South Korea - The Korea Times

Many get part-time jobs for Chuseok: survey

Many people see the Chuseok holiday season as a time to pick up extra cash, a recent survey found. Employment agency “Part-time Heaven” said it asked some 1,800 people between the ages of 20 and 50 if they planned to work part-time over the holiday.  More than half responded that they would, the company said. The jobs included working as a clerk at a hypermart (42 percent), gift wrapping (23 percent), delivery person (10 percent), street promoter (seven percent) and kitchen worker (six percent).    By age group, those in 30s were most willing to take such work, with 59 percent saying they would.  They were followed by those in 50s (58 percent), 40s (56 percent) and 20s with (48 percent).  As to the reasons for pursuing the plan, 33 percent said they wanted to “earn big bucks fast.” This was followed by “bad financial status” at 24 percent, “holiday boredom” at 18 percent, and “covering vacation expenses” at 13 percent. 

Sep 2, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Many get part-time jobs for Chuseok: survey

Lawmaker links prostitution to sexual violence

Cities with the high rates of sexual violence also have high prostitution rates, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed.The information was released by Rep. Jin Sun-mee from the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy and included statistics beginning in 2011.The five regions where sexual violence occured most frequently were Gwangju, Seoul, Jeju, Busan and Incheon. Those cities had an average prostition rate of 0.68 cases per 1,000 people.The national average, however, stood lower at 0.54 cases.The rate refers to the number of people who buy prostitution.On the other hand, cities with the lowest number of sexual crimes - North and South Gyeongsang Province, as well as North Jeolla, North Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces - had an average prostitution rate of 0.36 cases per 1,000 people.“The belief that prostitution helps prevent sexual assault has been proven false. Prostitution and sexual abuse represent a violent culture shared by men. We need to come up with comprehensive measures to root out the evil practices,” the lawmaker said.

Sep 2, 2014

Lawmaker links prostitution to sexual violence

Reason I married my husband…'I was blinded by love'

Divorced women reported being “blinded by love” when they married for the first time, while divorced men said they felt pressure to tie the knot, a survey said.   The survey from “re-marriage” agency Only-U and matching agency Bien-Aller asked 520 divorcees about the reasons they married their first partner. Over 35 percent of women reported being “blinded by love” as the reason for marrying, the top response among females. Some 31 percent of men cited peer pressure. Men also cited their ex-wives family background as a motivator for marriage, while women cited assertiveness.  Regarding married life, respondents had various complaints, such as “I found a flaw that I didn’t acknowledge before (Men 13.5%, Female 20.4%),” and “He/she didn’t meet my expectations (Men 36.2%, Female 51.2%).” When it came to perception of their ex-spouse, females were more likely to vent their wrath on their ex-husband (71.6%), while only half of the men (49.7%) answered negatively. 

Sep 1, 2014

National baseball player criticized for chucking water at audience

Kang Min-hoLotte Giants catcher Kang Min-ho is under fire for throwing a water bottle in the direction of fans after a game against the LG Twins in Seoul, Sunday.The incident, taken after the Giants’ 3-2 loss at Jamsil Stadium, was captured on video by a fan and is circulating online. Netizens slammed Kang for being unprofessional.Kang has since apologized.“I was so focused on the match that I failed to control my emotions,” he said. “I apologize for the unpleasant scene I have caused.”Kang was reportedly irate with an umpire’s call in the ninth inning.Despite his apology, the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) were looking into the incident and determining the appropriate course of action.

Sep 1, 2014

National baseball player criticized for chucking water at audience

Artists releasing sexier 'teasers'

Teaser photos by Nasty Nasty, above, and Park Si-yeon and Noh Min-wooCompetition in the entertainment industry is apparently pushing artists and productions to release steamier previews of their work. The new teaser for the song “Knock” by project group Nasty Nasty features band members Kevin and Kyeong-li getting hot and heavy in bed. At one point, Kevin is seen throwing Kyeong-li onto the bed. The music video drops Monday.  The sultry feeling extends to television as well. Park Si-yeon and Noh Min-woo, stars of upcoming TV Chosun drama “Best Wedding” are seen in teaser photos making out underneath the covers. The photos were reportedly taken with only a handful of people in the room, because of the sensitive nature of the shoot. Reports say the show, which airs later this month, will be accordingly sexy.

Sep 1, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Stop hunting dolphins

Animal rights activists urge the Japanese government to stop its fishermen from hunting dolphins, at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Monday. The annual dolphin hunting season in Japan begins in September and continues until March. / Yonhap

Sep 1, 2014

K-pop star is serious about farming

Minah, a member of the idol group Girl’s Day, has acquired an operator’s license for small-sized excavators.The singer will show off her skills on the first episode of the SBS reality show, “Are We Having Fun?” which airs Sunday.The program involves celebrities who attempt to build houses in rural area and live there for a period of time.   In the episode, filmed in Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province, Minah said she worked on crop fields by removing stones and turning barren ground into cultivable soil. She added that the license was “not hard to earn so anyone can easily get it.”Comedian Kim Byung-man, who also appears on the program, said he was surprised to see the singer’s delicate handling of the equipment.Ahead of shooting, the singer was persuaded by the show’s program director to get the license. She thought being able to operate the equipment would help to change stereotypes about female pop stars. 

Sep 1, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Workplace peace talks

President Park Geun-hye attends a meeting with management and labor representatives at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Monday. Next to Park is Kim Dong-man, chief of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. / Yonhap

Sep 1, 2014

'Backstabbed' by colleague? You're not alone

Nearly every Korean office worker has experienced feeling betrayed by a co-worker, a survey found. Common forms included rumor mongering and being made to feel isolated.The survey conducted by employment publication Flea Market asked 474 people the question, “Have you ever been betrayed by your coworkers?” A whopping 99.4 percent said replied that they had.So who were perpetrators of these betrayals?Fifty-two percent said the backstabbers were coworkers from same department. Superiors from the same department followed at 38 percent. Subordinates from same department came in at four percent, as did and coworkers from different departments.Fifty-two percent of respondents said they had experienced emotional offenses such as talking behind one’s back, rumor mongering and being made to feel isolated.Another 39 percent said the offenses damaged their reputation, including being set up, wrongly blamed or taking credit for work.  Nine percent said the damage was related to money.Regarding their reaction, 58 percent said they cut off the friendship with the perpetrator

Sep 1, 2014

'Backstabbed' by colleague? You're not alone

North Korea sees Ice Bucket Challenge

With the Ice Bucket Challenge taking the world by storm, participants have found new twists to add to the fundraising campaign. Hollywood star Matt Damon, for example, dumped toilet water on his head to call attention not only to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), but also the issue of water scarcity.The bar has been raised in recent days, however, with two participants completing the icy challenge in one of the world’s most isolated countries: North Korea.The North’s first ice bucket challenge, filmed Thursday, came courtesy of the Singapore-based non-profit Choson Exchange, which provides business-related programs for young North Koreans.Andray Abrahamian, executive director of the organization, decided to take the challenge on a Pyongyang street after seeing a mass dance nearby for the country’s Youth Day.“We'd just wrapped up a two-week workshop and I'd heard I'd been challenged. When we got back to the hotel, (the dance) was going on across the street and we thought, ‘This will do,’” he told The Korea Times in an email.The North remain

Sep 1, 2014

Others

Others

Many get part-time jobs for Chuseok: survey

Lawmaker links prostitution to sexual violence

Reason I married my husband…'I was blinded by love'

National baseball player criticized for chucking water at audience

Artists releasing sexier 'teasers'

Stop hunting dolphins

K-pop star is serious about farming

Workplace peace talks

'Backstabbed' by colleague? You're not alone

North Korea sees Ice Bucket Challenge

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