KIHASA Update
Window on Korean Society: July 20-26
- Date 2024-07-22
- Hits 115
July 20
●Med professors warn of boycotting junior doctors' training amid standoff (The Korea Times)
Some medical professors vowed Saturday to boycott training programs for junior doctors to protest the government's push to accept the resignations of striking trainees, and medical school admission quota hikes.
July 21
●'79% of child victims of family members' sex crimes were 13 or younger when it first happened' (The Korea Herald)
An overwhelming majority of the child victims in sex crimes perpetrated by a family member were aged 13 or younger when they were victimized, a parliamentary report showed Sunday.●Junior doctors job, test registration open Monday (The Korea Herald)
Starting Monday, local training hospitals will begin posting job openings for junior doctors who will begin training in the second half of the year, and the registration for the state-run medical license test will open in the government's latest steps to fill the months-long medical void.●Gov't permits more restaurants to employ foreign workers as kitchen assistants (The Korea Times)
Chinese, Japanese and Western restaurants will be allowed to employ immigrant workers as kitchen assistants, officials said Friday, a move that could help address workforce shortages in the restaurant industry.
July 22
●Hospitals set to begin hiring trainee doctors as med professors warn of boycotting training programs (The Korea Herald)
Hospitals were set to begin hiring about 7,700 trainee doctors on Monday, although medical professors have warned of boycotting their training programs in protest of the government's push for accepting the resignations of striking trainees.●Young Koreans struggle with historic delays in securing first jobs (The Chosun Daily)
Kim, 31, who graduated with a degree in economics four years ago, has been working part-time jobs since two years after graduation.●Medical professors say they won't teach junior doctors recruited to replace strikers (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Medical professors warned they would not cooperate in teaching newly recruited junior doctors, foreshadowing a significant setback in normalizing medical services after trainee recruitment for the fall semester began Monday.●Seoul gov't orders malaria alert for Gangseo District after two locally acquired cases reported (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a malaria alert for Gangseo District on Monday following the reports of two locally acquired cases.●Employment rates, wages drop once women become mothers: study (The Korea Herald)
The employment rates and wages of South Korea's female workers significantly dropped after they become mothers, with about one in two mothers leaving their jobs after giving birth, a recent study showed Monday.●Only 1 in 3 Korean women living alone hope to marry someday, survey finds (The Hankyoreh)
Only half of men and one-third of women living alone in the city of Suwon hope to get married in the future, survey results showed.●Korea drafting bill to grant access to abortion pills (The Korea Times)
The Korean government is seeking to grant access to abortion pills, as officials plan to include the right to using such drugs in their legislation bill, The Korea Times learned, Monday.
July 23
●S. Korean medical centers face post-pandemic financial and perception struggles (The Chosun Daily)
Cheongju Medical Center, a 583-bed general hospital established by Chungcheongbuk-do, reported a deficit of 15 billion won last year.●Children's hospitals forced to treat emergency cases amid continued doctors' strike (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Despite their limited resources, children's hospitals are increasingly forced to treat more pediatric patients in emergency and critical conditions due to protracted walkouts at larger, better-equipped tertiary hospitals.●Children of defectors born in third countries face discrimination, legal blind spots (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Kim Min-young -- a pseudonym -- is a 22-year-old woman who arrived in South Korea just a year ago.●Korea to roll out blueprint for medical reform (The Korea Herald)
The government said Tuesday that it would roll out a blueprint for medical reform in late August, renewing its commitment to overhauling health care despite strong resistance from the medical circle.●Health minister criticizes some med professors for moving to boycott training programs for junior doctors (The Korea Times)
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Tuesday criticized some medical professors for threatening to boycott training programs for junior doctors, calling their move "deeply regrettable."
July 24
●Seoul gov't extends support for children in care facilities to ensure independence after discharge (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday said it would spend 106.5 billion won ($77 million) over the next five years to support children living in foster homes and child welfare facilities and ensure their independence after their protection ends.●Seoul vows W106.5b to support youth exiting foster care (The Korea Herald)
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it would spend 106.5 billion won ($76.9 million) over the next five years to help youth transitioning out of foster care or child care institutions to adjust to independent living, becoming the first local government to do so in South Korea.●Over half of Korea's outpatient visits last under 5 minutes: study (The Korea Herald)
Over half of outpatients in South Korea spent under five minutes with their doctor during medical appointments last year, a study showed Wednesday.●Largest doctors' group pulls plug on joint committee (The Korea Herald)
South Korea's largest doctors' group said Wednesday that it has decided to pull the plug on a joint committee launched last month to take unified action against the government's planned medical school expansion, after other groups called on it to disband.●Number of people changing residences lowest in 50 years in June (The Korea Times)
The number of Koreans who moved to different residences in the country fell to the lowest in 50 years in June due to fewer new homes and demographic changes, data showed Wednesday.●Childbirths in Korea rise for 2nd month for first time in about 9 years (The Korea Times)
The number of babies born in Korea rose for the second month in a row in May for the first time in about nine years, data showed Wednesday, as the country is struggling to boost its ultra-low birthrate.●Post-COVID woes plague S. Korean local medical centers (The Chosun Daily)
Cheongju Medical Center, a 583-bed hospital in Chungcheongbuk-do, reported a 15 billion won deficit last year and is currently losing 1 billion won monthly in 2023.
July 25
●40% of school violence victims felt urge to self-harm: survey (The Korea Herald)
Roughly 4 out of 10 students who were victims of school violence said they had felt the urge to either inflict injury on oneself or commit suicide, a survey by an NGO showed Wednesday.●Day care centers plummet, senior facilities soar amid demographic shift (The Korea Herald)
Day care centers declined by nearly 2,000 in 2023, while facilities for seniors increased by more than 3,000, reflecting Korea's continued aging society, data showed Thursday.●Korea sees decrease in nurseries, surge in care centers for older adults amid plummeting birthrate (The Korea Times)
Korea has seen a sharp decline in the number of day care centers and a dramatic jump in the number of facilities for older adults amid a plummeting birthrate and aging population, government data showed, Thursday.●Yoon taps Hanyang Univ. professor as senior secretary for low birthrate issues (The Korea Times)
President Yoon Suk Yeol has tapped an economics professor at Hanyang University as the inaugural senior presidential secretary for low birthrate issues, sources said Thursday.
July 26
●How Korea's wild weather worsens the struggle for dementia patients (Korea JoongAng Daily)
At around 6:57 pm. on July 2, a severe rainfall drenched the streets of Jongno District, central Seoul.●Over 100 heat-related illness cases reported in 3 days: govt. (The Korea Herald)
With the monsoon season coming to an end, South Korea has seen a surge in the number of days with scorching heat, leading to a rapid increase in the number of cases of heat-related illnesses.●Medical services scaled back as doctors gather for protest, discussion forum (The Korea Herald)
As the stalemate in South Korea's medical circle enters its sixth month following the government's announcement of a drastic hike in the medical school admissions quota, doctors nationwide once again suspended services on Friday, calling on the government to drop the plan.●Korea strives to boost rehabilitation of socially isolated youth (The Korea Times)
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has launched a pilot project aimed at supporting the mental and physical rehabilitation of isolated and reclusive youth.