#suicide #Korea #MoHW #really_think_it_is_a_matter_of_taking_interest_to_the_issue? #SERIOUSLY???

Most suicidable country in OECD countries launch “postbox Campaign” with promotional dancing singing events to people feel livable. Shame.

South Korea’s health ministry on Thursday said it launched a set of campaigns to prevent suicides in an effort to cope with an uptrend in the number of people taking their own lives.
The campaigns aim to create a “life-respecting culture” to ward off suicide attempts and help people who have attempted to kill themselves by asking them if they are “fine,” the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

The “Postbox Campaign” will encourage people to write letters and post them on social networking service platforms, such as Facebook, the ministry said.

The ministry said it will also conduct a series of promotional events by dancers and singers that aim to talk about hope instead of despair.

The ministry said 93.4 percent of those who committed suicide have sent signals before their deaths, noting that suicides can be largely prevented through people paying attention.

“The issue of suicide can be solved like in Japan and Finland where people took interests in the issue,” a ministry official said.

The number of suicides has been increasing over the years.

There were 21.8 suicide cases per 100,000 people in 2006, 26 in 2008 and 31.2 cases in 2010. In 2011, more than 15,000 people took their own lives, and the number of daily suicide victims came to 44.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with an average of 29.1 people per 100,000 taking their own lives in 2012, far surpassing the OECD average of 12, according to the OECD. (Yonhap)

The heads of gus, local districts in Seoul are opposing the central government’s latest move to withdraw the city’s Youth Activities Support Project (Youth Allowance Project) claiming, “It is an unfair infringement of local autonomy.” The city of Seoul decided to respond aggressively to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ex officio cancellation of the Youth Allowance Project and to file a lawsuit at the Supreme Court this week.

The Association of Gu Chiefs in Seoul released a joint statement on August 7 and argued, “The government has intentionally adopted a broad interpretation in defining ‘social service’ stipulated in the Social Security Act and is violating the local government’s right to make policy decisions.”

The association said, “It is essentially the sole task of the local government to handle social security related affairs necessary to improve resident welfare,” and called for the welfare ministry to withdraw its cancellation of the project.

The city plans to submit a lawsuit to cancel the welfare ministry’s cancellation and file for an injunction at the Supreme Court as early as this coming 11-12 and to seek a quick ruling if possible. If the Supreme Court recognizes their application for injunction, they will have the grounds for providing the allowance in the second month. The city plans to emphasize the fact that the discussion with the welfare ministry stipulated in the Framework Act on Social Security does not call for an agreement or approval.

Meanwhile, a survey showed that six out of ten Seoul citizens believed that the youth allowance would be helpful to young low-income job seekers. According to the results of an online survey on Seoul’s Youth Activities Support Project, 61.5% of the respondents answered that the youth allowance would help young people with low incomes seek employment, whereas 38.5% answered that it would not help. As for the conflicts between the welfare ministry and the city of Seoul concerning the youth allowance, half (50.3%) of the respondents answered that the central government was intervening excessively. Among the respondents 40.1% said that the latest measure was a natural action taken by the central government.

The latest survey was conducted from July 22 to 25 among 2,495 citizens residing in Seoul registered as the panel for online surveys. The online panel were members whose actual names were verified and among the respondents the percentage of people in their twenties, subject to the Youth Allowance Project, was 13.7%.

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Survey shows Sewol survivors and victims’ families still suffering

#Sewol_tregidy #PTSD #still_suffering

Kwon Mi-hwa, mother of Oh Young-seok, a Danwon High School student who died in the Sewol ferry sinking, wipes away a tear during a press conference in front of Cheongwoon Hyojadong Community Service Center near the Blue House, calling for the Sewol Special Investigative Commission to be strengthened, and condemning the Park Geun-hye government, June 27. The sign she’s holding reads, “No more deaths”. (by Kim Seong-gwang, staff photographer)

Many affected by physical and psychological symptoms related to trauma of sinking incomplete investigation

“Most of all, the family members . . . uh . . . all the parents want to let the children go. Huh. (sighs) I think it’s only after we know why the accident happened . . after when we’ve punished the people responsible . . . and prevented this kind of thing from happening again that the family members . . . uh . . . will let go of our children . . . as free souls.”(Excerpt from an interview with the father of a Danwon High School student who died in the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking)　Over two years have passed since the Sewol ferry tragedy, yet a survey shows the survivors and family members of the victims are still suffering from psychological and physical problems in its wake.According to a draft report acquired of a survey by the special Sewol Investigative Commission on support for victims in the tragedy, the post-traumatic stress incidence rate for family members of Danwon High School students who lost their lives was 56%. The rate was much more severe than the 0.6% annual rate reported for the South Korean public as a whole.Family members were also found to be suffering from insomnia and other sleep disorders (75.4%) and physical stress-related symptoms such as headaches (72.7%).For the survey, in-depth interviews were conducted between January and June for groups among a total of 211 victims of the tragedy, including 145 family members of Danwon students who died in the sinking, 39 surviving students and their family members, and 27 non-student survivors and victim family members. The commission’s survey was the first conducted by a state organization for victims of a major disaster.“The aim was to assess and analyze problem areas and inadequacies in the victim support process in order to develop alternatives,” explained a commission source. The commission released the findings from the survey on July 20 at the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Seoul.The findings show sudden changes to the lives of family members of Danwon high school student victims as a result of the tragedy, including abandonment of jobs and changes in values. While 116 of those surveyed (81.3%) were working before the tragedy, 75 of them (64.6%) reported quitting work after the sinking. 42.6% reported contemplating suicide as a result of grief and subsequent trauma from losing children or siblings, while 4.3% reported actually making an attempt.“Early on after the tragedy, family members held on through will and determination, but as the investigation went on without any clear signs of process, their health has worsened as a result of the feeling of helplessness and doubt,” explained the research team of professor Cho Seon-mi from the Ajou University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, which examined family members of Danwon student victims.“To heal from trauma, you need to go through stages of recovering stability through trust and restoring social relationships,” the team said. “Learning the truth about the Sewol is inevitably going to be a very important variable.”Survivors also showed difficulty overcoming the shock of the tragedy. Students from Danwon High School showed a particularly strong aversion to use of the term “rescue” during the interview process. In their perception, their survival was the result of an escape rather than a rescue.Surviving students also expressed anger over the Coast Guard’s rescue efforts.“If they’d gotten out the kids who were locked in their rooms, we would have all escaped,” said one.“There were still a lot of kids after me,” said another.“They didn’t go into the boat,” a third said.The research team of Korea University professor Kim Seung-seop, which examined surviving Danwon students and their family members, explained that they “have yet to overcome the shock of the tragedy because of survivors’ guilt.”“A lot of them were also hurt by sensationalist media reports about ‘preferential treatment’ in university admission,” the team said.With Danwon students accounting for the majority of victims, the results also showed that non-student survivors and victim family members felt hurt over the “insincere” attitude from government institutions and a sense of alienation owing to regional differences in support distribution.“We need a central government support system in place so that there aren’t regional differences in support to victims,” said Ewha Womans University professor Yang Ok-kyung, who looked into the question of how to support victims’ families and survivors.By Kim Mi-young, staff reporter

Majority of working migrant wives have limited job security in Korea: research

#migrant_wives #job_insecurity #discrimination #intersectionality

More than half of employed foreign-born migrant wives in Korea work as either temporary or day laborers, while 9.5 percent of them work for free for their Korean in-laws’ businesses here, a study showed on Sunday.

The study, published in the latest edition of academic journal Gender Review, analyzed government data on 226,084 foreign-born women immigrants who married South Korean nationals.

The report found that 52.4 percent of all migrant wives were employed as of 2012, while 84.1 percent of them hoped to continue working or seek employment in the future.

However, most migrant wives who were in work faced a lack of job security, the study showed. While 35 percent of them worked as temporary workers, 18.9 percent of them were involved in day labor — meaning they were hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise to return. Also, 9.5 percent of them were doing unpaid work for their Korean in-laws, such as family farms or businesses.

A group wedding of South Korean men and their foreign-born brides, which was jointly financed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Woori Bank, held earlier in Seoul this month. (Yonhap)

The study showed that 65 percent of all working migrant wives’ monthly salaries ranged from 500,000 won ($439) to 1.5 million won ($1,318). At the same time, 17. 4 percent of them were making 500,000 won or less a month. Only 2.7 percent of them were making 2.5 million won a month or more. The average monthly salary of a university-educated, first-year Korean office worker is 1.9 million won, as of this year.

In terms of occupation type, the largest proportion of them, 30 percent, were engaged in simple labor such as cleaning or delivery. Another 23.9 percent were working in the service sector, followed by 13.6 percent who were factory workers.

Only 163 out of 119,922 working migrant wives were working in managerial positions, accounting for 0.1 percent.

The report also discovered that migrant wives who have a child aged 9 or younger, those who are married to low-earning Korean husbands, those who have experienced discrimination while living in Korea, and those who are from mainland China – excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan – were more likely to seek employment here.

Migrant wives with children aged 9 or younger were 92 percent more likely to be working than those who did not have children but were in the same age group, the report showed. Also, women from Hong Kong and Taiwan were 76 percent less likely to be working than those from mainland China.

Also, wives from Japan, the U.S., Russia, Uzbekistan and Cambodia also had a significantly lower likelihood of participating in the workfoce in Korea than women from mainland China.

Chinese-born, ethnic Korean women from mainland China accounted for the largest proportion of migrant wives by taking up 31.5 percent. One of the reasons behind their high employment rate has to do with their proficiency in the Korean language, researchers noted.

Researchers suggested the government come up with special job-training programs for migrant wives in low-earning households, especially those with young children.

“Language proficiency and education degrees would lead to higher-paying jobs,” the researchers said. “There should be ways for the mothers to get the education they want — while getting a degree may take a long time, it’s better for their career prospects in the long-run — while being able to raise their children with adequate support.”

As of 2012, those from China, including Chinese-born ethnic Koreans, accounted for 55.7 percent of all migrant wives in Korea, followed by those from Vietnam (22.1 percent) and the Philippines (6.3 percent). Almost 63 percent of them were aged 39 or younger, while 79.4 percent of them never attended post-secondary education. As of last year, 74.6 percent of all Korean high school girls enrolled in university.
 

Female activists strike out at notion that menstruation is something they must hide or be ashamed of

On July 3, sanitary pads smeared with paint the color of blood paint were put up on the street near the tourist district of Insadong in Seoul, alongside banners with slogans such as, “Sanitary pads are a necessity for half the population, so the government ought to institute price controls,” said one. “If pregnancy and childbirth are commendable, why should menstruation be a shameful deed that has to be concealed?” said another.Next to the sanitary pads were receipts that showed sanitary pads had been purchased for 12,600 won (US$10.96) and 9,900 won (US$8.61).Women who are opposed to the price of sanitary pads increasing on the grounds that they are an essential item for women organized a demonstration on Sunday that employed the techniques of performance art.

A chart put up on the street near the tourist district of Insadong in Seoul listing the per unit prices of sanitary pads in various countries, July 3. South Korea is at the top, with a per unit per of 331 won (28 cents), higher than Japan and the US (both 181 won), Canada (202 won) and Denmark (156 won). (by Kim Seong-gwang, staff photographer)

The performance on Sunday was put on by a group of women who responded to a suggestion made by one social media user who posted the hashtag “let’s hang up sanitary pads.”“Between 2010 and 2015, consumer prices have gone up by 9.81%, but the price of sanitary pads has increased by 24.59%,” said the person who came up with the idea of the performance. This person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out that South Korean sanitary pads cost between 50% and 100% more than their equivalents in countries like Japan, France and Denmark.“During the same period, the price of pulp, the main ingredient of sanitary pads, has fallen by 29.6%, and the price of felt has fallen by 7.6%. Companies shouldn’t be charging unfair prices because of menstruation, which women didn’t choose and can’t avoid,” this person said.The reason that the group chose the somewhat provocative idea of putting sanitary pads on the wall for their demonstration was to send the message that “menstruation is an ordinary human physiological function that we don’t need to hide or to feel ashamed of.”After a debate about the price of sanitary pads was ignited by the story of a teenager who had to use an insole during her period because sanitary pads were too expensive, a lawmaker in a local legislature remarked that it was revolting to use the word “sanitary pad” in public.“Even though I knew there was nothing shameful about my period, I used to hide my sanitary pads and call it ’that time of the month,‘” said one of the women who took part in the demonstration as she attached a sanitary pad painted red to the wall.By Bang Jun-ho, staff reporter

Female job quality remains lower

#female_labor #irregular_workers #glass_ceiling

The job quality of Korean women still remains low compared to their male counterparts, although the female employment rate edged up slightly last year, data showed Monday.

Statistics Korea said in its compiled report that among all female employees, 40.3 percent were irregular workers as of March this year, while the figure for men stood at 25.5 percent.

In terms of salary, a female worker was paid an average 1.78 million won ($1,530) a month last year, 62.8 percent of that of men in the country.

South Korean kids get just 34 minutes of outside play time a day(Hankyoreh)

Amount of time spent playing is less than a third of the time enjoyed by American children

Children’s time spent outdoors, by country

Children in South Korea spend an average of just 34 minutes outside each day, which is less than 30% of the time spent by children in the US, a study found.“In our study of exposure factors for South Korean children – including the time they spend in each place, the amount of food that they eat and their respiratory rate – children between the ages of three and nine spend an average of 34 minutes outside per day, which is just 29% of the 1 hour and 59 minutes spent by children in the US,” the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) said on May 10.Exposure factors refer to the values of a number of variables (the concentration of pollutants, body weight, respiratory rate and period and frequency of exposure, for example) that are used to assess the degree of exposure to environmental pollutants. From 2013 until last year, NIER studied 23 exposure factors for young people and teenagers who were 18 years old and younger. Various age groups were found to spend the following amount of time outside: 27 minutes for 0-2 years, 32 minutes for 3-6 years, 36 minutes for 7-9 years, 35 minutes for 10-12 years, 34 minutes for 13-15 years, and 43 minutes for 16-18 years. With the exception of infants and young children, middle school students spent the least amount of time outside.The respiratory rate, or the amount of air that is breathed in during the course of the day, is used to assess exposure to toxic substances through the respiratory system. The study found that the respiratory rate for South Korean children between the ages of five and six was 10.8 cubic meters on average. This was higher than Japan (9.9 cubic meters) and lower than the US (12.16 cubic meters).The study also examined infants’ tendency to suck on their fingers and other objects. At two years and below, infants sucked on their fingers an average of 3.9 times an hour and sucked on other objects 4.4 times an hour. Infant sucking lasted an average of 8.41 minutes an hour, which was shorter than the approximately 11 minutes that American children spent sucking. The NIER believes that this difference results from the fact that South Korean parents and teachers try to stop children from sucking their fingers or other objects.By Lee Keun-young, senior staff writer

#child_health #Korea #evenIwalkmydogmorethan30minutes