[Newsmaker] Probe underway on med student found dead in Han River

A 22-year-old medical student was found dead in the Han River on Friday after going missing for six days, and his family is awaiting the results of an autopsy to learn how he died. Sohn Jung-min was last seen asleep at the riverside park in Banpo, Seoul, early on April 25 by his friend, who had also fallen asleep. The two had been drinking together. An autopsy was conducted at the request of Sohn’s family, as two wounds were found behind his left ear. Sohn’s father told Yonhap New

Social AffairsMay 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Football star Ki Sung-yueng grilled over suspected land speculation case

Football star Ki Sung-yueng has been summoned by police and questioned on charges of illegally buying and using farmland in the southwestern city Gwangju, police said Monday. Ki, the captain of FC Seoul in the K League 1, was grilled as a suspect by investigators at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency for three hours, beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the police agency said. Ki and his father, Ki Young-ok, have been booked without detention on charges of violating the Agricultural Land Act and

SoccerMay 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Unseasonal snow falls in May, first in 22 years

Unseasonal snow fell on parts of Gangwon Province over the weekend, an unlikely event for May, when early summer weather is typically seen across the country. It is the first time in 22 years that it has snowed in South Korea in the month of May. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday that up to 18.5 centimeters of snow blanketed Gangwon Province from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. An influx of strong wind from the east concentrated a pack of rain clouds in mountainous regions

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police arrest 94 suspects over deepfake crimes in 5 months, with 70 percent teenagers

Police said Sunday they have arrested 94 suspects over allegations of creating or distributing illegal deepfake content in the past five months amid calls for tightened scrutiny over crimes using the deep learning technology. Deepfake content refers to digitally manipulated images or videos that could lead viewers to wrongly perceive the processed media to be real, often becoming a source of fake news, fraud and defamation. Of the arrested suspects, 65, or 70 percent, were teenagers, while 17

Social AffairsMay 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] New museum, storage expansion mulled to make room for late Samsung chairman’s art collection

Authorities will come up with ways to make room for the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, the country’s largest donation of its kind in history, the government said Friday. “The government is seeking ways to hold artworks donated by Lee including improving storages at museums or building new museums if needed. President Moon Jae-in also raised the issue yesterday,” a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official told The Korea Herald. &ldquo

Arts & DesignApril 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] At least 44 killed in Israel pilgrimage stampede: rescue services, hospital

MERON, Israel  (AFP) -- A massive stampede at a densely packed Jewish pilgrimage site killed at least 44 people in northern Israel on Friday, with rescue workers facing chaotic crowds while trying to evacuate the injured. The disaster occurred in Meron at the site of the reputed tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Talmudic sage, where mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews flock to mark the Lag BaOmer holiday. Closed last year due to coronavirus restrictions, this year's pilgrimage wa

World NewsApril 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon gets another AstraZeneca vaccine shot for summit with Biden, G-7 session

President Moon Jae-in received his second dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Friday, a few weeks earlier than initially scheduled, as he plans to visit Washington for talks with President Joe Biden in late May. He got the first shot at the Jongno Ward public health center in Seoul on March 23 in order to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit to be held in Britain from June 11-13. At that time, he was scheduled to get the second dose in May.     Later, South Korea and th

PoliticsApril 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Youn Yuh-jung says she doesn't 'admire' Hollywood

Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, 73, is loved not just for her acting, but also for her candid and humorous remarks. The veteran actor of over 50 years said on a US television show on Tuesday that she doesn’t “admire” Hollywood. “When some project comes from America, people in Korea think I admire Hollywood,” Youn told NBC Asian America. “No, I don’t admire Hollywood. The reason I keep coming is because if I come to the States and work, maybe I’m ab

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon pays respect to late cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk

President Moon Jae-in paid respect to the late cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, former archbishop of Seoul, on Thursday. Moon visited Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul, together with first lady Kim Jung-sook, to pay his last respects to Cheong. He passed away Tuesday at age 89, having suffered an unspecified illness. His funeral will be held at the cathedral on Saturday. Moon wrote on his social messaging accounts Wednesday that, "He left us a teaching on sharing and coexistence&quo

PoliticsApril 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Disaffected young men call for gender equality in conscription

South Korea’s mandatory military service is back in the limelight as younger men step up calls for conscription for women as a matter of gender equality. But experts say this movement faces a long road ahead. The fresh debate about subjecting both men and women to mandatory military service was sparked by ruling Democratic Party Rep. Park Yong-jin, who suggested revamping the conscription system as part of his 2022 presidential election campaign. Park proposed an all-volunteer military o

DefenseApril 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] Power generator, construction materials delivered to Seongju THAAD base despite protest

SEONGJU -- The Ministry of Defense on Wednesday successfully delivered non-weapon materials and construction equipment onto a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base here after briefly running into protests from residents and activists opposed to the deployment of the American missile defense system. Early in the day, a few dozen protesters staged a sit-in and blocked the passage of vehicles heading to the base for the THAAD system in the central town of Seongju, about 300 kilometers s

Social AffairsApril 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] Fighting dirty? Army bans bathing as anti-COVID-19 measure for recruits

The South Korean Army deprived recruits of basic hygiene as part of its anti-COVID-19 measures, a civic group revealed, criticizing the military for neglecting soldiers’ basic rights. The Center for Military Human Rights Korea said in a statement Monday that the Korea Army Training Center was too strict in enforcing its COVID-19 prevention measures for recruits, even barring access to basic hygiene options during their weekslong training period. According to the nonprofit human rights ad

DefenseApril 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] Biz community joins calls for pardon of Samsung heir

South Korea's major business lobby groups on Tuesday said they have submitted a petition for the pardon of Lee Jae-yong, the imprisoned de facto leader of Samsung Group, to the presidential office for the sake of the national economy amid a global semiconductor shortage. The five major lobby groups -- the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Enterprises Federation, the Korea Federation of SMEs, the Korea International Trade Association and the Federation of Middle Market Enterprise

IndustryApril 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi governor in spat over proposal for fines proportional to property

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and opposition lawmaker Rep. Yoon Hee-sook argued on Monday over Lee’s proposal of a system where the amount of fines is based on how rich the offender is. Lee, who has long been among the ruling party’s strongest presidential hopefuls in public polls, wrote via Facebook on Sunday that the amount of fines should be proportionate to the offender’s property. “Finland adopted the system 100 years ago in 1921, and Germany in 1975,”

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Local official indicted for land speculation in 1st for govt. task force

A senior official of the Pocheon municipal government has been indicted on charges of land speculation, in a first for a government task force investigating speculative behavior by public officials, prosecutors said Monday. The Uijeongbu District Prosecutors Office indicted the 52-year-old official, surnamed Park, on Friday for allegedly using information he gained at work to purchase land near the site of a planned train station in September. Park, who was in charge of railway planning for th

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Jailed Samsung chief’s effort to secure 20m more Pfizer vaccinations in spotlight

After South Korea closed a deal with Pfizer to obtain additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Samsung Electronics’ de facto chief, Lee Jae-yong, is receiving much attention in local media for his reported role in facilitating talks between the two sides. Seoul announced Friday that it had secured enough additional vaccine for 20 million people in a deal that soothed public worries over a shortage. Adding to those worries were the reported side effects associated with the AstraZeneca

IndustryApril 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Bookstore chain pulls memoirs of NK founder over controversy

South Korea's biggest bookstore chain has ceased sales of memoirs of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung following a legal and political controversy surrounding the eight-volume series. On Wednesday, a local publishing company said it has begun selling the memoirs, titled "With the Century," here for the first time since the books were published by the North Korean regime in the early 1990s. The memoirs, which mostly feature Kim's anti-Japanese fight, have sparked controversy as they ar

Social AffairsApril 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] BTS Jimin’s hanbok pulled out of auction last minute

A traditional Korean outfit worn by BTS’ Jimin that was scheduled to go under the hammer was removed last minute on Thursday. His fans however are calling for the modern “hanbok” suit to be put up for auction as planned. The K-pop superstar wore it for a September performance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Myart Auction on Thursday removed the outfit from its online auction list last minute and it was only available for preview as the a

Arts & DesignApril 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police search public housing developer in bribery investigation

Police searched offices of a public housing corporation in Seoul on Friday as part of an investigation into bribery allegations involving its employees. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said investigators searched the headquarters and two branch offices of Seoul Housing and Communities Corp. (SH) affiliated with the city government. Three employees of the company are being probed over suspicions they took bribes from real estate agents operating in an SH-led housing development area. The

Social AffairsApril 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Belgian ambassador apologizes for wife’s assault

The Belgian ambassador to South Korea apologized on Thursday for his wife’s assault of a clothing store staffer in Seoul, which was captured on security camera and spread on social media earlier this week. The footage shows Xiang Xueqiu, wife of Ambassador Peter Lescouhier, slapping a storekeeper who tried to stop her from approaching a colleague behind the store counter. The colleague suspected that Xiang, 63, was trying to leave the shop wearing a piece of clothing she didn’t pay

Foreign AffairsApril 22, 2021