Articles by Shin Ji-hye
Shin Ji-hye
shinjh@heraldcorp.com-
[Newsmaker] ‘Korea fails to respond to human trafficking’
In July 2016, a woman from Thailand came to Korea believing she could work as a masseuse. As soon as she arrived in Incheon, she was sent by brokers to a massage parlor in Gwangju. There, the owner took her passport and told her to go to a room for a test. Soon after, she was raped by the owner. When she said she wanted to return to Thailand, the owner and the brokers demanded that she pay them 2 million won ($1,775) in commission before leaving. She was forced to stay and work in the massage
Social Affairs March 5, 2021
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Top prosecutor resigns in defiance of weakening prosecution’s power
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl announced his resignation Thursday in protest against the government’s push to weaken the power of the prosecution. An hour later, President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation. At 2 p.m. in front of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul, Yoon said in front of reporters, “I am going to resign as the prosecutor general today. It is difficult to watch common sense and justice collapse any more. (My role) in the prosecution ends here.”
Politics March 4, 2021
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More than 23,000 vaccinated as officials warn against fake news
Authorities on Tuesday have sounded an alarm over fast-spreading, false news about vaccines, as more than 23,000 doses of the vaccines have been administered. The number of daily confirmed cases has remained in the mid-300s for three consecutive days. The country added 344 COVID-19 cases, pushing the total caseload to 90,372 as of Tuesday midnight, according to the government’s central response team. The number of new confirmed cases declined by 11 from the previous day. Of the 344 cas
Social Affairs March 2, 2021
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Confirmed cases remain in mid-300s; around 21,000 vaccinated
As the third wave of the pandemic continues, the number of new confirmed cases remain in the mid-300s, while more than 21,000 doses of vaccines have been administered as of Monday. The government’s central response team said Monday the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 355 to 90,029 as of midnight. The figure declined by one from the previous day, staying in the 300s for the second consecutive day apparently due to the number of inspections having decreased over the weekend. O
Social Affairs March 1, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Child abuse can now lead to death penalty in South Korea
South Korea is strengthening punishment for child abuse amid a growing number of cases, with the recent revision of a child abuse law now making the death penalty a possibility. On Friday lawmakers passed a bill at the plenary session of the National Assembly to revise a law dealing with penalties for child abuse, making it possible for child abusers to be convicted of murder even if they did not intend to cause death. The amendment, called the Jeong-in Act, is named after a 16-month-old gir
Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2021
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[Feature] Why do old people pick up cardboard in Seoul?
When the temperature dropped to minus 7 degrees Celsius in mid-February, Lee Deok-ja, 74, was dragging her handcart around Deungchon-dong, western Seoul, picking up cardboard. It was about 12:30 p.m. and her handcart was empty. Lee said she had already been to the junk shop three times that day. Instead of filling up the handcart -- which appears to weigh more than 40 kilograms when empty -- the petite lady chooses to go to a junk shop several times a day and fill her cart little by little.
Social Affairs Feb. 25, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Controversy brews over sex dolls in Korea
The controversy over sex dolls in Korea continues, with lawmakers seeking to impose regulations while civic groups call for a ban despite the court ruling to allow importing them. The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday, announced a ruling in favor of a local importer that had sued a Gimpo Airport customs official over the suspension of the import customs clearance of sex dolls. During the trial, the importer said, “Although the sex doll is a masturbation device for men with a shape
Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Claims of past school violence sweep sports, showbiz
Celebrities and athletes are facing public outrage, following a string of accusations of past bullying. Following the bullying scandal that damaged the careers of four professional volleyball players this month, another volleyball player Park Sang-ha retired on Monday after admitting to allegations of school violence. Over the weekend, another allegation was raised that Hanwha Eagles baseball player Yoo Jang-hyuk assaulted and bullied a school mate during elementary school. The revelations ar
Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Lawmakers condemn Myanmar military coup, call for democracy
South Korean lawmakers on Monday called for a restoration of democracy in Myanmar and raised concerns about atrocities against ethnic minorities, after the military junta took control in a coup. Myanmar’s military on Feb. 1 overthrew the country’s democratically elected government and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A state of emergency was declared, rolling back efforts to end more than 50 years of military dictatorship and establish a democratic government through the
Politics Feb. 22, 2021
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[Eye Plus] Soraepogu, famous for fresh seafood, salted shrimp
Soraepogu Fish Market located in Namdong-gu, Incheon, is a popular tourist attraction in the metropolitan area with more than 8 million visitors a year. The fish market, located about 32 kilometers from Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul, is the nearest mudflat to the capital. At the market, large and small fishing boats can be seen bringing in freshly caught seafood from off the coast of Incheon. The place is famous for shrimp, salted fish and blue crab. A 1.56 million square-meter Sorae Ecologic
Travel Feb. 20, 2021
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Two court officials arrested over attempt to rape, assault
Two court officials have recently been arrested in separate incidents this month on suspicion of attempting to rape a woman, and assaulting a karaoke owner in Seoul, police said. A drunk official in his 30s chased a woman into a restroom in a building in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where he then beat and attempted to rape the victim on Thursday, police said on Friday. The man, surnamed Kim, fled as the victim resisted and later was arrested by police. The police are investigating him on charges of at
Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2021
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English education should start at earlier age: lawmaker
A South Korean lawmaker serving on the education committee said the nation needs to change the paradigm of English education by providing it at an earlier age and abolishing test-focused, cram-style education. “Preschoolers are building up a considerable level of English skills through private education. Students who first encounter English in the third grade of elementary school have a different starting line than students who learn earlier through private education.” Rep. Kim By
Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2021
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[Animals in Korea (2)] Pro bono lawyers sue on behalf of animals in peril
In a country where news reports about animal cruelty and abandonment never stop, a group of pro bono lawyers is working to protect animals by filing suits on their behalf. Among their clients are mountain goats in danger of losing their habitat, and dogs dying in pain at meat farms. Park Joo-yeon is one of 15 lawyers engaged in animal protection activities for the civic group People for Non-Human Rights. PNR was founded in 2017 by lawyers seeking to use their collective voice to improve the l
Social Affairs Feb. 17, 2021
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[Newsmaker] In Korean sports, medals cover a multitude of sins
South Korean sports’ “medals-only” meritocracy is revealing its dark side after patterns of violent behavior were laid bare, shocking sports fans and the public. On Monday the Incheon Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders, a women’s professional volleyball team, announced the indefinite suspension of twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young over assaults they had perpetrated on classmates in middle school. It was only the latest scandal related to violence and bully
Social Affairs Feb. 15, 2021
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Gyeonggi governor stays on top of presidential preference survey
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is firmly at the top of the recent presidential preference survey, widening the gap with two other high-profile figures, ruling Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a poll showed Sunday. In a survey conducted by broadcaster SBS on 1,002 people aged 18 or older nationwide for four days from Feb. 6 to 9, Gov. Lee, who belongs to the Democratic Party of Korea, ranked first with a 28.6 percent approval in potential
Politics Feb. 14, 2021
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