Korea Times K-Culture Reporter
I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.
Human resources officials from the East Sea Coast Guard test applicants' physical strength during a recruitment process in Donghae, Gangwon Province, Tuesday. The examination usually takes place indoors but was moved outdoors this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. /Yonhap
An official from the interior ministry in Sejong City explains Friday how recipients of emergency relief fund will be selected. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The government announced more details about its emergency relief fund to support citizens suffering financially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Friday, saying it will select recipients based on the previous month's national health insurance contributions.On Monday, President Moon Jae-in promised cash payments in “disaster income” to all households except for the top 30 percent income bracket. According to the government, a single person who pays up to 88,334 won in their monthly national health insurance subscription will be eligible to receive 400,000 won. A two-person household must pay up to 150,025 won to receive 600,000 won; for a three-person household the figures are 195,200 won and 800,000 won; while a four-member household must pay 237,652 won to receive 1 million won. These numbers are applied to salaried workers.To receive the same amounts, those who are self-employed or regional subscribers have a different set of cr
Korean evacuees from Italy get on a bus at the Incheon International Airport, Thursday, heading to a quarantine facility located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kim Se-jeong Prime Minister Chung Sei-kyun said Thursday it was too early to ease the nationwide campaign to encourage “strict” social distancing as coronavirus infections continue to rise here at home and exponentially abroad. Chung hinted that the government will continue to promote the campaign well into April.“Given the fast spread of the virus outside Korea and the fact that many Koreans are getting infected overseas, easing social distancing could trigger a faster, secondary spread of the virus,” Chung said during an emergency meeting in Seoul. The campaign was set to end April 5 but new guidelines and an extension are expected to be announced Sunday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 89 new infections Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases here to 9,976. Around the world, the number of cases has exceeded 930,
Kim Dong-sung on “Bad Fathers” blog By Kim Se-jeong Kim Dong-sung, a short track speed skater who won Olympic medals, was featured on a private blog that posts a list of “bad fathers” who failed to provide child support.Founded by a group of activists, the blog, “Bad Fathers,” became famous in January after a lower court in Suwon sided with the activists in a defamation case. The athlete married in 2004 and was divorced in 2018. Reportedly, Kim's former wife has custody of their two children and he is required to pay 3 million won per month for child support. Speaking to a local media outlet after Kim's profile was posted on the blog, his ex-wife said Kim has not been paying the money since January and the court's ruling in January motivated her to contact the bloggers. “You're still a parent. Although you are not physically raising children, you have a responsibility to share the burden and Kim is failing to do this,” the mother was quoted by the media outlet. In r
Jeju Joongang Women's High School teachers make online content, Wednesday, in preparation for offering online classes from April 9. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Many teachers, parents and students have raised concerns that the unprecedented online classes, scheduled to start April 9 for the country's elementary, middle and high schools, will not be ready to offer lectures without a hitch.Senior students in middle and high schools will start receiving the lectures, followed by freshmen, sophomores and fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools April 16, and first to third graders in elementary schools April 20, according to the Ministry of Education. The high school seniors are probably the most affected group as they will have to take the country's university entrance exam later this year. The ministry said the exam date will be moved back to Dec. 3. “Even during a face-to-face class, many students have their attention diverted by something else. It will be much worse during online classes,” a teacher who teaches Korean language to high school seniors in Daegu told The Kore
University students stage a protest in front of the Korean Association of Private University Presidents in Seoul, Wednesday, asking their tuitions to be reimbursed. Amid the new coronavirus outbreak, many universities shut their campuses down and offered online lectures but many students said they didn't like them.
An online petition against Judge Oh Deok-sik drew more than 420,000 endorsements./ Screen capture from president.go.krBy Kim Se-jeongA lower court judge in Seoul initially assigned to hear one of the cases involving a suspect accused of selling access to violent sexual videos on Telegram recused himself Monday amid mounting public pressure against him.A public petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website asking for Judge Oh Deok-sik's removal from the case drew more than 420,000 endorsements. According to the Seoul Central District Court, Monday, the judge submitted a letter announcing his intention to withdraw from the case and “the court accepted it acknowledging that the situation he was in could hinder him from doing his job.” The case was immediately assigned to a female judge.The petitioner wrote: “Oh is notorious for giving lenient sentences to sex offenders. I can't comprehend why the same judge was assigned to hear probably one of the largest sexual exploitation cases in Korea. His gender sensitivity is close to zero, and he hurts victims by letting crimina
IAP President Hwang Cheol-kyu on the magazine coverBy Kim Se-jeongProsecutor Hwang Cheol-kyu, 55, who heads the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), has been featured on the cover of the latest issue of the Russian magazine, “Prosecutor.”IAP is a nongovernmental organization for prosecutors with members from 180 countries, and Hwang was sworn in September last year for a three-year term. Its headquarters is located in The Hague, the Netherlands and it has a regional office in St. Petersburg covering Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Hwang is working from Korea. The quarterly magazine quoted Hwang as saying: “the fundamental function of every national prosecution service is contributing towards the realization of criminal justice and the rule of law. The United Nations Developmental Goals also emphasizes the rule of law and equal justice for all. I believe that the IAP should do more to make this happen.”Hwang also said, “More specifically, our association should provide a more direct and speedy system for international criminal cooperation and
A hagwon in Seoul is shut down after one of the teachers there got confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus on Sunday/ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong A teacher at a Seoul private cram school targeting university students wishing to transfer to another school was among newly reported COVID-19 patients, stoking fear among students who attended the institute and their parents, according to the health authorities, Monday.Korea has many private schools, known as “hagwon,” and they have the potential to become the breeding ground for infection clusters. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday despite the city's recommendation, only 16.9 percent of hagwon in its jurisdiction had closed.Early on, the government shut down elementary, middle and high schools and universities to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Yet, the shutdown remained optional for hagwon and many have kept their businesses open through the outbreak. The hagwon infection was reported as a heated debate is underway on whether elementary, middle and high schools across the country should reope
Cho Ju-bin, who is accused of of blackmailing women and minors to make sexually abusive videos and then selling access to them, has his face made public outside Jongno Police Office in Seoul, Wednesday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong An extortion scheme hatched by Cho Ju-bin, the mastermind behind a sex slavery and abuse ring, involving cable news channel JTBC CEO Sohn Seok-hee is causing worries for Samsung.Cho contacted Sohn saying he and his family were in danger from Kim Woong, a reporter with whom Sohn had a legal fight. When he was asked for proof, Cho demanded money and Sohn paid him, although he never received any further communication from Cho. The CEO also said he decided not to contact the police and many journalists are wondering why. One day later, Sohn explained that Cho claimed Kim had the support of Samsung and for that reason he was hesitant to call the police. JTBC's largest shareholder is the JoongAng Group, a media group which used to be owned by Samsung. Former Chairman Hong Seok-hyun, in office between 2011 and 2017, is the brother-in-law of Samsung Group Chairman Lee K