[Newsmaker] Seoul needs a true hero

Whenever the fictional city of Gotham finds itself threatened by thugs, gangsters and psychopathic killers who are too much for its police force to cope with, the helpless city lights a distress signal calling for reinforcement.A man in a dark suit of armor with high-tech military gadgets races to save the city he has unconditionally sworn to protect from further falling into disgrace stemming from rising social injustice and disparity.Batman has been portrayed as a symbol of hope since his ince

July 13, 2014

[Newsmaker] Police whistle-blower takes center stage

Former police officer Kwon Eun-hee has returned to the spotlight with her nomination as a New Politics Alliance for Democracy candidate fueling heated debate within and outside the progressive bloc.Kwon was nominated for Gwangju’s Gwangsan-B constituency on Wednesday, about a month after she left the police force. Kwon shot to fame last year when she claimed that former Seoul police chief Kim Yong-pan suppressed the investigation into National Intelligence Service’s alleged attempt to influence

PoliticsJuly 10, 2014

[Newsmaker] Klose's record compounds Brazil's defeat

Miroslav Klose found perhaps the only way to make matters worse for Brazil. On a night when Germany routed the host nation 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals, Klose also became the tournament's all-time record scorer _ surpassing Brazil great Ronaldo. Klose scored Germany's second goal in the 23rd minute, giving him 16 career World Cup goals. It broke the mark of 15 goals he shared with the retired Ronaldo, who worked the game as a TV commentator. Klose scored after a corner by Toni Kroos. His firs

SoccerJuly 9, 2014

[Newsmaker] Pantech’s fate hangs in balance

The fate of mobile phone maker Pantech hangs in the balance as its creditor-led debt restructuring program shows no signs of improvement and the country’s three telecom giants resist joining in the recovery efforts.SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus were given extra time to consider a proposal by Pantech’s creditors led by the state-run Korea Development Bank. But judging by their comments to the press, they continue to appear uninterested in turning the 180 billion won ($178 million) that Pantech owes

TechnologyJuly 8, 2014

[Newsmaker] Mideast tension mounts over teen’s murder

JERUSALEM (AFP) ― Israel has arrested a group of Jewish extremists suspected of kidnapping and murdering a Palestinian teenager in a revenge killing, triggering violent clashes spreading from east Jerusalem throughout Israel.Tensions were already peaking early Monday in the south after two Israeli strikes on Gaza left five militants dead, following continuous mortar and rocket fire at southern Israel. The brutal murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khder on July 2 triggered five days of violent cl

World NewsJuly 7, 2014

[Newsmaker] Neymar: World Cup dream not over yet

Brazil’s Neymar screams in pain after being fouled by Colombia’s Camilo Zuniga during a 2014 World Cup quarterfinal match on Friday. (Yonhap)BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) ― Brazil star Neymar says his World Cup may be over because of a fractured vertebra but his World Cup dream of celebrating the title with his teammates at the Maracana Stadium next Sunday is still alive.In a video released by the Brazilian football confederation on Saturday, Neymar thanked fans and everyone else for the support i

SoccerJuly 6, 2014

[Newsmaker] Nominee's fate hangs in balance

Education Minister nominee Kim Myung-soo faced yet another allegation of misconduct Thursday, after a series of scandals have already beset the former professor.Kim allegedly received several warnings from the Korea National University of Education for poor class preparation during his tenure there, said Rep. Park Hong-keun of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy. He quoted audit results from the university and the Education Ministry.Education Minister nominee Kim Myung-soo. (Yonhap)“He lacks

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2014

[Newsmaker] French ex-leader charged with corruption

PARIS (AFP) ― France‘s former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with corruption and influence peddling, French prosecutors said Wednesday, a dramatic move in a criminal probe that could wreck his hopes of a political comeback. The decision came after Sarkozy was questioned for 15 hours, marking the first time a French ex-head of state had been taken into custody in a criminal investigation.The right-wing leader had been detained at a police station in a Paris suburb over a suspected att

World NewsJuly 2, 2014

[Newsmaker] Plot thickens in contract killing

Allegations are piling up against Seoul City Councilor Kim Hyung-sik as the police delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding the alleged contract killing of a wealthy businessman. The victim, a 67-year-old man identified by the surname Song, was murdered by a 44-year-old associate of Kim in March. The suspect, identified by the surname Paeng, killed Song at the victim’s building in western Seoul in the early hours of March 3. Paeng then fled to China but was extradited to Korea on May 24.

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2014

[Newsmaker] ISIL claims world leadership of Muslims

BAGHDAD (AFP) ― The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadist group, which spearheaded a sweeping militant assault that overran swathes of Iraq, is now claiming leadership of the world’s Muslims.Known for its ruthless tactics and suicide bombers, ISIL has carried out frequent bombings and shootings in Iraq, and is also arguably the most capable force fighting President Bashar al-Assad inside Syria.But it truly gained international attention this month, when its fighters and those from other

World NewsJune 30, 2014

[Newsmaker] Juncker to head EU despite British wishes

BRUSSELS (AP) ― European Union leaders on Friday picked former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker to become the bloc’s new chief executive despite Britain’s outspoken opposition, further alienating the U.K. from its continental partners. With the move, the EU leaders broke a decades-old tradition of choosing the president of the European Commission by consensus. Summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy said 26 of the bloc’s 28 countries voted for Juncker, with only Britain and Hungary opposi

World NewsJune 29, 2014

[Newsmaker] Chung faces daunting reform task

Ten days after the Sewol ferry carrying nearly 500 passengers sank on April 16, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won offered to resign, holding himself responsible for the government’s poor initial response to the tragic accident.Chung, the Park Geun-hye administration’s first prime minister, said on that day that he did not want to be a burden to the government by keeping his job. Shortly afterward, Park accepted his resignation, but asked him to stay in office until a successor was found. For the las

PoliticsJune 26, 2014

[Newsmaker] Dongbu in crisis after steel deal collapses

Dongbu Group, the nation’s 17th-largest conglomerate in terms of assets, is in grave jeopardy. After the sale of key units of its flagship affiliate Dongbu Steel fell through, the group will now have to ask the steelmaker’s creditors to step in ― this means there is no hope of the steelmaker staying in one piece. On Tuesday, POSCO, the nation’s biggest steelmaker, gave up its bid for Dongbu Steel’s Incheon plant and Dongbu Power Dangjin Corp., citing low profit margins and excessive financial bu

BusinessJune 25, 2014

[Newsmaker] Korean troops bid adieu to Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan ― Full of vigor yet penniless, Faisal Safi appeared doomed to live a life without a future when he joined a Korean vocational training center in his home province of Parwan in 2010 at age 20. One year of electrician training there “completely changed” his life, he said, enabling him to not only support his family but also open up opportunities. Now at 24, the soft-spoken man nurtures pupils at the academy located in the largest U.S. military base Afghanistan. “I real

Foreign AffairsJune 24, 2014

[Newsmaker] Trouble of ‘maladjusted’ soldiers

Saturday’s deadly shooting incident has prompted calls for the military to enhance its management of “draftees requiring special observation.”The 22-year-old sergeant, who killed five soldiers and wounded seven in a shooting spree, turned out to have once been rated as a Grade-A soldier ― the class of draftees most in need of special observation.Although the sergeant, identified only by his surname Lim, was later rated as a Grade-B soldier who still needed extra care but was able to carry out fr

DefenseJune 23, 2014

[Newsmaker] Teachers’ union to fight for legal status

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union on Sunday said it will fight the court’s recent decision to renounce its legal status, as a years-long feud between the left-leaning union and government deepened.On Thursday, a Seoul court ruled that the controversial union is not a legitimate labor group because it violated the labor law that bans dismissed education workers from joining unions. Later in the day, the Education Ministry announced a series of follow-up measures which include withd

Social AffairsJune 22, 2014

[Newsmaker] Park’s new political aide faces challenges

Amid the worsening relationship between Cheong Wa Dae and parties over a controversial prime minister nominee, President Park Geun-hye’s new top political aide is drawing keen interest from both in and out of the political arena. Cho Yoon-sun, former gender equality minister, was appointed the new senior presidential secretary for political affairs last week. She was the first woman ever named to the top aide post. The 47-year-old was in the spotlight also because she was given the crucial task

PoliticsJune 19, 2014

[Newsmaker] Wider use of electronic tags

In the six years since Korea started fitting electronic tags on convicted sex offenders, the rate at which criminals reoffend has dropped, the Justice Ministry says.According to the ministry, around 15 percent of sex offenders committed similar crimes again between 2006 and 2008, but the rate sharply dropped to below 2 percent after the use of tracking devices was adopted in September 2008.Child kidnappers and murderers were added to the list of criminals subject to the measure in 2009 and 2010,

Social AffairsJune 18, 2014

[Newsmaker] Obama faces Iraq nightmare

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Barack Obama returned to Washington on Monday after a brief family break in California to find himself confronted once again by the nightmare from which America thought it had escaped: Iraq.Obama ran for the White House as a young leader who opposed the 2003 U.S. invasion, and then won re-election as the steady hand who had finally withdrawn American troops eight years later.But now his generals have brought out the old map once again and the 44th president ― like the 41st, 42

World NewsJune 17, 2014

[Newsmaker] Tough decisions await FM nominee

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister-nominee Choi Kyung-hwan stands at a crossroads as he will soon have to make tough decisions and policy recommendations for President Park Geun-hye to revitalize the economy, which has become sluggish following the ferry disaster in April.A slew of economic tasks await the incoming deputy prime minister after his parliamentary confirmation hearing, and among sensitive issues he will have to address are taxes and loan-related regulations for the housing m

June 16, 2014