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The Korea Herald
2008.5.21
1 out of 10 children in poverty: report
A new report showed that almost one out of 10 Korean children under age 18 lived in absolute or relative poverty in 2006.
The research conducted by Kim Mee-sook, research fellow of the child welfare team at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, said a total of 545,000 children lived in absolute poverty and 915,925 remained in relative poverty in 2006.
The absolute poverty rate of families with children nationwide showed a slight decrease from 8.8 percent in 1999 to 6.7 percent in 2000 and to 4.4 percent in 2002. In 2006, it stood at 4.8 percent.
Absolute poverty measures the number of people living below the poverty threshold or those who are unable to afford certain basic goods and services.

Digital Chosunilbo
2008.5.22
S.Korea's Birthrate Still Lowest in the World
South Korea ranks at the bottom among 193 countries with a fertility rate of 1.2 children born to a woman over her lifetime. But the country ranks 23rd in average life expectancy, at 79 years.
According to WHO statistics for 2008 released Tuesday, South Korea had the lowest birthrate alongside the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine at 1.2 as of 2006.
Other countries with a low birthrate are Japan, Singapore, Russia and Hungary (1.3) and Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria (1.4). Some advanced countries, however, enjoy a relatively higher birthrate. Among them are the U.S. with 2.1, France with 1.9, and the U.K., Sweden and Finland with 1.8.
The country with the highest birthrate is Niger (7.3), followed by Afghanistan (7.2). North Korea's birthrate is 1.9, down from 2 in 2000.

Joongang Daily
January 29, 2008
The new system recognizes women's rights and non-traditional families.
The old system, hojuje, was very patriarchal, and children could never take their mother's last name.
(Shin Hyun-lim, the author of "Single Mom's Story," enjoys raising her daughter on her own. [JoongAng Ilbo])
The new year began with a new family registry system taking effect in South Korea.
The Constitutional Court ruled three years ago that the old male-dominated system called hojuje was unconstitutional.

KBS Global
2008.1.29
Cha In-pyo, Shin Ae-ra Adopt Another Child
Celebrity couple Cha In-pyo and Shin Ae-ra have adopted another child following their first adoption of a baby girl.
The couple adopted a 100-day-old baby girl earlier this month.
Cha said he and his wife didn't publicize their adoption because it was their second adoption and they were sure the news would spread naturally.
The couple married in 1995 and had a son before they adopted a daughter. They named their first adopted child Ye-eun and their second daughter Ye-jin.

The Korea Times
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The abortion rate of women who have sons is higher than those who have daughters. This was the finding of the College of Health Science at Yonsei University.
Professor Chung Woo-jin of the school has studied the delivery statistics of more than 6,000 women aged between 15 and 49 and found that a preference for sons along with religious beliefs greatly influenced the decision of women to seek abortions. Research results will be published in an international magazine, ``Journal of Biosocial Science,’’ next month.
In particular, women who have only sons have seen a 3.2-fold higher abortion rate than those who have only daughters. The abortion rate for women having only one son was 16.5 percent while that of women who have more than two sons was 71.7 percent.
In contrast the abortion rate for women who have only daughters was 15.9 percent while those with more than two daughters was 42.4 percent. Prof. Chung said that the result indicates that women having sons are more likely to seek abortions.

Pacific Citizen
In the Hell of War, Compassion Blossomed
In 1950, Pete Smith was one of the many abandoned Korean children in a war-torn country until an American military police unit adopted him. He's not alone. Thousands of orphans were saved - it was the American way.
By Lynda Lin, Assistant Editor
Published August 3, 2007
Pete Smith was only three years old when he was plucked out of a ditch by a U.S. Army sergeant in the city of Pyongyang. It was 1950, the beginning of the Korean War. Pete was alone and half-naked, shivering from the cold, so the sergeant put the toddler inside a duffel bag and drove him to the Army compound.
For five years, Pete was the youngest member of the 728th Military Police A Company stationed in Yongdung Po until he was adopted by another sergeant and taken to his new home in Arroyo Grande, Calif. where he had an all-American upbringing.

The Korea Times
Transgender Singer to Open Orphanage
2007/11/29
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
A transgender entertainer unveiled her dream of running a social welfare facility in the near future.
The well-known singer Harisu, 32, plans to build an orphanage in a rural area to nurture abandoned children and those reeling from financial hardship.

The Korea Times
07-24-2007 18:31

Korean-American: Why Identity Does Matter

By Alex Lee
Contributing Writer

The Korea Times
05-16-2008 17:49

Disabled Orphans Neglected in Adoption
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The percentage of Koreans adopting orphans is rising, but so-called minority adoptions of disabled children are very low on their priorities.

The Hankyoreh
Ethical lapses aside, new health and welfare minister takes office
Civic groups protest appointment due to allegations of plagiarism and abuse of national health insurance system
Posted on : Mar.14,2008 13:23 KST
Despite objections from civic groups, President Lee Myung-bak has appointed Kim Soung-yee to head the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. Kim has been under pressure to resign due to an array of ethical lapses, and has been accused of allegedly plagiarizing a research paper and illegally permitting his daughter, who has U.S. citizenship, benefit from South Korea’s national health insurance system.
Opposition political parties and conservative civic groups, which have demanded that Kim resign, criticized the Lee administration for pushing ahead with the nomination of Kim, saying that the administration made its “own decision after ignoring public opinion.”
Kim’s inauguration ceremony was held in Gwacheon, where the ministry is located. “While the process of getting to this place wasn’t smooth, it was an important opportunity to look back at my life,” Kim said in his inauguration speech. “Many changes, including the consolidation, job cuts and moving the offices have made it difficult for you, and I hope that everyone can cope with the changes in a positive way.” Under the new administration, the Ministry of Health and Welfare was merged with the family division of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, leaving the new ministry headed by Kim and the newly named Minstry of Gender Equality as separate entites.