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Single-parent families suffer financial difficulties

First lady Kim Jung-sook waves hand at audience during the event celebrating establishment of single parent family day at Ferrum Tower in Jongno, central Seoul in this May 2018 photo. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday financial hardhip is the top concern for single-parent familes. / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwonBy Kim Jae-heunFinancial hardship is the top concern for single-parent families, as 80 percent of them say they have difficulty covering child rearing expenses and education costs, according to a survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Thursday.The ministry surveyed 2,500 single parents across the country last year. Most of them became single parents after divorce, and were raising 1.5 children on average. Some 51 percent of the families were comprised of a mother and children, while 21.1 percent were a father and children, and others had children in the care of additional family members such as grandparents.According to the survey, the monthly income of a single-parent family was an average of 2.19 million won ($1,925). This has incr

Apr 11, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Single-parent families suffer financial difficulties

'Pro-choice!': Constitutional Court rules against abortion ban

Abortion rights activists outside the Constitutional Court in central Seoul burst into tears after hearing the verdict ruling the abortion ban unconstitutional, Thursday. / YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonThe Constitutional Court overturned the country's 66-year-old abortion ban Thursday, saying it was unconstitutional to bar women from terminating a pregnancy in its early stages as it prevented them from making their own decision on personal matters.In a seven-to-two decision, the court ruled that Articles 269 and 270 of the Criminal Act, which sentences women who have abortions to up to one year in jail or a 2 million won ($1,750) fine, and doctors who carry them out to up to two years in prison, were unconstitutional.To prevent any confusion from a sudden removal of the ban, the court ordered the National Assembly to revise relevant laws by Dec. 31, 2020 to allow abortion in the early stages of pregnancy, with detailed regulations such as how many weeks into a pregnancy an abortion should be permitted.The nine justices of the Constitutional Court take their seats in its main courtroom in cen

Apr 11, 2019

'Pro-choice!': Constitutional Court rules against abortion ban

S. Korea's top court rules anti-abortion law 'unconstitutional'

In a historic decision, the Constitutional Court Thursday ruled that the 66-year-old anti-abortion law is “unconstitutional." YonhapBy Park Si-sooIn a historic decision, the Constitutional Court Thursday ruled that the 66-year-old anti-abortion law is “unconstitutional.” The court said banning women from aborting a fetus in the “early stage of pregnancy” is an “excessive restriction” of a woman’s right to self-determination. But the court decided not to abolish the law immediately and demanded the National Assembly amend it by Dec. 31, 2020. This means the anti-abortion law will remain effective until then. The definition of “early stage” will be determined by lawmakers.Among the nine-member bench, three justices ruled the law was “against the constitution,” four “unconstitutional” on the condition the law has to be changed by Dec. 31, 2020; and two “constitutional.”It was the court’s response to a 2017 complaint filed by an obstetrician who was charged in 2013 for performing an abor

Apr 11, 2019

S. Korea's top court rules anti-abortion law 'unconstitutional'

Constitutional Court to rule on anti-abortion law (ruling from 2 p.m.)

South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday was set to decide whether it is constitutional to punish women and physicians for terminating a pregnancy, a fresh ruling to come seven years after the court narrowly upheld the long-debated law. The adjudication, due in a 2 p.m. hearing, is the court's response to a 2017 complaint filed by an obstetrician who was charged in 2013 for performing an abortion with the woman's consent. The doctor claimed that the Article 270 of the Criminal Code, which states that a physician shall be imprisoned for up to two years for the offense, infringes upon the woman's right to a free choice. Aborting an unborn fetus is punishable by a prison term of up to one year or a 2 million-won ($1,750) fine under the Mother and Child Health Law enacted in 1953. The Constitutional Court upheld the law in a 4-4 vote when it last reviewed its constitutionality in August 2012. Two-thirds of the nine-justice panel are required to reverse the ruling.It ruled that a fetus's right to life must be protected and that is no less important than a woman's right to make a fre

Apr 11, 2019

Constitutional Court to rule on anti-abortion law (ruling from 2 p.m.)

Working wives spend 7.4-fold more time on housework than husbands

A study shows married women in dual-income households still spend more time on housework than their husbands. / GettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiDespite changes in traditional gender roles, working women in dual-income households still do much more housework than their husbands, a study shows Wednesday.According to the study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), based on 2014 data from Statistics Korea, married men in dual-income families spent 546.8 minutes at their workplace, or 1.3 times more than women, who spend 412.4 minutes.But after work on weekdays, the wives spent 129.5 minutes on household chores a day, or 7.4 times more than the husbands who spent 17.4 minutes. For childcare, women spent 52.2 minutes, 3.5 times more than men's 14.9 minutes during weekdays.Wives still spent more time on both household chores and childcare on weekends. Men spent 41 minutes on housework and 28.8 minutes on childcare per day, compared to women's 176.4 minutes and 48.6 minutes, respectively.Meanwhile, in single-income households where only men are breadwinners, men spent 5

Apr 10, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Working wives spend 7.4-fold more time on housework than husbands

More patients with respiratory ailments use ambulances amid severe air pollution

The number of patients with respiratory illnesses who called for an ambulance came to 7,675 in January, 6,556 in February and 7,618 in March. Korea Times fileThe number of cases in which emergency responders drove ambulances to take people affected by respiratory ailments to hospitals rose to a five-year high in the first quarter of the year amid an onslaught of worsened air pollution, government data showed Wednesday.The data from the National Fire Agency revealed that the agency's rescuers were dispatched to deal with 21,849 patients who were stricken by respiratory ailments in the January-March period, up from 11,387 in the same period of 2015.The comparable figures for the same periods of 2016, 2017 and 2018 stood at 10,727, 11,375 and 20,512, respectively.The number of patients with respiratory illnesses who called for an ambulance came to 7,675 in January, 6,556 in February and 7,618 in March.The March figure is higher than 5,904 in the same month of last year. In the first seven days of March, most of South Korea, including Seoul, was hit by heavy concentrations of PM2.5 harmf

Apr 10, 2019

More patients with respiratory ailments use ambulances amid severe air pollution

'Provide sign language in live disaster reports'

Activists rally in front of the National Human Rights Commission building, downtown Seoul, Tuesday, to condemn the lack of sign language interpretation in recent Gangwon Province fire reports by news broadcasters. YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonActivists calling for disabled people's rights rallied in front of the National Human Rights Commission building in downtown Seoul, Tuesday, calling on the country's news broadcasters to provide proper sign language interpretation ― especially in times of crisis.Calls for more inclusive broadcasting content is not new. Such activists have filed similar complaints about the live news reports of the inter-Korean summit and PyeongChang Winter Olympics last year as well. This time, however, demands are based on real safety concerns.Last Thursday, a large fire swept through mountains and cities located along the eastern coast of Gangwon Province. Thousands evacuated as strong winds carried the flames into the cities. Deaf members of the local community, too, got out on time but said they were prevented from a timely and planned escape due to inaccessibi

Apr 9, 2019

'Provide sign language in live disaster reports'

Measles spreading in Anyang, Daejeon

Measles took place at two hospitals, with 33 people confirmed to have the infectious disease. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooMeasles is spreading, with at least 33 confirmed cases of the infectious disease, according to the health authorities, Monday.The infections took place at two hospitals, one in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, and the other in Daejeon, and health officials are trying to stop the disease from spreading into local communities. Twenty-five cases have been confirmed at Hallym University Medical Center in Anyang. Twenty-two of these are doctors, nurses and medical students at the hospital, while three are patients.Fourteen have been placed under mandatory home quarantine as a precaution to stop the virus spreading, and one has been hospitalized. The remaining 10 have been released from quarantine, according to the provincial government.The local government is keeping close tabs on 4,349 people who came into contact with the 25 patients. Officials also checked all 2,000 workers at the hospital and found 179 did not have measles antibodies. These workers were vaccinated and have

Apr 8, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Calls grow to hire firefighters as central gov't workers

Firefighters take a break after putting out flames at Jangcheon Village in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Friday. / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-hoBy Lee Suh-yoonPublic support is growing to change the job status of firefighters to central government civil servant positions from the current local government status, for more systematic mobilization of the firefighting workforce and improvement of their working conditions.The consensus comes after firefighters from all across the country came to Gangwon Province last week to help contain massive forest fires in the region and such joint efforts were proven to be effective. Currently, just 630, or 1.2 percent, of the 52,245 firefighters in the country are appointed and managed by the central government, according to Statistics Korea's 2018 report. The rest are hired by regional fire agencies supervised by local governments, which usually guarantees lower pay and fewer benefits than the central government due to budgetary constraints. The nation's police forces, on the other hand, are directly hired and operated by the central government exce

Apr 8, 2019

Calls grow to hire firefighters as central gov't workers

Health cooperation comes first for two Koreas

Psychiatry professor Jeon Woo-taek at Yonsei University, who is also the director of the Health and Unification Center, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, April 1. / Korea Times Photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bahk Eun-jiWhen South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un jointly announced the Pyongyang Declaration last September, most people immediately thought about economic cooperation between the two Koreas. But Prof. Jeon Woo-taek thought differently.Jeon, a professor of Yonsei University's psychiatry department and the director of the Health and Unification Center at the school, said he believes cooperation in the healthcare sector should come first, and then economic and cultural cooperation needs to follow for unification.“Cooperation and collaboration means people in the South and the North contacting and exchanging many things. It means the two Koreas will possibly face unexpected consequences especially in the healthcare area,” Jeon said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, April 1.He

Apr 7, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Health

Health

Single-parent families suffer financial difficulties

'Pro-choice!': Constitutional Court rules against abortion ban

S. Korea's top court rules anti-abortion law 'unconstitutional'

Constitutional Court to rule on anti-abortion law (ruling from 2 p.m.)

Working wives spend 7.4-fold more time on housework than husbands

More patients with respiratory ailments use ambulances amid severe air pollution

'Provide sign language in live disaster reports'

Measles spreading in Anyang, Daejeon

Calls grow to hire firefighters as central gov't workers

Health cooperation comes first for two Koreas

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