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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

Ethnic Koreans celebrate 150th anniversary of immigration to Russia

Dignitaries pose during a ceremony to unveil a monument to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Koreans’ emigration to Russia, at Sister Cities Square in Vladivostok on Aug. 15. In the front row are, from left, Mary Gann, acting consul general of the United States; Lee Seok-bae, consul general of South Korea; Lee Se-ung, chairman of the Korea-Russia Arts & Culture Society; Viktor Gorchakov, chairman of the legislative assembly of the Primorsky region; Valentin Pak, chairman of the Association of Korean Organizations of Primorsky region; and Im Chon-il, consul general of North Korea. In the back row are, from left, Igor Agafonov, ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in Vladivostok; Alexander Yurov, vice head of Vladivostok; Alexey Starichkov, director of the Department of International Cooperation of Primorsky region; Brahma Kardji Rupchjioti, consul general of India; and Nguyen Ai Chung, vice consul general of Vietnam./ Courtesy of Seoul Cyber UniversityBy Kim Se-jeong Ethnic Koreans in an eastern Russian city are celebrating the 150th anniversary of

Aug 19, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Ethnic Koreans celebrate 150th anniversary of immigration to Russia
South Korea

Tianjin chemical blasts won't pollute air here

By Kim Se-jeong Last week’s explosion at a chemical warehouse in the Chinese city of Tianjin has raised concerns of air pollution over the Korean Peninsula.Almost 700 tons of sodium cyanide, a toxic chemical, is believed to have been released due to the blast. Other toxic chemicals such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, were also detected in a neighboring region, according to reports.The dangerous chemicals possibly spreading to Korea is worrying citizens here, especially since Sunday when an ultrafine particles advisory was issued for Seoul and neighboring regions.Although heavy rain cleared the air and the advisory was lifted, speculation regarding the fallout of the huge explosion in China and its effect on Korea has remained.The environmental authorities responded to this, saying that there’s nothing to worry about.“Tianjin is too far away to have any effect on Korea,” said a researcher from the National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment. “Tianjin is almost 800 kilometers from the peninsu

Aug 17, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

SM, YG Entertainment under probe

By Kim Se-jeong The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating the nation’s two biggest entertainment agencies for allegedly overcharging for souvenirs and products featuring idol groups.The investigation follows a complaint from the Seoul YMCA, which in July accused SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment of taking advantage of their market dominance to sell merchandise at exceptionally high prices.SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are Korea’s top two entertainment management agencies. EXO, Super Junior and Girls Generation belong to SM, while Big Bang, 2NE1 and Psy, among others, belong to YG.Products on sale include earphones, T-shirts, sunglasses and wallets, which are sold at special shops in Seoul and through the agencies’ websites.At the SM Entertainment shop, earphones such as those used by EXO members cost 1.23 million won. Sunglasses are priced at 278,000 won, and a rabbit doll that the agency made in collaboration with MCM costs 565,000 won.A Big Bang baseball jumper at YG Entertainment shop is priced at 175,000 won.“Compared with similar p

Aug 16, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Court permits developer to build hotel near school

By Kim Se-jeong A court has ruled that a hotel can open for business near a school providing it is not a source of harm to students.The Seoul Administrative Court said on Sunday that it recently ruled in favor of a hotel developer, surnamed Koh, who filed a complaint against Jungbu District Office of Education after the office rejected his request to build a hotel near a school.According to regulations, hotels are not allowed to be within 200 meters of school boundaries, mainly because the premises usually contain bars. Exceptions are granted when the regional educational authorities recognize that a hotel will not cause harm to students or the academic environment.The developer planned to build a 16-story hotel on land near Seoul National University Girls’ Middle School in Jongno district, and asked the office to allow construction to go ahead in July last year.The office refused, so Koh filed the suit.“We find that it is unlikely the hotel will house a bar that would be harmful to students, because the building design shows that rooms for foreign tourists will take

Aug 16, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Dutch NGO demands Japan's apology

Brigitte van Halder, right, a representative from the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts, participates in the foundation’s monthly protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, Tuesday./ Courtesy of Brigitte van HalderBy Kim Se-jeong Forty-seven Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II are continuing to fight for an apology and financial compensation from Japan. But they are not alone.Brigitte Van Halder, a representative of the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts, a Dutch NGO, is calling for justice on behalf of Dutch nationals who suffered under Japanese forces during the war.“The victims want acknowledgement, an apology and compensation,” Van Halder said. “The Japanese government has a moral and social responsibility to rectify the wrongdoings of the Japanese Imperial Army.”She is one of the guest speakers at the symposium “Thinking Women in the Era of War and Violence” which takes places today in Seoul. She will talk about her organization’s experiences

Aug 13, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Dutch NGO demands Japan's apology
South Korea

Daycare center with no cameras to be fined

By Kim Se-jeongA man installs a surveillance camera at a daycare center in Daejeon in this file photo. / Korea Times fileMore than 40,000 daycare centers across the country will face up to a 3 million won fine if they fail to install surveillance cameras by December, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday.The ministry said the rule will come into effect on Sept. 19, but there will be a three-month grace period. Fines will be imposed on facilities which violate the rule from Dec. 18.The new rule comes amid growing concerns over child abuse in daycare centers.According to the revised law, at least one closed circuit television (CCTV) is required in each room on the property, and those who fail to comply will be penalized with a 1 million won fine for the first violation. That amount will increase in increments of 1 million won for additional violations up to 3 million won.The law also requires daycare centers to keep video footage for 60 days before erasing it and to allow parents to view any footage.The demand for CCTVs at daycare centers increased after a shocking child abu

Aug 13, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Daycare center with no cameras to be fined
South Korea

Man who set himself ablaze in critical condition

By Kim Se-jeongAn 80-year-old man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire during a protest against Japan in Seoul, Wednesday, according to police.The hospital said he remains unconscious with third-degree burns to his arms and upper torso. He also suffered severe lung damage and is on a respirator. The man was first taken to a nearby hospital then to Hallym University Medical Center which has a special burns unit.It is not clear what his motive was.The incident took place in front of the Japanese Embassy at 12:40 p.m., where almost 1,000 people gathered to condemn Japan for failing to apologize to 200,000 women forced to provide sex to its troops before and during World War II. A majority of these women came from Korea, and 47 are still alive.Protesters took part in the rally to mark the 70th Liberation Day from the Japanese rule (1910-45), which falls on Aug. 15.The protest is a famous weekly rally organized by the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, a local NGO.

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Sex slavery victims seek gov't help in legal battle

Participants unfold a big banner during a rally near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday, for Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan’s World War II soldiers. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Ten World War II sex slavery victims have written to Cheong Wa Dae asking for help in their legal battle against the Japanese government.In a five-page letter to President Park Geun-hye, the victims asked the Korean government to suggest that the Japanese government take part in a conciliation process. The Korean government needs the judge’s permission to become involved in the lawsuit.The same letter was sent to the Seoul Central District Court, where the victims filed the suit.The victims filed a damages suit against the Japanese government seeking 100 million won compensation in 2013. But the Japanese government returned the litigation documents, claiming that the Korean court’s order to attend a conciliation hearing was not valid in Japan.Prof. Lee Jang-hie from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies urged the Korean government to help the women.“

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Lonely deaths of homeless foreigners arise

By Kim Se-jeong The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it was trying to identify a homeless man who died of cancer at the end of last month.According to the city government, it has not organized a funeral for the man who died in Seoul Medical Center on July 23 in Sinae-dong, Jungnang district, because of a lack of information about his nationality and name.Before he died, he had introduced himself as Thomas Daniel from Israel to social workers. Also, they found a foreign registration card which stated him as British. But both embassies confirmed that he is not one of their citizens and his registration card turned out to be fake. “We have requested police help,” an official from the city government said.When homeless people whose families and friends are unknown die, usually, the district government runs a notice looking for their families for one month before cremating the body, the remains of which are stored in a charnel for 10 years.But there is no procedural rule for homeless foreigners like Daniel. “We may cremate his body after one month, the

Aug 11, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Lonely deaths of homeless foreigners arise
South Korea

'Dalbit' hospitals cause conflict between doctors

By Kim Se-jeongThe Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will designate 15 more pediatric clinics as Dalbit Children’s Hospitals, increasing to total to 30, to meet soaring demand.Dalbit hospitals are required to have more than three pediatricians and open until midnight during weekdays and 6 p.m. during weekends and holidays, and provide urgent medical care. In return, each receives up to 180 million won per year from the government.However, doctors of other small clinics which are not part of the program are opposing the plan because they are losing patients.An online association for pediatricians, Pednet, has been filled with malicious comments against Dalbit doctors. One doctor was removed from Pednet because of his affiliation with Dalbit.This pressure even pushed two hospitals to give up their Dalbit designations. Some have difficulty recruiting new doctors because of the program’s bad reputation within the healthcare industry. “I can understand the pressure,” a manager of one Dalbit hospital in Daegu said. The man surnamed Cho, who is no

Aug 11, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
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