[Newsmaker] South Korean actress faces Thai jail for reality TV stunt

A South Korean actress faces up to five years in a Thai jail for catching endangered giant clams in a reality TV stunt, an official said Saturday, despite the show's extensive apology.Lee Yeol-eum was filmed diving for giant clams at a Thai marine park for a June 30 episode of "Law of the Jungle" -- a popular South Korean reality show.After prising two giant clams from the coral-laid seabed, Lee pumped them in the air yelling "I caught it!"The creatures are listed as an endan

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean soldier sought to join IS terrorist group

A 23-year-old South Korean man is under investigation for allegedly seeking to join the Islamic State terrorist group, and preparing for a terrorist attack while he was serving in the army. It marks the country’s first case of a “lone wolf” terrorist act being planning.The man surnamed Park, 23, was found to have stolen an ignition device for explosives while being trained at an army engineer school after joining an infantry unit near Seoul in October 2017, broadcaster KBS repo

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2019

[Newsmaker] Main opposition floor leader accuses Moon administration of abusing democracy

Main opposition Liberty Korea Party Floor Leader Na Kyung-won has accused the Moon administration of “abusing democracy to achieve absolute power,” continuing the conservative bloc’s attack of President Moon Jae-in.“I can’t erase the thought that the Moon administration is abusing democracy to achieve absolute power rather than standing for citizens’ freedom and basic rights. This coincides with what the Economist referred to as ‘new dictatorship,’

PoliticsJuly 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] Hanmi shares plummet after Janssen ceases clinical research

Hanmi Pharmaceutical shares nose-dived nearly 30 percent Thursday, following news that Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals has decided to return development and global commercialization rights of Hanmi’s diabetes treatment. Hanmi shares closed at 301,500 won ($258), down 27.26 percent or 113,000 won from a day earlier. Janssen, based in Belgium, had inked a license agreement for Hanmi’s investigational drug HM12525A in November 2015, for which Hanmi receive

IndustryJuly 4, 2019

[Newsmaker] Irregular workers’ strike disrupts school operations

Irregular workers at schools went on strike Wednesday, calling for an end to discrimination in wages and welfare benefits vis-a-vis regular workers and disrupting meal services at thousands of schools nationwide. Six-hour-long negotiations between irregular workers at schools and education authorities fell through the previous day, leading some 22,000 irregular workers at schools -- including cooks, nutritionists and administrative workers -- to stage a walkout until Friday. As of 10 a.m. Wednes

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun given suspended sentence for drug use

A local court sentenced Park Yoo-chun, an actor and former member of boy band JYJ, to 10 months in prison on Tuesday, suspended two years, for using an illegal drug.Suwon District Court in the city of Suwon, south of Seoul, also ordered the 32-year-old disgraced entertainer to pay a fine of 1.4 million won (around $1,203) and issued probation and treatment orders for him."Drug-related crimes should be harshly punished due to severe addiction and harmful effects on individuals and society,&q

Social AffairsJuly 2, 2019

[Newsmaker] South Korea wrestles with finalizing 2020 minimum wage

As interested parties struggle to decide next year’s minimum wage, the Korea Employers Federation said Monday that various economic indicators show the rapid increase in minimum hourly wage has taken a toll on companies, laborers and the government.Discussion at the Minimum Wage Commission has been stalled since members representing management left the meeting after the commission voted down a proposal to change the minimum wage by industry.“The recent sharp rise in minimum hourly wa

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] Minister Kang, Ivanka Trump stress women’s role in economy, peacebuilding

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Sunday shared outcomes of the two country’s measures aimed at enhancing women’s participation in economic development and the challenges ahead.Some 60 female civic workers and government officials and businesswomen attended the meeting, titled “The ROK-US Women’s Empowerment Forum,” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seoul.  Ivanka accompanied her father, US President Donald Trump, who wa

Foreign AffairsJune 30, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean woman, in Barcelona on official trip, dies after robbery attempt

A South Korean woman who was part of a government delegation to Spain died Thursday at a Barcelona hospital after being treated for head injuries she suffered during an attempted robbery there, according to news reports. The deceased woman, who served on a government advisory committee, was injured Sunday night while trying to avoid a motorcyclist who attempted to steal her purse. “As a result of the robbery, the victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital where she d

Social AffairsJune 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Trump says different form of talks with Kim possible

Ahead of his trip to Japan and South Korea, US President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he would not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “I’ll be meeting with a lot of other people. Not … him,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying as he departed the White House for his flight to Asia. While ruling out the possibility of a one-on-one meeting with Kim, Trump hinted that there could be an interaction. “But I may be speaking with him in a different for

North KoreaJune 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] Singers Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon deny rape charges in court hearing

Two disgraced South Korean singers -- Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon -- denied rape charges in their first court hearing on Thursday.Jung, a disgraced singer and TV personality, and Choi, a former member of boy band FT Island, have been arrested, indicted and referred for trial on charges that they sexually assaulted a woman with other members of a mobile chat room during a drinking party in 2016. The 30-year-old Jung was arrested and indicted in March on charges of secretly filming himself

Social AffairsJune 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] Cho Kuk mulled for justice minister

The presidential office has begun taking steps to appoint Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, as the next justice minister.Cheong Wa Dae is carrying out the basic vetting process, such as looking into Cho’s reputation. It considers him one of the strongest candidates for justice minister in the Cabinet reshuffle expected to take place as early as late July.Cheong Wa Dae has begun gathering basic data on Cho, such as his tax payment and immigration records, while Justi

PoliticsJune 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Parties to push ahead with National Assembly extraordinary session as agreed, minus Liberty Party

The ruling and minor opposition parties on Tuesday reaffirmed convening the June extraordinary parliamentary session as planned and put the National Assembly back to work amid the main opposition party’s last minute withdrawal.“Liberty Korea Party has turned away from coexistence and chose to take the arrogant, self-righteous and destructive path. They have betrayed the public’s calls for normalization of the National Assembly,” said Lee In-young, floor leader of the ruli

PoliticsJune 25, 2019

[Newsmaker] Far-right campsite cleared from Gwanghwamun Square

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday forcibly removed tents set up by a far-right minor party at Gwanghwamun Square in early May without a permit, only to have them reinstalled by the party amid fierce protests.　About 500 Seoul city officials and 400 contract demolition workers tore down the tents put up by Our Republican Party, formerly the Korean Patriots Party, on May 10 as part of its campaign calling for the release of former President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 25-year jail te

Social AffairsJune 25, 2019

[Newsmaker] North Korean boat spills over to political arena

Controversy over a North Korean boat has spread to the political arena, with the main opposition turning up the heat on President Moon Jae-in. Controversy began earlier this month when it was revealed that the military had announced inaccurate information about four North Koreans who arrived in the South on June 15. In revealing the information, government agencies initially stated that the wooden boat carrying four North Koreans was detected near Samcheok port in Gangwon Province. The mili

PoliticsJune 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] Doubts rise over S. Korea’s willingness to ratify ILO conventions

In the midst of a yearlong standoff between the government, labor and management over South Korea’s ratification of fundamental International Labor Organization conventions, trade unions are increasingly questioning the Moon Jae-in administration’s willingness to approve three of the four pending ones. With the arrest of Kim Myung-hwan, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Friday, the relationship between the government and the unions looks set to worsen in the comi

PoliticsJune 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean travel columnist murdered in the Philippines

A well-known Korean travel columnist was found shot to death near Manila on Sunday morning, according to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines and the Korean police.A passerby made a local police report after finding Joo Young-wook, 58, dead in a forest by a road in Antipolo, a city east of Manila, at around 7:15 a.m. June 16. Joo had a bullet wound on his forehead; his mouth was covered, and his hands were tied behind him with duct tape. Local police found his hotel room key and confirmed it wa

Social AffairsJune 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] Liberty Korea Party chairman’s comment favoring lower wages for foreign workers ignites controversy

Main opposition Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday sought to put the brakes on snowballing controversy over his speech targeting foreign laborers here, where he said that they “should not be given the same wage.”“It was meant to optimize the minimum wage standard,” Hwang said, regarding his comments made Wednesday.Hwang said it is “unfair” to ensure foreign workers receive the same level of wage as locals, citing the payment of taxes as jus

PoliticsJune 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Defense minister reprimands military for security failure over NK boat

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Wednesday strongly reprimanded the military for its failure to detect a North Korean boat that crossed the de facto maritime border and reached a coastal city in the South. The boat carrying four North Koreans was found along the breakwater in Samcheok Port in Gangwon Province at 6:50 a.m. Saturday. The small wooden boat had moved at least 130 kilometers from the Northern Limit Line to reach the port city in four days, but the military and police

DefenseJune 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Prosecutor-general nominee faces rocky hearing

Rival parties are expected to fiercely debate the appointment of Prosecutor-General nominee Yoon Seok-youl at his confirmation hearing.Some of the issues at stake are the alleged involvement of Yoon’s mother-in-law in a fraud case, how he managed to amass a fortune of 6.59 billion won ($5.56 million), and the envisioned reform of the prosecution.Claims by victims of fraud allegedly committed by Yoon’s mother-in-law were made public by an opposition lawmaker last year.“The mothe

PoliticsJune 18, 2019