[Newsmaker] Ex-speed skating coach to stand trial for alleged sexual assaults

A former national speed skating coach will stand trial on charges of sexually assaulting South Korean Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee for about three years, prosecutors have said.Prosecutors indicted Cho Jae-beom on Monday on charges of sexually assaulting and molesting the 22-year-old Shim around 30 times beginning in 2014, when she was a high school student.His sexual assaults continued until December 2017, around two months before the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in Fe

Social AffairsJune 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seniors behind wheel prompt safety concerns

In light of a recent series of fatal car accidents involving elderly drivers, calls are growing to revamp policies and issue conditional licenses for seniors. Last month, two died and 11 were injured after a 75-year-old man drove into a crowd celebrating Buddha’s Birthday at the temple Tongdosa in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province.According to police, the driver, surnamed Kim, testified he had accidently stepped on the accelerator pedal, sparking concerns about elderly drivers on the road

Social AffairsJune 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Haney boasts prediction of Lee’s victory -- while misspelling her name

Golf professional and former coach of Tiger Woods, Hank Haney defended his earlier controversial remark on Korean golfers, saying Lee Jeong-eun’s LPGA victory proved his earlier prediction, which he described as “based on statistics and facts.”In tweets that have drawn wide coverage in Korea, Haney referred to Lee, who captured the US Women’s Open for her maiden LPGA victory Sunday, as proof that his comments were not entirely sarcastic.  “My prediction that a

GolfJune 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] US-China trade war takes toll on S. Korea’s exports

With the trade dispute between the US and China casting a shadow over the global economic outlook, South Korea’s exports fell for the sixth straight month in May, as the country’s shipments of semiconductors declined by about one-third from a year prior.　According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Saturday, South Korea exported some $45.9 billion worth of products in May, about 9.4 percent down from a month earlier.The government attributed the poor pe

IndustryJune 2, 2019

[Newsmaker] Court to decide arrest of ‘Sillim-dong CCTV’ rape suspect

The Seoul Central District Court held an arrest warrant hearing for a 30-year-old man on charges of attempted rape, the court said Friday. The court is to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect, who allegedly followed the victim to her home at around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday in Sillim-dong, southwestern Seoul. Asked why he had followed the victim, the suspect said “I am sorry” and did not respond to further questions.The suspect attended the hearing at Seoul Central Distr

Social AffairsMay 31, 2019

[Newsmaker] Foreign ministry decides to fire diplomat accused of leaking Moon-Trump talks

The foreign ministry decided Thursday to fire a diplomat for leaking the content of a phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump. The decision was made at the ministry's disciplinary panel held earlier in the day, ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said. Another official who was also investigated for relaying the diplomat a copy of the conversation received a penalty of three-month wage reduction. The diplomat, who worked at the South Korean Embassy in Washingto

PoliticsMay 30, 2019

[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

[Newsmaker] Protests against HHI-DSME merger escalate

Protests by the workers of Hyundai Heavy Industries against a tie-up with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering are escalating, with labor unions of Hyundai Motor and DSME joining the strike on Wednesday. Two days ahead of HHI’s shareholders meeting to decide on modalities of the merger, the workers’ protests intensified by occupying the venue and staging an all-out strike to disrupt the meeting. If the proposal for physical division of the company after merger is passed

IndustryMay 29, 2019

[Newsmaker] Controversy brews over meeting of NIS chief, Moon's confidant

A dinner meeting between National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Yang Jung-chul, the head of a think tank run by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has stirred up controversy over the spy agency’s involvement in politics. The four-hour meeting between the two prominent figures last week took the spotlight Tuesday, with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party visiting the spy agency in protest.“It was not a private consultation, but a dinner with longtime acquaintances.

PoliticsMay 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Ministry to hold disciplinary committee on diplomat accused of leaking Moon-Trump talks

The foreign ministry will convene a disciplinary panel later this week to decide on the penalty for a diplomat accused of leaking the contents of a phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump to a lawmaker, a vice minister said Monday. The diplomat, who worked at the South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C., has been investigated over the allegation he handed over the contents of the phone call to Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.

PoliticsMay 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean firms slam WHO’s listing of game disorder

South Korean games companies reacted angrily on Sunday to the World Health Organization’s decision to officially recognize gaming disorder as a disease.A committee comprising 88 organizations, including the labor union of Korea’s biggest game company Nexon, opposed the decision saying it would “deprive a child’s right to play,” as decreed in Article 31 of the United Nation’s Convention on Rights of the Child. “We will do everything in our power to resist

IndustryMay 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] One Navy officer dead, four injured in accident involving destroyer docked at port

One Navy officer was killed and four others were injured Friday in an accident involving a destroyer that returned home after a mission in waters off Somalia.The accident occurred at 10:15 a.m. at a naval base in the southern port city of Jinhae when a rope used to connect the 4,400-ton Choi Young destroyer to the dock snapped with a bang for an unknown reason, according to officials. A welcoming ceremony was being held at the time at the port to mark the safe return of the vessel that had been

Social AffairsMay 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] Moon replaces vice foreign, unification, defense ministers

President Moon Jae-in replaced vice ministers of diplomatic, defense and inter-Korean affairs simultaneously on Thursday amid a stalemate in the peace-building process and efforts to resolve a history dispute with Japan. He appointed Cho Sei-young, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, as first vice foreign minister, according to Cheong Wa Dae.He is "a diplomat well-versed in Northeast Asia, especially Japan (issues) ... (He) is expected to lead the innovation of the Ministry

PoliticsMay 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Diplomat accused of leaking phone conversation between Moon, Trump

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has found the diplomat suspected of leaking the phone talks between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump to a lawmaker earlier this month, an official said Wednesday. Earlier this month, Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said Moon asked Trump during the phone conversation to visit South Korea immediately after his May 25-28 trip to Japan, citing an unnamed diplomatic source in the US."We have conf

Foreign AffairsMay 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Crested ibises return to wild in S. Korea 40 years after going extinct

Crested ibises, an endangered bird, were reintroduced to the wild in South Korea on Wednesday, 40 years after the species went extinct on the Korean Peninsula.Forty crested ibises, which were bred in captivity at the Crested Ibis Restoration Center, were released into the wild of Upo Wetland in Changnyeong of South Gyeongsang Province, 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul.The Ministry of Environment and local governments organized a release ceremony for the birds at the wetland, just in time for Wo

Social AffairsMay 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] Hanwha Total’s chemical leak affects 650 people

Two massive leaks of chemical vapor at Hanwha Total Petrochemical’s factory in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, have affected around 650 people, local authorities said Tuesday.The company, a 50:50 joint venture of Hanwha General Chemicals and French energy giant Total, faces allegations of attempting to cover up the leakages that occurred at around 11:45 a.m. on May 17 and 5:40 a.m. the next day.“There were no reports on the accident until the city government called to confirm the first leak,

Social AffairsMay 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] Tada takes center stage in carpooling service dispute

　On March 7, South Korean ride-sharing company Kakao Mobility struck a deal with taxi unions that was expected to bring an end to protests by cab drivers. Two cab drivers had killed themselves by self-immolation to protest Kakao’s services, which they said would destroy their livelihoods. 　Although taxi unions accepted the agreement, which limits car-sharing services to four hours of operation daily on weekdays, some cab drivers remained unsettled, as other car-sharing services continued operati

TechnologyMay 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Video footage of female cop controlling drunkard sparks dispute

A video released by the police to refute public criticism of a female police officer’s handling of violence has proved counterproductive, as more criticism has emerged, this time citing the video.Guro Police Station on Friday disclosed a two-minute video footage showing two police officers confronting drunk men on Monday night on the street in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.(Video released by Guro Police Station)On Wednesday, a shorter version of the video uploaded online by a citizen had s

Social AffairsMay 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Memorial ceremony held in Gwangju to remember victims of 1980 pro-democracy uprising

A memorial service was held in Gwangju on Friday to remember the victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city.Hundreds of bereaved family members and relatives attended the memorial service held at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on the eve of the 39th anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. (Yonhap)At the traditional Korean memorial service, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and other local dignitaries delivered ad

Social AffairsMay 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] S. Korean hostage in Libya freed: Cheong Wa Dae

A South Korean man who was abducted in Libya last year has been released, Cheong Wa Dae announced Friday.The 62-year-old worker at a local firm was taken hostage by a group of around 10 armed militants on July 6.The man, identified only by his surname, Joo, was freed unharmed on Thursday (Seoul time), according to Chung Eui-yong, head of the presidential National Security Office.(Yonhap)Chung said the government of the United Arab Emirates played an active role in the release, as Crown Prince Mo

Social AffairsMay 17, 2019