[Newsmaker] Moon’s civil affairs secretary at center of yet another political feud

Cho Kuk, senior secretary to the president for civil affairs and justice, is once again in the spotlight, drawing fire from conservatives and fueling a feud between the ruling and opposition blocs. This time around, Cho -- a longtime target of the conservative opposition -- is drawing criticism for comments on social media related to Japan’s decision to impose trade restrictions in apparent retaliation over court rulings on Korean forced labor victims. While Cho has made over 40 posts

PoliticsJuly 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Ex-SK Chem chief, 33 others indicted over humidifier sterilizer scandal

The prosecution said Tuesday it has indicted 34 people, including former company executives, for manufacturing and selling humidifier disinfectants containing toxic chemicals, wrapping up an eight-month reinvestigation into one of the worst scandals involving consumer products.The probe came after a 2011 scandal involving toxic humidifier disinfectants sold by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser rattled South Korea, leaving more than 100 people dead from lung problems. Hong Ji-ho, former president of SK Chemi

Social AffairsJuly 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Govt to approve extended work hours amid Japan trade feud

SEJONG -- Extended work hours will be approved for businesses that need hi-tech materials to replace those regulated by Tokyo, as part of efforts to cope with Japan’s stricter trade export control, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Employment and Labor mapped out a plan to allow work hours longer than the 52 hours a week stipulated by the law to facilitate the process of import substitution of three materials -- fluorinated polyimide, resist and etching gas -- imported from Japan.

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean ship attacked by pirates near Singapore Strait

A South Korean freighter was attacked by pirates near the Singapore Strait on Monday, government officials in Busan said.The pirates armed with guns and knives assaulted sailors of the South Korean-registered vessel, the 44,132-ton CK Bluebell, in the sea about 100 miles from the entrance of the strait at 4:25 a.m. before making off with $13,000 in cash, according to the officials at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.No casualties were reported from the attack, they said, noting the

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] 4 dead, 12 injured in overturned van in Gangwon Province

Four people died and 12 were injured in a van crash Monday morning in Gangwon Province.A Hyundai van flipped over at 7:33 a.m. Monday on a road in the northeastern coastal area of Gagok-myeon in Samcheok, according to Gangwon Fire Headquarters. Fire authorities and police said the Hyundai Grace van carrying 16 passengers crashed into a guardrail and tipped over to the roadside.  Of the 16 passengers, nine were foreign nationals, including a Thai man, 44, a fire department official said.Four

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] 3.9 magnitude quake detected in central S. Korea

A 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck the central South Korean city of Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, on Sunday, with no damage or injuries reported, the weather agency said.The quake occurred at 11:04 a.m. in Sangju, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration."No damage is expected but many people might have felt the tremor," said a KMA official.  Tremors from Sunday's quake were felt across the country, with 279 emergency calls report

Social AffairsJuly 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] S. Korea remains on alert over Typhoon Danas

South Korea was set to remain on alert Saturday for any remaining impact of Typhoon Danas, though it appears to by dying down, government officials said.The central government and local administrative bodies are maintaining their emergency response systems and are taking steps to minimize damage from the typhoon, small in scale though it may be."There could be some damage in mountainous areas of Jeju Island and other southern parts of the country until tomorrow from heavy rain and strong wi

Social AffairsJuly 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korea's southern regions on alert for typhoon

South Korea was on high alert Friday for the arrival of a typhoon that is forecast to churn through southern parts of the country with heavy rain and strong winds this weekend.Jeju Island and other southern provinces, already hit by this week's seasonal downpours, issued heavy rain and high seas alerts for many areas of the regions, as Typhoon Danas is expected to make landfall on Saturday morning. The season's fifth typhoon is likely to unleash up to 50 millimeters of rain per hour through

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] KCTU stages nationwide strike over next year’s minimum wage

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country’s two biggest umbrella unions, staged multiple strikes across the country Thursday in protest against key labor policies of the Moon Jae-in administration.Among the slew of policies labor groups have condemned, next year’s minimum hourly wage that will fall short of reaching 10,000 won ($8.50) is at the center of amplifying discontent.Some 50,000 members of the KCTU joined demonstrations held nationwide, of which about 5,00

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Mitsubishi refuses to discuss compensation for wartime forced labor

The liquidation of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Korean assets is likely to be expedited as it has refused to hold talks on compensation for victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor, according to sources Tuesday.A civic group working with the victims said that the Japanese firm had not responded to the victims’ request for discussions to follow up on the South Korean Supreme Court’s order that it compensate them by the Monday deadline. “Having lost the lawsuit, Mitsub

Foreign AffairsJuly 16, 2019

[Newsmaker] Political parties fail to agree on plenary meeting

Political parties failed to agree on a date for the last plenary meeting of the June parliamentary session, as the dispute over the main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s push for the dismissal of Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo dragged on.On Monday, floor leaders -- Lee In-young of the ruling Democratic Party, Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party and Oh Shin-hwan of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party -- gathered for a meeting convened by National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang on

PoliticsJuly 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] New law to bring to light widespread but overlooked problem of workplace bullying

A new law designed to prevent bullying in the workplace is set to go into effect in South Korea this week, setting the stage for victims of harassment at work to get some protection.A revised law on labor standards, commonly called the workplace anti-bullying law, will be effective starting Tuesday, after a six-month grace period.Physical assault and sexual abuse in the workplace are being handled in the legal domain, but harassment has been mostly overlooked as it is regarded as a personal rela

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] Representatives of militant labor group to step down from minimum wage panel

A major umbrella labor union group said Monday its representatives will resign from the minimum wage panel in protest of last week's decision to hike the wage by the slowest pace in a decade.The Minimum Wage Commission, involving labor and business representatives and experts, set the minimum wage at 8,590 won ($7.32) per hour for next year Friday, up 2.9 percent from this year.The decision was a far cry from an initial demand of 10,000 won by the labor sector, a level that President Moon Jae-in

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] Exploiting disadvantaged teens for sex to be punished by law

People who incite suicides and adults who have “consensual” sex with teenagers under the age of 16 will be punished under newly revised laws, the police said Sunday. The Korean National Police Agency said it will strictly enforce violations of both laws -- on protecting juveniles from sexual abuse and preventing suicide. The amendments take effect Tuesday. 　Under the revised law on sexual abuse, adults who have sexual intercourse with teenagers aged between 13 and 16 by taking advant

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2019

[Newsmaker] Unification Ministry partially disputes media report on arrival of NK defectors from Thailand

Ministry of Unification Deputy Spokesperson Kim Eun-han said a media report on the “mass” arrival of North Korean defectors from Thailand was partially incorrect.News 1, a Seoul-based news agency, reported Friday morning that around 20 North Koreans were in government custody after arriving in the country on a Korean Air flight from Thailand on Thursday morning.In a phone call with The Korea Herald on Friday afternoon, Kim said the number of North Korean defectors that were reported

North KoreaJuly 12, 2019

[Newsmaker] Entry ban on Korean American singer illegal: top court

The top court ruled Thursday that an entry ban on a Korean American singer who obtained US citizenship in an apparent attempt to evade military conscription here is illegal, paving the way for him to come to South Korea 17 years after it was prohibited.The Supreme Court found that refusing an entry visa to Steve Yoo, 43, who was a highly popular singer until the early 2000s and is better known as Yoo Seung-jun, is in violation of “administrative procedures.”　In 2002, the Ministry of

Social AffairsJuly 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] Political heavyweight stripped of parliamentary seat after top court confirms jail sentence

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering a jail term for a four-term opposition lawmaker, stripping him of his parliamentary seat.The top court sentenced Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to five years in prison for taking bribes worth some 100 million won ($84,990). He was also ordered to pay 150 million won in fines. Under the law, an elected official loses his or her post if sentenced to imprisonment without forced labor for criminal cas

PoliticsJuly 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] Busan's subway workers go on strike over wage dispute

Unionized subway workers in Busan, a major southern port city, went on indefinite strike Wednesday over a pay dispute.The walkout by Busan Metro's labor union began at 5 a.m. after its last-minute wage hike negotiations with management fell through the previous night. The union said about 2,400 of its 3,402 members, including train drivers, station employees and technicians, were taking part in the strike. According to the law governing public service corporations, Busan Metro is required to kee

Social AffairsJuly 10, 2019

[Newsmaker] ‘Other men are same’: Korean man accused of beating wife

A Korean man in police custody for assaulting his Vietnamese wife told reporters on Monday that he believes “other men are the same.”“Things began weighing on my mind since (my wife and I) speak different languages, and so we think differently. But I believe other men are the same,” he told the press, adding that he hopes such circumstances are taken into consideration. The 36-year-old suspect, identified only by his surname Kim, made the comments as he was escorted

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2019

[Newsmaker] Senior journalist accused of taking upskirt photo in subway

A senior editorial member of broadcaster SBS resigned Monday over suspicion he secretly took a photo of the lower part of a woman’s body in a subway station, according to the TV station.　The broadcaster accepted the resignation of Kim Sung-joon, 55, who had been one of its top news anchormen.　The Yeongdeungpo Police Station booked Kim without detention on suspicion that he took the photo without the woman’s knowledge at Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station at around 11:55 p.m. Wednesday.&n

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2019