The Seoul Municipal Government on Thursday launched emergency safety checks on cruise chips and construction sites in the city following the sinking of the ferry off the southern coast of the country, officials said. The city suspended the operation of six cruise ships operating on the Hangang River and conducted an emergency safety inspection. Some 1,000 vessels operating on the river will also face inspections, officials added. The city will also enhance safety checks on about 80 construction

Social Affairs April 17, 2014

The state health insurer’s lawsuit against three tobacco companies has a chance of success in the local court, experts said, even though Korea’s top court has previously ruled against individual claims against tobacco makers. The state-run National Health Insurance Service filed a lawsuit on Monday against KT&G, Philip Morris Korea and British American Tobacco Korea to seek an initial compensation of 54 billion won ($52 million) to recoup treatment costs for smoking-related diseases.Responses to

Social Affairs April 16, 2014

Most cases of child abuse were found to have been inflicted by the parents of the victims, a report showed Sunday.According to a report released by New Politics Alliance for Democracy Rep. Lee Chan-yeol, 80.3 percent of 6,896 child abuse cases reported last year were caused by parents of victims. The number jumped by 383 cases from the year before.Among parent inflictors, biological fathers accounted for the most cases with 41.1 percent followed by biological mothers, stepmothers and stepfathers

Social Affairs April 13, 2014

The South Korean government will toughen penalties for child abuse as public outrage escalated over the death of an 8-year-old girl caused by her stepmother, officials said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, penalties for fatal child abuse will be increased to five years or more in prison. The government will also disallow suspended sentences for such cases without specific mitigating factors. Under the current child welfare law, the maximum prison term for child abuse is

Social Affairs April 10, 2014

The nation’s largest group of plastic surgeons vowed Thursday to stamp out illegal medical practices following a string of lethal cosmetic surgery accidents. “A recent series of plastic surgery accidents were caused by some doctors’ unethical and illegal acts, largely prompted by over-competition and commercialization of medical institutions,” said the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons in a press conference. “(The association) feels responsible for such situations that threaten people’s hea

Social Affairs April 10, 2014

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Thursday that keeping the candidate nomination system was an “unavoidable choice.”“Abolishing the candidate nomination system was one of the public’s wishes. But (competing in the June local elections without the system) was same as playing a game with tied hands since the ruling Saenuri Party did not abolished it,” Park said in a television interview. Although both candidates in the 2012 presidential election vowed to abolish the system, the government and Saenuri

Politics April 10, 2014

The South Korean government vowed Wednesday to launch a special audit on an international adoption agency following rising public concerns over the safety of Korean adoptees in foreign countries. “The government is planning to conduct a special inspection on Holt Children’s Services Inc. over its financial system and the legality of its operations,” the Health and Welfare Ministry said. The move came after civic groups urged the state last month to improve the monitoring system for international

Social Affairs April 9, 2014

The number of medical dispute claims is on the rise with a low rate of successful settlements, a report showed Tuesday. According to the state-run Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency, a total of 2,287 claims for medical dispute mediation were filed in the last two years. While the monthly average of claims was 56 cases in 2012, the rate has more than doubled this year. Only about 42 percent of the total disputes ― 912 cases ― were settled successfully. Over half of the filed c

Social Affairs April 8, 2014

South Korea’s investment in mental illness research remains low despite the increasing social and economic burden such diseases pose, a report showed Monday. According to the government-affiliated Korea Health Industry Development Institute, public subsidies for studies of mental illness remained at one-ninth the level of support for cancer studies in 2012 ― 30 billion won ($28 million) ― while the financial burden of mental disease was 80 percent higher than that of cancer. Mental illnesses are

Social Affairs April 7, 2014

Almost half of Koreans are willing to donate their organs, but the actual registration rate remains low, a survey showed Monday. According to a two-month survey conducted by the state-run Korean Network for Organ Sharing, 47.7 percent of some 1,000 respondents said they were interested in organ donation. The rest said they were not willing to do so. Of those who expressed interest, only 15 percent were actually registered for organ donation. Over 40 percent said they were hesitant to make a move

Social Affairs April 7, 2014

The former head of financially troubled shipping and shipbuilding conglomerate STX Group was called in by prosecutors Friday to face questioning over alleged embezzlement and business malpractice. Kang Duk-soo, who headed the group between 2003 and February 2014, appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul around 9:20 a.m. to undergo questioning as a suspect in the corruption case. “I apologize for causing the people to worry, and I will sincerely respond to the

Social Affairs April 4, 2014