[Newsmaker] Another delivery worker dies from apparent overwork

Another parcel delivery worker was found dead from apparent overwork last weekend, a labor union said Monday. The 48-year-old man, surnamed Lee, was found dead by police at his "gosiwon," a low-cost accommodation facility, in southeastern Seoul on Saturday afternoon, according to the Taekbae Union, which represents couriers here. Lee, who was employed by Coupang Corp., the country's leading e-commerce operator, is the latest delivery worker to die from apparent overwork. Last year, 1

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘Korea fails to respond to human trafficking’

In July 2016, a woman from Thailand came to Korea believing she could work as a masseuse. As soon as she arrived in Incheon, she was sent by brokers to a massage parlor in Gwangju. There, the owner took her passport and told her to go to a room for a test. Soon after, she was raped by the owner. When she said she wanted to return to Thailand, the owner and the brokers demanded that she pay them 2 million won ($1,775) in commission before leaving. She was forced to stay and work in the massage

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] Political circles eye on Yoon’s next move

The prosecutor general who rose to prominence by standing firm against pressure from the Moon Jae-in administration, shook political minds as he resigned Thursday over moves to deprive the prosecution of its investigative rights, a month ahead of the local by-elections. Yoon Seok-youl had adhered to the customary reticence of a chief prosecutor, limiting his public speech to parliamentary sessions, until he took his first media interview this week, four months before his two-year term was to ex

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ban Ki-moon asked to act on complaint against Beijing Games

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is being asked to rule on an ethics complaint filed against the International Olympic Committee by a human-rights group representing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is being asked to rule on an ethics complaint filed against the International Olympic Committee by a human-rights group representing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China. Ban is the chairman of the IOC's ethics commission. The Wor

Olympic GamesMarch 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea reports no additional avian influenza case for past week

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Friday the country has not reported a farm-linked highly pathogenic bird flu case for around a week, in a possible sign of a letup. No suspected cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza were reported from local poultry farms since Friday last week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The 103rd case of bird flu was reported from an egg farm in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul. South Korea identified its first bird fl

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] FSS head faces ire over staff picks

Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Yoon Suk-heun, whose three-year term ends in two months, is facing intense backlash from the related labor union, which holds him responsible for the watchdog‘s alleged failure in personnel management.　 Last month, the market watchdog reportedly promoted two officials who had received heavy sanctions due to their involvement in hiring irregularities, immediately prompting fierce criticism from union members. “The FSS’ latest decision to pr

MarketMarch 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ex-Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon wins main opposition's ticket for Seoul mayoral election

Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday won the main opposition party's ticket to run in the upcoming Seoul mayoral election seen as a barometer of public opinion ahead of the 2022 presidential election.  Oh, who served as Seoul mayor from 2006-2011, won the People Power Party's primary for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, solely based on a two-day public opinion poll, according to the polling results. He beat former four-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won, former two-term lawmaker Oh Sh

PoliticsMarch 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Chief prosecutor’s outcry against loss of investigative rights draws mixed responses

Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl’s outcry against the ruling party’s move to deprive the prosecution of investigative rights by creating a new crime agency drew mixed reactions Wednesday, with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun saying he was acting like a politician. Following a yearlong brawl with former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative rights, the prosecutor general strongly criticized the plan to launch a new agency for “serious crimes,” modeled after Britain&

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] N. Korea to be supplied with 1.7m doses of coronavirus vaccines through COVAX

North Korea is expected to be supplied with around 1.7 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 by May through a global vaccine distribution program. According to a vaccine allocation plan unveiled by the COVAX Facility, a total of 1.704 million doses of the AZ-Oxford vaccines manufactured by AstraZeneca will be provided to North Korea from February to May. The amount will be enough to inoculate around 852,000 people given that a person should be shot twice. The COVAX Facility earlier said

North KoreaMarch 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon slams move for new investigative agency

Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl blasted the ruling party’s move to create a separate agency to investigate six types of crime such as abuse of power and corruption, calling it an attempt to “disband the prosecution” and “annihilate the rule of law.” The prosecutor general, who fought a yearlong battle against former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative rights, said the move amounted to “regression of democracy and destruction of the spirit of the Co

Social AffairsMarch 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Court battle looms for football star Ki Sung-yueng in assault scandal

A bitter court battle is potentially on the horizon for the South Korean football star Ki Sung-yueng against his two former teammates accusing him of sexual and physical assault, following an about-face by the lawyer representing the two on Tuesday. Ki, midfielder for FC Seoul in the K League 1, has repeatedly denied those assault charges, first levied against him by two elementary school teammates last Wednesday. They claimed that Ki ordered them to perform sexual acts on him and beat them up

SoccerMarch 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Cardinal Cheong Jin-suk hospitalized

Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, the former Catholic archbishop of Seoul, has been hospitalized since Feb. 21, the office of the Seoul archdiocese said Sunday. The 90-year-old Catholic leader was admitted to the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital days after reporting pain, but he can converse, the office said in a statement. The cardinal has refused to be put on life support, and had signed papers in 2006 to donate his organs and corneas upon his death. Days after h

Social AffairsMarch 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Child abuse can now lead to death penalty in South Korea

South Korea is strengthening punishment for child abuse amid a growing number of cases, with the recent revision of a child abuse law now making the death penalty a possibility. On Friday lawmakers passed a bill at the plenary session of the National Assembly to revise a law dealing with penalties for child abuse, making it possible for child abusers to be convicted of murder even if they did not intend to cause death. The amendment, called the Jeong-in Act, is named after a 16-month-old gir

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] US authorizes J&J Covid vaccine for emergency use

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson's Covid vaccine for emergency use, giving the nation a third shot to battle the outbreak that has killed more than 500,000 Americans. The single-shot vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including against newer variants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said before giving it a green light. "This is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in our efforts to

World NewsFeb. 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] National Assembly calls on Myanmar military to restore democracy, release detainees

South Korea’s National Assembly called for restoration of democracy in Myanmar, condemning its military government for using violence and failing to uphold human rights. The parliament on Friday passed the Resolution Condemning Myanmar’s Military Coup and Urging Restoration of Democracy and Release of All Persons Arbitrarily Detained, criticizing the military government’s crackdowns on protests and expressing support for the democratic movement. The resolution defined Myanmar

PoliticsFeb. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Woman nabbed for posting flyers containing misinformation on coronavirus vaccines

INCHEON -- A woman has been apprehended for distributing flyers carrying misinformation that coronavirus vaccines will kill people, police said Friday. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency booked the 68-year-old woman after she allegedly posted 33 flyers that carried false information on COVID-19 vaccines on information boards at bus stops and utility poles in the city, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on Feb. 8. The posters contained messages such as "There are chips p

Social AffairsFeb. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Koreas appear out of running for 2032 Olympics following IOC decision

A potential joint bid by South Korea and North Korea to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics has apparently collapsed before it took off in earnest, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pick an Australian city as its preferred candidate. After a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Wednesday (local time), the IOC's Executive Board announced Brisbane will be its partner for "a targeted dialogue" on staging the 2032 Summer Olympics. The right to host the com

Olympic GamesFeb. 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Controversy brews over sex dolls in Korea

The controversy over sex dolls in Korea continues, with lawmakers seeking to impose regulations while civic groups call for a ban despite the court ruling to allow importing them. The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday, announced a ruling in favor of a local importer that had sued a Gimpo Airport customs official over the suspension of the import customs clearance of sex dolls. During the trial, the importer said, “Although the sex doll is a masturbation device for men with a shape

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Tiger Woods seriously injured in crash on steep LA-area road

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Tiger Woods was seriously injured Tuesday when his SUV crashed into a median, rolled over and ended up on its side on a steep roadway in suburban Los Angeles known for wrecks, authorities said. The golf superstar had to be pulled out through the windshield, and his agent said he was undergoing leg surgery. Woods was alone in the SUV when it crashed into a raised median shortly before 7:15 a.m., crossed two oncoming lanes and rolled several times, authorities said at a n

GolfFeb. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Claims of past school violence sweep sports, showbiz

Celebrities and athletes are facing public outrage, following a string of accusations of past bullying. Following the bullying scandal that damaged the careers of four professional volleyball players this month, another volleyball player Park Sang-ha retired on Monday after admitting to allegations of school violence. Over the weekend, another allegation was raised that Hanwha Eagles baseball player Yoo Jang-hyuk assaulted and bullied a school mate during elementary school. The revelations ar

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2021