People & Events

Cause of singer Shin's death in dispute

By Jung Min-hoA portrait of the late singer-songwriter Shin-Hae chul is placed on the top of his memorial altar set up in Asan Medical Center in Songpa, southern Seoul, Tuesday. Shin, 46, was pronounced dead on Monday after falling into a coma following a heart attack during a surgical procedure. / YonhapControversy has erupted over the cause of death of rock singer Shin Hae-chul, who was declared dead Monday after falling into a coma after a heart attack.Some of his acquaintances claim medical negligence on the part of the hospital was to blame, which the hospital outright denies.Shin Dae-chul of rock band Sinawe and a close friend of the late Shin Hae-chul, accused the Seoul hospital in question of failing to properly perform an operation on Oct. 17 to treat intestinal adhesions and contraction.“I can’t believe that you left, Hae-chul. But I will take vengeance on your behalf,” the Sinawe member wrote on his Facebook, indicating that initial treatment was not properly conducted.Rumors about medical malpractice started swirling after Shin was transferred to Asan Me

Oct 28, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Number of people entering and leaving Korea to exceed 60 million

The number of people entering and leaving Korea is expected to exceed 60 million for the first time this year, according to Ministry of Justice Monday.This number includes foreign visitors, Korean travelers and flight attendants.According to the ministry, as of the end of September, approximately 46 million have arrived in or departed Korea this year, a 10-percent rise from 41 million for the same period of last year. Considering the pace, the total number is expected to surpass the 60 million mark by end of this year, the ministry said.It’s been two years since that the number topped 50 million.The rapid growth of the tally is largely thanks to the increase in Chinese travelers.Government statistics show that almost 160,000 Chinese visited Korea in one week alone, for the Chinese holiday between Oct. 1-7. In 1960, only 34,000 Chinese entered and left Korea all year.The ministry says Chinese tourists are leading the record-breaking trend. The Chinese accounted for 45.36 percent of the 10 million foreigners who arrived. This was an increase of almost 40 percent from 2013.The ris

Oct 27, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Ulleung to become energy-independent island

By Kim Se-jeongChoi Soo-ilUlleung County governorUlleung Island, North Gyeongsang Province, will be energy independent through using renewable energy sources from 2020, according to its governor Sunday.Governor Choi Soo-il announced the “Green Island Project” that will take advantage of state-of-the-art energy technologies when signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO).“Ulleung Island will generate all its electricity from renewable energy sources from 2020,” Choi told The Korea Times. “The project will be the future for the island. This will help us become a zero-carbon island.”The island is currently powered by two conventional power plants and a hydropower station. “Fuel cell, wind, geothermal and solar power will replace the conventional power plants,” said the governor. To achieve this goal, the island will establish a new electrical grid with a built-in energy storage system that will store spare electricity. “This is relatively new technology. If the new energy storage syst

Oct 26, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong

Read more

Autopsy shows surgeon's error caused Shin's death

Gov't to go migrant-friendly

1,000 fish found dead near Samsung factory

Hole found on Shin's intestine

Nursing professors, students gather to discuss challenges and future

Nursing school in Malawi sets example

Prosecution drop charge against ex-president against Macquarie case

Cause of singer Shin's death in dispute

Number of people entering and leaving Korea to exceed 60 million

Ulleung to become energy-independent island

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