In Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear,” the protagonist loses everything after disposing his kingdom to his children, who betray and mistreat him once obtaining his wealth and power. 　In South Korea, a new controversial bill is being introduced to prevent Korean parents from becoming modern-day King Lears, some of whom reportedly get abused or neglected by their adult children after handing down most of their wealth and possessions.　The bill, which is being introduced by the main opposition New Po

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2015

More than 80 percent of deaths in South Korea are caused by chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, while many Koreans are still engaged in health risk behaviors including excessive alcohol consumption, a government study showed Thursday.　According to the report released by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 of the top 10 causes of death in 2013 were chronic diseases. Four of these diseases -- cancer, diabetes, lower respiratory diseases and circulatory system dise

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2015

When Lee Tae-ho, a social worker at the National Child Protection Agency, last year visited a 7-year-old at his home upon request from his school teacher, nothing seemed too out of place at first. 　“My mother drinks a lot of water when she’s eating,” the child told him about his single mother.　It didn’t take long for Lee to realize that the “water” was in fact the colorless Korean alcoholic beverage soju. 　Unemployed and depressed since her bitter divorce, the mother would drink about 20 bottles

Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2015

A debate has brewed over the efficacy of the South Korean government’s plan to launch a new system of having two vice ministers -- in charge of health and welfare, respectively -- instead of having a separate office specializing in disease control in the wake of the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak.　The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced its plan of appointing the head of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention as the ministry’s co-vice minister as part of its effort t

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2015

A South Korean teenager whose parents are both smokers is more than four times as likely to smoke as a teenager with nonsmoking parents, a government report showed Monday.　The report, released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anonymously surveyed 75,000 middle and high school students last year. It showed that 17.8 percent of Korean teens whose parents both smoke were smoking as of last year. Meanwhile, only 4.3 percent of teenagers with nonsmoking parents were smoking.　T

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2015

Kim Ji-hun, a 32-year-old former journalist, gained 12 kilograms in six months after starting to work for a local magazine in 2013. During his years as a reporter, he would drink more than five days a week with his sources and skip his breakfasts almost every day. He was overweight and sleep-deprived. 　“You are out drinking until 2 or 3 a.m., every day,” he said. 　“You are too tired the next morning and don’t have the time to have breakfast however hungry you are. And I’d always eat too much dur

Social Affairs Aug. 13, 2015

Almost 70 percent of South Koreans distrust their government, while less than 30 percent of them are confident in the nation’s judicial system, a report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed on Sunday.　According to Government at a Glance 2015 report, which surveyed 1,000 citizens in each OECD country, only 34 percent of the Koreans who participated in the research last year answered “yes” to the question “Do you have confidence in your national government?”

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2015

Many scientists and psychologists have pointed out that our innate desire to “fit in” with others as human beings -- our evolution demands we belong to the tribe -- has been the major driving force behind our civilization. But it was also cited as a major factor causing human atrocities, including massacres and bullying. 　What do we do when someone we love, or someone who belongs to our family or community, causes harm to the lives of strangers? 　Such questions entered my mind as the congresswom

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2015

Only about 20 percent of Korea’s kindergartens offer early morning programs, leaving working parents with limited income the sole option of sending their children to day care centers instead, a study showed Monday.　According to the study, which surveyed 524 kindergartens and 631 day care centers nationwide, only 105 of the kindergartens offered early morning classes for children, and the classes on average started at 8.45 a.m. The programs at day care centers on average started about an hour ear

Social Affairs Aug. 3, 2015

The number of HIV-positive patients who are aged 60 or older increased dramatically from 2004 to last year in South Korea, a study showed Sunday.　According to the study released by lawmaker Park Yoon-ock’s office, the number of elderly Koreans who developed the diseases increased by 2 1/2 times in the 2004-14 period, from 36 to 91. The number of those in their 70s, in particular, increased by 3 1/2 times from 7 to 25 in the same period. 　Last year, a total of 1,081 Koreans were newly infected wi

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2015

Last year, Lee Ji-hyang, a South Korean manicurist, flew to Vietnam for a new challenge. She signed up to teach women job seekers in Quang Nam, a province in Vietnam’s South Central Coast region, as part of Korea’s assistance program for developing countries.“I trained about 40 women who wished to be manicurists for about a month,” Lee told The Korea Herald. “I had an interpreter with me throughout all of the classes, but sometimes I didn’t really need to explain anything verbally because they a

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2015