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| Ultrasound inspections for women's breast and reproductive system including uterus and ovary will be covered under the national health insurance plan within 2020. gettyimagesbank |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Some positive changes in regulations for the welfare and safety sectors will take effect today at the start of the new year, and some more will be implemented gradually throughout the year. They range from expansion of health insurance coverage to strengthening of safety measures in school zones and childcare centers.
Health and welfare
Starting in the first half of 2020, uterus and ovarian ultrasound examinations will be covered national by the health insurance. In the latter half of 2020, breast and heart ultrasounds will also be included. A doctor's diagnosis suspecting a disease is needed for the ultrasound examination to be covered under the health insurance plan.
Starting in October, the provision of free influenza shots will also be expanded to 13-year-old children from the current 12 years old. The benefit for the elderly over 65 and expecting mothers will remain the same. Around 14.61 million people are expected to benefit from the plan. The quality of the free vaccine will also be improved ― currently three-strain vaccines are offered, meaning it can prevent three types of flu viruses, but four-strain ones will be used.
From the spring semester, high school tuition will become free for sophomore and senior students, an expansion from this year's seniors only. The plan will help the parents of 880,000 sophomore and seniors save 1.58 million won ($1,358) in tuition a year. While only elementary and middle schools were free of charge previously, the government is expanding it to high school to ease parents' financial burden and guarantee the basic right to education.
Starting September, coffee and bakery franchises with over 100 outlets will need to label the level of caffeine for their coffee beverages. So far, the regulation has only applied to processed coffees sold at supermarkets and convenience stores. In addition, if the caffeine level exceeds 0.15 milligrams per milliliter, the outlets should include a high-caffeine warning label.
Safety and Environment
Starting late March, police will strengthen traffic surveillance in school zones by installing safety signs and speed cameras and establishing anti-slip facilities for vehicles.
The move follows the mid-December passage of a bill nicknamed the "Min-sik Law" for stricter regulations in school zones. The law was named after nine-year-old Kim Min-sik who was killed by a speeding car in front of his elementary school in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, in September. The new law makes speed cameras and traffic lights mandatory at all school zones, as well as gives stricter punishment for drivers who kill or injure children by speeding in the zone.
Stricter environmental safety regulations will be applied to children's playrooms. Although the main users are children, these facilities have not been subject to regulations applied to daycare centers, kindergartens and elementary schools. Now their operators will have to control the levels of air quality and heavy metals used in their facilities to meet government-set permissible standards.
Others
This year's minimum wage has been increased to 8,590 won ($7.16) per hour, up from 2019's 8,350 won. It will be uniformly applied to all workplaces starting Jan. 1.
The 2.9 percent rise met strong opposition from labor groups that claimed President Moon Jae-in needs to keep his campaign pledge to increase the minimum wage to 10,000 won by 2020. Under the Moon administration, the minimum wage jumped 16.4 percent to 7,530 won for 2018, marking the steepest rise in 17 years, and another 10.9 percent for 2019. However, the government has changed its stance, as the sharp rise has resulted in side effects to small businesses which have been reducing the number of workers they employ.
From late March, only foreigners who stay in Korea for over 90 days and register as aliens will be eligible to apply for a driver's license. This measure follows criticism that foreigners obtain license here by taking advantage of Korea's relatively simple licensing process and cause accidents in other countries, thus lowering the credibility of Korea-issued licenses.
Between January and November 2019, 5,977 foreigners gained driver's licenses in Korea, and 90.2 percent of them were Chinese nationals.
