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Kim Se-jeong

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.

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Health

S. Korea toughens entry rules for foreign nationals

The Korean government is toughening measures for foreign nationals who wish to enter Korea to prevent the spread of COVID-19. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Foreign nationals who plan to enter Korea from high COVID-19 risk countries will be required from Monday to submit a negative test result issued less than 48 hours before their scheduled departure, the government said Friday.Nationals from Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Pakistan are expected to be affected by the new rule. The government made a list of high-risk countries based on infections reported at Korea's ports of entry since June.However, the government refused to disclose the full list, citing diplomatic courtesy. “We see the number of cases skyrocketing in countries from which seasonal workers in Korea come,” Son Young-rae, a senior government official responsible for the government's response to the pandemic, said during a press conference. “The purpose of the change is to control the number of people who are arriving from these countries.” Yoon Tae-ho, another senior official, said: “We have already

Jul 10, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
S. Korea toughens entry rules for foreign nationals
  • S. Korea reports 45 new coronavirus infections
Society

Seonam Wastewater Treatment Center leads Seoul's solar energy future

Seoul Seonam Wastewater Treatment Center located in Gangseo District, Seoul, has a solar power farm, covering part of its facilities. Two dark rows in the center are the solar panels./ Courtesy of Seoul Seonam Wastewater Treatment CenterBy Kim Se-jeongSeoul Seonam Wastewater Treatment Center (SSWTC), located near the new apartment complex in Magok, Gangseo-gu, is one of Seoul's four facilities dealing with water contaminated by human use.Yet what makes it stand out among others is a solar power farm with 14,000 solar panel modules covering the roof of its facilities. Last year, the solar farm produced 5,781,959 kilowatt-hours of electricity which is equivalent to “providing electricity to almost 1,600 households for one year” according to Eun Hee-young from Seonam Environment Technology Co., which is responsible for operating the wastewater treatment facility. The generated electricity was sold to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).The project began in 2011 with the installation of solar modules with a 1,300-kilowatt capacity, followed by further installation of mod

Jul 10, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Seonam Wastewater Treatment Center leads Seoul's solar energy future
Law & Crime

Top prosecutor 'gives in' to justice minister

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl leaves his office in southern Seoul after accepting Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's recent order regarding an ongoing investigation. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl “gave into” Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Thursday, as he accepted the minister's order to recuse himself from a controversial case involving a now fired journalist and one of his close aides. Releasing a statement early in the morning, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, “The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office will carry out the investigation, and the district office has been notified of the decision..But, at the end of the statement, it said: “In the 2013 investigation into the National Intelligence Service, Yoon, who was then the investigation team leader, was removed from the team,” indicating the source of Yoon's displeasure.Choo immediately welcomed Yoon's announcement, stating, “Yoon answered citizens' calls for a fair investigation.”By accepting the order, Yoon avoided a head-on clash with Choo and put an e

Jul 9, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Top prosecutor 'gives in' to justice minister
Law & Crime

Justice minister rejects top prosecutor's proposals

Supreme Prosecutions Office/ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae rejected Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's proposal made Wednesday to create an “independent” investigation team to handle a case involving one of Yoon's key aides and a now fired TV reporter, adding another layer of tension to their already rocky relationship.“I don't consider his proposal as him implementing my order,” Choo said in a statement, adding, “His proposal suggests either changing or replacing investigators,” something she apparently doesn't want to happen.Breaking almost six days of silence, Yoon, proposed recusing himself from the ongoing investigation until its end, and to appoint a senior prosecutor to oversee the probe in order to guarantee the freedom of the investigating team. “The decision was made to respect the justice minister's command and the opinions of those inside and outside the prosecution,” the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said. Observers watching the recent clash viewed Yoon's move as a diplomatic gesture to avoid a head-on cl

Jul 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Justice minister rejects top prosecutor's proposals
Society

Seoul to spend 2.66 trillion won on Green New Deal by 2022

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon talks about the Seoul Green New Deal during a press conference at the Seoul City Hall, Wednesday. /YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongSeoul Mayor Park Won-soon unveiled the city's version of the Green New Deal, Wednesday, pledging to spend 2.6 trillion won ($2.1 billion) by 2022 to create 26,000 jobs and combat the climate crisis at the same time.“We're at a crossroads. With the Green New Deal, Seoul is taking big steps to transition to a net-zero emissions economy in 2050,” Mayor Park said during a press conference. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said humanity must cut carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050 to keep global warming at a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase or less. Scientists warn of detrimental consequences if the goal isn't met. Seoul's announcement is in accordance with the Korean government's own Green New Deal whose detail will come next week.Almost half of the city's budget will be spent on promoting construction businesses that construct carbon-neutral buildings. Buildings are blamed as the No.1 greenhouse gases emission sour

Jul 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul to spend 2.66 trillion won on Green New Deal by 2022
Politics

Public furious at judge over child porn site operator

Son Jong-woo, operator of one of the world's largest child porn sites, leaves a detention center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, after the court's rejection of a request to extradite him to the U.S. Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong Public anger is on the rise over the Korean court's rejection, Monday, of a U.S. extradition request against an operator of one of the world's largest child porn sites.Rejecting the request from the United States, the Seoul High Court said, “Sending a criminal to a place where he can receive a harsher punishment isn't the purpose of the extradition scheme… Given the fact that he is a citizen of Korea, the court views that Korea can keep the right to impose punishment on the criminal.”On Cheong Wa Dae's website, a petitioner's complaint about the decision was quickly filed, drawing more than 280,000 endorsements less than one day after the ruling was given.“Saying the criminal can receive a fair trial in Korea showed the arrogance of the judge

Jul 7, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Public furious at judge over child porn site operator
Global Community

More expats have their voices heard in Korea

Members of Seoul city's committee of foreign residents pose for a photo during a meeting in December last year/ Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentCalls growing to accept immigrants as members of societyBy Kim Se-jeong Khalilzade Nihat, an Azerbaijan national and Seoul resident, is a member of a committee run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, in which foreign residents discuss policies relating to them and make recommendations. At an upcoming meeting slated for July 17, Nihat is planning to recommend that the Ministry of Justice run a public campaign promoting the acceptance of foreign nationals as members of society.“I am in the process of getting Korean citizenship. I have a 16-month-old daughter. For Narin, Korea will be her home and her mother tongue will be Korean. But, she is treated differently just because she looks different. I would be very sad to see her rejected and lose opportunities because of this,” the 28-year-old father said as the reason why he wanted to make the proposal during a recent telephone interview with The Korea Times. The committee o

Jul 7, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
More expats have their voices heard in Korea
  • 15% of expats here are illegal immigrants: report
  • Expats suffer workplace discrimination amid Itaewon outbreak
  • Expats cry foul over points-based new visa rules
Politics

Justice minister pushes chief prosecutor into corner

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office/ Yonhap By Kim Se-jeongJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae renewed her pressure on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Tuesday, asking him to implement her order on an ongoing investigation into a case involving a journalist and a senior prosecutor, in yet another sign of tension between the two.“Mr. Prosecutor! Stop hesitating and follow my order,” Choo said in a statement released Tuesday. Yoon has not yet responded to her renewed call.The case involves the senior prosecutor who is a close aide of Yoon. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office which has sided with Minister Choo wants an independent and thorough investigation into the case. On the other hand, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office which stands behind Yoon views the district's investigation as too deliberate and political and wants to ask an expert advisory panel to decide whether the investigation is valid. Currently, the prosecution is divided between pro-Cho and pro-Yoon pros

Jul 7, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Justice minister pushes chief prosecutor into corner
Health

Seoul city moving to set up infectious disease hospital

National Medical Center in Seoul / Korea Times fileBy Kim Se-jeong The Seoul Metropolitan Government is moving to relocate the National Medical Center (NMC) to make room for a new infectious disease treatment center, in an effort to cope with any new outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic here. Mayor Park Won-soon and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo signed a document Wednesday vowing to cooperate in the NMC relocation project.“I hope today's move will pave the way for the opening of the new medical center specialized in infectious diseases,” Mayor Park said. “Also, I hope this will also put an end to the 17-year-long debate over the relocation of the NMC.”“I hope this move will make the NMC the main pillar of public healthcare facilities in Korea and that the new infectious disease center will enhance Korea's response to infectious diseases in the future,” Minister Park said.The NMC will move to the former site of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District which is close to the current location. The 42,096 square meters of land is currently owne

Jul 2, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul city moving to set up infectious disease hospital
Health

Remdesivir becomes available to COVID-19 patients

Remdesivir became available for COVID-19 treatment in Korea, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The government made an Ebola drug, remdesivir, available for limited use in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms, Wednesday, in a move to treat the infectious disease.The government announced 33 patients would be in the first group to receive the drug treatment, adding the prescription will be allowed only for those with pneumonia and in need of oxygen treatment. The National Medical Center which is responsible for distributing the drug for the entire country will collect and review the prescription requests before releasing the drug, which was developed by U.S. biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences Inc. The government said it has enough in stock to treat patients until the end of July, but from August it will have to negotiate again with the company.The treatment will be free of charge in July. In the U.S., the drug is sold for $3,120 per 100 mg, equivalent to 3.75 million won. Remdesivir was found to have shortened the recovery period among patients with serious sym

Jul 1, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Remdesivir becomes available to COVID-19 patients
  • S. Korea administers remdesivir for COVID-19 patients for 1st time
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