[Newsmaker] Opposition lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat as top court confirms jail term

The Supreme Court sentenced Rep. Lee Woo-hyun of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to seven years in prison Thursday for taking illegal political funds worth some 1 billion won ($839,278).The ruling stripped Lee of his parliamentary seat.Under the law, an elected official loses his or her post if sentenced to imprisonment without forced labor for criminal cases.The top court withheld a lower court's ruling that also includes 160 million won in fines, accusing Lee of violating the political

Social AffairsMay 30, 2019

Pentagon chief says NK launches violated UN resolutions

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Wednesday that North Korea's missile launches this month were a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, adding to the confusion over the US views.North Korea launched short-range missiles on May 9 in apparent protest over stalled negotiations with the US While US National Security Adviser John Bolton condemned them as a breach of UNSC resolutions, which ban the North's use of ballistic missile technology, President Donald Trump said he view

North KoreaMay 30, 2019

US cites one-name policy after Trump mentions Sea of Japan

The US State Department said Wednesday it is longstanding US policy to use only one name for international waters, after President Donald Trump referred to the body of water between Korea and Japan as the Sea of Japan.South Korea has long campaigned for dual usage of the name East Sea, arguing Sea of Japan is a legacy of Tokyo's imperialist past, including its 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump was in Japan earlier this week when he mentioned the Sea of Japan as part of a pep ta

Foreign AffairsMay 30, 2019

Moon orders launch of emergency response team on Hungary boat sinking

South Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Thursday to use every possible means to rescue South Korean tourists, whose boat capsized in Budapest, Hungary, in cooperation with the local authorities, his office said.Moon received a briefing on the incident from Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, Ko Min-jung.The president also ordered the formation of a government-level response team, headed by the foreign minister, she a

InternationalMay 30, 2019

7 South Koreans killed, 19 missing in Hungary cruise sinking: foreign ministry

 Seven South Koreans died and 19 others went missing after a tourist boat carrying them capsized in a river in the capital of Hungary late Wednesday (local time). A total of 33 Koreans and two Hungarian crew members were on the sightseeing cruise amid heavy rain, when their boat collided with another vessel and sank in the river in downtown Budapest at around 9 p.m., the foreign ministry in Seoul said.Seven people have been rescued and a search is under way for 19 missing people, it ad

NationalMay 30, 2019

S. Korea prepares for possible outbreak of swine fever in North

South Korea is currently making preparations against the possible spread of African swine fever from North Korea, a unification ministry official said Wednesday, amid concerns that the disease may have broken out there. "North Korea has not made an official statement on an outbreak of African swine fever, and international organizations have also not confirmed a possible outbreak," an official from the Ministry of Unification said. The unification ministry, meanwhile, is working closel

North KoreaMay 29, 2019

Vice FM says 'sustainable peace' in Korea vital to Asia security, prosperity

South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho said Wednesday that fostering "sustainable peace" on the peninsula is vital to achieving "resilient peace" in Asia long beset by North Korea's nuclear threats and other security challenges. Lee made the remarks during the annual Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, which kicked off its three-day run under the main theme of "Asia Towards Resilient Peace: Cooperation and Integration.""Above all, (we) should achieve s

Foreign AffairsMay 29, 2019

Revelations by school bullying victims rattle K-pop industry

Three rising K-pop stars and their agencies have recently gotten into trouble following revelations that the stars bullied classmates in their school years.They are Yoo Young-hyun, member of the popular indie band Jannabi, singer Hyolyn from the now-disbanded girl group Sistar and Yoon Seo-bin, once the front-runner of the popular idol competition show "Produce 101."Behind the globally flourishing K-pop scene often characterized by electronic music, indie band Jannabi has quietly but s

CultureMay 29, 2019

2013 probe into ex-vice justice minister slipshod: panel

An independent panel under the Ministry of Justice concluded Wednesday that the prosecution abused its power and intentionally conducted a slipshod investigation into former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui in his favor in 2013. Announcing the result of its review of findings by a fact-finding team of the Supreme Prosecutors Office into the 2013 probe, the panel, tasked with looking into controversial cases in the past, called on the prosecution to thoroughly investigate three former prosecutor

Social AffairsMay 29, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of insect-related companies on rise in Korea

　The number of South Korean companies raising or processing insects for foodstuffs, pets and other purposes grew threefold in 2018 from three years earlier. 　According to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of such companies here came to 2,318 as of last year, up from 726 in 2015.　The figure increased sharply on-year in 2016 and 2017, after the government officially recognized seven species of insects as food ingredients. The number edged up 8.3 perce

BusinessMay 29, 2019

Moon slams main opposition over diplomatic leak

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday criticized the main opposition Liberty Korea Party over developments surrounding the leak of diplomatic information. “It is disgraceful when the country’s diplomatic secrets are leaked, and are being used for political wrangling,” Moon said at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting. He was referring to Liberty Korea Party Rep. Khang Hyo-shang, who used classified information about his telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump to critici

PoliticsMay 29, 2019

LG V50 ThinQ leads Korea’s 5G smartphone market

LG Electronics’ V50 ThinQ is leading the 5G smartphone market in South Korea with high popularity for the dual screen phone’s powerful multimedia features, the company said Wednesday.An initial volume of 100,000 V50 ThinQ phones were sold out since the device’s launch on May 10, and sales are continuing to rise, it said.Instead of a foldable screen smartphone, LG chose to offer a flip-cover dual display form factor for more powerful multimedia experiences on the high-speed netw

TechnologyMay 29, 2019

[Kent Harrington] Kim Jong-un’s ‘Moneyball’ strategy

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prioritized pomp over policy while hosting US President Donald Trump this week. The one exception was the issue of North Korea, which recently conducted more short-range missile tests off its east coast. Abe is clearly anxious about keeping Japan and the United States on the same page now that Trump’s denuclearization talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un have faltered. But at a joint press conference on Monday, Trump dismissed concerns about the l

ViewpointsMay 29, 2019

[Kim Kyung-ho] A way out of the historical trap

President Moon Jae-in may feel that he has adhered to a principled approach to historical issues with Japan. Nevertheless, he may also be realizing that it has come round to undermine his position on the diplomatic stage of Northeast Asia.If he has an ulterior motive -- if, as critics charge, he intends to use the inflammatory issues to his domestic political advantage -- he stands to pay substantial costs in practical terms.Since he took office two years ago, the bilateral relationship between

ViewpointsMay 29, 2019

Bauhaus bus stops at Gwangju Design Biennale 2019

The Bauhaus school’s workshop wing in the German town of Dessau is well known for its stark white volumes, gridded windows and the Bauhaus sign that runs vertically down the facade. The iconic building, conceived by the school’s founding director Walter Gropius in 1919, will be shown at the upcoming Gwangju Design Biennale 2019, which kicks off Sept. 7 for a 55-day run.  Coming to the festival is a 15-square-meter mobile version of the monumental modernist building, set on a tra

Arts & DesignMay 29, 2019

LKP holds open auditions to pick young vice spokesperson

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party held open auditions Tuesday to recruit a young vice spokesperson in a bid to woo young people ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.Some 70 people applied for the position, and of those who passed the document screening, around 10 were to be selected through the auditions at the party headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.The party had previously recruited spokespersons through recommendations and document screening. Formally dressed applicants

PoliticsMay 29, 2019

Committee launched to fight ‘gaming disorder’ adoption in Korea

Wearing all black with condolence pins affixed to their chests to signify the gaming industry’s distress over the adoption of gaming disorder, a committee was launched Wednesday to oppose the move. The committee comprising 90 organizations, announced in a press conference at the National Assembly that it would serve as a watchdog for a healthy gaming environment and review the validity of the World Health Organization’s gaming disorder.The controversy has escalated since Saturday, wh

IndustryMay 29, 2019

S. Korea remains on US ‘monitoring list’ for currency manipulation

The United States Treasury Department has kept South Korea on its monitoring list for currency manipulating countries, suggesting a possible removal in the next report, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Wednesday.In a semiannual report submitted to Congress on Tuesday, the US Treasury also named eight other trading partners as those requiring attention regarding their currency practices. The list comprised China, Japan, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.Also, Korea

EconomyMay 29, 2019

Court to rule on arrest warrant for KCTU officials

The Seoul Southern District Court is expected to decide Thursday whether to arrest senior officials of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions for allegedly damaging police pedestrian barriers and using physical violence against police.The suspects face charges of interfering with official duties, damaging public goods, hindering traffic, trespassing and injuring a journalist.The hard-line Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held three rallies in front of the National Assembly from March 27-Ap

PoliticsMay 29, 2019