[Newsmaker] Indian prime minister wins Seoul Peace Prize 2018

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 68, was chosen for the Seoul Peace Prize this year for his contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting “Modinomics” for reducing social and economic disparity between rich and poor.The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, headed by Chairman Kwon E-hyock, made the announcement Thursday, following its final selection meeting in Jung-gu, Seoul.Selection Committee President Choe Chung-ho stated the 12-member committee conducted a r

PeopleOct. 24, 2018

[Newsmaker] More Korean women choose to freeze their eggs

The number of South Korean women who chose to freeze their eggs increased 12-fold from 2013-2017, the country's major medical firm said. According to CHA Medical Group, a health care firm which owns a number of major medical facilities nationwide, 288 women froze their eggs at three of their hospitals -- CHA Gangnam Medical Center, CHA Bundang Medical Center and CHA Fertility Center Seoul Station -- a steep rise from the 23 in 2013.The three hospitals currently store the largest number of frozen

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2018

[Newsmaker] Internet cafe murder case fuels debate on mental health and violent crimes

A heated debate on mental health and its link to violent crimes is underway after a murder suspect requested that his medical history be considered to mitigate punishment. He had been medically treated for depression before allegedly stabbing a man to death. Kim Seong-su, 29, is suspected of having stabbed a man to death at an internet cafe in western Seoul on Oct. 14. On Monday, he was sent to the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, for a monthlong examinatio

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2018

[Newsmaker] University bans public, deliveries, taxis after naked trespasser

After students’ calls for action against trespassing on campus by people to commit sexual acts, Dongduk Women’s University officials announced measures Sunday to prevent recurrences.From November, non-registered members of the public will not be able to enter campus grounds, including food delivery men and taxi drivers. School identification card readers will also be installed in front of all campus buildings, according to school authorities. Initially, the school had rejected students’ demands

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2018

[Newsmaker] Only 28% of school buildings reinforced for earthquake in Korea: lawmaker

Only 28 percent of schools in Korea have undergone earthquake-resistant construction, and it will take over a decade for all the buildings to be reinforced a lawmaker said Friday. According to the data Rep. Kim Hyun-ah of Liberty Korea Party received from the Education Ministry, only 28.1 percent of 61,670 schools have undergone seismic reinforcement in Korea.(Yonhap)By region, 17.2 percent of schools in Jeju were reinforced to withstand earthquakes; 20.3 percent in North Jeolla Province; 21.3 p

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] Taxi drivers rise against Kakao’s new carpooling service

Tens of thousands of private and corporate taxi drivers took to the streets Thursday to protest Kakao Mobility, a new carpooling service to be launched by the end of the year. At Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, some 70,000 taxi drivers gathered, according to the rally organizers, to fight what they called “illegal carpooling services” to be offered by the mobile messaging giant Kakao. (Kim Sung-woo/The Korea Herald)“Let’s take down Kakao, which is stomping on the taxi industry,” chanted the p

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2018

[Newsmaker] ‘Infidelity investigator’ accused of outing sex-trade clients, violating privacy laws

A website promoting the services of an “infidelity private investigator” has stirred controversy in South Korea about the disclosure of personal information. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station, the site operator, a 36-year-old app developer surnamed Lee, was arrested Monday for allegedly violating Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act. He is accused of illegally obtaining personal data for unfaithful men and disclosing details to their romantic partners. He is currently under invest

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2018

[Newsmaker] Online community of mothers blamed for teacher’s death

An online community of mothers of young children in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, is being blamed by the public for the recent death of a day care worker, who took her own life after one of the community members brought child abuse allegations against her online.The case has drawn attention as it involves several issues that have long been a social problem in South Korea, including child abuse, online bullying and widespread misogyny against young mothers. 　The late teacher, who had been working at

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2018

[Newsmaker] Passenger dies of heart attack onboard Asiana Airlines

A male passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight from Incheon to Chicago died of a heart attack last Thursday around two to three hours after takeoff, Chicago’s Korean-language media outlet reported Tuesday. The captain reported a medical emergency on board after the man, 76, experienced heart attack symptoms and collapsed. Flight attendants made an announcement and found a physician, who performed CPR in an attempt to save the sick man, but he was pronounced dead. Authorities say the deceased man

InternationalOct. 17, 2018

[Newsmaker] No mole found on Gov. Lee’s body: doctors

Doctors confirmed Tuesday that Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung does not have a distinctive mole on his body after he visited a university hospital to deny an actress’s claim.Actress Kim Bu-seon lodged a police complaint and filed a lawsuit alleging defamation after Lee denied her claims that he had an extramarital affair with her. To back her argument, she described a hidden mole on the governor.To prove he has no such mole, Lee went to Ajou University Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.Gyeonggi

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2018

[Newsmaker] Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies of cancer: family

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Billionaire Paul Allen, who founded US software giant Microsoft with Bill Gates in the 1970s, died Monday after his latest battle with cancer. He was 65."My brother was a remarkable individual on every level. While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend," Allen's sister Jody said in a statement."Paul's family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and

World NewsOct. 16, 2018

[Newsmaker] Former deputy head of court administration grilled over alleged power abuses

The prosecutors grilled a former deputy chief of the top court’s administration affairs body, who is at the center of the massive judiciary power abuse scandal involving former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, Monday.Lim Jong-hun, the former deputy chief of the National Court Administration, appeared in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at around 9:20 a.m. He is accused of aiding Yang in using politically sensitive trials as bargaining chips to win favor from the

PoliticsOct. 15, 2018

[Newsmaker] How to check what Facebook hackers accessed in your account

NEW YORK (AP) -- Could hackers have been able to see the last person you cyberstalked, or that party photo you were tagged in? According to Facebook, the unfortunate answer is “yes.”On Friday, the social network said fewer users were affected in a security breach it disclosed two weeks ago than originally estimated -- nearly 30 million, down from 50 million. In additional good news, the company said hackers weren‘t able to access more sensitive information like your password or financial informa

TechnologyOct. 14, 2018

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi governor’s home raided on alleged violations of election law

Police raided Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s home Friday as part of a probe into allegations that Lee forcefully institutionalized his estranged brother in a mental hospital and lied about the matter during the June general election campaign period.Investigators from the Bundang Police Station also raided a number of offices in Seongnam City Hall, where Lee’s office is located. The officers also took the governor’s mobile phone on the same day. Lee, who is affiliated with the ruling Demo

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] ‘I just want to live an ordinary life’: Yang Ye-won in court

In a rare case where trial proceedings are opened to the public, shining a spotlight on the treatment of vulnerable victims, YouTuber Yang Ye-won on Wednesday attended the trial of a 45-year-old photographer surnamed Choi who has been indicted on charges of taking explicit photos of Yang and leaking them to the public. It was his second court date.At the previous session, held Sept. 5, Yang’s attorney had asked the Seoul Western District Court for Wednesday’s hearing to be made public, citing Ch

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2018

[Newsmaker] Gas tank fire suspect freed as arrest warrant request denied

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province -- Police released the man suspected of having caused the fire at a gasoline storage tank northwest of Seoul on Wednesday as prosecutors decided not to file for his arrest warrant, citing insufficient grounds. The Goyang Police Station said their request for a writ against the 27-year-old Sri Lankan national was dismissed by the Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office. Police have sought to arrest him twice since Monday.  (Yonhap)The suspect, whose n

Social AffairsOct. 10, 2018

[Newsmaker] KRX feels heat from calls to cut trading hours

Ever since the decision two years ago to delay the closing time of the nation’s securities market by 30 minutes, market authorities and labor activists have been in a heated debate, with unions saying the extended trading hours place an undue burden on employees without conferring significant benefits in terms of transaction volume. The issue is to take center stage at this week’s National Assembly audit, with Korea Exchange Chairman Jung Ji-won having been called as witness to

MarketOct. 9, 2018

[Newsmaker] Koreas to resume work on common dictionary

The South Korean prime minister on Tuesday reaffirmed the government's will to restart efforts to compile a unified Korean-language dictionary with North Korea as his country observed Hangul Day, which marks the invention of the Korean alphabet more than five centuries ago."The Roh Moo-hyun government began a project to jointly publish the 'Gyeoreomal-keunsajeon' with North Korea in 2005 but it has been suspended amid the ups and downs of inter-Korean relations,"(Yonhap)Lee Nak-yeon said during

Social AffairsOct. 9, 2018

[Newsmaker] Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin back at work, scrambles to normalize business

Following the appeals court’s suspension of his sentence last week, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin returned to work Monday after eight months away, facing pending decisions including kick-starting Lotte Chemical’s 4 trillion-won ($3.5 billion) petrochemicals project in Indonesia and completing the group’s corporate governance overhaul plan.The leader’s absence had dealt a blow to the country’s fifth-largest conglomerate, where about 10 mergers and acquisitions deals here and abroad, worth so

IndustryOct. 8, 2018

[Newsmaker] BTS dazzles New York with history-making stadium concert

Every step of BTS in the US has been history-making, from its performance at Prudential Center in Newark to its heartfelt speech in front of the United Nations in New York. But maybe it was the highly anticipated show at Citi Field in New York that allowed the K-pop phenomenon to vault to the highest tier of pop superstardom in the US, where it also marked the end of the North American leg of its “Love Yourself” world tour.  (Big Hit Entertainment)The enthusiasm for the act’s first-ever statesid

PerformanceOct. 7, 2018