South Korea - The Korea Times

Citizenship issue puts immigrant wives in tight spot

Marriage immigrant women learn how to vote at the regional elections in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on June 7, 2018. Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jinBy Lee Suh-yoonMarhabo, 35, now a single mother, is a marriage immigrant from Uzbekistan. She has lived in Korea for more than 10 years, and is raising two children, aged nine and 10, on her own. But she has not been granted Korean citizenship. “Whenever I go to get public or medical services they tell me I need a Korean citizenship,” she said. “Coupled with the language barrier, it gets really difficult.” Pham Thi Nga, 30, a marriage immigrant from Vietnam, is struggling with a similar problem. She came to study in Korea seven years ago, fell in love, and married a Korean man in 2011. Five years later, she still does not have Korean citizenship or a permanent visa. In November 2016, she applied for citizenship and had to wait more than 18 months for a response from immigration authorities. “When they finally contacted me, they told me they had been too busy looking at my case,” Pham told T

Jun 22, 2018

Citizenship issue puts immigrant wives in tight spot

Health insurance revised for underprivileged

The government has revised the law on state insurance for low-income households for the first time in 18 years. Captured from the National Health Insurance Service's website6 million households to pay 20% less beginning JulyBy Jung Da-minHouseholds that earn very little to no annual income will no longer face the burden of paying state health insurance premiums.Beginning July, they will only have to pay 13,100 won ($12.26) a month or less depending on their financial status, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The government has revised the law on state insurance for low-income households for the first time in 18 years.In the first phase of the revision, it will exempt individuals from low-income families from paying their regional health insurance based on age, sex, income, property and other assets.The unemployed are forcibly subscribed to state health insurance administered and managed by their regional governments.About 80 percent of the total regional subscribers will see insurance costs drop by 22,000 won on average. The current average premium is 92,000 won.The gov

Jun 20, 2018

Health insurance revised for underprivileged

Health insurance reform to remove free-riders

TB scare: 322 at Gangnam hagwon to be tested

By Kang Aa-youngA student at one of the biggest hagwon (private learning institute) chains in Gangnam has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Tuesday, the student, 19, was diagnosed on June 12 during a health check at a hospital. The student had been attending classes at the Kangnam Daesung Hagwon. A total of 322 people ― 292 students and 30 teachers ― who have been near him or spent over eight hours with him, will be tested for TB on Friday, the KCDC told The Korea Times. The results will be available in two weeks, the KCDC said.

Jun 20, 2018

TB scare: 322 at Gangnam hagwon to be tested

Bills for psychiatric treatment to be slashed by up to 40% from July

Korea Times file photoBy Lee Suh-yoonStarting July, psychiatric treatment will be more affordable. The cost of seeing a psychiatrist will be slashed by up to 39 percent, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Sunday. Under the reform, patients who originally paid 7,500 won ($6.80) for a 10-minute consultation and 17,300 won ($15.70) for a 50-minute consultation with a psychiatrist at a neighborhood clinic, will have to pay only 4,600 won and 11,600 won, respectively. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) will also be covered by national health insurance.The ministry hopes the extended coverage will help patients gain better access to professional help for mental health problems. Only one-in-five people with mental health problems consult a psychiatrist, according to the most recent public report on mental health. According to a 2011 study, almost one in four Koreans experienced a mental health problem. This feeds into the nation's high suicide rate, which has consistently topped all other OECD countries since 2003.

Jun 18, 2018

Bills for psychiatric treatment to be slashed by up to 40% from July

'Community Care' to lower dependency on large hospitals

By Lee Kyung-min The government will implement a “Community Care,” program whereby senior citizens and the disabled staying at home or in group homes receive healthcare services, as an alternative to being admitted to hospitals or nursing homes. Restricted mobility at the medical institutions has long been cited as a core problem for possible human rights violations by many international health agencies. Soaring healthcare costs at these institutions are another issue. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said specifics on the strengthened, local community-based primary healthcare program will be unveiled in July and it will implement the program gradually. Under the plan, the number of elderly eligible for the state-run Long-Term Care (LTC) services will be increased from 8 percent to 9.6 percent by 2022. The ministry will increase the number to one similar to that of countries like France (10.3), Finland (11.4), Germany (13.4) and Japan (18.6). According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), more than half of LTC recipients are over 80 and n

Jun 10, 2018

'HNB no less harmful than cigarettes'

A government official speaks about the analysis of the level of 11 toxicants in heat-not-burn cigarettes available in Korea during a media briefing at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Thursday. YonhapBy Lee Kyung-min Three heat-not-burn (HNB) cigarettes available in Korea contain five Group 1 carcinogens classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with similar-to-higher levels of two other harmful substances compared to conventional cigarettes, a government study showed Thursday. A study commissioned by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety analyzed the level of 11 toxicants in Philip Morris International Korea's IQOS, domestically produced lil by KT&G, and British American Tobacco Korea's glo. They include nicotine, tar as well as nine toxicants, six of which are Group 1 carcinogens the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for mandated lowering. A method approved by the International Organization for Standardization (IOS) showed glo, lil and IQOS, contained 1mg, 3mg and 5mg, of nicotine respectively, within similar range of 100 top-selling cig

Jun 7, 2018

30% of Seoul convenience stores sell cigarettes illegally to minors: data

Nearly three in 10 convenience stores in Seoul are selling cigarettes illegally to minors. / Korea Times fileBy Park Si-soo Nearly three in 10 convenience stores in Seoul are selling cigarettes illegally to minors, a survey showed Thursday. It was down from 48.3 percent in 2015 but still higher than expected, said Seoul City, which conducted the survey.In Korea, selling cigarettes to people under 19 is illegal and retailers are obliged to check customers' IDs. Seoul City plans to publish a list of convenience stores caught selling cigarettes to minors this year. It also will step up monitoring of stores near schools and districts popular with young students.

Jun 7, 2018

30% of Seoul convenience stores sell cigarettes illegally to minors: data

UN rapporteur warns housing inequality

By Kim Jae-heunThe United Nation's Special Rapporteur Leilani Farha has expressed concerns over rising housing inequality in Korea.Farha visited Seoul last Monday at the invitation of the government to conduct a 10-day investigation.The special rapporteur met with officials from government agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Ministry of Justice.“Korea should change its recognition on housing not as an asset or commodity. Residential rights should be recognized equally with human rights,” said Farha during a discussion held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. “The Korean government is making various efforts to carry out its initiative on the rights to housing. But I felt that there needs momentum to truly observe the human rights here.”Farha expressed her concerns over unceasing large-scale reconstruction here that is driving out the locals and destroying the community. She argued compulsory eviction, permitted by the courts, is a violation of the international human rights law.The s

Jun 3, 2018

WHO recognizes Korean drug safety management

The Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management wins the 2018 United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize for outstanding contributions to drug safety and health development at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Courtesy of Ministry of Food and Drug SafetyBy Lee Kyung-minThe Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management (KIDS) won the 2018 United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The institute, set up under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2012, became the first Korean awardee since the prize was established in 1993. Out of nine candidates, the foundation reached a unanimous decision to give the award to KIDS for its continued work in raising awareness of drug safety issues, supporting evidence-based decisions on drug safety and providing accurate drug information, thereby increasing public safety. WHO recognized KIDS contribution on effective, comprehensive data management on adverse side effects of drug intake through regular reports made with Uppsala Monitoring Center (UMC) under WHO. Korea's pharmac