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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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South Korea

5,000 women on maternity leave fired every year

By Kim Se-jeongAlmost 5,000 female employees have been fired every year while on maternity or childcare leave since 2010, data showed Sunday.According to the data submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to Rep. Min Hyun-joo of the ruling Saenuri Party, 26,755 women lost their jobs while on leave for childbirth or childcare between 2010 and June this year.The related law guarantees 90-day leave for childbirth, and up to one-year leave for childcare. Under the law, it is illegal to fire employees who are on such leave except for very limited cases such as a company closing down.“This striking number is an example of how poor Korea’s corporate culture is in terms of promoting balance between family life and career,” Min said. “The government should come up with solutions so that this does not continue to happen.”Some 4,025 mothers were fired in 2010, followed by 4,990 in 2011, 5,665 in 2012, 5,665 in 2013 and 5,193 in 2014. Between January and June this year, 1,226 were fired.Of them, more than 9,700 were fired due to firms’ financial troubl

Sep 13, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Foreign Affairs

Syrians urge Korea to grant refugee status

A group of Syrian asylum seekers hold a rally in front of the office of the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees in central Seoul on Sunday, calling for the Korean government to grant them refugee status. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong A group of Syrians seeking refugee status gathered in front of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in central Seoul, Sunday, calling for the government to help bring their families here.Adnan Alyataka, 32, from the capital Damascus, arrived in Korea in January 2012. He applied for refugee status, but does not know whether it will be granted or when he will be told.His family is now living in Egypt. He tried to bring them to Korea by contacting the Korean embassies in Lebanon and Egypt, but the attempts failed. If he is acknowledged as a refugee, he will be able to fly to Egypt and bring them.“I just need a refugee status,” he said. “I would not ask any other support from Korea.”Alyataka is one of 768 Syrians seeking refugee status in Korea. Only three have been recognized so far. The rest h

Sep 13, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Syrians urge Korea to grant refugee status
South Korea

Teenagers' sleep hours linked to suicide: study

A phrase on the handrail of Mapo Bridge in Seoul reads, “Look up the blue sky!” on Thursday, World Suicide Prevention Day. The city government put up such signs to discourage people from trying to commit suicide as the bridge has the largest number of people leaping to their deaths among the bridges over the Han River. A study showed sleep deprivation can increase the likelihood of suicide among teenagers. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Teenagers who do not get sufficient sleep are more likely to think about and plan suicide, a study showed Thursday.The study, which was released on World Suicide Prevention Day, partially explains the high ratio of suicides among teenagers in Korea, where middle and high schools sleep for an average of six hours.A team led by Professor Yoo Ki-bong of Eulji University said teenagers who sleep for fewer than seven hours each night are almost 1.5 times more likely to think about killing themselves than those who sleep seven hours.Sleep deprivation encourages teenagers to plan suicide, according to the study. Those with below seven hours of slee

Sep 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Travel & Food

HOTEL LOBBY

  Renaissance Seoul Hotel offers two Chuseok packages between Sept. 25 and Oct. 4.Both packages come with the benefit of access to the indoor swimming pool, recreation center and sauna. The hotel’s Cafe Elysee will offer traditional cuisine and rice cake for guests.The first package includes a one-night stay in a deluxe room, six Korean cookies and two glasses of Korean wine punch. The package costs 130,000 won, excluding tax and service charges.The second package includes a one-night stay in a deluxe room, complimentary breakfast buffet at the Cafe Elysee for two and a special spa travel kit. The package costs 160,000 won.For more information and reservations, call (02) 2222-8500.   Kensington Jeju Hotel organizes a family photo contest. Entry is open until Oct. 20, and photos taken of the family on Jeju Island or of the hotel will be considered. The winner will receive Olympus’s newest digital camera, while the runner-up will get a hotel voucher. Other prizes include hotel restaurant vouchers and Starbucks gift certificates. Winners will be anno

Sep 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
HOTEL LOBBY
South Korea

Hotels offer wedding packages to Chinese couples

By Kim Se-jeong Recently, many Chinese tourists to Korea have been preferring low-budget accommodations to luxury hotels. To gain their market share, some high-end hotels are offering packages to niche market customers, such as young couples who are fans of Korean dramas and who want to get married in Korea.THE PLAZA’s “Love Is the Moment” package includes Mariebelle dresses and tuxidos for the wedding rehearsal, make-up by byBOM and photos of the couple at the hotel taken by Kuho Studio.A hotel representative says brand recognition is important to Chinese customers. They prefer brand names associated with Korean celebrities. byBOM’s makeup services are used by Korean celebrities like Han Ye-seul, Han Hyo-ju, Lee Yun-hee and Chae Jung-ahn.Lotte Hotel’s “Royal Romantic” package includes a one-night stay in the hotel and a photo shoot at the hotel’s Athene Garden. The Wedding gowns, tuxedos, make-up and other services will be provided in the photo shoot. The package is inspired by Korean soap operas, like “The Heirs” and

Sep 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Hotels offer wedding packages to Chinese couples
Travel & Food

Park Hyatt to showcase Gangnam Comfort Cuisine

A dish of sashimi where the creamy red-chilli pepper sauce isserved on the bottom of the plate.  / Courtesy of Park Hyatt SeoulBy Kim Se-jeong Park Hyatt Seoul’s honey bingsu, its version of a Korean summer dessert, made of shaved ice, honey, apple and pecan has become a sensation since it was first introduced last year.Inspired by the honey bingsu’s success, the hotel is showcasing more Korean favorites as its “Gangnam Comfort Cuisine” which will start on Sept. 14 and be served at The Lounge on the hotel’s 24th floor.The dishes on the Gangnam Comfort Cuisine ― sashimi, chicken soup, grilled hairtail, vegetable pancakes, pork belly and beef dumplings ― maybe local favorites, but the hotel chefs put their own twists to the dishes which will pleasantly surprise those who already know the dishes’ tastes and ingredients.“Samgye-gui” (roasted chicken with ginseng) With the sashimi, for example, the raw fish is traditionally dipped in thick red-pepper sweet and sour sauce. The hotel chefs, in contr

Sep 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Park Hyatt to showcase Gangnam Comfort Cuisine
South Korea

Excessive holiday gift packaging raises ire

By Kim Se-jeong An Internet user was shocked when she opened a gift box during a holiday season a year ago. The box was huge, but it only contained six items, including two bottles of sesame oil, wrapped in cardboard paper.“I would say 70 percent of what I had received was waste,” the user with the ID gyeongbinmama wrote on her blog. “I felt like had received a box of cardboard papers as gift.”Excessive gift packaging is a growing problem, and the situation worsens during the holiday seasons, such as Chuseok and Seollal, when people exchange a lot of gifts. Despite the blogger who complains about the unnecessary packaging and decorations, who catches the sentiments of many, stores continue to sell gifts wrapped in fancy paper so the gifts look more impressive.The Ministry of Environment made a regulation that stipulates the minimum volume of items in a gift box. The volume requirement differs from item to item, but on average, items should fill at least 75 percent of a holiday gift box.The regulation also requires that each item cannot have more than two

Sep 9, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Airplane-pulling contest held to help sick children

People pull a 45-ton airplane at the Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province, Aug. 26, during a contest organized by the Fun Fun Foundation to raise funds to fight pediatric cancer. / Courtesy of Fun Fun FoundationBy Kim Se-jeong Some 700 people have participated in an airplane-pulling contest to raise funds for child cancer patients.According to Fun Fun Foundation, the event organizer, 28 teams each comprised of 25 members attempted to pull a 45-ton airplane at the Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province at the end of last month.The goal of the contest was to pull the jet for 3 meters. While many groups comprised of policemen, firefighters, children, politicians, singers and actors took part in the contest, a team of workers from Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang won the contest by pulling the jet 3 meters in 6.13 seconds.The participation fees totaled 20 million won, which was donated to the association for childhood cancer patients at Seoul National University Hospital on Sept. 4. The contest was also sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organization, and the air

Sep 8, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Doctors who lie face license suspension

 By Kim Se-jeong                   Doctors who disseminate false or exaggerated medical information while on air will get their licenses suspended for up to one year, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tuesday.The ministry said the revised medical service law passed the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning and will come into effect in three months.According to the revised law, the authorities will suspend licenses of doctors, dentists, Oriental doctors and nurses who offer false information about medical treatment or health foods via newspapers, broadcasts, online news outlets or periodicals.“We have chosen to suspend the licenses of these practitioners because of rising concerns that what they say has huge influence on the health of consumers, who typically believe that what medical professionals say is true,” a ministry official said.According to the revision, screening for medical advertisements will be toughened as well.In the medical advertisement screening committees, representatives who are not medi

Sep 8, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Top Seoul educator holds on to job

Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, answers reporters’ questions in front of the Seoul High Court, Friday, after the court suspended his sentence. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong An appellate court has suspended handing down a sentence to Seoul’s top educator, although it acknowledged his being charged with the Election Law violation.The Seoul High Court made the decision on Friday for Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), who was charged with spreading false rumors about his rival Koh Seung-duk during the election campaign last year.Such a suspension of sentence is a kind of “mercy” given when the crime is not grave. After two years, the person avoids punishment for the charge.The court overturned a lower court decision which sentenced Cho to 5 million won in fines, which would deprive him of the post according to the law. The prosecution said it would appeal. If the Supreme Court upholds the high court ruling, Cho will keep his post.During the election campaign, C

Sep 4, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Top Seoul educator holds on to job
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