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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

Constitutional Court hires Italian researcher

By Jhoo Dong-chanMarta ZimbardoThe Constitutional Court has hired 31-year-old Italian Marta Zimbardo as a researcher.Zimbardo will study constitutional law and trials at the court’s research institute, and her position is equivalent to an administrative civil servant.Zimbardo is the second foreigner civil servant to work for the Constitutional Court after American Sean Hayes. Hayes worked at the court from 2002 to 2008.She received a master’s degree with her thesis on the revision of Korea’s family law at Ca’foscari University in Venice. She came to Korea through a scholarship program offered by the Korea Foundation in 2009.After studying in the National Institute for International Education, Zimbardo entered Sookmyung Women’s University to get a doctoral degree in law. She completed the course in August.Since then, Zimbardo had worked at the Italian Embassy until last month, doing legal counseling and translation work. She speaks six languages including Korean.“I want to be a civil servant who contributes to the development of the Constitutional C

Jun 14, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Constitutional Court hires Italian researcher
South Korea

Global NGO asks Park to allow gay parade

By Kim Se-jeong Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental international group, has written to President Park Geun-hye asking her to permit a street parade by sexual minorities scheduled for June 28.The parade is planned as the final event of the annual Korea Queer Festival, but police in Seoul have refused permission.“The South Korean government should protect the freedom of assembly and expression of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and their allies instead of forbidding them to assemble and march on the streets of Seoul,” according to the letter, sent on Friday.The letter was from the NGO’s Asia Director Brad Adams and Graeme Reid, program director for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.It was also addressed to Acting prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, Police Agency Commissioner General Kang Sin-myeong and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Go Dun-su.The gay festival, which began last week, has been drawing fierce protests from local Christians, who argue that homosexuality is a “sin” and therefore the fe

Jun 14, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Korea to lower carbon emission target

By Kim Se-jeongThe government said Thursday it will lower its carbon emissions reduction goals.The decision drew fierce protest from environmental groups, which claimed it has “succumbed” to pressure from conglomerates to cut targets.The Ministry of Environment announced four proposals for greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030 and all emission amounts are higher than the targets set for 2020..The ministry will hold public debate sessions on the four proposals, and choose one by the end of this month to submit to the United Nations.In 2009, then-President Lee Myung-bak announced that by 2020, Korea will reduce its greenhouse gases emissions by 30 percent from the business as usual (BAU) level in 2005. That makes the total amount of greenhouse gases emissions in 2020 543 million tons.The four proposals include a 14.7-percent reduction from the BAU level in 2005 with 726 million tons of emissions; a 19.2-percent reduction with 688 million tons; a 25.7-percent reduction with 632 million tons; and a 31.3-percent reduction with 585 million tons.Critics say the gove

Jun 11, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Gov't opens MERS website

By Kim Se-jeong The government opened a website on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Wednesday.  The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the website (www.mers.go.kr) provides information about the deadly respiratory disease and how to cope with it.The portal comes almost 20 days after the first case was reported in Korea. It contains a wide range of information ― from the latest updates on the number of people infected and the names of hospitals with MERS patients, to basic information about the virus, prevention measures and instructions for the public and those in isolation.Users can also search for the nearest clinics and private hospitals where they can consult doctors about their symptoms. Fever, cough and shortness of breath are the most typical symptoms.The homepage also provides MERS hotline numbers.The government hoped the website would stop people resorting to anonymous websites with unverified information about the virus, the ministry said.  

Jun 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
  • WHO team puzzled by MERS behavior
South Korea

Religious groups obstruct Queer Festival

A man protests against the Korea Queer Festival at Seoul Plaza, Tuesday. His poster says, “All parents are against Queer Festival.” / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Christian groups on Wednesday continued to rally against the Korea Queer Festival for sexual minorities, which started a day earlier, in downtown Seoul.The festival’s opening ceremony took place at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall on Tuesday. Almost 150 people participated in the ceremony, including international guests.Demonstrators arrived at the venue 12 hours earlier on Tuesday to surround the venue, calling on sexual minorities to repent for their “sins” and to cancel the festival. They also criticized the Seoul Metropolitan Government for granting festival organizers use of the venue for the opening.The ceremony went off peacefully. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency dispatched almost 1,000 riot police as a precaution.There could still be trouble as several events are scheduled until June 28, the last day of the festival.A private party is scheduled for June 13 in Itaewon, followed by a

Jun 10, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Religious groups obstruct Queer Festival
South Korea

School closures baffle working parents

Elementary school students in Busan wear masks during class, Tuesday, as a precautionary measure against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong For Jang Boon-nam, 54, a Seoul resident, the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is worrisome primarily because of her seven-year-old grandson.Jang lives with her daughter who is a single parent. Both adults work, including weekends, and the two panicked when his kindergarten notified them it would be temporarily closed from June 4 due to the MERS outbreak. “I didn’t want it to be closed because both my daughter and I work and no one can take care of my grandson, “Jang said. “But, it closed because other parents wanted it to.”Working as a clerk at a public parking lot in western Seoul, she had to rearrange all of her weekly schedule so that she could stay home with her grandson when his mother was at work. Her daughter works as a teacher at a local hagwon, a private academic institute, and changing her working time was not feasible.Jang said she somehow managed to

Jun 9, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
School closures baffle working parents
South Korea

People choose to stay home over weekend

By Kim Se-jeong The rising fear of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) changed the weekend plans of many across the country.Many places, such as movie theaters and shopping malls, saw a significant drop in visitors. Many people chose to stay at home, navigating online malls for their shopping needs.Revenues at retail chain stores fell dramatically. According to the association of retail chain companies, the revenue decline was more evident during the weekend.In particular, E-mart stores in Dongtan and Pyeongtaek ― the very first patient was treated at Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital ― Gyeonggi Province saw their revenues drop by 18 and 12 percent, respectively, compared with the weekend before.Another chain, Home plus also saw its revenue dip by 3 to 4 percent.Outdoor activity venues also suffered.On Saturday, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul attracted 12,301 LG Twins fans for its game, down more than 5,000 from the average number of fans for a weekend game. The story was similar for public parks, mountains and beaches.Movie theaters were also empty t

Jun 8, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
  • WHO team joins fight against MERS
South Korea

Gov't vows to punish rumormongers

By Kim Se-jeongA MERS mapThe Ministry of Justice vowed Friday to punish those who circulate unverified information or rumors about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), saying such cases will be strictly handled by the prosecution.“Spreading incorrect information and rumors only feeds public fear and confuses people, as well as jeopardizing the government’s efforts to contain the situation,” Vice Minister Kim Joo-hyun said during a press conference.The punishment will be applicable to both online and offline material, Kim said, adding rumormongers can be detained.The ministry’s warning came as speculation and rumors about the disease abound on the Internet.For example, a map purportedly showing areas affected by the deadly disease and where the patients were located is circulating. Originally posted at mersmap.com, the map has been copied and shared by millions of users.The problem is: No one knows who created the map and there’s no way of knowing if the map contains accurate information.“If you have verified information about new cases and name

Jun 5, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Gov't vows to punish rumormongers
  • Cheong Wa Dae calls Seoul's mayor `uncool'
South Korea

30 cases linked to Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital

A visitor reads a closure notice on the door of Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital in Gyeonggi Province, where 30 of 42 confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases were reported. The sign reads, “The hospital is temporarily closed for prevention of the spread of an epidemic.” / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday that 30 out of 42 confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases to date are linked to Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital in Gyeonggi Province.The hospital was where the country’s first patient, a 68-year-old man, was confirmed. He was hospitalized after a trip to the Middle East and his case was confirmed on May 20. The hospital is now closed.This is the first time that the ministry has revealed the name of a hospital where MERS patients were diagnosed, but is more than two weeks after the first case was confirmed. The ministry refused to disclose the names of the other five hospitals. “We’ve decided to disclose this particular one after concluding that it’s crucial to tr

Jun 5, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
30 cases linked to Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital
South Korea

MERS death toll rises; 1,600 quarantined

The waiting room at a children’s hospital in Seoul is empty, Thursday, as people are reluctant to visit medical facilities after many patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) were infected while staying at them. / YonhapTest results on mutation will be available soonBy Kim Se-jeongAnother person has died from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), according to health authorities Thursday.The male patient was the first death from a tertiary infection, and brings the number of fatalities from the disease to three, and that of confirmed MERS cases to 36 ― including the deceased ― the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. Of the 36, six are cases of tertiary infection.The 83-year-old man died at a hospital in Daejeon, Wednesday, and tests Thursday confirmed he was infected with the virus.He had been in isolation since May 30 after sharing a ward with the 16th patient there.More than 1,600 people have also been isolated either at home or in state-run quarantine centers after coming in to contact with confirmed or suspected sufferers of MERS, 300 more than the prev

Jun 4, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
MERS death toll rises; 1,600 quarantined
  • MERS puts US forces on alert
  • Masks sold out
  • Fears of MERS put camels in quarantine
  • Government sits on offers of outside help
  • Epidemic disrupts people's daily routines
  • Governing camp disputes on MERS
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