Rear passengers obligated by law to buckle up

[Photo Captured from SBS NEWS]

Beginning April 1st, all passengers traveling in a car, including those in the back seat, must fasten their seat belts. This applies not only to cars traveling on the expressway, but also on motorways which are roads designated to automobiles such as those by the riverside. A penalty or fine will be imposed should passengers fail to buckle up.

According to Maeil Kyungje , the police announced on March 31st that from April 1st onwards, it is mandatory that all seat belts be worn by passengers in cars traveling on motorways in pursuant to the rules enforced by the Road Traffic Act. If drivers are found not wearing their seat belts when driving on these roads, they will be fined 30,000 Won. Should passengers in the same vehicle fail to wear their seat belts, the fine of 30,000 Won will be imposed on the driver.

The police emphasized that amongst the traffic accidents that happened in Seoul City in 2010, the fatality rate of accidents on motorways is 2.03%, which is twice as high compared to that of accidents on city streets (0.98%), thus highlighting the importance of the use of seat belts, reported The Hankyoreh.

Translated by tokkicheonsa

Amnesty International report on status of death penalty in Korea

[Photo Captured from Amnesty Korea]

On the 28th, Amnesty International released it’s anuual report on the present status of the death penalty.

Korea currently has 61 inmates on death row; However, for the past 14 years, not one execution was carried out. Therefore, in its most recent report, Amnesty International classified Korea as a country which has abolished the death penalty. Munhwa Ilbo reported that the trend towards abolishing the death penalty continues, but debate continues to swell up each time a heinous crime occurs.

Furthermore, Yonhap News wrote that “Last year in North Korea, in accordance with domestic law, more than 60 people were executed, but that on occasion, the death penalty was given out even for crimes which it does not apply to.” North Korea, as well as Iran and Saudi Arabia, are the only countries, which continue to carry out public executions.

Translated by Steven Wilson

Country-wide ban on tinted cosmetics for children's safety

A complete ban in South Korea was imposed on the manufacturing, sale, and import of tinted cosmetics that could be used by children.

As reported by Kookmin DailyNews, the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) announced on March 17th that tinted cosmetics, such as lipsticks and eyeliners with containers and packaging bearing various comic characters or designs, are actually illegal products that can be mistaken for children's use. A full-scale inspection on the act of manufacturing, importing, and selling the products is slated to begin this July.

In addition, violators of the ban may be imprisoned, not exceeding 1 year, or an administrative measure will be imposed which includes a fine, not exceeding 5,000,000 Won. The ban was announced due to the possibility that children could experience skin conditions such as rashes and pruritus (itchy skin) from using the products. According to YTN, the KFDA stated that these side-effects occur in children because of the naturally higher absorption level of their thinner skin as compared to adults.

Translated by tokkicheonsa

Future electronic resident cards causing a stir

The push for the adoption of a new electronic resident card in 2013 is expected to cause controversy. ID chips containing personal information are scheduled to be used in the new electronic resident cards. There are plans to eliminate content found on current resident registration cards, such as resident ID numbers and Hanja (Chinese characters) names.

However, there are concerns that personal information leaks may occur, and that the electronic resident card bill should be scrapped, Financial News reported. "No definite decisions have been made as to whether Hanja inscriptions and similar information will be completely eliminated," sources from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said. "These can be stored on the IC chip, and various plans are under consideration." Additionally, beginning in 2012 new resident ID cards will contain a street name address, which is different than the current address system, following the government's decision to make this change.

The Kyung Hyang Newspaper reported that even families living in the same place can have different addresses, a potential problem. This is because people who don't replace their resident cards according to the phased introduction of electronic resident cards will keep their current address rather than use their new address.

Translated by Bret Chernoff