[Newsmaker] Military recruitment agency okays Seungri's request for draft delay

South Korea's military recruitment agency said Wednesday that it has decided to accept a request by Seungri of boy band BIGBANG to delay his military draft amid a probe into sex-for-favors allegations against him.His conscription, originally scheduled for next Monday, will be postponed by three months, the Military Manpower Administration said. "He has submitted a written request to respond to the ongoing probe, while the investigation authorities also called for a delay to carry out a thorough,

Social AffairsMarch 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] 2017 Pohang earthquake probably caused by geothermal plant

South Korea's second-most destructive earthquake, which struck the southeastern city of Pohang in 2017, was probably triggered by an experimental geothermal power plant, the government said Wednesday.The government-led team of experts, from both South Korea and abroad, concluded that a series of earthquakes, reaching a magnitude of 5.4 on Nov. 15, 2017, could have been brought on by efforts to harness energy from the ground. (Yonhap)The study is the first official government finding that indicat

Social AffairsMarch 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] State authority blocks truth, says man who blew open Burning Sun scandal

Kim Sang-kyo, who opened the floodgates of a gamut of allegations, including illegal drug use, sexual assault to police corruption at the Burning Sun club, appeared before the police Tuesday for questioning on defamation charges filed against him following his accusations against the club.　(Yonhap)“It seems that the state authority is blocking the truth,” he said as he appeared before the Seoul District Police Agency. “I was a victim of assault and reported to the police for help, but I did not

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Burning Sun head attends arrest warrant hearing

Lee Moon-ho, the head of nightclub Burning Sun marred by allegations of sexual assault, drug use and corrupt ties with the police, attended a hearing on an arrest warrant against him Tuesday. He is suspected of illegal drug distribution. (Yonhap)Lee, 29, who ran the club where Big Bang member Seungri was an executive director, did not answer any questions as he entered the Seoul Central District Court. Lee is suspected of distributing drugs at the club, which he denies. Lee was named as a crimin

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Parents of jailed celebrity stock analyst found dead

The parents of Lee Hee-jin, 33, a celebrity stock analyst jailed for illegal stock dealings, were found dead Saturday in an apparent double murder, police said Monday. 　(Lee Hee-jin' blog)Lee’s father, 62, was found in a storage space in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and his mother, 58, was found at her home in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, according to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency.　Four suspects are thought to have killed them at their home between Feb. 25 and 26, and to have abandoned

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police look into golf-betting allegations against Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Joon-ho

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Sunday that it was looking into allegations that TV stars Cha Tae-hyun and Kim Joon-ho had bet on a game of golf.The police agency’s special crime squad has already secured the related text messages and is currently establishing facts, it added. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s announcement came after Cha and Kim said earlier Sunday that they would step down from all shows.Cha Tae-hyun (left) and Kim Joon-ho (right) (Herald DB)In a letter released

TelevisionMarch 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police officer booked for alleged role in snowballing scandal involving K-pop stars

A police officer has been booked for investigation over his alleged involvement in the snowballing sex and corruption scandal centering on a former member of famous K-pop band BIGBANG, police said Sunday.The officer with Gangnam Police Station, which covers Seoul's Gangnam district, where the nightclub partly ran by Seungri of BIGBANG is located, was the first incumbent police officer facing an official charge in connection with the scandal.(Yonhap)The officer, facing a charge of dereliction of

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] Prosecutors raid Seoul bourse on Samsung’s accounting probe

Prosecutors raided South Korea’s main bourse on Friday, as part of a probe concerning the accounting fraud by Samsung BioLogics.Officials of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office were sent to search the Korea Exchange in western Seoul, officials said. The raid, which reportedly started late Thursday, was part of a probe into Samsung BioLogics, which allegedly violated accounting rules by deliberately overstating the value of affiliate Samsung Bioepis ahead of its initia

MarketMarch 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] SK Chemicals executive arrested in humidifier sterilizer scandal

An executive of SK Chemicals Co. has been arrested on the charge of destroying evidence on the toxicity of raw materials for humidifier sterilizers supplied to other local companies, court officials said Friday.The Seoul Central District Court reviewed arrested warrants requested for three executives and one employee of the SK Group affiliate amid prosecutors' expanding investigation into the humidifier sterilizer scandal and approved one, for Park Cheol, senior vice president of SK Chemicals.Ar

IndustryMarch 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] SK in crosshairs after probe into toxic humidifier disinfectants reopens

Four high-ranking officials from SK Chemicals attended an arrest warrant hearing Thursday as part of a reopened investigation into toxic humidifier disinfectants that in 2011 were linked to hundreds of deaths.Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office suspects the company, now known as SK Discovery, concealed the toxicity reports on CMIT and MIT, two chemical ingredients used in the humidifier disinfectants.SK Chemicals manufactured and supplied humidifier disinfectant ingredients to several com

IndustryMarch 14, 2019

[Newsmaker] Animal shelter chief grilled over alleged euthanizing of stray pets

The head of a South Korean animal shelter underwent police questioning Thursday over allegations she put down some 250 abandoned pets while ostensibly advocating for animal rights and pocketing donations. Park So-yeon, chief executive of the Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, appeared at the Jongno Police Station in central Seoul at around 10 a.m. (Yonhap)Police are questioning Park for the first time since they launched a probe into the allegations two months ago. She is accused of instruct

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2019

[Newsmaker] Tensions escalate over Liberty Korea Party floor leader Na Kyung-won’s remarks on President Moon

Facing full-throttle response from political parties over her highly controversial parliamentary speech Tuesday, main opposition Liberty Korea Party floor leader Na Kyung-won on Wednesday refused to apologize, heightening tensions at the National Assembly.In her speech, Na implied President Moon Jae-in was acting as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s spokesperson, referring to foreign media reports.Na’s strident criticism of the Moon administration has been seen as a strategic move to cement the

PoliticsMarch 13, 2019

[Newsmaker] Moon's office protests opposition party whip's derision of president

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday expressed strong regret after the floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party called President Moon Jae-in a spokesman for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.In a parliamentary speech earlier in the day, Rep. Na Kyung-won condemned what she called the Moon government's endless defense of North Korea and called on the president not to work like a senior spokesman for Kim.Cheong Wa Dae immediately expressed strong regret over Na's speech an

PoliticsMarch 12, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seungri says he will retire, probe to continue

K-pop star Seungri announced his retirement Monday via Instagram, adding that he will continue to cooperate with the current police investigation over allegations of sex bribery involving foreign investors.Earlier in the day, police investigating Gangnam nightclubs Burning Sun and Arena said they have arranged with the military to continue investigating the 29-year-old member of boy band BigBang even after he enlists for military service later this month.Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seungri booked in sex bribery scandal

Police on Sunday accelerated their probe into sexual bribery allegations involving Seungri of South Korean boy band BigBang, as they booked him as a suspect and raided a Seoul nightclub associated with the performer to gather evidence.Investigators are looking into the suspicion that Seungri used various nightclubs in Seoul’s Gangnam district for lobbying and even attempted to introduce escorts to foreigners to encourage them to invest in his business ventures. (Yonhap)On Sunday morning, the Seo

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2019

[Newsmaker] Big Bang’s Seungri to enlist in Army on March 25

Big Bang’s Seungri will enlist in the Army as an active duty soldier at the end of this month, according to YG Entertainment on Friday.He will start his basic training at the Nonsan Army Training Center on March 25. The K-pop star had reportedly applied for a conscripted policeman service in January.  (Yonhap)“After checking with Seungri, (we found that) Seungri on Jan. 7 applied for a conscripted policeman position. However, he has decided to enlist as an active duty soldier, regardless of the

Arts & DesignMarch 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] ‘Choi Sun-sil was behind appointment of Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui’

Prosecutors reinvestigating the sex scandal of a former vice justice minister have obtained a statement that Choi Sun-sil, the infamous confidante of former President Park Geun-hye, had played a role in getting the ex-vice minister appointed.Kim Hak-ui, who resigned over a sex-for-favors scandal six years ago, had faced multiple charges including rape, bribery and narcotics use, but was cleared of the charges in 2013. Video footage appearing to show intimate encounters between Kim and others at

Social AffairsMarch 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] 22 workers in hospital after inhaling ammonia at meat factory

Twenty-two people were sent to hospital for treatment after inhaling ammonia during a leak at a meat processing factory in central South Korea, local firefighters said Thursday.The gas leak happened at about 9:40 a.m. in a meat processing facility located in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, about 130 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the firefighters. Twenty workers in the factory and two others working at a nearby manufacturing plant were taken to hospital with nausea.They are all re

Social AffairsMarch 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Former President Lee Myung-bak released on bail

Former President Lee Myung-bak was released on bail Wednesday after almost one year of detention on corruption charges.Lee, president from 2008-2013, was sentenced by a lower court in October to 15 years in prison on conviction of bribery and embezzlement. He appealed the decision. The Seoul High Court approved the bail request that Lee made on Jan. 29 on the grounds of deteriorating health and other reasons.  (Yonhap)For the 1 billion won ($886,130) bail, the court ordered him to stay in his re

PoliticsMarch 6, 2019

[Newsmaker] Text messages implicate Seungri in sex bribery, police corruption

Amid the ongoing Burning Sun scandal, text messages exchanged between K-pop star Seungri and related officials implicating him in sex bribery and collusion with police have been reported to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, police said Tuesday.The messages were reportedly exchanged in a KakaoTalk chatroom with Seungri, the head of Yuri Holdings and a number of celebrities.The latest evidence, if confirmed to be true, would place Seungri in a highly contentious position. (Yonhap)Se

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2019