Prosecution to launch special probe into Sewol ferry sinking

South Korea's state prosecution on Wednesday announced plans to establish a special unit to investigate the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, one of the country's worst maritime disasters that killed more than 300.Eight or nine prosecutors are expected to join the task force to investigate the exact cause and any mishandling of the government's rescue operations, according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. The move came at the instruction of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Yoon is "determined

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2019

[Breaking] Kofia chief reported dead: police

Kwon Yong-won, chairman of the self-regulatory organization Korea Financial Investment Association, was found dead Wednesday, according to local news reports.The Bangbae Police Station said the unnatural death of the financial officer was reported during the day, adding that the detailed cause of death has yet to be identified.The financial officer’s reported death came in the wake of a recent allegations of his verbal abuse against staff -- behavior dubbed “gapjil” in Korean.L

MarketNov. 6, 2019

N. Korea blames sanctions for its failure to pay UN contributions

North Korea has claimed that international sanctions are preventing it from paying its due contributions to the UN, urging the United States to lift the restrictions, a recent UN report showed. During a meeting of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country in February, the North Korean representative said his country is willing to pay its contributions "in full and on time," but can't do so as the banking channel was closed due to the international sanctions.  In 2017, the U

North KoreaNov. 6, 2019

Court orders compensation for demanding foreign teacher take HIV test

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that the Korean government must compensate an English teacher from New Zealand for demanding that she take a HIV test in 2009.In the suit she filed against the government, the court ordered that the government pay her about 30 million won ($25,950) in damages.The New Zealand citizen worked as an English teacher at an elementary school in Korea with an E-2 visa issued in 2008. She was told to take a HIV test while discussing the renewal of her contract the f

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2019

Medical spending for elderly tops W30tr in 2018

Elderly South Koreans' medical spending covered by the state health insurance program exceeded the 30-trillion-won ($25.9 billion) mark to reach a record high in 2018, data showed Wednesday. Medical expenses for people aged 65 and older came to an all-time high of 31.8 trillion won last year, according to the data by the National Health Insurance Service. The figure was up 12.4 percent from the previous year and 2.1 times from 2011. It took up 40.8 percent of last year's total medical spending o

EconomyNov. 6, 2019

Samsung vice chairman meets AI gurus to discuss future

Samsung Electronics vice chairman on Wednesday met with two leading experts in artificial intelligence to share the latest industry trends and strategies for future businesses, the company said. Lee Jae-yong, de facto chairman of the South Korean tech giant, met with Yoshua Bengio, professor of the University of Montreal, and Sebastian Seung, professor at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Computer Science, who were in Seoul to attend Samsung's AI forum held early this week.&

IndustryNov. 6, 2019

[Newsmaker] Audition show producers arrested for alleged vote rigging

Two producers of a K-pop competition TV show were arrested late Tuesday over allegations they rigged the results of audience votes that decided which singers would progress through and win the competitions.The Seoul Central District Court issued warrants to detain a producer and the chief producer of the Mnet program “Produce X 101,” a fan-vote audition show through which popular K-pop bands, including Wanna One, debuted. The two are suspected of having conspired with music labels to

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2019

[팟캐스트] (325) '홍콩시위 지지' 연세대 교내 현수막 무단 철거 반발 / 한국국제교류재단 이근 이사장 인터뷰

진행자: 김보경, Kevin Lee Selzer1. [Newsmaker] Banners supporting Hong Kong protesters pulled down at Yonsei campus아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Banners hung up at a university campus in Seoul by students to show support for the Hong Kong protests have been taken down twice in as many weeks.* Banner:배너* show support: 지지를 보내다* taken down: 내려지다[2] A group of Yonsei University students -- who ident

PodcastNov. 6, 2019

Hyundai Oilbank to run oil terminal in Vietnam

Hyundai Oilbank Co.,  a major refiner in South Korea, said Wednesday it will run an oil terminal in Vietnam to tap deeper into the Southeast Asian market. The affiliate of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group said it has leased an oil depot in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, some 80 kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, that can store 200,000 barrels of petroleum products.  The facility can also accommodate large crude carriers, it added. Hyundai Oilbank said the terminal will serve as its export hub f

IndustryNov. 6, 2019

NCSOFT's new 'Lineage 2M' to launch Nov. 27

South Korean online gamemaker NCSOFT Corp. said Wednesday the new mobile version of its mega-hit game "Lineage 2" will be launched later this month."Lineage 2M" will be available Nov. 27, the company said.Players will be able to experience the massively multiplayer online role-playing game for the mobile platform."Lineage 2M," which integrates NCSOFT's technology and expertise built over the past 20 years, will feature full 3-D graphics.NCSOFT said over 7 million pe

IndustryNov. 6, 2019

S. Korea adopts price ceiling on privately built flats

South Korea on Wednesday adopted a scheme to cap presale prices of privately built apartments in its extended efforts to stabilize real estate markets.Seoul revised related laws last month to execute the "presale price cap system" for apartments to be built by private builders amid signs of escalating home prices."Demand for new homes in (the capital city of) Seoul has risen sharply due to record-low rates and ample liquidity in the markets.Presale prices of newly built apartments

EconomyNov. 6, 2019

[Contribution] Sejong dreaming of low-carbon clean-energy city

A 17-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, said that we should not neglect the planet and must act on global warming, outside of the Swedish parliament in August last year. She denounced the indifference of developed countries toward climate change. Her voice was like a big wave caused by a small pebble thrown into a lake. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at the 48th General Assembly in October last year adopted the special rep

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seoul pushes to require naturalized S. Koreans to serve in military

The defense ministry is considering making it mandatory for naturalized male citizens to serve in the military, as other South Korean men must do, in an effort to cope with a decrease in the number of draftees amid a shrinking population, a senior government official said Wednesday. The state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses is in the final stage of research on the issue, and based on the results, the ministry could begin procedures to revise the military service act as early as next yea

DefenseNov. 6, 2019

'Goodness and humor' celebrated as 'Sesame Street' turns 50

NEW YORK (AP) -- Fifty years ago, beloved entertainer Carol Burnett appeared on the very first broadcast of a quirky TV program that featured a bunch of furry puppets. Blink and you might miss it, but Burnett followed a cartoon about a witch called Wanda, which was loaded with words beginning with the letter w. "Wow, Wanda the Witch is weird," Burnett commented. And then -- poof -- she was gone. That show was "Sesame Street" and Burnett, like a lot of kids, was inst

TelevisionNov. 6, 2019

Hanjin Heavy to build S. Korea's 1st very large oil spill response vessel

Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co., a midsized shipyard in South Korea, said Wednesday it has won a 70-billion-won ($60 million) order to build the country's first multi-purpose very large oil spill response vessel. Under the deal with state-run Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, Hanjin Heavy will deliver a 5,000-ton OSRV by 2022. The vessel will be built at the company's shipyard in Busan.  South Korea has more than 60 500-ton OSRVs, but due to their small size, t

IndustryNov. 6, 2019

[Herald Interview] Korea must develop strategy to be seen as ‘attractive’: soft power expert

South Korea’s soft power on the global stage has greatly improved over the past few years as a result of the global popularity of K-pop, K-food, K-beauty and Korean goods in general.To further enhance Korea’s status in the international community beyond Asia, Korea Foundation President Lee Geun said the country should form a presence among developed countries and develop a strategy to be perceived as “attractive.”“For South Korea to be acknowledged in Europe (and ot

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 6, 2019

S. Korea reach quarterfinals at FIFA U-17 World Cup

South Korea have advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in 10 years.Forward Choi Min-seo netted the lone goal as South Korea defeated Angola 1-0 in the round of 16 match at Estadio Olimpico in Goiania, Brazil, on Tuesday (local time).Coached by Kim Jung-soo, South Korea will face either Mexico or Japan in Sunday's quarterfinals. Mexico and Japan will meet in the round of 16 on Wednesday at Estadio Bezerrao in Gama. This is South Korea's third trip to the quar

SoccerNov. 6, 2019

S. Korea again offers talks with N. Korea to discuss Mount Kumgang issue

South Korea has proposed sending a delegation to inspect its long-abandoned facilities at North Korea's Mount Kumgang, the unification ministry said Wednesday, after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's offer to hold face-to-face talks on the fate of the suspended joint tour program.In the proposal sent Tuesday, the ministry said the delegation will be comprised of government officials and business people. The move appears aimed at seeking face-to-face contacts with the North to discuss the fate of the to

North KoreaNov. 6, 2019

S. Korea to reduce troop numbers to 500,000 by 2022

South Korea said Wednesday that it will reduce its number of troops to 500,000 by 2022 in the latest move to tackle looming demographic challenges as Asia's fourth-largest economy faces a rapidly aging population.Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki also said South Korea will reform the country's military in a way that utilizes technologies, such as weaponized drones, reconnaissance satellites and unmanned aircraft.The plan comes as the number of people required to serve in the military is projected to

DefenseNov. 6, 2019

Top Trump ally admits tying Ukraine aid to Biden investigation

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A top ally of President Donald Trump admitted he told a Ukraine official that US military aid was contingent on Kiev investigating Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden, testimony released Tuesday showed.In some of the most damning evidence yet to the House impeachment inquiry of Trump, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, said he told a senior Ukraine official that military aid would likely not be released until Kiev made clear it would investigate Biden an

World NewsNov. 6, 2019