[Newsmaker] Distrust of police and media, and fake news fuel outcry in medical student’s death

Lee Jin-ah, 43 and the mother of a 13-year-old son, has been following the updates of the death of Sohn Jung-min, a medical student who died in the Han River, every day, through news articles and YouTube videos. “Because I have a son, I am emotionally attached to Jung-min’s father. I feel so sorry for him. It is so terrible to think that my child could be dead like that,” she said. Lee does not know why Jung-min died, but does not trust the police investigation. “I

Social AffairsJune 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Late Air Force sexual assault victim suffered multiple abuses over year: lawyer

Colleagues of the late Air Force noncommissioned officer, whose suicide sparked a public uproar over sexual abuse in the military, had abused her for about a year repeatedly after watching her unable to speak up about such cases, a lawyer for the bereaved family said. The claim suggests that additional members of her unit could have abused the victim, identified only as Master Sergeant Lee, besides the lastest case in March in which she was groped and suffered other abuse by a colleague in a ca

DefenseJune 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Tech firms under fire for toxic work environment

The South Korean IT powerhouses nestled in Pangyo Techno Valley, a tech hub modeled after Silicon Valley in the US, are best known for a progressive workplace culture shaped by young founders and their employees, something rare among traditional big companies. That reputation has drawn the nation’s brightest IT minds south of Seoul to Pangyo in recent years, but the IT and tech startup cluster is now under increasing scrutiny after a series of reports suggested a reality contrary to th

IndustryJune 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon visits funeral home of sex assault victim in military

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday met with the bereaved families of a female Air Force officer, sexually assaulted by a male colleague, and apologized to them for failing to protect her. Moon headed to her funeral home shortly after attending a national ceremony to mark the 66th Memorial Day. The annual event was held at Seoul National Cemetery. Speaking to the victim's parents at Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, just south of the capital, the president said he was sorry that the count

PoliticsJune 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Baby girl remains in coma a month after adoptive father's abuse

A 2-year-old girl has been in a coma for nearly a month since her adoptive father abused her to the point she fell unconscious with bleeding in her brain. Doctors say she is unlikely to wake up given the extent of the trauma she suffered when her father, 36, allegedly slapped her face and knocked her down a total of four times at their home in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 8. An investigation revealed that the adoptive father had abused the girl multiple times prior to M

Social AffairsJune 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Military investigators raid Air Force offices over sexual harassment case

Military prosecutors carried out a series of raids on the Air Force headquarters and other locations in connection with an investigation into the suicide death of a female noncommissioned officer following sexual harassment by a colleague. At around 10 a.m., investigators raided the police corps of the Air Force headquarters as well as the police squadron of the 15th Special Missions Wing that the victim was affiliated with, the defense ministry said in a release. Military prosecutors are loo

Social AffairsJune 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Backed by loyal fans, mint chocolate boom sweeps Korea

Fueled by support from loyal fans of its fresh and sweet flavor, mint chocolate is going mainstream in Korea. Snack firm Orion said Thursday it has released the Mint Choco Pie -- a minty take on its internationally popular snack. The limited edition of the snack, which is made of cacao biscuits covered in mint syrup and mint chocolate will be sold only this summer. Vanilla cream was added to Choco Pie’s signature layer of marshmallow to increase the sense of mintiness, the firm said. &l

ConsumerJune 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon orders strict probe into sexual assault victim's death in military

President Moon Jae-in strongly instructed military investigators Thursday to deal strictly with a recent sexual assault case that led to the death of the victim. Moon was referring to the Air Force noncommissioned female officer who was found dead in late May in an apparent suicide. In March, she allegedly suffered unwanted physical touching by a male colleague with the same rank of master sergeant in a vehicle. She reported the incident to her senior officers the following day, but they are ac

PoliticsJune 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon’s goal to curb workplace deaths gets more elusive

President Moon Jae-in’s election campaign promise to halve the number of fatal industrial accidents during his term appears to be increasingly out of reach, data showed. In the first three months of this year, 238 workers died from industrial accidents, down 5.9 percent on-year, according to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency released Wednesday. Some 49.2 percent of deaths occurred in the construction sector, followed by 18.

Social AffairsJune 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Top court confirms acquittal of Olympic short track champion in sexual harassment case

The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has confirmed the not-guilty verdict for South Korean-born short track speed skater Lim Hyo-jun in a sexual harassment case. The top court has upheld the appellate court's decision to acquit Lim of sexually harassing a male teammate at South Korea's national skating team in June 2019. The 2018 Olympic gold medalist was accused of pulling down his male teammate's pants and exposing a body part, with female skaters present, during practice at a national train

Social AffairsJune 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Mayor of Seoul, Gyeonggi governor clash on social media over basic income plans

The mayor of Seoul and the governor of Gyeonggi Province, the heads of the two largest local governments in South Korea, exchanged words over the weekend on the topic of basic income support. While Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung proposes prioritizing the equal distribution of funds to people of all socioeconomic levels, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon wants to give more to those with less income. The two had clashed in the past over the matter, but the conflict flared up again last week when Oh wrote a so

PoliticsJune 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Air Force officer dies in suicide after being sexually harassed by colleague

An Air Force officer has died in an apparent suicide after being sexually harassed by a colleague, officials said Tuesday. In March, the female master sergeant stationed in the central city of Seosan was sexually harassed by the man surnamed Jang inside a car on their way back to the base after a private gathering that she was forced to attend, according to the officials. She then reported the case to the authorities the following day, but the military allegedly failed to take appropriate step

DefenseJune 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul’s smoking rate drops to record low amid COVID-19 pandemic

The smoking rate in Seoul dropped to its lowest level ever in 2020 as more smokers quit amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that the smoking rate for adult residents of Seoul was 15.5 percent in 2020, down 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier. It is the lowest figure ever recorded since the city began collecting the data in 2008. The smoking rate for adult men in Seoul fell below 30 percent for the first time, hitting 28.9 percent, down 2.0 percent fr

Social AffairsMay 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon's approval rating rebounds substantially on US summit deal: poll

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating rebounded to nearly 40 percent for the first time in nearly three months thanks to positive reception toward his recent summit deal with US President Joe Biden, according to a new poll released Monday. In the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,512 people over the age of 18 from May 24-28, Moon's job approval rating was recorded at 39.3 percent, up 4.4 percentage points from the previous week. The result marked Moon's highest performance in public pol

PoliticsMay 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korean expats seek alternative military service

Advocacy groups for overseas Koreans are demanding for measures to protect the rights of expats living outside of South Korea in carrying out their mandatory military service, as a revision that recently took effect infringes their right to visit and stay in their home country as lawful citizens. The Korean International Network and others claimed in a joint statement Sunday that the right to choose their place of living could be infringed for third and fourth generation Korean nationals living

DefenseMay 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Support growing for volunteer military system over draft: survey

A growing number of South Koreans support replacing the current military draft with a volunteer system, a survey showed Sunday. According to the Gallup Korea poll, 43 percent of respondents were in favor of switching to the volunteer military system, while 42 percent were in favor of maintaining the status quo. The remaining 15 percent declined to answer. The law requires all able-bodied South Korean men to serve about two years in the military. Women are exempted from mandatory service and al

Social AffairsMay 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Young underdog emerges as winner of primary for main opposition party leader

Lee Jun-seok, a 36-year-old politician with no experience as a lawmaker, swept to victory Friday in the primary for the upcoming election to pick the new chairman of the main opposition party. Lee was among the final five candidates selected through opinion polls to compete in the People Power Party's (PPP) chairman election on June 11, according to the party's election management committee. The former member of the party's supreme council was followed by former four-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won

PoliticsMay 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] P4G Seoul Summit to discuss ways to tackle famine

SEJONG -- The topic of food and agriculture will likely come under the spotlight as one of the core items on the agenda for the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit, set for May 30-31. P4G -- Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 -- is a global initiative launched in 2017 to accelerate the response to climate change and the implementation of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Twelve countries, including South Korea, are taking part in the gathering. While the internatio

Social AffairsMay 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon Seok-youl leads presidential hopeful race as Lee Jae-myung's approval catches up

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is leading the race among prospective presidential hopefuls, while runner-up Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung has managed to narrow the gap in approval with Yoon, according to a new poll released Thursday. According to the survey conducted on 2,004 voters nationwide from Monday-Tuesday by Realmeter, Yoon was the most favored candidate for the upcoming 2022 presidential election, receiving 30.5 percent of support. Lee came second, chalking up 25.3 per

PoliticsMay 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] Local governments reject Seoul as site of proposed museum for Lee Kun-hee collection

As cities around the country battle over a proposed museum to house the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, the government said it would reveal details about the plan by mid-June. “The minister is likely to hold a press briefing in Seoul in mid-June to share the progress made so far regarding a new museum or storage place,” an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism told The Korea Herald. “We have formed a task force committee and

Arts & DesignMay 26, 2021