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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

Stricter safety standards on wet tissues, shampoo

By Kim Se-jeong The government announced Sunday a set of tough safety requirements for manufacturers of cleansing products, air fresheners, wet tissues and other daily necessities.The measures, which will become effective next year, follows massive consumer complaints that some brands of wet tissues contain chemicals that are potentially damaging to health.According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, a shampoo manufacturer, for example, will have to provide a list of toxic substances, quantities contained, possible side effects and warnings regarding the use of such products. Such labels are not currently mandatory.The ministry also said that the government will make a list of highly-hazardous substances that should be banned, and, for less toxic substances, the government will put a limit on how much can be put into each product. These rules will be required for all cleansing products and air fresheners.Regarding wet tissues, the government will impose tougher safety requirements for the manufacturing process. Plus, manufacturers will be required to declare possible

Nov 30, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Should selfie sticks be regulated?

By Kim Se-jeong A government move to regulate the manufacture of selfie sticks, a hot item for smartphone users, is drawing criticism that it runs counter to “deregulation” efforts being undertaken by President Park Geun-hye’s administration.The government plans to set up safety standards for manufacturers and importers as well. Violators could be sentenced to three years in prison or fined up to 30 million won ($27,000). Users will be exempt from punishment, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIFP).What concerns ministry officials are bluetooth-based selfie sticks, which have a built-in remote control that enables phone users to take pictures without using their phone’s photo timing device.Almost none of the products on the market have obtained an “adaptability license,” which the MSIFP says is now required.“The radio wave from these selfie sticks can potentially damage electric devices connected to them. All products will have to pass our adaptability test to be sold,” a ministry official said.The IT

Nov 30, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Former KOICA worker indicted for embezzlement

By Kim Se-jeong A former director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency’s (KOICA) Guatemala office has been indicted on charges of embezzlement, the prosecution said Wednesday.The man, surnamed Huh, is accused of inflating expenditures for the office between July 2011 and August 2012, pocketing almost 24.6 million won ($22,300), according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.The prosecution said he kept 8.5 million won ($7,780) for himself by faking receipts for office renovation in February 2012. It added that he had used the money for personal use, buying groceries, paying his rent, parking fees and a TV subscription.His wrongdoings were first revealed last year during an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), which referred the case to the prosecution. Huh was dismissed in April this year, according to KOICA.KOICA’s Guatemala office opened in 2004. Huh spent almost one year there between 2011 and 2012.As director, Huh supervised bilateral or multilateral development projects in the host country concerning public health, educat

Nov 27, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

All restaurants to go smoking-free from 2015

By Kim Se-jeongStarting next year, smoking will be banned in all restaurants, regardless of their size.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, smoking regulations will expand to cover the entire restaurant business starting Jan. 1, 2015. This will include coffee shops and bars known as “HOFs,” and will result in all 68,000 restaurants across the country becoming smoking-free zones. The ministry added the same law will apply to all cyber cafes, and violators will be fined 100,000 won ($90).“This is to enhance public health and the quality of lives for the people. This will also help us save on the cost of treating patients with smoking-related illnesses,” said Kwon Hyung-won of the health and welfare ministry.Currently, only 23,000 restaurants are subject to smoking regulations. They are larger than 100 square meters in size. Smoking is allowed in smaller restaurants, but only in sealed-off rooms. These rooms will no longer be acceptable from next year.Small business owners are not happy about the new rules.“Many of my customers are smokers who c

Nov 26, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
People & Events

'Green growth is priority for GGGI'

By Kim Se-jeong  Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, chairman of the Global Green Growth InstituteTo Indonesia’s former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the unusually rainy November in Jakarta this year is an effect of climate change and another reminder that traditional economic growth based on fossil-fuel is no longer viable.Many other world leaders share this sentiment and are contemplating on how to develop the economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the chairman of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), an international organization based in Seoul, Yudhoyono will leading the global discussion on this issue. He was sworn in as the chairman with a two-year term on Tuesday in Songdo, Incheon.“I will ensure that the green growth concept will be the priority for the national development agenda (for countries around the world),” the chairman said during an interview in Songdo, Wednesday.Yudhoyono was first elected president of Indonesia in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009. He completed his term in October this year.The green growth concept is an

Nov 21, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
'Green growth is priority for GGGI'
South Korea

Apartment security guards face massive layoffs

By Kim Se-jeong The National Human Rights Commission is urging the government to protect tens of thousands of apartment building security guards who face a potential layoff because of a scheduled wage increase next year.“We ask the Ministry of Employment and Labor to take necessary measures so that they can keep their jobs,” the commission said in a statement on Thursday.The statement comes amid a change in an enforcement ordinance that will guarantee a government-set minimum wage to these workers starting on Jan. 1.  Residents or building managers who fail to pay the money will be punished. Their salary is now 90 percent of the minimum wage.The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said that up to 40,000 security guards could face being laid off across the country.The massive layoff seems inevitable because apartment residents, who usually pay for the guards’ wages, say they will not spend more money.“An apartment security guard position is called the ‘last job’ for retired people in their old age,” the comm

Nov 21, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Seoul takes down memorial altar for ferry Sewol victims

A big yellow ribbon is hung on the wall of a new memorial hall for victims of the ferry Sewol, at Seoul Metropolitan Library, downtown Seoul, Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, which built the hall, removed an altar that had been set up on Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday removed a memorial altar set up for victims of the Sewol tragedy, from the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, almost seven months after the ferry sank.It set up another memorial nearby.On April 16, the Sewol capsized and sank, killing more than 300 onboard. Most of the passengers were schoolchildren from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on a field trip to Jeju Island. The government stopped the search operation last week with the bodies of nine passengers yet to be found.Bereaved family members of the victims and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon joined in the last commemoration at the altar earlier in the day.The city government opened a new memorial hall inside the Seoul Metropolitan Library, located just

Nov 21, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul takes down memorial altar for ferry Sewol victims
South Korea

Former Indonesian President becomes GGGI chairman

Yudhoyono will speak at international conference todayBy Kim Se-jeongSusilo Bambang YudhoyonoFormer Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was sworn in Tuesday as the new chairman of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Songdo, Incheon.Yudhoyono was approved for the post at a GGGI council meeting, replacing former Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.He will serve a two-year term, chairing the council and also become the GGGI Assembly president.Founded in 2010, the GGGI works to connect countries with expertise in green growth with those that need it most. The secretariat is in Seoul, which has become a source of pride for the Korean government as it is the first international organization to be based here.On Wednesday, Yudhoyono will attend an international conference, called “The Nexus between the Creative Economy and Green Growth” at the Sheraton Hotel in Incheon.Speakers and panelists include Yudhoyono; Yoo Jeong-bok, mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City; Yoon Seong-kyu, minister of environment; Mary Robinson, the United Nations secretary genera

Nov 18, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Former Indonesian President becomes GGGI chairman
South Korea

Temporary workers to go on strike this week

By Kim Se-jeong Thousands of temporary workers in schools across the country and workers from the mobile carrier LG Uplus will go on strike this week, demanding salary increases and better working conditions.According to the Korean School Temporary Workers’ Union (KSTWU), almost 30,000 union members will hold rallies on Nov. 20 in front of regional education offices and then the Ministry of Education in Sejong City on Nov. 21. LG Uplus employees meanwhile will begin their protests starting from today.Min Tae-ho, secretary general of the KSTWU, said “We are demanding two things: a paid lunch break and a paid vacation.”The number of temporary workers in schools amounts to almost 300,000 people, accounting for a great number of cleaning and cooking staff, as well as specialized English teachers.Temporary workers in schools are paid 1.44 million won ($1,273) on average per month and are required to pay for their own lunch. A recent rule change also means these people are not paid when the school is closed.In contrast, an employee with a regular contract h

Nov 18, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Gov't takes flak for CSAT errors

A man walks past the entrance gate of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation in Jung-gu, Seoul, Monday. The institute, which administers the College Scholastic Ability Test, is facing a credibility crisis following a series of errors in CSAT questions. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Administrators of the annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and the Ministry of Education are receiving a flood of complaints from applicants over some possibly erroneous questions on this year’s test.One question in the English section presented a graph on the changing patterns of American teenagers’ social media use and asked test-takers to choose the one incorrect answer from the five listed.However, there were two incorrect ones due to the test mistakenly referring to an increase from 2 to 20 percent as an 18 “percent” increase rather than an 18 “percentage points” increase. An 18-percent increase from 2 percent would add up to 2.36 percent, not 20 percent.Test-takers also insisted that there were possible errors in two other questions in the S

Nov 17, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
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