South Korea - The Korea Times

State-run nanny service poor at screening applicants

Gender Equality and Family Minister Jin Sun-mee holds a child abuse prevention meeting at the Healthy Family Support Center in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and FamilyBy Kim Hyun-binThe recent case of child abuse by a babysitter has shown the lax screening process in the government-run babysitting service from hiring, to education and evaluation.The program, launched in 2012 by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, is aimed at providing babysitting services for children aged between three months and 12 years old to aid working parents or others in need of babysitting help. The government covers part of the service fees for low-income families.According to the website, anyone in good health can apply for a nanny job as long as they are not underage, suffering from a psychiatric disorder, a convicted sex offender or drug user. They are selected through a resume review and interview. In the first part of the process, the authorities evaluate the applicants' prior childcare and volunteer experience, character, academic background, health and relevant c

Apr 4, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

State-run nanny service poor at screening applicants

Emergency alarms, exits must be installed at hospitals

Police investigate Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul, Dec. 31, after a psychiatrist was stabbed to death by one of his patients. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe government has ordered all medical institutions over a certain size and psychiatric hospitals to install emergency alarms and exits, and hire private security, to create a safe healthcare environment amid an increasing number of attacks by patients on medical workers, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday.In addition, the ministry is set to push for heavier punishment of those who assault medical staff ― even if they are intoxicated. The ministry said the measures are aimed at slashing the ratio of hospitals experiencing violence by half to 6 percent in 2022.The measures come after a renowned psychiatrist at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul was stabbed to death by one of his patients on Dec. 31, 2018. After the tragedy, there were growing calls for the government to devise measures assuring a safe environment for medical staff in which they can perform their duties without the fear of possible attacks.“The mini

Apr 4, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Emergency alarms, exits must be installed at hospitals

Packed meals at convenience stores contain large amounts of sodium

Packed meals sold at convenience stores contain a lot of sodium, on average nearly 70 percent of the recommended daily consumption, according to data collected by Green Consumer Network Korea, Wednesday. / Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiPacked meals sold at convenience stores here contain a very high level of sodium, sometimes even more than World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended daily consumption level of 2,000 milligrams, a consumer group said Wednesday.Green Consumer Network Korea said it surveyed 15 pre-packaged lunch boxes from five convenience store chains nationwide ― CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, Emart 24 and Ministop ― for three months from last July. The WHO recommended maximum daily intake of sodium is 2,000 milligrams per day for adults. But the average amount contained in the 15 meals was 1,393 milligram per package, meaning a person could consume 69.6 percent of the daily recommended level of sodium with one packed meal.Among them, 7-eleven's chicken lunch box contained the largest amount of sodium, with 2,397 milligram, which surpasses the daily recommendation. Some produc

Apr 4, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Packed meals at convenience stores contain large amounts of sodium

Bullfighting - tradition or animal abuse?

Bulls fight at a bullfighting event in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in this 2017 photo. Local governments and animal rights groups are at odds over whether bullfighting is a cultural tradition or animal cruelty. Korea Times fileBy Kang Seung-wooCultural tradition allegedly exploiting animals is locking horns with campaigns to protect animals from cruelty here, after a local council decided not to fund the region's long-running bullfighting event.According to the Jeongeup City Council in North Jeolla Province, Tuesday, it has decided not to earmark 114 million won ($100,000) in supplementary budget, requested by the city government, for its 23-year-old bullfighting event after facing strong protests from local animal rights groups.The animal groups claim that bullfighting is an act of animal cruelty perpetrated in the name of cultural tradition and has to be stopped. A bull is a herbivore, but owners of bulls often feed them snake soup or dog soup for stamina ― although their effects are not authenticated, according to the groups. In addition, the bulls have to climb mountains

Apr 2, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Bullfighting - tradition or animal abuse?

Human rights watchdog recognizes third gender in official document

The National Human Rights Commission will add a non-binary gender option in its official document. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe state-run human rights watchdog is set to add a non-binary gender option in official petition documents in a move to embrace lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) will be the first government organization to offer a gender-neutral option in official papers. “After recently receiving a petition urging us to allow a third-gender option in our petition documents, a relevant department reviewed it and reached the conclusion that this was permissible,” said an NHRCK official.“We are now working to change our petition forms to reflect the decision, and new documents will be available within a month.”Currently, those who file petitions with the commission must identify themselves as male, female, transgender male or transgender female in their applications.“We accepted the petitioner's claim that there could be more than the four genders,” the official said.Ho

Apr 1, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Human rights watchdog recognizes third gender in official document

2,700 elderly drivers return licenses under Seoul program

As of March 21, 2,691 elderly drivers returned their licenses. / gettyimagesbankBy Kang Seung-wooSeoul City's new program inducing elderly drivers to stop driving is prompting a positive response with nearly 2,700 turning in their driver's licenses in a week, the local government said, Sunday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled the plan, under which people aged 70 or older who return their licenses will receive a 100,000 won ($88) public transport card, March 15.The program aims to reduce the increasing number of car accidents for which elderly people are responsible.As of March 21, 2,691 people had returned their licenses.“It takes a little bit longer to get an accurate count because we are taking applications at several places, but we are expecting the number will surpass 3,000 as of Friday,” a city government official said.Licenses can be returned at 31 police stations and four driver's license test course centers.Drivers eligible for the public transport card must be born before Dec. 31, 1949. Drivers who turned in their licenses between Jan. 1 and March 14 can

Mar 31, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

2,700 elderly drivers return licenses under Seoul program

Propofol: dangerous 'milk of anesthesia'

By Bahk Eun-jiPublic attention has been recently focused on the abuse of propofol, an anesthetic drug, after police said they were looking into allegations that Lee Boo-jin, Hotel Shilla CEO and daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, was given the drug regularly at a plastic surgery clinic in southern Seoul.Gangnam Police Station and district health authorities inspected the clinic late last month, to find out whether Lee, 48, received propofol without a “proper” prescription. Propofol is a sleep inducer used to start and maintain anesthesia, and is largely used for conscious sedation endoscopy or cosmetic surgery. It was classified as a psychoactive drug here in 2011 and it is illegal to use it for anything other than surgical procedures. Michael Jackson's death in 2009 gave momentum to public awareness of the drug in Korea. It is widely known as “milk” here because of its white color ― its key ingredient is not dissolved in water but in soybean oil that gives it a milk-like color.In 2013, Korean actresses Park Si-yeon, Jang Mi-inae and Lee Seung-yeo

Mar 31, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Propofol: dangerous 'milk of anesthesia'

Police to crack down on opium, marijuana cultivation

The entrance to a secret marijuana farm in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. A sign at the entrance warns outsiders against entering, saying the area is used to farm poisonous snakes. Courtesy of Pyeongtaek CityBy Lee Suh-yoon As the spring planting season begins, police will scan the countryside with drones to look for illegal cultivation of opium poppies and marijuana plants, the National Police Agency (NPA) announced Sunday.Seasonal crackdowns on opium and marijuana are fairly routine. Growers are usually elderly people who grow small amounts as folk remedies for bodily pain. But this time, the pressure is on authorities following the recent scandal around Burning Sun, a nightclub run by K-pop star Seungri under investigation for rampant drug trafficking and supplying VIPs with rape drugs. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Courtesy of Supreme Prosecutor's Office drug encyclopediaEarlier this month, police announced they apprehended 523 persons in a month-long crackdown on drugs following the Burning Sun scandal ― 30 percent up from the same period last year. Starting April, the NPA s

Mar 31, 2019

Police to crack down on opium, marijuana cultivation

Seungri arranged prostitution services for some men: police

Koreans smoke less, drink more than 10 years ago: data

Koreans smoke less but drink more than 10 years before, according to data by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. /Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiKoreans smoke less and drink more than 10 years ago, data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) showed Thursday.They are also gaining weight despite growing attempts to stay healthy.According to the 2018 survey on about 228,000 people across the country, 21.7 percent said they smoked, down from 26.1 percent in 2008. The rate for men stood at 40.6 percent in 2018, also down from 2008's 49.2 percent.Compared to the smoking rate, 60.9 percent said they drank at least once a month during the last one year, up from 54.2 percent 10 years ago. The rate of heavy drinkers ― men drinking at least five cans of beer in a sitting, at least twice a week, and women, three cans ― also rose to 19.2 percent from 18.5 percent.More people have also become obese than 10 years ago, as 31.8 percent were classified as such, up from 21.6 percent. The obesity rate grew despite increasing attempts to control weight, as 58.9

Mar 28, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Koreans smoke less, drink more than 10 years ago: data

25% of children are obese: data

The obesity rate of young students in Korea grew to 25 percent last year, up from 21.2 percent in 2014, according to the Ministry of Education, Thursday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiChildren are getting obese, eating more fast food and fewer vegetables and skipping breakfast while doing less exercise, data from the Ministry of Education showed, Wednesday.According to the 2018 statistics on 108,000 students at 1,023 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide, 25 percent were in the obese group (10.6 percent overweight and 14.4 percent obese), up from 21.2 percent in 2014.Their eating and exercise habits showed the reasons for the increase in childhood obesity, as they often skip breakfast, avoid vegetables and enjoy fast food and instant noodles.Some 80 percent of high school students, 77.6 percent of middle school students and 65.9 percent of elementary school students eat fast food at least once a week, while the ratio of students eating instant noodles at least once a week was higher.Compared to this, only 22.7 percent of high schoolers, 24.9 percent of students in middle school and 2

Mar 27, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Health