Starbucks in crossfire of Korea's culture war

A new culture war is brewing in South Korea. At the center is Starbucks, after vice president of Shinsegae Group Chung Yong-jin -- the largest shareholder of the coffeehouse chain’s operation in the country -- shared several anti-communist posts on social media. In recent weeks, the outspoken billionaire made headlines for using the hashtag “annihilate communism.” While he has gained support for his political statements, mostly from conservatives, some are threatening to boyco

Jan. 11, 2022

Facade of apartment building under construction collapses, injuring at least 1

A facade of a high-rise apartment building under construction in the southwestern city of Gwangju collapsed Tuesday, injuring at least one person and burying about 10 vehicles under the rubble, police said. The exterior wall of the apartment building crumbled down at the construction site in western Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 3:46 p.m., police said. Three people trapped in a container were rescued, and one of them was taken to a hospital for injuries. Rescue workers wer

Jan. 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] Should politicians care about your hair loss?

Last week, the talk of the town was Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s pledge to have hair loss treatments covered by public health care insurance, prompting both cheers from supporters and criticism of populism. What stood out in particular was the enthusiastic response from young voters, despite hair loss known to be more prevalent among the older generation. In fact, the pledge itself was suggested by the Lee election team’s youth committee, off a p

Jan. 11, 2022

Assembly passes bill on union representation in public institutions' boards

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that mandates a union representative be included on public institutions' boards of directors. The lawmakers approved a bill during a plenary session that dictates public firms and quasi-public institutions must appoint one nonexecutive director recommended or picked by the head of a labor union on their boards. More than 130 public institutions will be subject to the new regulation. The director, representing the labor union, will have a two-year

Jan. 11, 2022

Air Force pilot dies after F-5E fighter crashes in central S. Korea

An Air Force pilot died after an F-5E fighter jet crashed in central South Korea on Tuesday, the military said. The aircraft crashed into a mountain in Hwaseong, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:46 p.m. minutes after taking off from an Air Force base in the nearby city of Suwon, they said. "An engine fire warning light turned on for the plane's left and right sides after the takeoff at a Suwon base at 1:44 p.m., and the plane shortly nosedived," the Air Force said in a stateme

Jan. 11, 2022

Top court confirms W1.1b fine for Volkswagen Korea in emissions scandal

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision to sharply reduce the fine for Audi Volkswagen Korea (AVK) and clear the company of most of the charges in its diesel emissions scandal. The top court said it approved the Seoul High Court's order last September, calling on the South Korean unit of the German carmaker to pay a 1.1 billion-won ($921,000) fine, instead of a 26 billion-won fine ordered earlier by a district court. It also confirmed the appellate court's decision to comm

Jan. 11, 2022

Top court dismisses Mitsubishi Heavy's 2nd appeal against wartime labor compensation

The Supreme Court has dismissed a second appeal filed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries against an order to sell patent rights the company has in South Korea to compensate a victim of wartime forced labor, according to legal sources Tuesday. The top court dismissed Mitsubishi Heavy's appeal against the forced sale of two patents to compensate Park Hae-ok, a female victim of forced labor during Tokyo's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, on Dec. 27, the sources said. In 2018, the

Jan. 11, 2022

In-ground traffic lights installed across Seoul for 'smartphone zombies'

A growing number of crosswalk traffic signals are finding their way onto the ground in Seoul as a way to enhance the safety of pedestrians glued to their smartphones, according to the city's ward offices Tuesday. Nearly 1,200 in-ground crosswalk traffic signal systems were in operation across the city's total 25 boroughs as of Tuesday, led by the southern ward of Gangnam, which was operating 138 of them. Installed on the ground at the foot of a crosswalk, the supplementary LED traffic lights a

Jan. 11, 2022

Cold weather grips S. Korea

A cold wave hit South Korea on Tuesday, with temperatures in Seoul dropping to minus 9.3 C as of 8 a.m. and expected to remain below zero in the afternoon too, the state weather agency said. The apparent temperature for Seoul was minus 15.6 C, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Cold wave alerts were issued in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province and some parts of the eastern Gangwon Province, as the morning lows dropped below minus 10 C. Mercury dived to minus 17.9 C at Moun

Jan. 11, 2022

Military reports 17 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Tuesday reported 17 additional COVID-19 cases, including 15 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,461. Of the new cases, 12 are from the Army, three from the Air Force and two from a unit under the direct control of the defense ministry. Currently, 182 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,646 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

Jan. 11, 2022

3 family members of Osstem embezzlement suspect booked on collusion suspicions

SEOUL/PAJU -- Police have booked three family members of a dental implant maker employee arrested for allegedly embezzling 221 billion won ($185 million) in company funds on suspicions of possible collusion. Police were looking into whether the father, the wife and the sister-in-law of the 45-year-old Osstem employee, identified only by his surname Lee, played a part in the suspected embezzlement, believed to be South Korea's single largest embezzlement case. Lee, who was arrested Saturday, al

Jan. 11, 2022

Daily infections below 4,000 for 5th day amid tightened curbs

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 4,000 for the fifth consecutive day Tuesday amid tightened antivirus restrictions, but concerns linger over a possible resurgence due to the continued spread of the omicron variant. The country added 3,097 new COVID-19 infections, including 2,813 local infections, raising the total caseload to 670,483, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country reported 43 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,

Jan. 11, 2022

Parliamentary committee OKs bill on reducing age of eligibility for joining political parties

A parliamentary committee on Monday approved a bill on lowering the age at which people can join a political party, a move seen as aimed at wooing young voters ahead of the March presidential election.   The Legislation and Judiciary Commission passed the revised bill that calls for lowering the age of eligibility for joining political parties to 16 from the current 18.  Under the bill, people aged 16 and older will be able to participate in the process of creating a political p

Jan. 10, 2022

A man sentenced to 25 years in prison for arson that killed three people

A man convicted of killing three people in an arson fire at a motel in Seoul was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the Supreme Court of South Korea ruled Monday. The 71-year-old man was indicted on charges of setting a fire at a motel located in Mapo-gu, Seoul, in November 2020, which led to a total of eight casualties. The man demanded the owner of the motel give him alcohol, but the owner refused. The man, who was found to be already drunk, then set a fire that killed three people and injur

Jan. 10, 2022

Vaccine pass mandate applied to big stores on Monday

South Korea‘s vaccine pass mandate, which requires people to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test conducted within 48 hours to shop in large retail and department stores, became effective on Monday. According to the government, there will be a one-week grace period until Jan. 16 to reduce confusion. After the grace period, penalties can be levied on people who enter those facilities with expired vaccine passes, as well as facilities owners who accept them. People who go in

Jan. 10, 2022

Govt. to support corporate hazard management with workplace disaster punishment law to take effect

SEJONG -- The government plans to provide support to companies in preventing and dealing with industrial hazards, as a new workplace disaster punishment law is set to come into effect this month, officials said Monday. The law, passed by the National Assembly last year, will go into effect on Jan. 27, under which owners and CEOs of companies with five or more employees can face a minimum one-year prison sentence or up to a fine of 1 billion won ($833,000) in the event of serious workplace disas

Jan. 10, 2022

Court approves Edison Motors' deal to acquire embattled SsangYong Motor

A court on Monday gave its nod to electric carmaker Edison Motors Co's deal to acquire the embattled SsangYong Motor Co., according to sources. The approval by the Seoul Bankruptcy Court paved the way for Edison's plan to take over the financially troubled carmaker under court receivership.  Sources said following the court decision, Edison is expected to sign a formal contract to pump in about 304.8 billion won ($254.5 million) into SsangYong as early as Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Jan. 10, 2022

Up to 3 cm of snow forecast for Seoul until Tuesday morning

Snow will fall in the capital area and central inland regions between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the state weather agency said, forecasting snow accumulation of up to 3 centimeters in Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that snow clouds have been forming in the Yellow Sea as cold air from the northwest has met with relatively warm air. As the snow cloud belt moves to the east, snow will begin to fall on the west coast of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul,

Jan. 10, 2022

Facing omicron wave, Korea begins weighing who to test first

To deal with a possible testing crisis driven by an omicron surge, South Korea says it would give people at higher risk PCR tests first, while lower priority people take at-home rapid antigen tests. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the country’s COVID-19 diagnosis system, which so far has only used the highly accurate PCR tests, may start using the rapid antigen tests for less urgent cases. At the moment omicron accounts for 8 percent of all sequenced cases in Korea. But given i

Jan. 10, 2022

Omicron cases in Seoul more than double to 456 from week ago

The omicron caseload in Seoul has more than doubled to 456 on Monday from last week's 183 cases, the city government said. Omicron marks 0.2 percent of the total COVID-19 cases confirmed in Seoul so far. Omicron is highly likely to become the most prevalent COVID-19 variant in the city by late this month or February, Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official of the city government said. The city, meanwhile, saw the average number of daily new coronavirus cases decline from 1,533 in the final

Jan. 10, 2022