Kim Meong-su, the nominee for South Korea’s Supreme Court chief justice, was grilled over his qualifications and ideological orientations Tuesday during a parliamentary confirmation hearing. In his opening speech, the reformist judge vowed to uphold the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, free from political pressure or influence-peddling involving judge-turned-lawyers, so that it could regain the public trust. “I will neither deny nor turn a blind eye to the public’s distrust in the

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2017

Torrential downpours and strong winds hit southern parts of Korea on Monday, flooding streets, shutting down schools, paralyzing traffic and causing power outages. Busan (Yonhap)Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province and Busan on the south eastern coast were most affected, along with other cities in the Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces, with some areas seeing up to 308 millimeters of rain, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.Busan, the nation’s second-biggest city, had

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2017

“여기 있으면서도 마음이 안 편해요. TV로 뉴스를 확인하는 것 밖에 할 수 있는 게 없어요. 가족들이 너무 걱정 되어 손에 일이 안 잡힙니다” 　　미얀마 정부의 로힝야족 ‘인종청소’ 논란 속에 한국에 거주하는 11명의 로힝야족 중 한 명인 모하메드 이삭(51)씨를 만났다. 지난 2006년 한국 정부로부터 난민 인정을 받고 이곳에정착한 그는 연신 고향인 라카인 주에 두고 온 어머니와 동생의 생사를 몰라 힘들다고 말했다. 　그는 “수요일에 통화했을 땐 라카인에 있다고 했는데 지금은 어디에 있는지 몰라요. 상황이 아주 위험하다고 했어요. 주변 사람들이 계속 죽어 나가니까…” 라며 말 끝을 흐렸다. 　미얀마 북쪽에 위치한 라카인 주는 로힝야 족의 대부분이 모여사는 곳으로, 미얀마 정부와 로힝야 반군 간의 폭력 사태로 민간인의 피해가 확대되고 있는 지역이다. 모하메드 씨의 가족도 그와의 마지막 통화에서 계속되는 민간인들에 대한 공격을 피해 라카인을 떠나 방글라데시로 갈 것이라고 말했다.　로

한국어판 Sept. 10, 2017

The South Korean government’s failure to introduce an alternative service system for conscientious objectors is tantamount to “negligence,” a judge said Sunday, acquitting two religious objectors. Judge Kim Jin-wook of the Seoul South District Court cleared two Jehovah’s Witnesses of violating the Military Service Act, in the latest addition to a string of court rulings in favor of conscientious objectors. The men, both aged 23 years old, were charged with disobeying the government’s order to en

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2017

Amid news of Rohingya Muslims risking their lives to escape escalating violence in Myanmar, Ishaque Mohamed, one of only 11 Rohingya people known to be living in South Korea, feels guilty that he is safe and well. His mother and brother, who he left behind in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine, are among thousands on a perilous journey -- either on foot or by boat -- to flee what they call “ethnic cleansing” in the nation.   Ishaque Mohamed poses for a photo with his 7-year-old child Rayyan Moha

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2017

Korea is finally getting serious about preventing suicides with the establishment of a dedicated ministry department with a budget of 10.5 billion won ($9.3 million) for 2018. Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said Thursday that the ministry will set up a team dedicated to lowering the country’s suicide rate, which is one of the world’s highest, and add 500 more counsellors at 241 mental health welfare centers across the nation, starting next year. “Suicide is not a personal problem any

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2017

A group representing the visually impaired criticizes online retailers for disciminating agasint the disabled in providing shopping services at a press conference held in front of the Seoul Central District Court Thursday. (Yonhap)Nearly a thousand visually impaired persons filed a 5.7 billion ($5 million) lawsuit against online retail giants Thursday, saying they are discriminated against due to their limited accessibility to their services. A group of 963 visually challenged people filed for c

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2017

Nonregular employment may be an inevitable byproduct of modernity and technological innovation, and society must decide whether to accept this form of employment, the chief of the International Labor Organization has said. In an interview with a group of reporters Wednesday, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said it may be time for society to decide through social dialogue whether to accept diversified forms of employment. 　But in the process, there should be no workers disadvantaged. Society shoul

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2017

Up to 10,000 young South Koreans illegally residing in the United States are at risk of being deported after US President Donald Trump issued an order to scrap a scheme that has protected young undocumented migrants from deportation. Korean immigrants groups in the US have expressed their concerns and regret after the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, in a move that could affect some 800,000 beneficiaries in the country. “Koreans here a

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2017

Migrant fishermen are exposed to human rights abuses, activists and human rights lawyers said Tuesday, calling on the government and ship owners to step up efforts to improve the situation. Kim Jong-chul, a lawyer for the Seoul-based Advocates for Public Interest Law, claimed that migrant fishing crews are at risk of forcible labor and human trafficking, as they are unable to seek help or leave work while at sea. An outdoor billboard carries an advertisement by an agency recruiting foreign fishe

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2017

Foreign residents in South Korea largely remained calm after North Korea’s nuclear test Sunday, although some expressed deepening worries over the escalating military standoff between the North and the US. Most foreigners here continue to see large-scale military conflict as improbable, despite the dramatic increase in military tensions. (Yonhap)Yann Dumont, 21, a French student who has lived here for three years, said he doesn’t feel anything special about Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear weapons deto

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2017

지난 1일 밤 11시경 부산의 유명 클럽에서 인도네시아 20대 여성이 한국인 남성 종업원에게 심한 폭행 당한 것이 알려져 외국인 누리꾼들의 비난이 쏟아지고 있다. 한국에서 유학 중인 인도네시아인 제시카 세티아 씨(21)는 부산 서면의 한 클럽에서 친구 5명과 함께 입장 순서를 기다리다 신분증을 확인하려는 종업원과 실랑이가 붙었다. 세티아 씨는 “지갑에서 억지로 신분증을 꺼내 확인하려 했다”며 “한국인 신분증을 가지고 있던 친구들은 쉽게 들여 보내주면서 나와 내 인도네시아 친구는 쉽게 입장시켜주지 않았다”고 주장했다.　세티아 씨에 따르면 그녀는 종업원이 자신의 인도네시아인 친구의 신분증을 떨어뜨리고 친구가 이를 주우며 종업원과 실랑이를 벌이는 것을 보고는 화가 나 그 종업원을 밀쳤다. 몸싸움 끝에 세티아 씨는 입 주위를 맞고 병원에 실려가 턱 부위를 8바늘 꿰맸다.　(사진=조슈아 어윈 SNS)해당 클럽은 성명을 통해 “저희는 신분증 사진과 실제 얼굴이 일치하지 않아 추가적인 사항을 요

한국어판 Sept. 3, 2017

An Indonesian woman claimed Sunday that she was discriminated against and beaten up by a Korean bouncer of a club because of her nationality, in an incident that drew a lot of social media attention over the weekend.   　Jessica Setia, a 21-year-old Indonesian national who has studied here for two years, suffered a 0.5-centimeter-deep wound on her lips and a bruise on her chin as a result of her brawl with the male bouncer of a club in Busan around midnight Friday. 　Setia claimed the Korean man w

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2017

The government said Tuesday it will carry out safety checks on menstrual cups before approving them for sale, amid growing concerns over the safety of feminine hygiene products here. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is looking into levels of volatile organic compounds, including a variety of chemicals that may cause health problems, potentially contained in the menstrual cups by an American brand. “We decided to inspect whether VOCs are contained in menstrual cups, what kinds of VOCs and whe

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2017

Constitutional Court Justice nominee Lee You-jung expressed a reserved stance toward legalizing same-sex marriage during a parliamentary confirmation hearing Monday. “As for the controversial same-sex marriage, it is a matter that requires a long time to be legalized even in Western society and should be based on a long-term social consensus,” she said.  (Yonhap)Lee, 49, a former lawyer who specialized in women’s rights, was tapped in August as a justice nominee for the nine-member bench to fill

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2017