An award-winning public school teacher was sentenced to a fine of 3 million won ($2,735) for making discriminatory remarks against a sixth grade multicultural student in the classroom last year. The female student, whose father is Canadian and mother is Korean, was scolded by the teacher for not eating kimchi in her school in Suwon last June. The 50-year-old teacher asked her why she wouldn’t eat kimchi when “she is half-Korean,” and stated that her future (Korean) mother-in-law would not like i

Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2015

A local court on Friday dismissed a Japanese reporter’s request to suspend an overseas travel ban imposed on him by the Justice Ministry.The Sankei Shimbun’s former Seoul bureau chief, Tatsuya Kato, had been indicted for defaming President Park Geun-hye in a story, citing rumors in the stock brokerage industry.The Japanese newspaper, in its Aug. 3 online edition, alleged that Park had been outside the presidential office at the time the Sewol ferry capsized, with a man seen to be one of her key

Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2015

A zookeeper was mauled to death by a lion on Thursday at Children’s Grand Park in Neung-dong, Seoul.The victim, only identified by his surname Kim, was reportedly attacked by the lion after entering its area to hand it a toy. The lion enclosure contained a 10-year-old male as well as a 6-year-old female. It is not clear whether Kim was attacked by both of the animals or just one. He was alone with the lions when the attack occurred.The 53-year-old was discovered by a colleague on Thursday aftern

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2015

The South Korean government is establishing a special support center for foreigners who seek medical treatment in the country by next year.The institution will offer translation services as well as legal advice should a foreign patient get into a medical dispute with local health care providers.Physicians and surgeons who work at clinics or hospitals that specialize in treating foreign patients will also be encouraged to be insured against malpractice.The Health Ministry may give out incentives

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2015

Following a number of controversial medical accidents in the nation’s plastic surgery sector, the government is tightening safety measures to protect patients. The Health Ministry will require all clinics that perform surgeries involving general anesthesia to be fully equipped with emergency medical supplies including a pulse oximeter and a ventilator as well as uninterrupted power supply.The ministry is also set to ban plastic surgery advertisements that do not properly inform patients of possi

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2015

With measles outbreaks being reported in parts of the U.S. and other regions across the world, health officials in South Korea recommended overseas travelers make sure their vaccinations are up to date. According to the nation’s Health Ministry, more than 95 percent of measles patients in Korea last year were infected during an overseas trips, or by those who had traveled abroad.The number of measles patients in Korea quadrupled from 107 in 2013 to 442 last year. Many were infected in China or t

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2015

The Seoul Metropolitan Government vowed on Monday to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 million tons by 2020. Its plan consists in engaging 10 million Seoul citizens to take individual actions, including purchasing “green electricity” ― solar and wind power ― recycling and taking public transport.“If a single Seoul citizen can reduce 1 ton of CO2, together we can reduce 10 million tons of CO2 emissions,” said Yoon Young-cheol from the city government in a statement.A report last year from the Internatio

Social Affairs Feb. 9, 2015

More than 90 percent of Koreans treated for bulimia nervosa in 2013 were women, and about 70 percent of them were in their 20s and 30s, a report showed.The statistics may be linked with the country’s strong emphasis on young women’s personal appearance, said psychiatrist Lee Seon-gu from the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital.“Women in their 20s tend to be stressed the most about getting a job and getting married, and they are often pressured by society to look attractive and stay

Social Affairs Feb. 9, 2015

More Korean women working in the nation’s private sector experience career disruption than those in the public sector, a public think tank reported Sunday.While only 7.8 percent of those who work in the public sector said they experienced career disruptions, 24.7 percent of those who work in the private sector said they had to quit their jobs during or after pregnancy.The report, written and released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, surveyed 1,000 working women aged 25-39 wh

Social Affairs Feb. 8, 2015