'A living hell' for disabled slaves on South Korean islands

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AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon In this Feb. 19, 2014, lawmakers, left and right, meet with salt farm owners and workers as a part of human rights inspection on Sinui Island, South Korea. Slavery thrives on this chain of rural islands off South Koreas rugged southwest coast, nurtured by a long history of exploitation and the demands of trying to squeeze a living from the sea. Five times during the last decade, revelations of slavery involving the disabled have emerged, each time generating national shame and outrage.

SINUI ISLAND, South Korea He ran the first chance he got.

The sun beat down on the shallow, sea-fed fields where Kim Seong-baek was forced to work without pay, day after 18-hour day mining the big salt crystals that blossomed in the mud around him. Half-blind and in rags, Kim grabbed another slave, and the two disabled men headed for the coast.

Far from the glittering steel-and-glass capital of Seoul, they were now hunted men on this remote island where the enslavement of disabled salt farm workers is an open secret.

"It was a living hell," Kim said in a recent series of interviews with The Associated Press whose details are corroborated by court records and by lawyers, police and government officials.

Lost, they wandered past asphalt-black salt fields sparkling with a patina of thin white crust. They could feel the islanders inspecting them. Everyone knew who belonged and who didn't.

Near a grocery, the store owner's son rounded them up and called their boss, who beat Kim with a rake and sent him back to the salt fields.

___

Slavery thrives on rural islands off South Korea's rugged southwest coast, nurtured by a long history of exploitation and the demands of trying to squeeze a living from the sea.

Two-thirds of South Korea's sea salt is produced at more than 850 salt farms on dozens of islands in Sinan County, including Sinui island, where half the 2,200 residents work in the industry. Workers spend grueling days managing a complex network of waterways, hoses and storage areas.

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'A living hell' for disabled slaves on South Korean islands

Slaves endure 'a living hell' on remote South Korean islands

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SINUI ISLAND, South Korea He ran the first chance he got.

The summer sun beat down on the shallow, sea-fed fields where Kim Seong-baek was forced to work without pay, day after 18-hour day mining the big salt crystals that blossomed in the mud around him. Half-blind and in rags, Kim grabbed another slave, and the two men both disabled headed for the coast.

Far from Seoul, the glittering steel-and-glass capital of one of Asia's richest countries, they were now hunted men on this tiny, remote island where the enslavement of disabled salt farm workers is an open secret.

"It was a living hell," Kim said. "I thought my life was over."

Lost, they wandered past asphalt-black salt fields sparkling with a patina of thin white crust. They could feel the islanders they passed watching them. Everyone knew who belonged and who didn't.

Near a grocery, the store owner's son came out and asked what they were doing. Kim broke down, begged for help, said he'd been held against his will. The man offered to take them to the police to file a report. Instead, he called their boss, who beat Kim with a rake and it was back to the salt fields.

"I couldn't fight back," Kim said, in a recent series of interviews with The Associated Press whose details are corroborated by court records and by lawyers, police and government officials. "The islanders are too organized, too connected."

* * *

Slavery thrives on this chain of rural islands off South Korea's rugged southwest coast, nurtured by a long history of exploitation and the demands of trying to squeeze a living from the sea.

Five times during the past decade, revelations of slavery involving the disabled have emerged, each time generating national shame and outrage. Kim's case prompted a nationwide government probe during the course of several months last year. Officials searched more than 38,000 salt, fish and agricultural farms and disabled facilities and found more than 100 workers who had received no or only scant pay, and more than 100 who had been reported missing by their families.

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Slaves endure 'a living hell' on remote South Korean islands

Meditation for New Beginnings, Anxiety, Success – How To Meditate for Beginners – BEXLIFE – Video

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Meditation for New Beginnings, Anxiety, Success - How To Meditate for Beginners - BEXLIFE
21 DAYS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE: http://bexlife.com/21mantras SIGN UP FOR FREE GOODIES: http://bit.ly/BlissNotes ------- GET MORE GOOD STUFF BELOW ------- It #39;s become somewhat of a ...

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Movie Theater – My hospital is Glacial Ridge: Who do you trust your health care to? – Video

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Movie Theater - My hospital is Glacial Ridge: Who do you trust your health care to?
Have you seen this commercial before taking in a movie at Midway Cinema 9 in Alexandria or the Sauk Centre Theater? We are pleased to have such caring, experienced staff at GRHS and are ...

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Spreading Christmas Cheer to those in need during the Holidays – Video

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Spreading Christmas Cheer to those in need during the Holidays
APPLETON, Wis. -- It #39;s a story of Christmas giving, that will warm your heart. A Fox Valley woman is on a mission to bring smiles to those who struggle everyday. Dawn Ristow is the President...

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200 staff members laid off, San Felipe Hospital Tegucigalpa – Video

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200 staff members laid off, San Felipe Hospital Tegucigalpa
Yesterday La Prensa released an article talking about the concerning layoffs at San Felipe Hospital in Tegucigalpa. The laid off staff includes health care professionals whose careers range...

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200 staff members laid off, San Felipe Hospital Tegucigalpa - Video

The Acute Frailty Unit – #JoinedUpCare in Action. North Derbyshire Joined Up Health Care Programme – Video

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The Acute Frailty Unit - #JoinedUpCare in Action. North Derbyshire Joined Up Health Care Programme
Being in hospital is not always the best place for our elderly frail citizens to be. There #39;s plenty of evidence to show that making sure they get the right care, at the right time, in the...

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The Falls Partnership – #JoinedUpCare in Action. North Derbyshire Joined Up Health Care Programme – Video

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The Falls Partnership - #JoinedUpCare in Action. North Derbyshire Joined Up Health Care Programme
A team of care professionals is treating people from across North Derbyshire at home after they #39;ve had a fall keeping them confident and independent, and helping to cut down unnecessary...

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Health care one of the bright spots for NWI economy

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While the overall outlook for Northwest Indiana's economy is rather drab, health care remains one of the few industries that continues to see growth.

That was the message at a recent Indiana University Kelley School of Business forum in Schererville, where several IU professors gave their economic predictions for 2015.

"Locally, one of the only bright spots of the last few years has been health care. It's really a growing industry," saidMicah Pollak, an assistant professor of economics at IU Northwest. He noted the number of health care jobs in the region has grown by more than 20 percent in the past decade and 80 percent since 1990.

"The only caveat I have about that is I don't think it's a long-term solution. Fifty years down the road, as the aging population goes through the health care system, we may not have the need for quite as much health care."

While local hospital executives agree the growth may not continue at the same rate going forward, with the increased emphasis on bending the cost curve through wellness and prevention, they note the population continues to grow and live longer. Plus, it's unknown how future advances in medical treatments and technology will affect the industry.

But for now, health care is the largest source of jobs in the region.

According to a 2013 report from the Northwest Indiana Forum, a private organization composed of local businesses and industry, outpatient care is the second-biggest industry in Northwest Indiana, bringing in more than $2 billion annually, while hospitals rank fifth, earning $912 million a year. The two sectors were, respectively, the No. 1 and 3 drivers of economic growth in the region from 2001 to 2011.

Combined, the sectors employ more than 31,000 people in Northwest Indiana, or nearly 12,000 more than work in primary metal manufacturing. In other words, health care now provides more jobs in the region than the steel industry.

Mary Ann Shacklett, chief financial officer for Community Healthcare System, said reasons for the growth include the large aging population in Northwest Indiana and the increase in life expectancies.

"I've been here in the Community Healthcare System for 30 years. When I started, our Medicare volume back at that time was about 20 percent," she said. "Now the Medicare volume for our system is about 53 percent."

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Health care one of the bright spots for NWI economy

Health-care worker leaves B.C. hospital after third negative Ebola test

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A health-care worker who was being tested for Ebola has been released from a B.C. hospital after a third round of results confirmed she does not have the virus.

Patrice Gordon a nurse practitioner who travelled to Sierra Leone in November and returned to Canada on Christmas checked herself into Kelowna General Hospital on Monday, after her temperature became slightly elevated.

Tests came back negative for Ebola on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, prompting Ms. Gordons release from hospital. In a telephone briefing with reporters, Ms. Gordon said she had been confident all along that she did not have the virus at least for the most part.

It has been quite stressful just from the standpoint of knowing that my familys worried about me, and knowing that the public is worried, Do we have a patient zero in Canada? And my going, Oh my god, I really dont want to be patient zero, she said.

Ms. Gordon had worked at the Red Cross Ebola treatment centre in the city of Kenema. Health-care workers returning from Ebola-affected countries must self-monitor for 21 days. Ms. Gordon was checking her temperature twice daily when she noticed a rise; she also had cold-like symptoms.

Ms. Gordon entered the hospital through a back entrance and was kept in isolation. She did not move through any public areas.

During the conference call, Ms. Gordon said the process flowed exactly as it should.

It was as pleasant as it could possibly be, she said.

Ms. Gordon coughed throughout the call and said she felt a bit run down.

She said it was jarring how quickly her case moved into the spotlight.

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Health-care worker leaves B.C. hospital after third negative Ebola test

Judge: Florida's health care for needy kids violates U.S. laws

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MIAMI A federal judge has ruled that Floridas health care system for impoverished and disabled children violates several U.S. laws.

In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. Circuit Judge Adalberto Jordan said lawmakers had for years set the states Medicaid budget at an artificially low level, causing pediatricians and other specialists for children to opt out of the insurance program for the needy.

Jordan said that amounted to rationing of care and exacerbated a shortage of pediatricians, particularly in rural areas.

This is a great day for the children in this state, said Dr. Louis B. St. Petery, a Tallahassee pediatrician who is executive vice president of the Florida Pediatric Society and helped spearhead a 2005 lawsuit against Floridas Department of Health, Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration.

This action was taken because we found that children werent being treated properly if they were on Medicaid. Our position as pediatricians is that children do not choose their parents. They dont have a choice to be born into a rich family or a poor family, St. Petery told The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/1rFlx23 ).

On behalf of the state agencies named in the lawsuit, the Agency for Health Care Administration issued a statement Wednesday responding to Jordans ruling: The Judges outdated observations pertain to a Medicaid program that no longer exists. Floridas new Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program is cost-effective and a working success.

Enrollment in the Medicaid program increased from 1.2 million in 2005 to 1.7 million in 2011, but the number of pediatricians did not rise at all, Jordan said.

The judge found that almost 80 percent of children enrolled in the Medicaid program are getting no dental services at all.

He also said Florida health regulators were leaving a third of the states children on Medicaid with no preventative medical care despite federal legal requirements, and they sometimes switched children from one Medicaid provider to another without their parents knowledge or consent.

The number of needy Florida children able to get a potentially life-saving blood screening for lead is extremely low, notwithstanding the fact that part of Florida has an aging housing stock, which means children are more likely exposed to lead-based paint, Jordan ruled.

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Judge: Florida's health care for needy kids violates U.S. laws