The Korea Times

Medical students to end boycott of licensing exam

A statement by senior medical students canceling the license exam boycottBy Kim Se-jeongSenior medical students who have boycotted the national license exam said Thursday they will end the boycott, a move viewed by the medical community as appropriate after it had raised concern over a possible shortage of doctors next year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.“We express our intention to return to take the national licensing exam given that the nation is expected to suffer a shortage of doctors in the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” a statement released by the students read. Out of 3,172 qualified applicants, only 446, or 14 percent, actually applied for the exam. The Ministry of Health and Welfare remained firm in saying the students were too late to take this year's exam.The ministry has said accepting any late applications would be difficult, citing public opinion. On Cheong Wa Dae's website, a petition against accepting late applicants has drawn almost 570,000 supporters.Doctors claimed the government should give them a chance, because otherwise, Korea may experience a s

Sep 24, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Medical students to end boycott of licensing exam

Health

Flu vaccine crisis looming large amid pandemic

People wait for flu vaccine shots that they opted to pay for at a public medical clinic in Gwangju, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongA flu vaccine crisis is looming after the government's temporary halt of a free vaccination program created panic among the public, Wednesday, with people rushing to pay for flu shots nationwide.Pediatric clinics were especially busy dealing with parents asking about paying for flu shots for their children. Other clinics were also busy fielding similar inquiries, with some seeing people queuing to pay for vaccinations. The government suspended its free program after its supply was subject to inappropriate storage temperatures during transit. This year, the government obtained 29.5 million flu vaccine doses, among which 19 million were allocated for the free shot program for children, pregnant women and the elderly. The remainder have to be paid for at medical clinics which charge between 10,000 won and 40,000 won. About 5 million doses of the free vaccine were suspected of being inactivated after being exposed to room temperatures during distribution. Th

Sep 23, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Flu vaccine crisis looming large amid pandemic

New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on untraceable cases

Politics

Foreigners see restrictions on real estate investment as 'scapegoating'

An apartment complex in Gyeonggi Province/gettyimagebankBy Kim Se-jeong The Gyeonggi Province government's plan to impose regulations on foreign real estate investors is drawing a backlash from many who view it as discrimination.According to a local government official, the regulations which may go into effect as early as mid-October will require foreign residential home buyers to receive a permit from a local district office before signing a contract for a property. In the permit, the buyer has to prove that the property would be for their own use, not for renting out purposes.“It sounds like another case of scapegoating foreigners. While I'm sure the number of foreign transactions is up, I imagine it's insignificant compared to the number of transactions made by Koreans,” a person from the U.S. who's currently looking to purchase a home in Seoul told The Korea Times.“If they were to restrict us this way, I'm doubtful it would have any impact on real estate prices. To me, this is politically motivated and at the expense of foreign residents, many of whom call Korea

Sep 18, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Foreigners see restrictions on real estate investment as 'scapegoating'

Politics

Justice minister again refutes alleged personal request for extended military leave for son

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae answers a question from a lawmaker during a parliamentary interpellation session, Seoul, Thursday./ YonhapJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae said Thursday neither she nor her husband had personally called the military to request preferential extended leave for their son during his mandatory military service in 2017."I have never made (such) a request. I have also confirmed with my husband that he had not made any request either," Choo told lawmakers during a parliamentary interpellation session.She was responding to a question from a lawmaker about a military record that claimed the soldier's parents called to help him extend his medical leave. "My husband and I are too busy with work, and my son and daughters have grown up dealing with their problems on their own," she also noted.The alleged power abuse case involving the justice minister is currently under a prosecution investigation and intense scrutiny by opposition lawmakers. The case centers on allegations that Choo used her influence as the then chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party to get her son, sur

Sep 17, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Justice minister again refutes alleged personal request for extended military leave for son

Health

KCDA says free flu shots for all an impossibility

Information about free flu vaccinations is posted on a medical clinic door in Seoul, Thursday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongAs flu season approaches, the possibility of free flu vaccinations for the country's entire population has been increasingly discussed by politicians.The idea has been debated in response to growing concerns that an increasing number of flu patients, coupled with COVID-19 patients, could have a potentially devastating effect on the nation's healthcare system. So will everyone be able to receive a free flu vaccination this autumn? According to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA), the answer is no. The KCDA said this is because the number of vaccine doses produced is decided early on in the year. “Usually, the authorities estimate the number of doses they need early in the year and start production from March, which takes about five to six months. Given the COVID-19 situation, we added 5 million more this year which brought the total to around 29.5 million,” a KCDA official said. While many have asked if the government could allocate an emergen

Sep 17, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

KCDA says free flu shots for all an impossibility

Health

490,000 students take mock CSAT amid COVID-19

A teacher collects students' answer sheets during a mock university scholastic ability exam held at Yeouido Women's High School in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongAround 490,000 high school seniors took a mock College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) in 3,000 schools and 428 private cram schools across Korea, Wednesday, amid lingering concern over the spread of COVID-19.The test centers welcomed students who were arriving early in the morning with face masks on. The test lasted several hours. This year's CSAT is scheduled for Dec. 3.The schools and academies disinfected test rooms earlier and made sure there was at least a one-meter distance between desks in each test room. All test takers were required to wear masks for the duration of the test. “I am used to wearing a mask now, but I still feel suffocated and uncomfortable. I hope I will be able to concentrate well with the mask on during the test,” a local news outlet quoted a Busan student as saying. Those who are receiving COVID-19 treatment or in self-quarantine were able to take the test online.Korea reported

Sep 16, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

490,000 students take mock CSAT amid COVID-19

Trends

Tall, tiny house: Couple's solution to owning home in Seoul

The couple's house is close to the old Seoul City Wall near Dongdaemun in Seoul. /Courtesy of Choi Min-wookThirty three square meters of land doesn't seem big enough to build a house on. But architect and educator Choi Min-wook designed a five-story residential building for himself, his wife and their cat on a tiny plot of land in the heart of Seoul.The couple settled there in March last year. Choi Min-wook, right, with his wife Jayne Jeong pose with their cat, Conti, for a photo during an interview with The Korea Times on Monday. /Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeongThis year, their house won the best architecture award conferred by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The Korea Times visited the couple's home to talk about their experience.The tall tiny house sits on top of a hill next to the old Seoul wall close to Dongdaemun. One side of the building faces the wall and wide glass windows offer a panoramic view of both the wall and the nearby park. “Everything came together, I think. We were planning to get married and needed a place to stay,” Choi said as to what motivated

Sep 16, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Tall, tiny house: Couple's solution to owning home in Seoul

Law & Crime

Child porn makers could face over 29 years in prison

Korea's Supreme CourtBy Kim Se-jeongThe independent Sentencing Commission under the Supreme Court proposed new guidelines Tuesday that will allow judges to hand down prison terms of up to 29 years and three months for those found guilty of creating sexually exploitative content.The guidelines proposed by the commission will become official in December if agreed to after a review by all of its members. The proposal will also allow judges to sentence those who sell sexual content online to up to 27 years in prison, and those who are charged with distributing content and recruiting minors for content creation to up to 18 years. Those who buy the content could also receive jail time of up to six years and nine months. This is the latest development in a drive to impose appropriate sentencing on sex criminals after two recent cases in which those found guilty were given lenient sentences enraged the public, who vented their anger at judges who have been traditionally lenient on sex crimes.Earlier this year, Cho Ju-bin, who ran a sexual blackmail ring called the “Nth Room,” was

Sep 15, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Child porn makers could face over 29 years in prison

Society

Foreign residents in Seoul warned against voice phishing

Seoul Metropolitan Government posted a warning for foreign residents against voice phishing. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongJulian, a Mongolian resident of Seoul, received a text message recently asking for his bank account information with the promise that the COVID-19 relief fund would be applied on his behalf and sent to his account.“I almost sent my bank account number. But I showed it to my Korean friend and decided not to reply. I have other people around me who received similar messages,” he said was quoted as saying by Yonhap New Agency. Julian is among a growing number of foreign residents in Seoul who are targeted by phone phishing scammers, which approach them with the promise of getting the relief fund for them. “Don't forget that only you can file for the disaster relief fund application for yourself. Also, the city government doesn't send any text messages in regard to the application,” the city government said in a warning posted on one of its websites. Another foreign resident wrote on the city government's website: “I've got a call asking for my b

Sep 13, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Foreign residents in Seoul warned against voice phishing

Global Community

COVID-19 makes life tougher for immigrant workers

Migrant workers lay bricks at a construction site in Seoul in this undated photo. Korea Times fileBy Kim Se-jeongKorea is home to almost 2.5 million people who were born outside the country, with almost half coming from China and Vietnam, followed by the Philippines and Bangladesh.However, the lives of those coming from developing countries are fragile here. They are usually manual workers with lower wages, and often came to Korea alone to send money back home to support their families. Even for those staying with family in Korea, the money they earn is far from enough to provide them with a decent living. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic which made their lives even more precarious. The Korea Times reached out to a couple of workers from developing countries to hear their stories. All the names have been changed to protect their privacy.Jose, from the Philippines, used to work at a shipbuilder in Mokpo, but lost his job in July when the company went bankrupt. He used to earn 1.8 million won a month, out of which he sent about 1.4 million back home to Cebu where his wife and daughter l

Sep 10, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong

Read more

Medical students to end boycott of licensing exam

Flu vaccine crisis looming large amid pandemic

Foreigners see restrictions on real estate investment as 'scapegoating'

Justice minister again refutes alleged personal request for extended military leave for son

KCDA says free flu shots for all an impossibility

490,000 students take mock CSAT amid COVID-19

Tall, tiny house: Couple's solution to owning home in Seoul

Child porn makers could face over 29 years in prison

Foreign residents in Seoul warned against voice phishing

COVID-19 makes life tougher for immigrant workers

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