A South Korean woman who suffered repeated sexual harassment at work will be awarded compensation, the state workers' welfare agency said in a landmark ruling which acknowledged her suffering amounted to a work-related injury. Saturday's judgment marked the first time that suffering caused by sexual harassment has been classed as a workplace injury, and many other victims are now likely to file similar appeals with the agency, the Yonhap news service reported. According to the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, the woman, whose name was withheld for reasons of privacy, had suffered from unwelcome sexual advances from two men at her company since 2009. The woman, who worked at an autoparts maker in the southwestern city of Asan for the past 14 years, was repeatedly groped, and also received lewd text messages. A medical document said she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, experiencing intrusive recollections of the harassment, showed exaggerated … [Read more...] about S.Korea accepts sex harassment as ‘workplace injury’
Korea
VN, Korea to develop environmental industry
Viet Nam and South Korea were going to boost co-operation in developing the environmental industry, a conference in Ha Noi heard yesterday, Nov 21. Co-organised by the Viet Nam Environment Administration and the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI), the conference targeted the business potential of Vietnamese enterprises in the field of waste treatment and manufacturing of environmentally friendly products. The co-operation was marked by the signing of three memoranda of understanding between KEITI and the Viet Nam Environment Administration, KEITI and the Viet Nam Environmental Industry Association and between the Korea Environmental Preservation Association and the Viet Nam Urban Environment and Industry Zone Association. Speaking at the conference, KEITI director Joon Seung Yoon emphasised it was high time to give environment protection top priority, besides economic growth. "The development of environmental industry is of great importance," he … [Read more...] about VN, Korea to develop environmental industry
Christmas tree to glow until N.Korea successor’s birthday
South Korea said Friday a giant Christmas tree near the North Korean border will stay lit up till January 8 -- a move likely to anger Pyongyang since the date marks the birthday of its heir apparent. The North sees the tree topped with a glowing cross as a provocative propaganda symbol. Cross-border tensions are high after the North's deadly artillery attack last month on a South Korean border island and military drills by the South in response. The tree -- a 98-foot (29-meter) metal tower strung with light bulbs -- was switched on Tuesday for the first time in seven years as marines stood guard against any cross-border attack on it. The tree, atop a military-controlled hill near the tense land border, was due to be switched off on December 26. "However, we have decided to keep it until early January 8, in consideration of requests from religious groups," defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told a briefing. "At first, we planned to keep the lighting on only briefly because … [Read more...] about Christmas tree to glow until N.Korea successor’s birthday
US sends carrier to Korea
The United States is sending the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Republic of Korea this week in a display of "the strength of our alliance and our constant readiness to defend the RoK," the ship's commander said on July 19. The visit comes after months of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula after the sinking of a RoK warship in a torpedo attack in March, in which 46 RoK sailors were killed. Earlier this month, the United Nations formally denounced the sinking of the Cheonan, but did not specifically mention the DPRK. In anticipation of the U.S. announcement, Pyongyang at the weekend said the presence of the carrier would be a "reckless provocation," according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. It said the U.S. and RoK were trying to save face after suffering a "diplomatic defeat" in the United Nations. Two U.S. destroyers will also join the George Washington for its call in the port of Busan. A third destroyer will visit Chinhae, U.S. … [Read more...] about US sends carrier to Korea
South Korea re-opens the door for Vietnamese workers
The South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs have agreed to organize a Korean language test for Vietnamese workers this month. This decision means that the South Korean labor market will re-open for Vietnamese guest workers. The language test is scheduled on November 17-18 in Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Da Nang and HCM City. This time South Korea will recruit 15,000 Vietnamese workers, including 11,700 for the manufacturing industry, 1,000 for construction sector, 1,000 for agriculture and 1,300 for fishery. Previously, South Korea considered whether to hire Vietnamese workers further or not, because many Vietnamese workers did not return home after the labor contracts end. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, head of the Department for Overseas Labor Management, said that restriction will be applied for locations where at least five workers who illegally quit job and illegal reside in South Korea. Quynh said that around … [Read more...] about South Korea re-opens the door for Vietnamese workers