Major changes in regulations this year

From this year, all Korean families with children aged between three and five will be given 220,000 won per child every month as a welfare payment. / Korea Times file

Increase of childcare subsidy

All Korean households with children aged between three and five will be given 220,000 won ($203) per child every month, under the government’s plan to expand public welfare benefits and reduce the financial burden of childcare on families.

The subsidy reflects concern about the rapid increase of kindergarten fees, which has added to the burden of parents already struggling to pay rent or mortgages.

The monthly childcare subsidy for families with five-year-olds attending kindergarten or daycare centers will rise by 20,000 won per child from the current 200,000 won. The monthly childcare subsidy will also be available to all families with three to four-year-olds because the government will scrap the current system that limits the benefit to families whose incomes are in the bottom 70 percent.

The government will also increase state-sponsored scholarships for college students by 500 billion won to 2.25 trillion won, in a move to reduce the burden of heavy tuition fees.

Fine on stalking, ticket scalping

Beginning March 28, those who will be reported for stalking will face a fine of 80,000 won. In addition, ticket scalpers will be fined 160,000 won.

Stalking and ticket scalping are among 28 offenses newly subject to fines. Among them, fines for 27 violations had previously been set by judges, but under the revised system, all offenders convicted of the same misdemeanor will be fined the same amount.

The heaviest fine of 160,000 won will be issued against people caught ticket scalping, publishing false advertising in newspapers or other material intended to garner illegal profit.

A tougher smoking ban will be enforced in restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, bars and Internet cafes this year.

Tougher smoking ban

Smoking will be prohibited in restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and bars with areas of 150 square meters or more nationwide. Indoor as well as outdoor areas of public buildings such as hospitals, libraries, daycare centers, government offices and commercial complexes will also be designated as smoke-free zones.

Not only restaurant owners but also customers will be fined 100,000 won if they smoke outside designated smoking areas. The new law obligates building owners to install a smoking unit outside and 10 meters away from the entrance of their buildings.

Smoking in PC rooms or Internet cafes will also be prohibited starting from June. The government plans to ban smoking in smaller restaurants with spaces larger than 100 square meters in 2014 and within all restaurants, regardless of size, in 2015.

Menus with total price

The total cost of each meal on menus must be stated, instead of the previous system in which some restaurants separately detailed the prices, taxes or other additional service-related charges.

Also, meat served in the restaurants will have to be displayed on menus with prices per 100 grams clearly stated. Until now, quantities were offered in terms of the vague measurement “servings by persons”.

Meal prices will also have to be written on menus outside restaurants that are larger than 150 square meters in size. The exterior menus of these restaurants will have to state at least five or more meals and be placed at the main entrance.

The placing of outside menus will be implemented starting Jan. 31 with a grace period until April 30.

Hairdressers to display price outdoors

Much like restaurants that will be required to have their real cost of meals on their menus and display them outside, beauty salons and barber shops will also be subject to a similar rule.

Hairdressers will be required to write the price of their services on signs outside their shops so that customers can check the price before entering. From Jan. 31, prices will be displayed outside shops that are over 66 square-meters in size.

The total cost of services including any additional materials, services, and other additional charges must be stated in all instances.

There are 16,000 shops nationwide subject to this new rule.

Harsher measures against criminals

All sex offenders will be subject to the possibility of chemical castration regardless of the age of their victims beginning March.

Under the current law, chemical castration is used for sex offenders only when their victims are under the age of 16. The National Assembly approved a revision bill that calls for the wider use of hormonal treatment and other measures to fight soaring sexual assault cases.

The use of the electronic anklets on criminals will also be expanded.

Currently, only sex offenders are forced to wear such devices, but, beginning March, they will also be used for convicted burglars who have reoffended and those convicted of attempted murder.

Punishment for sex offenders

Starting June 19, sex offenders will face punishment without the victims’ filing a complaint. So far, in sexual assaults on adults, the offenders were punished only when victims filed one. For offenses on children aged under 13, the “no complaint” rule has already been adopted.

A related law clause will also be changed to include men as sex offense victims, while currently only women are acknowledged as victims.

A new clause on entry to public places for sexual purposes will be implemented to punish those who loiter around public toilets or baths for the purpose of voyeurism.

All pet dogs three months old or above should be registered with district offices in a move to reduce strays and help owners find lost pets easily.

Dog registration becomes mandatory

All pet dogs three months old or above should be registered with district offices, a measure to reduce stray dogs and help owners find lost dogs easily.

Dog owners can register their pets by visiting designated veterinary hospitals. The pets will have a microchip containing registration numbers, the owners’ phone numbers and addresses implanted under their skin, or will be given a tag containing such information.

Those not registering their dogs can face up to 400,000 won in fines.

New food waste disposal system

Seoul City will implement a volume- or weight-rate disposal system for food waste.

The measure aims to force people who dump more waste to pay more. Each district office will choose one among three options in the system: a standard plastic garbage bag, similar to the one for non-food waste; a one-use chip attached to a specially-designed food waste container; and a weight-rate system in which a specially-designed dustbin will read radio frequency identification (RFID) cards issued to citizens and weigh the garbage.

More convicted sex criminals will be forced to wear electronic anklets from March in order to effectively monitor recidivists.

Waste throwing in ocean banned

Throwing food and human waste in the ocean will be banned and from 2014, throwing industrial and land waste in the ocean will also be prohibited.

Minimum hourly wage

The minimum wage for workers will be 4,860 won per hour, up from 2012’s 4,580 won.

The new bottom limit is applied to all workers whether they are Koreans or foreigners, and whether they are full-time employees or part-timers.

Adult age on civil law to become 19

The age defining “adults” in civil law will be lowered to 19 from 20, starting July.

It reflects social and economic reality in which people aged 19 can buy alcohol and cigarettes and vote in elections.

Following the new rule, 19-years-olds will be able to marry without consent from their guardians, have credit cards issued, and have cell phones registered under their names.

English tour interpreters to be educated

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will open and operate an educational program to foster professional English tour interpreters.

The program will be conducted by the tourism office over a two-month period for 150 hours.

The interpreters will be trained to interpret for VIP tourists and offer high-quality tour packages. Not only will they receive education on VIP protocol but also on history, culture, environment, security, and marketing as well.

Those eligible to apply for the program will be people who already have a tour interpreter license.

The program is already under way for Chinese applicants and the first group of Chinese premium guides has graduated.

Foreign universities

Starting from 2013, the establishment of foreign universities will be allowed within administrative cities across the nation. <The Korea Times/Na Jeong-ju, Kim Rahn, Yun Suh-young>