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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

2 foreign hockey players become Korean

By Kim Se-jeongMichael TestwuideCaroline ParkThe Ministry of Justice said Monday that two foreign ice hockey players ― Michael William Testwuide from the United States and Caroline Nancy Park from Canada ― have been naturalized as Koreans.Testwuide, 28, is currently playing for the Anyang Halla hockey team, and Park, 26, is a member of the female national team. They will compete at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Previously, three other ice hockey players became naturalized as Koreans: Brock Robert Radunske, 32, Bryan William Young, 29, and Michael Owen Swift, 28, all from Canada.The ministry said it has approved their naturalization to help Korea better compete at the Winter Olympics.In 2011, the government revised laws to give skilled immigrants Korean citizenship. Since then, 70 foreigners have acquired citizenship.

Mar 23, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
2 foreign hockey players become Korean
South Korea

Teacher making fun of students' mistakes deserves dismissal: court

By Kim Se-jeong A court ruled on Sunday that a decision by Ewha Womans University to end a contract with a professor who mocked students about their grammar mistakes on her Facebook was legitimate.The professor from South Africa filed a petition with the Appeal Commission for Teachers after the university decided not to renew a contract with her, citing the comments she made about her students. The commission ordered the university to re-consider its decision, but the university refused this, and took the case to the court.The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of Ewha.“Making fun of students for their mistakes is not appropriate behavior for a teacher,” said Judge Kim Kyung-ran. “Online messages that she left (on Facebook) sounded insulting and frivolous. These made me wonder about her qualifications as an educator.”The judge also said the teacher’s behavior might have hurt the students’ feelings and could have had negative impact on the school’s reputation.The professor, whose identity was not disclosed, started teaching English

Mar 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Ex-Navy chiefs investigated for bribery

Hwang Ki-chulChung Ok-geunBy Kim Se-jeongFormer Navy chief Hwang Ki-chul was arrested Sunday for allegedly taking bribes from a ship parts producer in exchange for helping it win supply contracts for Korea’s first salvage ship, the Tongyeong.Another former Navy chief Chung Ok-geun is also being investigated for taking kickbacks from the same parts supplier for the 3,500-ton ship. Chung will be summoned for questioning soon, according to the prosecution. Chung has already been indicted for taking bribes from STX Corp., a trading company.Hwang is accused of helping the parts supplier win a contract in the construction of the ship by faking quality assurance documents for the company’s out-dated sonar. The prosecution suspect Hwang was well aware of irregularities in the evaluation and selection process.Hwang was a lieutenant commander and was serving as the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) when the alleged bribery case happened in 2009. Chung was the Navy chief then.The troubled parts supplier is owned by a former Navy captain surnamed

Mar 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Ex-Navy chiefs investigated for bribery
South Korea

Coffee milk to be banned at schools

By Kim Se-jeong The government plans to ban elementary, middle and high schools from selling “coffee milk” containing high doses of caffeine.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Sunday it will propose a revision of laws to include coffee milk among caffeinated products subject to regulations.Currently, there are regulations for caffeinated products sold in schools _ energy drinks or coffee products are banned from snack bars.However, coffee milk was not on the list of regulated items, as it was classified as a “dairy product.”TV commercials on highly caffeinated products are prohibited in the evening time when children’s shows are screened. Violators can be fined up to 10 million won ($8.862). Products containing a high level of caffeine are required to reveal the amount of caffeine in their products.Seoul Milk, Namyang Dairy Products and Dongwon Food & Beverage are among big coffee milk producers in Korea.The government’s move is part of efforts to curb caffeine consumption among children. Their caffeine consumption has increased a l

Mar 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

3 out of 10 students suffer bullying

By Kim Se-jeong More than 30 percent of students in elementary, middle and high schools are victims of bullying, according to a study released Thursday.According to the study, conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 32.2 percent of respondents said that they have experienced violence at school.Male students were exposed more to violence than female students, with 33.4 percent and 30.9 percent, respectively. Students in urban areas were more vulnerable to violence than those in rural areas, 35.4 percent and 25.1 percent. And, students living with single parents were more exposed to violence than those with both a mother and father.By age groups, 38.6 percent of respondents between 9 and 11 years of age said they have been victims of assaults, while only 29.7 percent of respondents between 12 and 17 said they have been abused.Not all the respondents were victims. More than 20 percent of respondents answered that they have been offenders.Drinking and smoking were the most common misdemeanors committed by 11.3 percent of respondents. Young people are prohibit

Mar 19, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Konkuk under fire for dismissing whistleblower

By Kim Se-jeong Konkuk University is coming under fire for a 2013 decision to dismiss a whistleblower who disclosed an internal embezzlement case, which has only recently come to light.The Seoul High Court on Thursday ordered the university to reverse its decision to dismiss a film professor who accused a fellow faculty member of pocketing part of the donations from celebrity students.The school claimed the professor deserved dismissal because he was negligent in teaching students.However, the professor argued that he was dismissed because the school authorities were uncomfortable with his disclosure of the embezzlement case.Following his disclosure, the university conducted an internal audit and found that the accused faculty member did embezzle money, and as a result was suspended from teaching for two months.However, the school dismissed the whistleblower.The court ruled that the school’s decision should be revoked.“The allegations raised by the professor were found to be true,” the court said. “The school’s decision to dismiss the

Mar 19, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Faster airport security checks available for disabled, elderly

By Kim Se-jeong Incheon International Airport Corp. said two fast-track security check areas will be availableb for disabled, elderly and pregnant passengers, Monday.They currently use four areas along with other passengers.The “fast-track” areas will be available for the disabled, passengers aged 80 or older, pregnant women and those with children aged 7 and younger. They will be at the eastern and western ends of the airport’s departure floor and will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.“People with disabilities wait much longer in the departure process as the airport gets busier,” said Hwang Young-mi, who handles terminal operations and planning at the airport. “This service was designed to provide a better service for them.”According to airport statistics, the average waiting time in the departure process is 16 minutes for people with disabilities during popular travel times. During less-popular periods, it is six minutes. The airport expects that the new areas will cut the waiting time to 11 and th

Mar 18, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Travel & Food

Hyatt to throw St. Patrick's Day party Thursday

By Kim Se-jeongGrand Hyatt Seoul is throwing a party on Thursday to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, which was Tuesday.Called “Go Green at JJ’s,” the party will commemorate St. Patrick, the patron saint from Ireland who was a Christian missionary and Bishop of Ireland in the 5th century, at the hotel’s entertainment bar, J.J. Mahoney’s.The Grand Hyatt lit up its entrance, garden and part of its hotel in green on Tuesday evening as part of its St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Namsan Tower in Seoul also lit itself in green. Around the world, the Great Wall in China, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Moulin Rouge in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York joined in the tribute.The party floor will open at 7 p.m. and there will be no entrance fee. A band, LAVA, will play during the party. For more information, call (02)799-8609 or visit seoul.hyattrestaruant.kr.

Mar 17, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Husbands spend more time on household chores, childcare

By Kim Se-jeong Husbands spend more time doing domestic chores and childcare at home, but the amount of time is still far short of that spent by wives, according to a survey released Monday.The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, an institute under the prime minister’s office, said the average time husbands spent on domestic chores grew from 19 minutes per day in 1999 to 26 minutes in 2009. In 1999, women spent 231 minutes daily on household chores on average and 204 minutes in 2009, more than seven times longer than the men’s average time.When it comes to childcare, wives spent 84 minutes each day in 1999 and 93 minutes in 2009. Men spent 13 minutes in 1999 but 20 minutes in 2009.The institute drew the analysis from data from Statistics Korea, which conducts an annual survey on how working husbands and working wives spend their time at home.“The survey shows that society is changing, but change is being made very slowly,” a researcher surnamed Shin, who authored the report on division of labor at home, said. “The trend that women bear mo

Mar 16, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Arms dealer has diverse business interests

Lee Kyu-taeBy Kim Se-jeong The investigation into llgwang Group Chairman Lee Kyu-tae, who was arrested last week for alleged corruption in state arms purchases, said that he runs a wide range of businesses, from defense to entertainment.While Lee has operated the defense business for 30 years, he also owns Polaris Entertainment, founded in 2000.He is the focus of a separate investigation over alleged sexual harassment of actress Clara, who sued him in January for allegedly sending sexually abusive Kakao messages.Other clients include singers Kim Beom-soo, Ivy and Ladies Code; and actors Kim Seon-kyung and Yang Dong-geun.The company has been the biggest sponsor of the Daejong Film Awards, Korea’s oldest film awards, since 2013, when Lee was appointed to the awards committee.In 2000, Lee established the Ilgwang Welfare Foundation and the Ilgwang Education Foundation.On Wednesday, the government joint investigation team arrested the chairman for allegedly pocketing 50 billion won ($44 million) for connecting a Turkish defense manufacturer to the Korean Air Force in a 130-bill

Mar 15, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Arms dealer has diverse business interests
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