The majority of sexual violence victims in Korea don’t report their cases to the police as they fear social stigmatization and prejudice, according to the Gender Equality Ministry.As of last year, an average of 79 individuals experienced sexual violence every day in South Korea. According to the ministry, more than 65 percent of the victims do not share their experience with anyone.A total of 85 percent of the victims here were assaulted by acquaintances or somebody they already knew. The minist

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday announced that it was indefinitely postponing the enactment of the charter of human rights for citizens of Seoul after fierce protests from gay rights opponents. The charter, which was proposed by the SMG to raise awareness about human rights in August, included a clause that stated a person “has the right not to be discriminated against based on his or her sexual orientation or sexual identity,” among others. The specific clause has been protested aga

WASHINGTON, (AFP) ― Experts said Monday that regular tests for vitamin D levels were not proven to be beneficial or harmful, despite previous research warning of damaging effects of vitamin D deficiencies in adults. Studies have found that low levels of the vitamin can increase the risk of bone fractures, heart disease, colorectal cancer, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and death. But the US Preventative Services Task Force said there was no evidence that getting regularly tested for s

After the controversial revelation that a high profile Seoul National University professor is being investigated by the police for allegedly molesting one of his former interns this year, two more university professors have come under fire for similar allegations.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, a Korea University professor in its engineering department is currently being investigated for repeatedly sexually assaulting one of his graduate students over a span of about three mon

About 180,000 Koreans are estimated to be living as undocumented immigrants in the United States, making them the eighth-largest ethnic group among the country’s 11.3 million illegal residents, according to U.S. think-tank Pew Research Center.Depending on their eligibility, some of the illegal Korean migrants may benefit from President Barack Obama’s order, announced Thursday, to protect nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.Under Obama’s plan, illegal residents who have been

South Korea ranked 49th in the 2014 Global Slavery Index, in terms of people in modern slavery in absolute numbers, among 167 countries released by Australia’s Walk Free Foundation.According to the report, some 93,700 people are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery in the country. The index defines modern slavery by including the presence of human trafficking, debt bondage, sex slavery and forced migrant labor or marriage.North Korea, on the other hand, ranked 43rd, with some 108,200 people

Immigrant women working at a call center set up to offer a hotline to migrant wives are often verbally harassed by Korean men, the Gender Equality Ministry said Wednesday. There are currently 76 foreign-born workers from different countries including Vietnam, China and the Philippines, for the national hotline Danuri, which provides 24-hour service in 13 different languages. The full-time operators were hired by the government to provide services in the mother tongues of women immigrants here. M