[Newsmaker] Moon in hot water over adoption comments

Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday was busy correcting President Moon Jae-in’s recent comments about adoption as civic groups and opposition lawmakers called for an official apology. On Monday, the president was hosting a New Year’s press conference when a reporter asked him what the government was doing to prevent child abuse, in light of the recent death of a 16-month-old toddler who allegedly suffered months of abuse at the hands of her adoptive parents. After unveiling a new set of gui

PoliticsJan. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Biden to be inaugurated amid pandemic, worst political turmoil

WASHINGTON -- Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated as the next US president this week in probably a never-before-seen ceremony that will highlight the dangers from the worst pandemic and a political divide facing the United States. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the US on Wednesday. As is customary, the inauguration ceremony will be held at around noon on the steps of the US Capitol, administered by the chief justice of the US Supreme Court. The ceremony, however, will be diffe

World NewsJan. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Blow for Samsung as heir Lee sent back to prison for bribery

South Korea’s largest conglomerate, Samsung Group, is facing another watershed as chief Lee Jae-yong was once again taken into custody Monday after receiving a jail term for bribery and embezzlement. The departure of Lee from the helm of the group comes at a time when the IT giant is seeking to make progress on its long-pending management succession and to press forward amid the post-coronavirus economic recovery. “Lee should be held responsible for the suggested bribery and embez

IndustryJan. 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘My son is not a ghost,’ parent files petition

A parent of an autistic child filed a presidential petition Friday after having received numerous complaints by neighbors in their apartment building. According to the presidential office’s petition website, a petition titled “Please save our family of autistic children” was posted under the category of “child-rearing/education.” The petitioner noted that he lives with a 9-year-old son who has autism in an apartment in Seo-gu, Incheon. He said, “Some residen

Social AffairsJan. 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] Second episode of ‘Youn’s Stay’ records over 10% viewership rating

The second episode of “Youn’s Stay” -- a spinoff from reality TV show “Youn’s Restaurant” -- marked a viewership rating of 10.2 percent, according to Nielsen Korea on Saturday. During the show that aired Friday night, the cast served traditional Korean drink makgeolli, as well as Korean foods they had learned to make in the previous episode, including bugak (seaweed chips), tteokgalbi (beef patties), jeon (savory pancakes) and vegan gungjung tteokbokki (roy

TelevisionJan. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] USFK issues 'shelter in place' directive amid COVID-19 outbreaks in barracks

United States Forces Korea (USFK) on Sunday issued a "shelter in place" directive, ordering part of its service members to remain at home after additional COVID-19 outbreaks were reported inside its barracks. According to USFK's Twitter account, the directive dated Saturday requires service members based at Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, to stay at home except for necessary activities. It said the directive will expire Tuesday. The

DefenseJan. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Court acknowledges sexual harassment by late Seoul mayor

A local court acknowledged that former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was found dead in July in an apparent suicide, had sexually harassed his former secretary in a separate trial involving the victim and a former city employee. The Seoul Central District Court said the victim suffered considerable mental distress due to Park’s unwanted sexual advances while handing down a ruling in a case where another employee of the Seoul city government was accused of sexually assaulting the same vic

Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] N. Korea holds military parade, showcases new SLBM

North Korea held a military parade Thursday evening in central Pyongyang to celebrate the recently concluded party congress, showing off its state-of-the-art weapons, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), state media reported Friday. The parade held in Kim Il-sung square came after Pyongyang wrapped up its eight-day congress of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, at which leader Kim Jong-un pledged to bolster the nuclear arsenal of the country. North Korea appears to aim a

North KoreaJan. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] Galaxy S21 comes with striking design change, most powerful processor

Samsung Galaxy S21, unveiled Thursday at midnight, boasts a new, striking design and is equipped with the most powerful processor yet. Plus, it comes with a lowered price tag. Samsung streamed the Galaxy S21 Unpacked show through various online channels to introduce its flagship smartphones for 2021 -- Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra -- one month earlier than previous years. The Ultra model supports the S Pen stylus for the first time. Samsung also introduced Galaxy Buds Pro

TechnologyJan. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] With Galaxy S21, Samsung gets aggressive to offset pandemic effect

Samsung Electronics, set to launch its first batch of mobile phones this year, is expected to take an aggressive pricing strategy to boost sales. The Galaxy S21 series will be unveiled Thursday at midnight, South Korean time, amid expectations that the new phones will be available at a wider range of prices than their predecessors. According to industry sources, Samsung will release three Galaxy S21 models -- the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra -- with prices ranging from 999,

TechnologyJan. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM calls for Qatar's support for release of seized S. Korean ship, crew

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun called for Qatar's support for the swift release of a South Korean ship and its crew detained by Iran during his meetings with top Doha officials this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Choi made the appeal when he met separately with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, minister of state for foreign affairs, to discuss bilateral issues in Doha on Wednesday

Foreign AffairsJan. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] South Korea gripped by anger and remorse over toddler’s death

Anger and sadness have swept across South Korea for the past week following the death of Jeong-in, a 16-month-old toddler whose death from months of child abuse in October caused a huge public outrage and controversy. After the toddler’s case came to light through an SBS investigative reporting show earlier this month, a number of civic groups and members of the general public have called for better protection of adoptees and stronger penalties against child abuse offenders. President Mo

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Biden must act quickly before N. Korea creates crisis: think tank

WASHINGTON -- The new US administration of Joe Biden must act quickly to prevent North Korea from setting the stage by creating a crisis, a US think tank said Tuesday. The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEIA) also advised the incoming US administration to see if US-North Korea denuclearization talks could be picked up from where they were left off by the outgoing Donald Trump administration. "The Biden Administration should act quickly on North Korea to prevent Pyongyang from settin

North KoreaJan. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Public outcry grows over group killing, torturing stray cats

Public outrage is growing in South Korea over a group of people shown brutally killing and torturing stray cats in videos and then encouraging such acts in a mobile chat room, leading the police to launch an investigation into the case Monday. In an open online chat room named “Gore Professionals” on the country’s top messenger app, KakaoTalk, anonymous users reportedly shared pictures and videos that showed stray cats being brutally killed and tortured. They also reportedly

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea investigating 3 suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it is investigating three suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from poultry farms. The latest suspected case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported from a duck farm in Goseong, 466 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. There were also suspected cases from Muju, 241 kilometers south of Seoul, and Namyangju, just north of the capital city. South Korea has confirmed

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lawyer aiding fake refugee applications gets suspended jail term

South Korea’s top court confirmed on Monday a suspended jail term for a Korean lawyer, who was charged with helping Chinese citizens file fraudulent refugee applications. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that had sentenced the lawyer one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act. The law firm where the lawyer belongs was slapped with a fine of 5 million won. Upon a request from a refugee broker, the lawyer, only

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Unfair, ineffective social distancing rules must be revised: PM

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday that social distancing rules that are considered either unfair or ineffective must be changed, suggesting that authorities may soon revise the state-mandated distancing scheme to address growing complaints among small business owners. "While mandating strict adherence (of distancing rules) in high-risk areas, bold revisions should be made on measures that are either unfair or ineffective," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-

PoliticsJan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it is currently investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu traced to poultry farms amid growing concerns over wild birds carrying the disease into the country over the winter season. Authorities are currently investigating the suspected case of the HN58 strain of bird flu from a duck farm in Muan, 385 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Since late November, South Kor

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM heads to Iran for talks to free seized tanker

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun left for Iran Sunday to seek the release of an oil tanker and its crew that were seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf last week. 　 Choi left early Sunday and was to arrive in Tehran via Doha the same day. He is expected to meet with counterparts and other high-level officials at the Iranian Foreign Ministry to negotiate the return of the ship and its crew members, along with a government delegation that has already been in Tehran s

Foreign AffairsJan. 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Indonesia jet carrying 62 goes missing on domestic flight

JAKARTA (AP) -- A jet carrying 62 people lost contact with air traffic controllers minutes after taking off from Indonesia’s capital on a domestic flight on Saturday, and debris found by fishermen was being examined to see if it was from the missing plane, officials said. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Sriwijaya Air’s Flight SJ182 was delayed for an hour before it took off at 2:36 p.m. The Boeing 737-500 disappeared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot

World NewsJan. 10, 2021