[Newsmaker] New Zealand to ban single-use plastic bags

New Zealand became the latest country Friday to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying they will be phased out over the next year as a "meaningful step" towards reducing pollution.New Zealand uses "hundreds of millions" of single-use plastic bags each year, many of which end up harming marine life, Ardern said."We need to be far smarter in the way we manage waste and this is a good start," she said. "We're phasing-out single-use plastic bags so we can

World NewsAug. 10, 2018

[Newsmaker] BMW Korea under siege over continued fires, customers seeking criminal charges

BMW Korea, the local importer and distributor of the German luxury car, on Thursday faced escalating criticism from customers, the government and the political circle, as its vehicles continued to catch fire on motorways here, despite its apology earlier this week and nationwide safety checks. BMW 730Ld that caught fire on Thursday morning was manufactured in 2011, not subject for the carmaker's recall. (Yonhap)Two BMW diesel vehicles -- the 320d and the 730Ld -- reportedly caught fire this morn

MobilityAug. 9, 2018

[Newsmaker] Special counsel to grill Kim Kyoung-soo in Druking scandal for second time

South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo is to be grilled by the independent counsel investigating allegations surrounding blogger “Druking” on Thursday. The investigators believe that Kim Kyoung-soo colluded with blogger Kim Dong-won in using illegal software to conduct an online campaign to influence public opinion in favor of President Moon Jae-in in last year’s presidential election. South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo speaks to reporters after being questioned by the special

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2018

[Newsmaker] Public toilets to be monitored to crack down on spycam porn in South Korea

 Public bathrooms in all transportation hubs in South Korea, including airports, bus terminals, metro and train stations, will be regularly monitored as a measure to better deal with secret cameras installed in public toilets, as well as spy cam pornography that has been prevalent in the cyberspace in the country, its government announced Sunday.Spycam pornography, locally known as “molka,” generally refers to secretly produced, sexually exploitive videos or pictures of women in public spaces, s

Social AffairsAug. 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] Local consumer protection group, 100 owners to sue BMW

Despite BMW Korea’s measures including a recall, checks and lease services, more owners of a problematic model that appears prone to catching fire are taking legal action against the automaker, this time joined by a local consumer protection group. Marking the first consumer protection group to take action since the series of BMW fires, the Korea Consumer Association said Monday it is preparing to file a lawsuit against the German luxury carmaker with about 100 members of a BMW car owners’ club.

MobilityAug. 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] Powerful quake rocks Indonesia’s Lombok island, 82 dead

MATARAM, Indonesia -- A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, killing at least 82 people and shaking neighboring Bali, one week after another quake on Lombok killed more than a dozen.The latest quake, which triggered a brief tsunami warning, damaged buildings as far away as Denpasar on Bali, including a department store and the airport terminal, where ceiling panels were shaken loose, authorities said.Debris on top of a motorcycles after an earthquake in B

World NewsAug. 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] Police widen probe into ‘treasure ship’ scam

Police are widening their investigation into Shinil Group, which claimed to have found a sunken Russian warship carrying gold in an alleged attempt to attract capital.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Sophisticated Crime Investigation Unit took over the case involving the imperial Russian navy cruiser Dmitrii Donskoi which was scuttled by her crew in a 1905 battle with Japan.Choi Yong-seok, CEO of Shinil Group, speaks during a press conference held in Seoul last week. Choi is now banned fro

Social AffairsAug. 3, 2018

[Newsmaker] Gov. Kim denies collusive ties with blogger at center of opinion rigging scandal

CHANGWON -- South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo on Friday rejected allegations that he offered a diplomatic position to a power blogger with expertise in manipulating Internet comments while asking for help in this year's local elections.Kim called the allegations "totally untrue" as he spoke to reporters a day after special investigators raided his office and residence in the southeastern city of Changwon as part of a probe into the online opinion rigging scandal.(Yonhap)The scandal c

PoliticsAug. 3, 2018

[Newsmaker] Kim Kyoung-soo’s office and home raided in Druking probe

The independent counsel looking into the Druking scandal searched the home and office of South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo on Thursday, as it gears up to summon him for questioning. Kim has been implicated in the case since the beginning, but his status in the investigation was changed to that of a suspect just this week. According to reports, Kim could be questioned as early as the weekend. Investigators on Thursday collect materials from the National Assembly office used by South G

Social AffairsAug. 2, 2018

[Newsmaker] Korea hits setback in UK nuclear power plant project

On Wednesday the South Korean government scurried to calm escalating debate over the latest setback faced by the state-run Korea Electric Power Corporation in acquiring a nuclear power plant construction project in the UK.It was revealed that Kepco lost its status as the preferred bidder to obtain Toshiba’s 100 percent stake in the NuGen nuclear power plant project last month, as the Japanese company felt burdened by prolonged negotiations and high operating cost, in order to open doors to alter

IndustryAug. 1, 2018

[Newsmaker] Seoul vows to improve refugee protection, simplify review process

South Korea will work to better protect international refugees arriving in the country while greatly speeding up its refugee review process to help ease their pains and sort out fake asylum seekers, the country's justice minister said Wednesday.Minister Park Sang-ki said the country will also boost its assistance for refugees here so they can stand on their own.(Yonhap)"(The government) has decided to come up with measures to help refugees to utilize their own capabilities and live independently

PoliticsAug. 1, 2018

[Newsmaker] Extreme heat wave to peak in coming days

The extreme heat wave gripping the Korean Peninsula is forecast to reach its highest temperature in the coming days, the state weather agency said on Tuesday. While the day time high in Seoul rose to 38.3 degrees Celsius around 3 p.m. Tuesday, the figure is likely rise to 39 C on Wednesday, the highest temperature in the city since the government started compiling the data in 1907, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. (Yonhap)On Tuesday, KMA issued additional extreme heat wave w

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2018

[Newsmaker] BMW Korea faces lawsuit by customers over faulty engines

A group of customers has filed a lawsuit against BMW Korea and its dealer Deutsche Motors over faulty engine parts allegedly susceptible to fire, demanding compensation. Ha Jong-sun, a lawyer at the Seoul-based Barun Law, said Monday that four owners of BMW 520d sedans lodged a suit with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking 5 million won ($4,475) in damages for safety concerns and a drop in car value. The amount of compensation could go up, depending on the results of vehicle evaluation, he

MobilityJuly 30, 2018

[Newsmaker] In South Korea, women’s group protests Facebook’s rejection of feminist ad　

　A South Korean women’s rights group is protesting Facebook’s decision to reject its ad, which criticizes the country’s lookism and social pressures for women to look appealing. An illustration that includes nudity was the grounds for Facebook’s rejection of the ad, according to the group, which says the ad did not have a sexual connotation. 　The online ad was intended for a feminist event for high school girls scheduled to take place in Incheon on Aug. 11. The event aims to educate young women

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2018

[Newsmaker] California battles raging wildfires

REDDING, California -- The US federal government approved aid Saturday for California as thousands of firefighters battled to contain a series of deadly raging wildfires that have killed six people, including two young children and their great grandmother, and destroyed hundreds of buildings.The largest of the fires menacing the state has nearly doubled in size, while another pushed thousands of people to flee and a third forced the partial closure of the popular Yosemite National Park.A huge co

WorldJuly 29, 2018

[Newsmaker] Vatican's envoy delivers pontiff's donation to support Yemeni refugees on Jeju

The Vatican's top envoy in  Korea has delivered Pope Francis's donation of 10,000 euros ($11,626) to a local bishop who has advocated for the rights of Yemeni asylum seekers on the southern resort island of Jeju, his office said Sunday.Archbishop Alfred Xuereb made an official visit to Jeju on Saturday to renew the pontiff's support for Bishop Peter Kang U-il, who has said that rejecting refugees and migrants amounts to a "crime that shuns the least responsibility one should take as a human bein

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2018

[Newsmaker] Ex-felons to be banned from delivery jobs

Former convicts of violent crimes will be banned from taking jobs in parcel delivery jobs that typically entail door-to-door services, according to a new law revision.The National Assembly on Thursday afternoon passed the revision bill of the Trucking Transport Business Act, stating that those who have been imprisoned or handed down heavier penalties for designated felonies -- sex crimes, violence, drug-related offenses, violence against minors -- be banned from driving trucks and delivering goo

IndustryJuly 27, 2018

[Newsmaker] Poet Ko Un files 1 billion-won suit against #MeToo accuser

South Korean poet Ko Un, 84, an acclaimed figure both at home and abroad, has filed a 1 billion won ($893,000) compensation suit against a fellow poet who last year publicly accused him of sexual harassment, as well as a number of members of the media who have written on the case.　In a poem published in December, Choi Young-mi, 57, indirectly accused Ko of sexually harassing women. In “The Beast,” an elderly poet is depicted as a perpetrator who habitually and sexually assault women, including w

Social AffairsJuly 26, 2018

[Newsmaker] Ex-President Lee's aide acquitted of bribery in NIS scandal

A Seoul court on Thursday cleared a close aide to former President Lee Myung-bak of a bribery charge over his involvement in the spy agency's provisions of off-book funds to the presidential office while Lee was in office.    The court handed down the ruling on Kim Paik-joon, a former senior presidential secretary for administrative affairs from 2009-2011.   He was indicted in February for accepting 400 million won ($375,000) in bribes from the National Intelligence Service between 2008 and 2012

Social AffairsJuly 26, 2018

[Newsmaker] Moon orders dispatch of emergency relief team to Laos

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday ordered the dispatch of an emergency relief team to Laos, where a dam collapse has led to at least several hundreds going missing. In a briefing, the president also ordered the team to check the health conditions of South Korean employees working at the site, for families in Korea. The hydroelectric dam in Laos that collapsed Wednesday was built by SK Engineering and Construction, the building arm under SK Group. There are some 40 South Korean work

IndustryJuly 25, 2018