The multiple sepsis cases at a dermatologist clinic in southern Seoul were caused by contaminated propofol, which the clinic was using in higher than usual dosages, according to health authorities. 　The Korea Medical Association, the country’s largest body of medical doctors, told The Korea Herald that it does not intend to comment on the specific case. 　The organization, however, has been fiercely protesting against the authorities’ decision to criminally charge three medical professionals accu

Social Affairs May 22, 2018

Kim Dae-seon has been on his second paternity leave since October last year. The civil servant has two children, aged 7 and 2.　“I didn’t initially intend to take child care leave for my second child,” he told The Korea Herald.　“But he was injured during birth, and he still needs to visit a medical clinic every day. So my wife decided to go back to work, and I decided to stay at home and care for him.”　While he thoroughly enjoys his time with his children, he says that not getting monthly paychec

Social Affairs May 22, 2018

　Spending most of his time lying down, Seon Cheol-gyu, 40, who has cerebral palsy, says he often felt like a bird trapped in a cage.　　He cannot walk or sit down; he is supported by his activity assistant, currently provided by the government, for many things -- including going to the bathroom, taking a bath and having his meals. 　　“Things are better now as I’m at least living on my own,” Seon told The Korea Herald.　　“I’ve lived with my parents and also have been placed in a nursing home for the

Social Affairs May 21, 2018

More than 7,000 medical doctors gathered in central Seoul on Sunday to protest against “Moon Jae-in Care”-- a set of health care policies proposed by the current government -- claiming that the measures would put all Korean patients “in danger” if they are implemented. 　“Moon Jae-in care” refers to the 30.5 trillion won ($28.24 billion) plan to have the state-run National Health Insurance cover 70 percent of the cost of medical treatment for all Koreans, including costly treatments such as ultra

Social Affairs May 20, 2018

Some 12,000 women gathered in Seoul on Saturday to protest against the “discriminatory treatment” of cases involving male and female victims of digital and online sexual violence, including spy-cam pornography. The event was the biggest women’s rights rally in Korea’s recent history.Dressed in red to “express their rage,” the protesters chanted, “Women, not just men, are also citizens (of the Republic of Korea)” near Hyehwa Station.The event was organized in response to a recent incident that cr

Social Affairs May 20, 2018

May has long been a month of festivity in South Korea, with special days to celebrate children, parents and teachers, among others. The month is also known for college festivals, where university students celebrate the balmy weather as well as their campus life.The festivals have long been a part of youth culture in Korea, as well as student activism and even sports competition among major universities in Seoul.“I would get very excited for the festivals,” said a Seoulite who attended one of the

Social Affairs May 18, 2018

GWANGJU -- For the past 38 years, Kim Dae-yoon says he has been busy. Born and raised in Gwangju, Jeolla Province, the 67-year-old has been running his own interior construction firm for almost 40 years. With his wife, he raised their two children. One of them is now married, and Kim is proud that he was able to buy his son and daughter-in-law a house. Inside his home office where he’s been residing for more than 20 years, Kim says, matter-of-factly, that he has worked hard, and it always kept h

Social Affairs May 17, 2018

More than 270,000 South Koreans have signed an online petition asking for the fair investigation of online and digital sexual violence cases, regardless of the perpetrators' gender, after a female suspect was arrested for secretly taking a photo of her male colleague while he was posing nude for university students, and then distributing it online without the victim’s consent. 　Those who signed the petition say that while the authorities’ treatment of the case has been just and ideal, the way th

Social Affairs May 13, 2018

A statue honoring Korean women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II will be displayed at the Capitol Building in Washington next month, according to a New York-based Korean-American group.　“The upcoming exhibition of the statue will be a historic moment, just as the moment back in 2007 when the US House of Representatives approved a resolution urging Japan to apologize (to the survivors),” Kim Min-sun,  head of the Korean American Association of Greater New Y

International May 11, 2018

Police on Friday requested a court warrant to arrest a female model suspected of having secretly taken a photo of her male colleague, while he was posing nude for a drawing class, and then distributing it online without his consent.　The suspect, only identified by her surname Ahn, was arrested without a warrant Thursday. She was initially considered a witness, but later was investigated as a key suspect after it was revealed she deliberately threw away one of the two cellphones she had used, acc

Social Affairs May 11, 2018

An online community which brands itself a “feminist” organization is under police investigation for an online sexual harassment case involving a photo of a nude male model posing for fine arts students at Hongik University in Seoul, which was posted online without the victim’s consent.The case, which has stirred up controversy, emerged after an unidentified person posted the photo on the website of Womad, an online community that supports misandry and “radical feminism.”Police announced that the

Social Affairs May 9, 2018

Following last month’s historic inter-Korean summit, South Korea’s main opposition Liberty Korea Party is embroiled in internal conflict, leading to one of its members quitting in protest against the conservative party’s controversial leader, Hong Joon-pyo.Rep. Kang Kil-bu, who had been openly demanding that Hong step down, mainly over controversial remarks he made regarding the results of the inter-Korean summit, officially left the party on Sunday. Kang said Thursday that if Hong did not resig

Politics May 7, 2018

When Park Song became pregnant some five years ago, the father of her child changed his number and stopped responding to her messages. The 32-year-old was unmarried. Her mother had passed away, and her father was ill. She had nowhere to turn for support.“All of the mother-and-baby shelters in Seoul were full at the time,” the 32-year-old told The Korea Herald. “I had to go to a pastor’s house in Busan, and later moved into a shelter in the same city.”When her son, Si-hoo, was born, she managed t

Social Affairs May 4, 2018

Seoul on Tuesday lifted the ban on women serving in the Special Forces, opening up new positions to women in the military, as part of the new government measures to promote gender equality.　　Until now, female officers were not eligible to apply for so-called “dangerous” positions in the military -- including those in Special Forces, some positions in coastal defense and fortification.　　Critics have argued that those rules affect women’s chances of promotion, branding it a de facto “glass ceiling

Politics May 2, 2018

After last week’s historic inter-Korean summit, political parties are making North Korea-related pledges, ranging from tour packages to the North’s Kumgangsan to inter-Korean sports exchanges, ahead of the June 13 local elections.　Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who is running for Gyeonggi Province governor, pledged to designate the northern region of Gyeonggi Province, which shares a border with North Korea, as a “unification economy zone.” The former Seongnam mayor also

Politics May 1, 2018