The Korea Times

Clinic fees to rise on Saturdays from October

By Kim Se-jeong Patients will have to pay 5,200 won at neighborhood clinics when they visit them at anytime on Saturdays, starting from October, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday.Currently, patients pay that much only for afternoon visits; the cost for a morning consultation is 4,700 won.The increase will apply to 28,000 clinics nationwide which said they need the money to pay employees working Saturdays.The afternoon fee was raised by 500 won to the current amount a year ago.The measure is part of effort by the ministry to help local clinics suffering financial hardships.Weekday visits will remain at 4,200 won, which is the 30 percent of the total medical cost. Under the Korean medical insurance system, outpatients pay this, while the National Health Insurance Service covers the rest. Having a health insurance plan is mandatory for every citizen.

Aug 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

People & Events

Gallery head translates Women's Declaration of Independence into English

Lee Sung-sook, director of the National Women’s History Exhibition HallBy Kim Se-jeong Lee Sung-sook, director of the National Women’s History Exhibition Hall, has done what no one else has done in women’s history in Korea -- she has translated the Korean Women’s Declaration of Independence into English.The text was signed in 1919 by eight women in Jilin, northeastern China. They signed it under fake names and it is hard to know who they really were.In the declaration, they deplored the nation being taken by Japan and encouraged other women to keep their spirits up in the hope for independence and freedom.The original text was found in a book owned by independence fighter Ahn Chang-ho (1878-1938), and her daughter donated it to the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, where it is held.“The declaration is extremely significant,” the director said. “Imagine what the life would have been like back then. Women had no identities, confined to home. Being somewhere other than their homes and speaking out requi

Aug 7, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Gallery head translates Women's Declaration of Independence into English

South Korea

Ex-construction minister appointed KTO chief

By Kim RahnJung Chang-sooJung Chang-soo, former construction and transportation vice minister, has been named the new head of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday that Jung, 58, will lead the tourism body for three years, starting Monday.Three candidates were selected from applicants for the post. After a review at the public organization management committee under the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the culture ministry recommended Jung and President Park Geun-hye approved the choice.Jung was born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and majored in public administration at Sungkyunkwan University. Passing the state exam for public servants in 1979, he worked for Gangwon Provincial Government and joined the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, the predecessor of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, in 1995.Jung took various positions at the ministry, including vice minister. He was appointed CEO of Incheon International Airport in June 2013, but quit nine months later to run for Gangwon governor, an attempt t

Aug 7, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Ex-construction minister appointed KTO chief

South Korea

Woman gets 30 years in jail for murder and mutilation

By Kim Se-jeong The top court Friday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a woman to 30 years in prison for murdering a man and mutilating the body with an electric saw.According to the Supreme Court, the woman, surnamed Koh, 37, was a prostitute who arranged meetings with men through Internet chat rooms and mobile phone apps.She met the man, Cho, 50, in May last year through a chat site. Several days later, Koh invited him to a motel room in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and stabbed him 40 times with a knife.Koh then bought an electric saw, plastic bags and detergent at nearby stores and cut Cho’s body into pieces. She disposed of his remains on a farm in Paju and at an industrial park in Incheon.She bought jewelry by using the man’s credit card the following day.During the trial in a local court, Koh claimed she killed the man because he was trying to rape her, but the court did not accept the claim and slapped her with the 30-year prison term. “Her crime was prearranged and the method of killing was cruel,” it said in the ruling. “She also did n

Aug 7, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

'Tripartite talks essential for labor reform'

Kim Dae-hwanBy Kim Se-jeong Resuming the stalled Tripartite Commission negotiations is the key to labor market reform, the chief of the commission said Friday.Kim Dae-hwan, who tendered his resignation from the post in April after the negotiations broke down, has returned to the position.His return came one day after President Park Geun-hye highlighted the urgency of labor market reform during a national address. Park asked him to retake the post to complete the reform drive, an offer he accepted.The talks fell apart in early April after the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), the representatives of labor, pulled out, saying it could not accept some of the government and management proposals, such as easing rules for layoffs and changing employment conditions.“I am willing to come up with a settlement plan accommodating the labor representatives’ demands, if they decide to come back to the negotiating table,” Kim said during a press briefing in Seoul.While the FKTU recently said it would return to the table if the government excludes the two issues from t

Aug 7, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

'Tripartite talks essential for labor reform'

South Korea

Special holiday draws mixed reactions

By Kim Se-jeong The government’s decision to designate Aug. 14, the day before Liberation Day, as a special holiday is drawing mixed reactions.Those who can get the day off are busy looking to get away for the long weekend, while those who can’t feel the decision is unfair.The government says the purpose of the special holiday is to encourage citizens to spend more money to give a boost to the sluggish domestic economy after the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic.Public organizations must follow the decision, as well as schools and most banks, while private companies can choose whether to close or not.Although the government encourages the latter to close, there are companies that will not.The most complaints come from those at small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed.A small business owner criticized the government for its populist approach.“I run a small business. I will have to work on Aug. 14 to make ends meet. But you know what? The government decision makes me feel like I am a loser who should work while everyone else is at ho

Aug 6, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Sewol divers' pain continues

A diver spends time in a decompression chamber on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, after an underwater search for possible survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster in this May 2014 file photo. Decompression sickness was very common among divers who took part in the rescue operation, and many of them have suffered from other physical and mental issues.  YonhapVolunteer divers call for government to provide helpBy Kim Se-jeong Many volunteer divers who searched for the remains of passengers that died after the ferry Sewol sank last year say they continue to suffer from physical and mental pain.They are calling for the government to provide adequate help for them, saying it has done nothing so far.After the nation’s worst maritime disaster which killed 304 passengers, the operation to search for the victims’ bodies lasted 210 days. With nine bodies still unaccounted for, countless civilian and military divers were mobilized for the operation, and many of the civilians were volunteers.Kim Hong-kwan, 42, is among those angry at how he has been ignored for his e

Aug 5, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Seven fell victim to heat wave last week

By Kim Se-jeong Last week’s heat wave killed seven people across the country, according to the state-run disease control center.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDCP) said Tuesday that seven people died from heatstroke between July 26 and Aug. 1.The figure is much higher than last year’s total of one death. In 2013, 14 died of heatstroke, there were 15 in 2012 and six in 2011.The number of patients treated for heatstroke last week was also high, 307, almost half the total number of cases reported this year, 616. It was also more than sevenfold the figure of the previous week, 42.Among the patients, 60 percent were in their 60s or older. A 79-year-old woman died while working on her farm in Gimje, South Jeolla Province, on Saturday.Diarrhea, headaches, nausea, vomiting and dizziness are major symptoms of heatstroke, according to the KCDC.The number of victims will likely rise as the heat wave is expected to continue throughout Korea this week.On Tuesday, the nation’s weather agency issued heat wave advisories for most parts of the country.

Aug 4, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Seven fell victim to heat wave last week

South Korea

'Korean sex slaves were everywhere'

Members of an association of university students advocating for the victims of sexual slavery committed by Japan during World War II demand the Japanese government apologize for its wartime atrocities during a rally in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongA Korean who worked as an employee of the Japanese military during World War II testified that the Japanese government controlled Korean sex slaves in many countries including Southeast Asia.   The testimony contradicts Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s claim that Korean women who provided sex to Japanese troops during the war were victims of sexual trafficking.The Association for the Pacific War Victims, a Seoul-based private organization seeking compensation from Japan, released video footage Monday of the late Song Bok-seop, a Korean who was an employee of the Japanese military.In the footage recorded in 1992, he said he traveled to Indonesia and Singapore where he worked as a guard at a prisoners of war camp and managed goods supplied to the military.Song disclosed a list of 61 Korean women who h

Aug 3, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Saenuri lawmaker accused of sexual assault

By Kim Se-jeong Police are investigating a Saenuri Party lawmaker for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room. Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency officials said Sunday that the woman, 48, an insurance agent, has lodged a report.The lawmaker’s name and constituency have been withheld, with police only saying he is based in North Gyeongsang Province.The woman claimed that the lawmaker called her several times, asking her to come to his hotel room in Daegu on July 13. When she arrived, he stripped off her clothes and raped her, she claimed. She said the lawmaker put 300,000 won in cash in her purse.Surveillance camera recordings show the lawmaker checking in at the hotel and the woman going into and coming out of the hotel. Police also have records of phone calls between the two.Police said the woman changed her testimony when she was questioned a second time on July 27, saying the sexual relationship was against her will, but she had not resisted “hard enough.”Because she changed her testimony, police will look into the case further before d

Aug 2, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong

Read more

Clinic fees to rise on Saturdays from October

Gallery head translates Women's Declaration of Independence into English

Ex-construction minister appointed KTO chief

Woman gets 30 years in jail for murder and mutilation

'Tripartite talks essential for labor reform'

Special holiday draws mixed reactions

Sewol divers' pain continues

Seven fell victim to heat wave last week

'Korean sex slaves were everywhere'

Saenuri lawmaker accused of sexual assault

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