The Korea Times

Some presidential candidates want compulsory military service for women

Rep. Park Yong-jin of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea announces his plan to make military service mandatory for both men and women during a press briefing at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 16. Yonhap By Yoon Ja-youngSome presidential candidates, from both the liberal ruling and conservative opposition parties, are saying that they will introduce mandatory military service for women. Rep. Park Yong-jin, one of the presidential hopefuls of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, announced July 16, that he will make both men and women perform up to 100 days of compulsory basic military training if he is elected president. After the training period, they will undergo exercises as armed reserves for a certain period of time. He said that he will establish a committee in the first year of his presidential term to introduce this compulsory military service. In this way, “the compulsory military service, which is causing social conflict, will be con

Jul 19, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Some presidential candidates want compulsory military service for women

Ex-finance minister to be 3rd Moon appointee to join opposition in presidential poll

Society

MMA fighter saves neighbors from wild dog attack

Professional MMA fighter Jung Won-hee / Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngA professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter used his skills to save his neighbors from being attacked by a dog that pounced on a smaller one that was being taken for a walk. The small dog was mauled to death, but the MMA fighter pinned down the attacking dog and saved 10 residents, including the owner of the little pooch, from injury.According to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, Jung Won-hee, a professional MMA fighter affiliated with Kingdom Jiu-jitsu Bokhyeon Gym in Daegu, heard a woman screaming while walking through an apartment complex July 10. It was around 9:40 p.m. and he was returning home after meeting a friend.When he rushed to the scene, a white Pomeranian was being mauled by a large dog. The owner of the Pomeranian and a group of bystanders were unable to restrain the attacking dog due to its size and ferocity.Jung, a flyweight standing 168 centimeters tall, used what's called a “knee on belly” technique from jiujitsu, using his left hand to grab the wild dog by

Jul 19, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

MMA fighter saves neighbors from wild dog attack

Economy

Social distancing, minimum wage hike drive small businesses to brink

Only three customers dine at a restaurant in Incheon on July 12, the first day of the Level 4 social distancing measures. YonhapBy Yoon Ja-youngWith the COVID-19 pandemic continuing for more than a year now, there seems to be no way out for small business owners. The recent re-imposition of strengthened social distancing measures amid a fourth wave of the pandemic, and the increase in the minimum wage, are adding to their concerns. “Most of the evening customers used to come in groups of three or four. I have been maintaining the business thanks to our loyal customers, but I don't think things will be sustainable if the Level 4 distancing measures continue,” said Ji who runs a restaurant on Yeouido, Seoul.The government had originally planned to ease social distancing starting July 1 to help small businesses get back on track by increasing the number of people allowed at private gatherings from four to six in the Seoul metropolitan area, and extending the operating hours of restaurants and cafes to 12 a.m. from 10 p.m. The plan, however, has been postponed indefinitely af

Jul 17, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Social distancing, minimum wage hike drive small businesses to brink

Society

What happens to clothing when it is thrown away?

This screenshot from an edition of the KBS program “Environment Special,” which aired on July 1, shows cattle feeding on discarded clothes in Accra, Ghana. Courtesy of KBSBy Yoon Ja-youngWhen we throw away clothes that we don't need into the clothing donation bin, we believe we are helping someone in need. Those clothes, however, are more likely to end up contaminating the land and water of developing countries across the ocean, a documentary TV program showed.According to KBS's “Environment Special” that aired on July 1, 100 billion pieces of clothing are produced each year worldwide. Among them, 33 percent are thrown away in the very same year that they are produced. The documentary shocked viewers by showing a mountain of used clothes in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Fifteen million pieces of used clothing are imported each week into this African country, which has a population of 30 million. Some of them are traded at a used goods market, but the rest are simply dumped, piling up to make a mountain and blocking rivers. In an interview with the Hankook Ilbo,

Jul 16, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

What happens to clothing when it is thrown away?

Health

Is air-conditioning making people sick?

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngIt seems that life without air conditioners is now unimaginable in Korea, where summers are getting hotter every year. Many people, however, are suffering from a range of symptoms, such as headaches and fatigue, which appear to be side effects of the exposure to too much air-conditioning. In Korea this condition is called “naengbangpyeong” and is often translated here as “air-conditioningitis.” “People get air-conditioningitis when they use too much air-conditioning. When they are frequently exposed to a more than 5- or 6-degree Celsius temperature gap between the indoors and outdoors due to air-conditioning during the hot summer, the autonomic nerve system fails to quickly adapt to it and leads to symptoms such as headache, chills or muscle aches, which are similar to the symptoms of a cold,” said Professor Seo Min-seok of the Family Medicine Department of Incheon St. Mary's Hospital. Symptoms frequently reported by those with air-conditioningitis include losing the ability to concentrate at work, headaches and fatig

Jul 15, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Society

Overburdened by work: Koreans on average spend only 3.7 days on summer break

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngKorean workers have on average less than four days of summer break this year. While employees of bigger companies tend to enjoy longer breaks of five days or more, those hired by small businesses mostly spend only three days or less.According to a survey by the Korea Enterprises Federation of 720 businesses employing five or more people, workers are spending 3.7 days off on average for summer vacation this year. That figure is similar to the 3.6 days spent last year. The federation said that there is a notable gap between businesses depending on their size. While 46.1 percent of businesses employing 300 or more workers said that their employees have at least five days of summer break, 49.7 percent said that three days off were the most common at businesses with less than 300 workers. The survey showed that 48.1 percent of businesses plan to give vacation bonuses to workers, which is one percentage point less than last year.Koreans are known to work more hours compared to workers in other developed countries. They worked 1,993 hours in 2018, which is the

Jul 13, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Overburdened by work: Koreans on average spend only 3.7 days on summer break

Health

Is it safe to go to hospitals during pandemic?

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngPark, a high school student living at a small town in rural area, tried to go to an emergency room due to his high fever of 41 degrees Celsius. But the hospital refused to let him in, instead suspecting that he had COVID-19, and instructed him go to a bigger hospital. His parents then had to drive more than three hours to the emergency center of a university hospital in Seoul. He was admitted after being tested negative for the coronavirus disease, but he died thereafter of aggravated pneumonia.Amid the pandemic, the lives of some patients of illnesses other than the COVID-19 are being exposed to greater risks ― or even lost ― as hospitals fail to provide them with the proper timely treatment. In many other cases, the patients themselves are reluctant to go to hospitals. According to research submitted to the Journal of Korean Medical Science by Prof. Kang Soo at Inha University Hospital in Incheon, the number of patients who went to the emergency room dropped significantly during the first wave of the pandemic last year compared with the same period in

Jul 13, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Is it safe to go to hospitals during pandemic?

Society

Discussion continues over extending the retirement age

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngAs the country finds itself with an aging population, the government is exploring ways to keep senior workers in the labor force. But it is looking into various options and treading carefully as an abrupt, one-sided extension of the legal retirement age will likely face backlash from younger workers as well as jobseekers.With the country's record-low birthrate continuing to drop, Korea's population started to decrease last year ― the number of babies born totaled only 272,400, while 305,100 people died. The working age population, or those aged from 15 to 64, started to decline even earlier, in 2018. That figure is expected to fall to 29.66 million in 2038 from 37.65 million in 2018. These realities mean that in the future, the government will be able to collect less tax revenue from workers, while there will be more elderly retirees who need financial support. Every 100 individuals in the working age population will have to support 76 elderly people in 2065, which is the highest number of elderly among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Deve

Jul 8, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Discussion continues over extending the retirement age

Politics

Politicians show wrong examples of wearing facial masks

Politicians and other influential figures wearing facial masks inside out, including clockwise from top left, former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the People Power Party, and Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo / Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngSome of the country's most influential politicians at the center of the current media spotlight are wearing their facial masks incorrectly, raising concern that they might be setting harmful examples amid the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, politicians of both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as other high-profile figures, such as the prosecutor general, are attending key events wearing their facial masks inside out, which increases the risk of their exposure to the virus. The error has mostly has been apparent when they are wearing disposable surgical or dental masks. These are especially popular in warmer weather as they are thinner and thus more breathable than certified KF 94 or KF 80 masks. One can easily

Jul 6, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Politicians show wrong examples of wearing facial masks

Health

One in three Seoulites have sexless life: study

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngOne out of three adults in Seoul lived a sexless life over the past one year, a recent study shows. The ratio of those not having sex has increased threefold from 20 years ago, and it is especially high among men in their 20s.According to joint research conducted by Yonsei University professors, Prof. Youm Yoo-sik of the Sociology Department and Prof. Choi Jun-yong of the Internal Medicine Department, 36 percent of Seoulites had no sex for the past one year. It is based on a survey on 2,182 adults residing in the capital.In a worldwide study conducted by U.S. drug giant Pfizer in 2000, 11 percent of Koreans said they had no sex life. The figure has more than tripled since.By gender, women were more likely to go without sex, at 43 percent, while 29 percent of men had no sex.However, men and women had different reasons for their abstinence. When asked why they had no sex, 24 percent of women said that the lack of interest was their biggest reason. Among men, the top reason cited by 15 percent was that they couldn't find a sex partner, even though they wer

Jul 6, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Yoon Ja-young

Read more

Some presidential candidates want compulsory military service for women

MMA fighter saves neighbors from wild dog attack

Social distancing, minimum wage hike drive small businesses to brink

What happens to clothing when it is thrown away?

Is air-conditioning making people sick?

Overburdened by work: Koreans on average spend only 3.7 days on summer break

Is it safe to go to hospitals during pandemic?

Discussion continues over extending the retirement age

Politicians show wrong examples of wearing facial masks

One in three Seoulites have sexless life: study

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