The Korea Times

Court rules refugees eligible for public rental housing

Court rules refugees eligible for public rental housingForeign nationals who have refugee status in Korea have the same right to apply for public rental housing as Korean nationals, according to a local court ruling./gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-youngForeign nationals who have refugee status in Korea have the same right to apply for public rental housing as Korean nationals, according to a local court ruling.According to Law Times, a local media outlet specializing in legal affairs, a foreign national who had fled from a country in the Middle East, as his life was being threatened over his involvement in anti-government protests. Following a screening process by the Ministry of Justice, he was granted refugee status in Korea in March 2018 and after a few months became a recipient of social welfare services such as a stipend for living expenses, housing and healthcare, under the National Basic Livelihood Security Act. In June last year, he visited a community center in Seoul's Gwanak District and applied for pu

Dec 16, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Society

Expert criticizes Korea's college entrance exam for being too difficult

In this screenshot from a video on the YouTube channel of Josh, "the Korean Englishman," a British high school student tries to solve a question from the English part of Korea's College Scholastic Ability Test.By Yoon Ja-youngAn education expert who previously administered the country's annual college entrance exam said that that test should be scrapped, as it now only has excessively tricky questions that go beyond what's taught in high school classes.In an interview with daily newspaper The Kyunghyang Shinmun, Sung Ki-sun, a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the Catholic University of Korea, criticized the “Suneung,” or the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). He served as the chief of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, which is in charge of the test, from 2017 until this February. He pointed out that the CSAT is in dilemma. If it is too easy, too many students get perfect scores, which result in a loss for the top students, as they will get the same score as those who are not as good as them. It thus includes some very tricky questi

Dec 14, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Expert criticizes Korea's college entrance exam for being too difficult

Reform 'Suneung'

Companies

20,000 won for fried chicken: Consumers complain over price hikes by chicken franchises

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngWith chicken franchises hiking prices steeply recently, consumers are expressing their frustration that the popular food is now far too expensive for many. BHC Chicken, the second-biggest player in the chicken franchise industry, announced that it will raise the prices of some items by 1,000 won or 2,000 won. Consumers now have to pay 20,000 won ($17) for some of its popular menu items, as it raised prices by an average 7.8 percent.The decision follows an 8.1 percent average price hike by top player Kyochon Chicken last month. As the prices of its popular menu choices, such as Red Combo chicken and Honey Combo chicken, had reached 20,000 won, consumers complained that it was too expensive, especially given the extra costs for delivery services, which they had not had to pay only a few years ago. “As they are also raising delivery fees, I come to hesitate before ordering chicken for my two kids. Half of the time, I substitute it with using an air fryer on frozen chicken from the supermarket,” wrote an internet user. BBQ, the third-place chick

Dec 14, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

20,000 won for fried chicken: Consumers complain over price hikes by chicken franchises

Politics

Support for eccentric presidential hopeful nearing 5%

In this Aug. 18 file photo, Huh Kyung-young shows up in a traditional suit of armor and on horseback to declare his third presidential bid at Haengju Fortress in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. YonhapBy Yoon Ja-youngA presidential hopeful who has been known for his seemingly unrealistic pledges as well as his eccentric remarks and behaviors is seeing his support rate surge. He is asking for more support so that voters can see him in a major presidential debate with the candidates of the two main parties. Huh Kyung-young, the National Revolutionary Party's honorary chief, who announced his bid for the presidency in August, noted on Facebook recently that his support rate is rising. “If the support rate surpasses 5 percent, you can see Huh Kyung-young at a presidential debate,” he said.The comment follows a recent presidential poll by Asia Research and Consulting. Huh garnered a 4.7-percent support rate, coming in third following Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party at 45.5 percent and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party at 37.2 percent. Huh has more

Dec 13, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Support for eccentric presidential hopeful nearing 5%

Ruling party's presidential candidate faces mounting criticism for inconsistent comments

Society

For many Korean high school seniors, winter is the season for plastic surgery

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngNow that the annual college entrance exam, the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), is over, hundreds of thousands of students, who will graduate from high school in a couple of months, have a long list of post-exam plans, such as traveling or getting their driver's licenses.Also included on their to-do list, for some, is getting cosmetic surgery. Unlike in the past, many parents have become supportive of their children's plans to go under the knife to change their looks. Numerous postings can be found online in which parents are making inquiries about beauty clinics. But some experts say that, for teenagers who are not fully grown yet, such a decision should be made very carefully.“I want double eyelid surgery for my son who finished the CSAT. We plan to go to Apgujeong-dong in Gangnam District, but I want to get as much information as possible before visiting. Could you give me tips, such as how much it costs approximately and the clinics that are reputable?” one mom wrote.“My niece took the CSAT, and I am glad that she got a good

Dec 13, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

For many Korean high school seniors, winter is the season for plastic surgery

Society

Korea's first Omicron patients face online wrath after private info leaked

gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-youngPrivate information about the couple who first tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Korea has been leaked online. While some blame the couple for giving false information about their whereabouts to health authorities, others say revealing their photos and even information about their family members should not be tolerated.At Bobae Dream, a popular site for sharing information about cars, a person uploaded a post titled “I found the Omicron,” Dec. 3. The authorities said earlier this month that the married couple in their 40s were confirmed to have been infected with the Omicron variant while on a visit to Nigeria. The post included the picture and names of the couple as well as the picture and name of the head pastor of their church. The post instantly drew a lot of attention, receiving more than 240,000 hits, including 2,500 likes and 400 replies. Some online trolls blamed the couple harshly, calling them “biochemic

Dec 7, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Korea's first Omicron patients face online wrath after private info leaked

Omicron variant feared to be spreading nationwide

Society

Car owners suffering from parking shortage

Cars are parked along both sides of an alley in a residential area of Incheon's Namdong District, Nov. 29. Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngWhile the number of cars has been increasing steeply over the past decade, parking spaces haven't been growing to meet demand in most of the big cities in Korea, resulting in the chronic and worsening parking shortage problem.The Hankook Ilbo, sister paper of The Korea Times, reported the case of an office worker who recently moved to a studio apartment in Yongsan District in Seoul. Ever since moving to the new home, he has kept his car in the parking lot without using it, because if he ever leaves the space, it is impossible to park in the spot again. The three-story building has 15 households but its parking lot accommodates only three cars. There is a public parking lot about 400 meters from his home, but even there, it is difficult to find an empty space in the evening. He is seriously considering selling his car. There were around 2 million cars in 1988 when the country hosted the Seoul Olympics. The number exploded to 10 million in 1997 in s

Dec 6, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Car owners suffering from parking shortage

North Korea

North Korean teen sentenced to 14-year forced labor for watching 'The Man from Nowhere': report

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngA North Korean teenager was reportedly sentenced to 14 years' forced labor for watching just five minutes of a South Korean film. Daily NK, a media outlet specializing in news about North Korea, recently reported that a middle school student in Hyesan, a North Korean city bordering China, was sentenced to 14 years in a labor camp for watching the South Korean film “The Man from Nowhere.” It cited a source in North Korea's Yanggang Province who reported that the 14-year-old was caught five minutes into watching the movie. North Korea has been strengthening penalties on consumption of South Korean popular content, introducing a law last year which stipulates that those who watch, listen to, or keep South Korea's film, recordings, edited material, books, songs, drawings, or photos are subject to between five to 15 years of forced labor. The news outlet noted that while the law doesn't specifically mention penalties for teenagers the convicted teenager was sentenced as an adult. It added that this appears to reflect the regime's intention to war

Dec 6, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

North Korean teen sentenced to 14-year forced labor for watching 'The Man from Nowhere': report

Society

Government's Christmas carol campaign faces backlash from Buddhists

In this Dec. 24, 2020, file photo, a healthcare worker is dressed up in a Santa Claus costume at a coronavirus testing center in Gwangju. YonhapBy Yoon Ja-youngThe government campaign to promote a festive spirit to the public through Christmas carols during the year-end season is facing a strong backlash from Buddhists.The Association of Korean Buddhist Orders announced on Dec. 2 that it filed for an injunction to stop the government from using its budget allocated for the campaign. The country's largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, also announced on Dec. 1 that it cannot help but be astonished by the government's plan to promote carols officially. “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which should be fair and impartial in policies regarding religion, is leading a Christian missionary project on the pretense of comforting people,” it said in the announcement. “If the songs, which some people are uncomfortable about, are played continuously through the media, it turns into a deadly weapon, and is nothing more than pollution for those peo

Dec 2, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Government's Christmas carol campaign faces backlash from Buddhists

Shows & Dramas

How much are top Korean actresses paid?

These two file photos show actresses Song Hye-kyo, left, and Jun Ji-hyun. Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngWith the rising popularity of Korean dramas around the world, salaries paid to actors and actresses have also risen dramatically. The top actresses appearing in Korean dramas are now paid over 200 million won ($170,000) per episode.According to the Hankook Ilbo, sister paper of The Korea Times, Song Hye-kyo and Jun Ji-hyun, popular actresses whose dramas are currently on air, are each making over 200 million won per episode. Song is currently playing the lead in SBS's melodrama, “Now We Are Breaking Up,” while Jun is starring as a mountain ranger in tvN's mystery series, “Jirisan.”While the salaries of the actors and actresses are not made public in most cases, it was reported that Song was paid over 100 million won per episode in tvN's “Encounter,” which aired in 2018. The actress was already among the most sought-after stars when she enjoyed surging international popularity with “Descendants of the Sun,” one of the most talked abo

Dec 2, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Yoon Ja-young

Read more

Court rules refugees eligible for public rental housing

Expert criticizes Korea's college entrance exam for being too difficult

20,000 won for fried chicken: Consumers complain over price hikes by chicken franchises

Support for eccentric presidential hopeful nearing 5%

For many Korean high school seniors, winter is the season for plastic surgery

Korea's first Omicron patients face online wrath after private info leaked

Car owners suffering from parking shortage

North Korean teen sentenced to 14-year forced labor for watching 'The Man from Nowhere': report

Government's Christmas carol campaign faces backlash from Buddhists

How much are top Korean actresses paid?

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