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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Gov't to guarantee national pension payment

Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo announces the government's national pension reform plans at a press conference in the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday. / YonhapBy Kim Hyun-binThe government will take the ultimate responsibility for covering the national pension program, by guaranteeing a clause in the relevant law, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Friday.The move is part of the government's plan to reform the state pension program, the fund for which is feared to be depleted by 2057 due to the low birthrate and sluggish economic growth.Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said the ministry would incorporate a clause guaranteeing the National Pension Service's (NPS) payment of the pension, to make clear that the government took full responsibility for the payment. This indicates the state will cover the deficit if necessary.The ministry announced four possible scenarios on how to change the pension premium and the target of income replacement rate to keep the fund running. The four options come after President Moon Jae-in rejected the initial plan last month, citing

Dec 14, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin
Gov't to guarantee national pension payment

Korea gives 2 Yemeni asylum seekers refugee status

Citizens protest against the government's granting of humanitarian stay permits for asylum seekers in downtown Seoul, Sep. 16. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk468 Yemenis denied refugee statusBy Lee Suh-yoonJust two Yemeni asylum seekers ― a tiny percentage of the 484 on Jeju Island seeking asylum this year ― were granted refugee status in a final announcement by the immigration authorities Friday. The rest were rejected but mostly granted a one-year humanitarian stay visas. The two successful applicants were journalists who were subject to political persecution in Yemen, the Ministry of Justice said“Both journalists received death threats for criticizing the Houthi insurgency,” the Jeju branch of the ministry's immigration office said in a press statement.The announcement came after months of heated controversy over the Yemeni refugees who arrived on Jeju Island earlier this year. Their arrival incited protests fueled by Islamophobia and worries about “fake refugees” taking jobs and using up resources.As well as the granting of refugee status to the j

Dec 14, 2018
Korea gives 2 Yemeni asylum seekers refugee status

Almost 2,000 teens treated for alcoholism last year

By Kim Jae-heunTeenage drinking has become a serious problem here with about 2,000 teens being treated for alcoholism last year, according to a study by the National Assembly Research Service. The study, published Wednesday, also showed that half the number of teenagers who drink often do so at dangerous levels, citing easy access to alcohol as the main reason for this.According to the research, the number of teenagers treated for alcoholism has increased annually more than doubled from 922 in 2010 to 1,968 in 2017.While the overall rate of drinking among teenagers has been decreasing, the rate of heavy drinking and its related problems among those who do has increased.Among drinkers, 55.4 percent of females and 48.5 percent of males were imbibing at dangerous levels; with girls drinking on average at least three glasses of soju, and boys at least five, per session over a 30 day period.Thirty-nine percent of girls and 37 percent of boys were drinking at a problematic level, meaning on at least two occasions they had drunk alone, drunk to relieve stress, been advised to stop drinking,

Dec 12, 2018By Kim Jae-heun
Almost 2,000 teens treated for alcoholism last year

Korea reports 300% surge in pot smuggling from North America

Pot-infused drink and other food products made with the drug are displayed at the Korea Customs Service's Incheon office on Tuesday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe Korea Customs Service has reported a surge in marijuana smuggling from North America.The Incheon office said Tuesday that its officials had seized 27 kilograms of marijuana over the past 11 months, a 337 percent surge from the same period last year.After the U.S. state of California and Canada legalized recreational use of the drug earlier this year, the office discovered 182 illegal pot-smuggling cases, a 314 percent spike from last year.“We have seized not just cannabis plants and powder but also jellies and chocolates made with the drug,” a customs official said.The office also warned Korean residents and visitors to such countries not to smoke the drug, saying those who ignore the warning could face criminal charges when they return to Korea.

Dec 11, 2018By Jung Min-ho
Korea reports 300% surge in pot smuggling from North America
  • Police warning: Korean weed smokers in Canada to face criminal charges

Peace efforts will set stage for promoting human rights: Moon

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Monday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in said Monday that efforts to bring permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula will help promote human rights.Moon said in a speech to mark the 70th anniversary of Human Rights Day, which commemorates the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."Clearing away the vestige of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and bringing permanent peace to the peninsula will promote human rights of all people," Moon said."This will set the stage for freedom, justice and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and in the world," Moon said.He stressed that fostering peace will guarantee the promotion of human rights and vice versa."Among countries that experienced colonial rule, dictatorship and war, there are few countries that have the level of human rights of South Korea," he said. "But we have a long way to go. War on the Korean Peninsula has not ended and peace has yet to be established."It marked the second tim

Dec 10, 2018
Peace efforts will set stage for promoting human rights: Moon

Gov't focused on improving life quality for higher birthrate

Vice Chairwoman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy Kim Sang-hee, third from left, speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday. From left are Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jin Sun-mee, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, Kim, and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee. / Yonhap By Kim Jae-heunThe government said Friday it was changing its policy approach to one that improves the quality of life for every generation and establishes gender equality in an effort to encourage people to have more babies.The Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy held a press conference to announce this new road map to tackle Korea's low birthrate, which fell to an average 1.05 per woman in 2017. “We have concluded that raising the birthrate through state-led promotion policies alone is not enough. We will shift to policies that naturally lead to young people wanting to have children,” said Kim Sang-hee, vice chairman of the committee.One prominent measure announced s

Dec 8, 2018By Kim Jae-heun
Gov't focused on improving life quality for higher birthrate

'Smoking e-cigarettes just as harmful as conventional ones'

By Kim Hyun-binControversy over the safety of using electronic cigarettes has stirred in the country after the government released a report stating e-cigarettes contained five harmful substances that could cause cancer. Cigarette manufacturing company Philip Morris filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety over the report.Some 27 countries around the world including the United States, China and Hong Kong have some restrictions on e-cigarettes claiming they contain harmful substances. However, this is not the case in Korea where sales are through the roof, especially among young people.According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance over 230 million packs of e-cigarettes were sold between January and September this year, making up over 9 percent of total cigarette sales. Only two million packs were sold in the second quarter of last year, but that number skyrocketed 44 fold in the second quarter of this year to 87 million.Since Philip Morris launched its IQOS e-cigarettes in May 2017 it has sold over 32 million packs as of September this year. But according to the

Dec 7, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin
'Smoking e-cigarettes just as harmful as conventional ones'

Tensions worsen over Jeju for-profit hospital

By Kim Hyun-bin The approval of the nation's first for-profit hospital on Jeju Island is facing a backlash from all sides.On Wednesday, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province administration approved the Greenland International Medical Center as a for-profit hospital on condition that it services only foreign patients.However, the Chinese-owned medical center plans to take legal action against the provincial government's ban on domestic patients. Meanwhile, the local medical community, civic groups and politicians  strongly protested the for-profit hospital.Soon after the announcement, the Greenland hospital submitted a letter, demanding that local patients be able to receive treatment at the center.“The Greenland hospital appears to be preparing a lawsuit, believing the ban on the treatment of local patients goes against the condition of permission,” a Jeju government official said.However, the Jeju provincial government says it has no plans to lift the prohibition on treating domestic patients at the hospital.Opposition to the hospital has raised concerns that the

Dec 7, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Joint marketing

Kwangdong Pharmaceutical Vice Chairman and CEO Choi Sung-won, left, poses with Mundipharma Korea General Manager Lee Myung-sea at the Kwangdong head office in Seoul, Wednesday, after signing an agreement on joint marketing. Under the agreement, Kwangdong will sell about 40 non-prescription drugs and non-medical products of Mundipharma, including disinfectants and sterilizers. /Courtesy of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical

Dec 6, 2018

Jeju approves first foreigner-only for-profit hospital

Civic groups engage in a sit-in protest in front of the Jeju Provincial Government Office, Wednesday, after the regional administration announced the authorization of the country's first for-profit hospital. / YonhapCivic groups fear breakdown of public healthcare systemBy Lee Suh-yoonThe country's first for-profit hospital was given authorization to open on Jeju Island, Wednesday, on the condition that it offers services only to foreign patients. “The Greenland International Hospital has been approved conditionally. It cannot offer treatments for domestic patients,” Governor Won Hee-ryong said in a press conference. The Greenland International Hospital is focused on catering to wealthy Chinese tourists, and will offer plastic surgery and dermatological services. Internal and family medicine will also be available.Won also emphasized that Greenland was separate from the country's public health care system; and national health insurance will not be accepted by or be applicable to the hospital.The 47-bed hospital was constructed in 2017 by Greenland Group ― a state-led Chin

Dec 5, 2018
Jeju approves first foreigner-only for-profit hospital
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