[Newsmaker] 3 dead, 2 missing in fishing boat collision

A fishing boat carrying 14 people overturned after colliding with a cargo vessel off the country's southern coast, leaving three people dead and two missing, authorities said Friday. The 9.77-ton Mujeok, carrying the captain, a sailor and 12 anglers, capsized after running into a 3,000-ton cargo ship in waters about 80 kilometers south of Yokji Island at around 5 a.m., according to the Coast Guard. (Yonhap)The island is located near the coastal city of Tongyeong, about 330 km south of Seoul. Two

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] Second cab driver dies after self-immolation protesting Kakao carpool service

In the midst of heightened tensions between the country’s taxi union, information technology market players and the government over ride-sharing and ride-hailing services, a taxi driver surnamed Lim, 65, died early Thursday morning after setting himself on fire to protest the launch of Kakao’s carpool service, police said. Lim’s death is expected to further fuel conflict between the concerned parties, who have locked horns since a similar incident last month involving another taxi driver, 57, wh

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019

[Newsmaker] Two Korean students die of unknown cause while volunteering in Cambodia

Two South Korean college students have died of an unknown cause in Cambodia while doing volunteer work, officials said Thursday. The Konyang University students had been treated at a hospital in the capital city of Phnom Penh since Tuesday, after they had acute stomach pains, according to the university officials.   Cambodia(AP)They returned to the lodge the next day, only to start showing the same symptoms and be again transferred to the hospital. One of the two died Wednesday night and the oth

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019

[Newsmaker] Short track gold medalist sues ex-coach over alleged sexual assault

Olympic short track gold medalist Shim Suk-hee has sued her former coach Cho Jae-beom over alleged sexual assault, police said Tuesday. Cho, who has been serving jailed for committing violence toward short track speedskaters including Shim, denied the allegation. Short track skater Shim Suk-hee (Yonhap)According to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Shim filed the complaint against Cho on Dec. 17, which includes the allegation that Cho had raped and sexually molested her since the summer o

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korea introduces measures to wipe out sexual misconduct in sports

South Korea on Wednesday unveiled a set of measures to wipe out sexual assault and abuse in sports following a sex crime case involving an Olympic short track gold medalist.The sports ministry issued an apology and introduced measures to prevent and eliminate sexual misconduct in the country's sports community, one day after Shim Suk-hee's allegations that her former coach Cho Jae-bum had sexually assaulted her for years were revealed. Vice Sports Minister Roh Tae-kang (Yonhap)"We apologize to a

More SportsJan. 9, 2019

[Newsmaker] KB Kookmin Bank stages strike, 600 branches affected

Workers at KB Kookmin Bank, South Korea's leading lender, launched a nationwide strike Tuesday for the first time in 19 years over bonuses and wage system reforms, its labor union said.The one-day walkout started at 9 a.m., as last-minute overnight negotiations between the labor and the management did not lead to a breakthrough. (Yonhap)The last time unionized workers took collective action was in 2000, when the bank acquired the Housing & Commercial Bank.The exact numbers of participants and br

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] Labor Ministry lays out details of revised minimum wage calculation process

Amid ongoing debate over the minimum wage hike, the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday laid out a rough draft of the revised minimum wage calculation method, which contains details about the composition of the committees in charge of deciding the annual hourly minimum wage.But the changes face escalating opposition from labor groups, which argue that the new process is less likely to reflect their position.“The minimum wage decision-making process has remained the same since 1988, while

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Missing intelligence agent found dead in his car

An active officer at the National Intelligence Service was found dead Sunday inside his car, which was parked at a vacant lot near his home.According to a police station in western Yongin, a city located south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, the body of the missing NIS agent, 43, was found at 1:25 p.m. Sunday, nine hours after his family reported his disappearance.Yongin Seoubu Police Station (Yonhap)The police also found at his home a three-page document that appeared to be his will. The content

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Ex-North Korean ambassador urges former colleague to defect to South Korea

A former senior North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 2016 on Saturday urged a former colleague who has gone into hiding before ending his term in Italy to come to Seoul, as opposed to the US where he is reportedly seeking asylum. Thae Yong-ho, who was the deputy ambassador in London and the most recent senior diplomat to defect, wrote an open letter to Jo Song-gil, 44, until recently North Korea’s acting ambassador to Italy, who fled the Rome embassy with his wife in early November

North KoreaJan. 6, 2019

[Newsmaker] Prosecution raids Kim Tae-woo’s office

Investigators looking into allegations against a former Cheong Wa Dae inspector secured documents and at least one computer hard drive from the suspect’s office, the prosecution revealed Friday. According to investigators of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office looking into allegations surrounding Kim Tae-woo, the suspect’s office at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office was raided on Dec. 31. Kim Tae-woo appears for questioning at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors` Office on Thurs

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] Whistleblower admitted to hospital over signs of planning suicide

The former official at the Ministry of Economy and Finance who accuses the Moon Jae-in administration of manipulating the issuance of treasury bonds for political reasons was found alive after going missing and admitted to a hospital in southwestern Seoul, police said Thursday. Shin Jae-min, 34, was found at a motel in southwestern Seoul at noon following searches of his house, where his cellphone was found along with three pages of suicide notes.  Police raid the house of Shin Jae-min, whistleb

Social AffairsJan. 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Whistle-blower reportedly missing after leaving suicide note

The police are trying to locate a former Finance Ministry official who made public accusations against the Moon administration, after he reportedly went missing Thursday, leaving behind a suicide note. According to the police, Shin Jae-min, a former official of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, sent text messages to his friend at around 7 a.m., expressing difficulties and giving signs that he was planning to take his own life. (Yonhap)Police raided Shin’s house following the friend’s report a

Social AffairsJan. 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Resumption of inter-Korean projects requires international consultation, ministry says

The Unification Ministry said Wednesday that close consultation with the international community is required in considering the resumption of a South-North industrial complex and tour program, following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s call for the restart of inter-Korean projects.“As agreed before, it is necessary at this moment for us to focus on creating the conditions,” Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told reporters Wednesday. “Also, it is a matter that should be pursued in con

North KoreaJan. 2, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police request arrest warrant for suspect in psychiatrist killing

Seoul Central District Court is reviewing a warrant for the continued detention of a man who stabbed his doctor to death Monday. A decision is expected Wednesday night. The 30-year-old patient, surnamed Park, allegedly wielded a knife at the psychiatrist at 5:44 p.m. Monday. The doctor, surnamed Lim, ran from the consultation room but was caught by the patient in the hallway and stabbed several times in the chest. Lim was rushed to the emergency room but was pronounced dead at around 7:30 p.m. o

Social AffairsJan. 2, 2019

[Newsmaker] Kim Jong-un calls for 'complete halt' to US-S. Korea joint military exercises

　North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday urged South Korea to “completely halt” military exercises with the United States, a move that analysts see as a way of increasing pressure on Seoul and Washington to make reciprocal gestures in response to the North’s moratorium on nuclear and missile tests. 　In his New Year’s address, Kim demanded that the South Korean government stop holding combined military drills and accepting US strategic assets, describing these actions as sources of tension on

DefenseJan. 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] SsangYong Motor reinstates 71 workers, ends decade of labor-management conflict

SsangYong Motor, the South Korean unit of Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra, reinstated on Monday 71 employees and hired 34 new workers as a follow up measure of the September agreement ending a decadelong conflict between labor and management.“The decision to reinstate the workers was made to deal with the production of the long-body version of Rexton Sport and succeeding model of Korando C named C300 alongside reduced work hours,” the company said in a statement.In late September, four parti

MobilityDec. 31, 2018

[Newsmaker] White House chief: Trump not building a 'wall'

Outgoing White House chief John Kelly said in an interview published Sunday that he had "nothing but compassion" for undocumented migrants crossing into the US, and undercut President Donald Trump's claims to be building a "wall" at the Mexico border.As a partial government shutdown entered a ninth day due to an impasse over Trump's demands for funding the US-Mexico border barrier, the president's chief of staff told the Los Angeles Times: "To be honest, it's not a wall." Outgoing White House Ch

World NewsDec. 31, 2018

[Newsmaker] Moon Jae-in is ANN's Person of the Year

Moon Jae-in is Asia News Network's Person of the Year. For more on the finalists and runners up, please click this link here. In a few decades, when people look back on 2018, perhaps they will only remember one or two major headlines.In the field of diplomacy, they may remember the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un.If this were to happen it would be one of the biggest injustices of selective history and memory.Because without South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s ins

PoliticsDec. 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] President Moon makes surprise visit to military camp

President Moon Jae-in made a surprise trip Friday to a military training camp near the inter-Korean border for lunch and a special meeting with new army conscripts."Thank you for welcoming me with applause when I should be the one to applaud you," the president said shortly before the start of lunch with some 200 new service members at the 5th Infantry Division based in Yeoncheon, located some 60 kilometers north of Seoul.The president's first trip to an Army boot camp came as he sought to perso

PoliticsDec. 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] Military plans to ease restrictions on soldiers’ off-base activities, cellphone use

South Korea’s conscripted soldiers will soon be allowed to go off base and to use cellphones in barracks after working hours, the country’s military said Thursday, as part of efforts to improve basic rights for rank-and-file soldiers. 　The Ministry of National Defense also said that starting next year, the military will ease restrictions on vacation destinations for soldiers, who have been prohibited from going to places deemed too far for them to return to the barracks on time. 　Every Korean ab

DefenseDec. 27, 2018