Articles by 이다영
이다영
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Sex trade exploits legal loopholes in South Korea
It’s been some 10 years since South Korea enacted its antiprostitution law, but new forms of sex trade have continued to evolve through legal loopholes, including sex services for women and overseas prostitution. With the law vocally opposed by an increasing number of sex workers, its efficacy has constantly been questioned. The Korea Herald is publishing a three-part series shedding light on the hidden side of Korea’s sex industry. The following is the second installment. – Ed. When Lucien Lee,
Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2015
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Most South Koreans short on retirement savings
Shin Yu-hee (not her real name), a 29-year-old office worker, is worried whenever she thinks about her parents’ postretirement years. Having graduated from a private women’s colleges in Seoul, she currently makes about 2.5 million won ($2,120) a month working at a marketing firm. As she lives alone and supports herself in Seoul while her family is in Daejeon, she doesn’t have much opportunity to save. “I know my parents don’t have anything ready for their postretirement expenses,” she told The K
Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2015
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[미군 기지촌 여성 인터뷰] ‘’양공주‘가 아니라 인신매매 피해자입니다’
[코리아 헤럴드=이다영 기자] 올해로 56세인 민수화 (*가명)씨는 외출할 때 늘 우산을 들고 다닌다. 반신이 마비돼 우산에 지탱하지 않으면 제대로 걸을수가 없어서다. 80년대 중반, 의정부 미군 기지촌에서 성매매 일을 그만둔 직후 그는 급격하게 살이 쪘다. 마약중독으로 37kg였던 앙상했던 몸은 78kg가 되었고, 체중 증가는 한쪽 다리의 마비로 이어졌다. “19살에 의정부에 와서 외국인들을 생전 처음 봤어요. 약을 먹지 않으면 무서워서 일을 할 수가 없었어요. 하루에 옥시코돈 (신경안정제의 일종)을 10알씩 먹었던 것 같아요. 약을 먹어야 손님들에게 다가갈 용기가 났어요. 그리고 금방 중독됐죠.” 민씨는 작년 국가를 상대로 손해배상청구소송을 낸 미군 기지촌 내에서 성매매에 종사했던 120여명 중 한 명이다. 그는 스스로를 ‘양공주’가 아니라 인신매매 피해자라고 칭했다. 1979년, 19살이었던 민씨가 어려웠던 가계를 돕기 위해 직업소개소를 찾아갔던 것이 불행의 시작이었다. 그의
한국어판 Dec. 9, 2015
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[미군 기지촌 여성 인터뷰] ‘’양공주‘가 아니라 인신매매 피해자입니다’
[코리아 헤럴드=이다영 기자] 올해로 56세인 민수화 (*가명)씨는 외출할 때 늘 우산을 들고 다닌다. 반신이 마비돼 우산에 지탱하지 않으면 제대로 걸을수가 없어서다. 80년대 중반, 의정부 미군 기지촌에서 성매매 일을 그만둔 직후 그는 급격하게 살이 쪘다. 마약중독으로 37kg였던 앙상했던 몸은 78kg가 되었고, 체중 증가는 한쪽 다리의 마비로 이어졌다. “19살에 의정부에 와서 외국인들을 생전 처음 봤어요. 약을 먹지 않으면 무서워서 일을 할 수가 없었어요. 하루에 옥시코돈 (신경안정제의 일종)을 10알씩 먹었던 것 같아요. 약을 먹어야 손님들에게 다가갈 용기가 났어요. 그리고 금방 중독됐죠.” 민씨는 작년 국가를 상대로 손해배상청구소송을 낸 미군 기지촌 내에서 성매매에 종사했던 120여명 중 한 명이다. 그는 스스로를 ‘양공주’가 아니라 인신매매 피해자라고 칭했다. 1979년, 19살이었던 민씨가 어려웠던 가계를 돕기 위해 직업소개소를 찾아갔던 것이 불행의 시작이었다. 그의
한국어판 Dec. 9, 2015
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‘My country pimped me to U.S. soldiers’
UIJEONGBU, Gyeonggi Province -- Near one of the U.S. military camps in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, there is an old, white cement building that now serves as a shelter for former sex workers for U.S. soldiers in the region. For Min Su-hwa (not her real name), it is also where she was forced to get weekly checkups with painful treatments for sexually transmitted diseases in the 1980s. The building used to be a state-run health clinic for Korean sex workers who served U.S. troops, including her.
Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2015
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Another victim of Japan’s wartime sex slavery dies
Another South Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military during World War II died Saturday, bringing the number of Korean survivors to 46. Choi Gab-soon died at age 96, after years of suffering from chronic conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia, said the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Choi was the ninth Korean victim of slavery to die this year. The late victim was born in 1919 in Gurye, South Jeolla Province. When she was 15, Ch
Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2015
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Korea targets 500,000 foreign patients
With the latest passage of a set of bills to support easier overseas advances of the medical industry, the government said Thursday it will aim to attract some 500,000 foreign patients in 2017, while also creating new jobs for young Koreans. The National Assembly late Wednesday night passed a string of medical-related bills that would, among other things, allow distance consultations between Korean doctors and overseas patients and job training programs for interpreters and medical coordinators
Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2015
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Korean court, college blasted for dating abuse lenience
A local court has come under fire for “lenient” punishment on a dating abuse perpetrator, a medical student who was slapped with a fine after being charged for locking up and beating his then-girlfriend in March. The Gwangju District Court handed down on Nov. 30 a fine of 12 million won ($10,300) in consideration that a jail sentence could “heighten his chances of getting expelled” from his school, Chosun University. The case was thrust into the media spotlight this week and soon went viral on
Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2015
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Korea to create free medical school
South Korea plans to set up a state-run medical school that would exempt its students from tuition fees and require graduates to serve 10 years at public medical institutions to meet the demand for health care in remote regions, the Health Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry has earmarked some 327.8 billion won ($282 million) to establish the school by 2020, offering a six-year degree program for 100 medical students each year. Students who do not fulfill the 10-year duty after graduation must p
Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2015
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Massive hepatitis C infection in Korea caused by reused syringes
A total of 71 South Koreans are confirmed to have been infected with hepatitis C caused by reused syringes at a clinic in Seoul as of Friday, health authorities said. The Health Ministry said on Friday a medical doctor of Dana Hyeondae Clinic in Seoul’s Yangcheon-gu claimed he suffered from brain injuries since 2012 while admitting to having resused disposable needles during blood donations that resulted in the massive hepatitis C infection. The Health Ministry is testing 2,268 more patients w
Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2015
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House of ex-lawmaker's aide raided over alleged political funds
Prosecutors said Thursday they have raided the house of an aide to a former ruling party lawmaker, who is suspected of receiving illegal political funds.The Daegu District Court said they will summon Sim Hag-bong, former lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, after analyzing materials confiscated from three places, including the house of Sim's aide.Last month, Sim stepped down from his post after the National Assembly passed a motion to expel him on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her
Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2015
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Two German financial firms ordered to pay for market manipulation
A South Korean district court on Thursday ordered two German financial institutions to compensate for the losses it caused a local bank after it manipulated the South Korean stock market in 2010 in an incident known here as the "Nov. 11 Options Shock."The Seoul Central District Court sided with KB Kookmin Bank in a civil lawsuit filed against Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Securities, demanding that the German financial institutions pay 718.5 million won (US$624,600) to the South Korean bank.Deutsch
Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2015
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U.N. rapporteur calls for accountability over N.K. human rights abuse
The U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation on Thursday called for accountability for the serious human rights abuses in the communist country.Marzuki Darusman made the appeal during his last official visit to South Korea, saying "nothing has changed" in the two years since the U.N. Commission of Inquiry released a landmark report accusing the North of grave crimes against humanity, including keeping political prison camps, abducting foreigners and forcing people to starv
Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2015
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China replaces key party official in charge of ties with N. Korea
China's ruling Communist Party has replaced a key official in charge of political relations with North Korea and other countries, according to Chinese state media reports on Thursday.Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department who held the post for 12 years, stepped down and career diplomat Song Tao was picked as Wang's successor, media reports said. The website of the department also showed that Song became its head. It was not immediately known why Wang was repl
Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2015
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[NEWSMAKER] Russia & Turkey: Historic foes facing future
ISTANBUL, (AFP) -- Turkey's downing of a Russian war plane on the Syrian border risks inflicting significant damage on relations between Moscow and Ankara, even if they both have an interest in avoiding a permanent rupture.Modern Turkey and Russia are the successor states of empires that fought over three centuries of war from the late 16th century for the Black Sea and Caucasus but in recent years forged a sometimes uneasy but pragmatic alliance.Energy-poor Turkey relies on Russia for over half
Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2015
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