[Newsmaker] Kindergarten association folds to public pressure

The Korea Kindergarten Association on Monday ended the postponement of the start of the spring semester for private preschools across the country. The KKA had declared that the starting date of the spring semester would be further postponed in protest of the government’s reform plans. Preschools were scheduled to open Monday, but the KKA’s protest ended after a day in the face of backlash from parents and the government. Korea Kindergarten Association office in Seoul. YonhapIn a statement releas

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] Main opposition party ends boycott of parliament

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Monday ended its more than one-month boycott of parliamentary activities.The National Assembly has been idle since Jan. 24 amid tensions over a raft of allegations of government abuse of power, a controversial appointment and a former ruling party lawmaker's purchases of properties in cultural zones.    (Yonhap)"We've decided to open the National Assembly. We will submit a request to convene the National Assembly today," LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won to

PoliticsMarch 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] Private preschools delay opening of spring semester in protest

Hundreds of private preschools nationwide postponed the start of the spring semester Monday in protest of the government's plan to scrutinize their use of state subsidies to prevent misappropriation.The institutions affiliated with the Korea Kindergarten Association went ahead of their collective action, causing inconvenience to children and parents, despite the government's warning of punitive action, including closures.   (Yonhap)The government is pushing for reform of private kindergartens af

Social AffairsMarch 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] South Korean authorities, private preschools on collision course

The education authorities of Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon warned Sunday that local private schools will face harsh administrative punishments if they press ahead with a collective action to protest the government's reform drive.In a joint statement, the liberal-minded superintendents of the three regions' education offices declared there will be no negotiation with the Korea Kindergarten Association (KKA), which is pushing to postpone the opening of the spring semester, slated for Monday

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Group claims establishment of NK provisional government

Free Joseon announced Friday that it has established a provisional government for North Korea in an effort to fight against the regime’s abuse of human rights. The group previously claimed it had protected the son of the late Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, from possible assassination.  (Yonhap)Formerly known as Cheollima Civil Defense, the group said it will rise against the North Korean regime for committing crimes against humanity for decades. “We indict thi

North KoreaMarch 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] Russian cargo ship bumps into S. Korean bridge with intoxicated captain

A Russian cargo ship veered off course and bumped into a bridge off the southeast coast of South Korea on Thursday with a drunk captain on board, authorities said.The Korea Coast Guard (KCG) said the 5,998-ton Seagrand sailed into the side of the Gwangan Bridge at around 4:20 p.m. before turning back to head in the opposite direction.(Yonhap)The accident caused damage to the lower part of the bi-level bridge, the KCG said. No injuries were reported, but portions of the lower bridge were closed o

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Spain investigates incident in North Korean Embassy

MADRID (AP) - Spanish authorities said police were investigating an incident last week at the North Korean Embassy in Madrid in which a woman was hurt and, according to a North Korean government's aide, computers and cellphones also were stolen.A group of unidentified assailants bound and gagged workers inside the gated embassy compound on Feb. 22 for four hours, according to Spain's El Confidencial news site, which first reported the incident on Wednesday.The site said that a woman escaped from

World NewsFeb. 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] 2 short trackers to be suspended from nat'l team after being kicked out of training center

Two short track speed skaters will be suspended from representing the national team after they were expelled from the national training center for violating dormitory rules, an official with South Korea's skating body said Thursday.An official from the Korea Skating Union said that Kim Gun-woo and Kim Ye-jin will not be able to compete in upcoming international competitions after they were kicked out from the National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, some 90 kilometers so

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Chung Euisun steps up to take full-fledged control of Hyundai Motor

In September, when Hyundai Motor heir apparent Chung Euisun was promoted from vice chairman to executive vice chairman, the group was still cautious about acknowledging him as the official new leader of the auto giant, which has been run by his father Chung Mong-koo for over the past two decades. But from next month, he is expected to take on more responsibility at the sprawling group of 56 companies, as a co-CEO of the group along with his 82-year-old father, who has not appeared in public

MobilityFeb. 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police target Seungri in sex-trade investigation

Seoul police on Tuesday said they had launched an investigation into an allegation that K-pop star Seungri of Big Bang ordered his employees to procure sexual favors for his investors at a nightclub.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, its special crime squad will seek to verify a recent report by SBS funE showing text messages it claimed the singer had written. The messages indicated that he and his employees had attempted to procure prostitutes for two men accompanying an investo

PerformanceFeb. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Will second screen help LG’s struggling smartphone biz?

With the announcement of the V50 ThinQ phone, one thing has been clear: LG Electronics is out, for now, of the unfolding competition for foldable phones. According to online communities, tech bloggers and influencers on Monday, the South Korean smartphone manufacturer’s unveiling of its latest flagship phones for 2019 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, gave an impression that LG is “kind of lost” in its attempts to keep up with fast-changing trends in the mobile world. As Samsung

TechnologyFeb. 25, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seoul, Tokyo at odds again over Japan’s participation in maritime exercises

Seoul and Tokyo are at odds over Japan’s participation in planned multinational maritime exercises in spring, raising tension between the two countries already strained by a recent military spat and historical issues. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and eight other partner countries, including Korea, plan to hold maritime exercises first in the coastal waters off Busan from April 29 to May 2, followed by waters off Singapore from May 9 to 13.After finalizing details during t

DefenseFeb. 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] US missionaries speak out against controversial Gwangju Uprising comments

US missionaries who lived in Gwangju through the May 18 Democratization Movement in 1980 sent a letter to National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang on Friday, referring to controversial remarks from far-right figures as “blatantly false.”“It was not an organized movement -- it was an illicit assault upon our city of 800,000 people by military forces under the control of Chun Doo-Hwan. … Believe us, we know what happened in Gwangju -- we were eye-witnesses, and we recorded what we saw and experienc

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] Why would Chey leave SK Holdings board?

The reported departure of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won from the boardroom of the conglomerate’s holding company drew heated interest from the market on Thursday, with many viewing it as an effort to improve transparency in corporate governance. Some aggressive analysts also interpret the move as a prelude to more governance restructuring to raise SK Holdings’ stock value. According to local reports, Chey plans to leave the boardroom of SK Holdings and will have CEOs of other affiliates to do t

IndustryFeb. 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] Italy confirms daughter of missing N.Korea diplomat returned home

ROME (Reuters) - North Korea informed Italy last year that the daughter of its acting ambassador had asked to return home after her father left his post in Rome, the Italian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.North Korean diplomat Jo Song Gil and his wife went missing in November, and a South Korean newspaper has reported that they have applied for asylum in an unspecified Western country.Thae Yong Ho, a former deputy North Korean ambassador to Britain who defected to South Korea in 2016, said o

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] 182 cases of hiring irregularities found across public organizations

Some 182 cases of hiring irregularities were found through a three-month survey of hundreds of public institutions, the government said Wednesday. In response, the government said it would require public institutions to disclose the number of new hires with family ties to existing staff members and would also take steps to introduce legislation to address conflicts of interests, which would limit public officials’ ability to influence their relatives’ careers.The survey took place Nov. 6 through

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police may question Seungri as probe expands, attention turns to K-pop star

K-pop star Seungri, affiliated with the nightclub Burning Sun, may be questioned by police as the authorities have expanded a drug and assault investigation centered on the club, police said Tuesday. “We are currently expanding the targets of the investigation. If necessary, Lee (Seungri) may be questioned,” the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said.This is the first time police have mentioned the possibility of the celebrity being questioned.　The K-pop star resigned from his post as the Gangnam

Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] ‘Japan’s Abe politicizing sexual slavery issue’: National Assembly speaker

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is politicizing the “comfort women” issue as part of efforts to win supporters at home.“It is shameless. Prime Minister Abe is in a corner (in Japan), so he is politicizing the issue for domestic politics,” Moon said in an interview Friday during a US visit. “A greater politician would think about strengthening cooperation between Korea, the US and Japan ahead of the second US-North Korea summit,” Moon added.National

PoliticsFeb. 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Search ship retrieves voyage data recorder from sunken Stellar Daisy

A deep-sea search ship has retrieved a voyage data recorder (VDR) and a bridge of the ill-fated South Korean bulk carrier Stellar Daisy that sank in the South Atlantic two years ago, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.The discovery on Sunday morning (local time) came three days after the search ship, Seabed Constructor, arrived at the scene of the sinking and launched its operations employing four autonomous underwater vehicles.(Yonhap)Stellar Daisy sank in the South Atlantic, some 3,700 kilom

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seoul police widen drug crackdown at clubs amid Burning Sun scandal

Police are widening a crackdown on drugs and distribution at clubs located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, according to an announcement Sunday.The crackdown comes amid heightened public anger over unlawful assault at the club Burning Sun, owned by K-pop star Seungri, which has sparked suspicions of sexual violence against female customers after drugging them with GHB, known as a date rape drug, on top of a short sex video that was allegedly filmed at the club.“In addition to Burning Sun we have wide

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2019