[Newsmaker] Another virus outbreak reported on Russian vessel in Busan

BUSAN -- Health authorities said Thursday that 17 crewmen on a Russian ship docked in the southeastern port city of Busan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, fueling concerns over potential group infections amid a rising number of imported cases in the country. The virus-infected sailors were on the Regul, a Russia-flagged, 825-ton fishing vessel that entered the harbor in Gamcheon last month, according to the city's health authorities. The ship is currently docked at a repair shi

Social AffairsJuly 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] Appellate court affirms life sentence for woman in murder of ex-husband

JEJU -- An appellate court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's sentence of life imprisonment for a South Korean woman for brutally killing her former husband, mutilating his body and hiding the dismembered body parts. The Gwangju High Court's Jeju branch handed down the life sentence to Koh Yu-jeong, saying a hefty sentence is inevitable because she has persistently denied her crime and showed no remorse or sympathy for her victim. The 37-year-old Koh was indicted for allegedly killing her ex

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] Calls grow for investigation into Seoul mayor’s harassment allegations

The controversy over the #MeToo allegations against late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is showing no signs of abating, with calls for an investigation growing Tuesday. Opposition parties, women’s groups and the alleged victim called for a full investigation into Park’s alleged harassment of his secretary, although a criminal case is usually dropped when a suspect dies. The main opposition United Future Party said Tuesday that it would request a parliamentary hearing in to the case,

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] Park’s former secretary adds detail to sexual abuse accusation

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon sexually harassed his female secretary over four years, making unwanted physical contact and sending inappropriate text messages, claimed a lawyer and a women’s group representing the secretary on Monday, shortly after the funeral service for the heavyweight politician concluded. Park was found dead in the early hours of Friday at age 64 while serving his third term as mayor after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged. “This case is a sexual harassm

Social AffairsJuly 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Korea ends mask rationing scheme after 4-month operation

After a four-month operation, South Korea's mask ration system ended Sunday as the supply of face masks designed to help fight the new coronavirus has stabilized. As prices of protective masks skyrocketed amid the COVID-19 outbreak here, the country introduced the mask rationing scheme in early March in a bid to smooth out high demand. Under the scheme, citizens were allowed to buy a limited number of protective masks every week at pharmacies for 1,500 won ($1.24). The weekly limit started wi

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Seoul mayor’s death highlights Korea’s suicide problem

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s apparent suicide on Thursday is once again highlighting Korea’s suicide problem. Park is the latest in a growing list of high-profile figures to take their own life here. The list of public figures includes progressive icons such as President Roh Moo-hyun and Justice Party leader Roh Heo-chan. High-profile suicides occur on an almost routine basis in Korea, with suspected motivations ranging from a damaged political reputation to depression brought on

Social AffairsJuly 10, 2020

[Newsmaker] Three marathoners killed in car accident during race

Three runners were fatally struck by a drunken driver during an ultramarathon race Thursday morning. According to the police and the Korea Ultra Marathon Federation, the event’s organizer, the accident occurred at 3:30 a.m. in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, four days into the 537-kilometer race which began in the southernmost point of Busan at 6 a.m. Sunday. The deceased were running on the side of a two-lane road, with flashing guide rods on their back, when a Hyundai Motor Sonata sedan cr

Social AffairsJuly 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] Controversy over multiple homeownership grips government, ruling party

The government and ruling Dmocratic Party of Korea are taking unprecedented steps to douse the controversy over multiple homeownership among their ranks faced with mounting criticism from both conservative and progressive blocs. On Wednesday, Noh Young-min, President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff, announced that he will sell his southern Seoul home within the month, saying that he has failed to meet public expectations. Noh’s Seoul home became a focal point in the growing controv

PoliticsJuly 8, 2020

[Newsmaker] New visa guidelines perplex Koreans attending US schools

The recent announcement that foreign students taking online classes in the US should leave the country is creating confusion and turmoil among South Korean students at colleges and universities there. Many of them are now being forced to head back to Korea or shift to in-person classes, taking the risk of contracting the new coronavirus, if they want to maintain their visa status. The latest announcement from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement applies to F-1 and M-1 non-immigrant visa h

Foreign AffairsJuly 7, 2020

[Newsmaker] US says foreign students whose classes move online cannot stay

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States said Monday it would not allow foreign students to remain in the country if all of their classes are moved online in the fall because of the coronavirus crisis. "Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States," US Immigration and Custom Enforcement said in a statement. "Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such program

World NewsJuly 7, 2020

[Newsmaker] More victims come forward over triathletes abuse case

A wave of abuse allegations swept a semi-pro triathlete club owned by Gyeongju City after the suicide of a player who claimed to have suffered years of verbal and physical abuse from her coach, team physician and senior teammates. More triathletes have come forward as victims and in support of the deceased teammate, but the alleged abusers denied any wrongdoing. Some 15 former and current triathletes have told police that they were victimized by the alleged abusers, according to Gyeongbuk P

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] Chex green onion springs to life after 16 years

Kellogg Korea’s latest release, Chex Green Onion is stirring up the Internet even before hitting the shelves. Kellogg Korea uploaded a 6-second-long video on June 17 on its YouTube channel, recruiting 50 people to try its newest product before its release. The video showed chopped green onion being sprinkled on chocolate flavored Korean cereal Chex with milk with background music with the lyrics “sorry, sorry, sorry” by trot singer Tae Jin-ah. The video reached ove

FoodJune 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] Incheon Airport’s permanent job offers to staff face backlash

Incheon International Airport Corp., favored by college graduates for its job security and benefits, is facing backlash for a plan to offer permanent positions to over 1,900 contract or part-time workers. Existing full-time employees and those who have been crafting their resumes for the coveted jobs are crying foul, saying it is reverse discrimination. A public petition, posted on the website of the presidential office, had garnered close to 82,000 signatures as of 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, just h

Social AffairsJune 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Culture Ministry denies plans to ask UNESCO to delist Hashima Island

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Sunday denied reports that it had planned to officially ask UNESCO to delist Japan’s historical industrial sites, including Hashima Island. In 2015, Japan had promised the center would include information on the Koreans who were forced to work at the site during that country’s 1910-45 colonial rule over Korea. Although it denied plans to take any immediate official action, the Culture Ministry added that it was currently discussing th

CultureJune 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hidden truth behind Japan’s world heritage site -- Hashima Island

For Japanese, Hashima Island may be a site that evokes pride that propelled the country to the global stage as an economic powerhouse. However, Koreans consider the islet off the coast of Nagasaki, also called Battleship Island, as a tragic place where hundreds of victims of forced labor suffered wrenching hardships in the undersea coal mines. It was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015 along with other 22 sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. The problem for Korea

Foreign AffairsJune 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] ‘Our worst fear has turned into reality’

Tuesday was a devastating day for a group of South Korean businessmen who once ran factories inside the Kaesong industrial park, a now-shuttered joint manufacturing zone in North Korea’s border city. When Pyongyang blew up the inter-Korean liaison office there, it shattered their last hope of a dramatic breakthrough in cross-border ties that would have allowed their factories to resume operation. 　 “This is tragic. We are devastated that our worst fear has come true,” Chung

North KoreaJune 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] Black Lives Matter banner removed from US Embassy building in Seoul

The US Embassy in Seoul said Tuesday that the Black Lives Matter banner draped on the facade of its building in Seoul had been removed to “avoid misperception” amid reports about President Donald Trump’s displeasure over the display. The embassy hung the banner on the front of its building Saturday in what was seen as a rare show of open support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with the US Embassy earlier tweeting a message in support of the anti-racism campaign across th

Foreign AffairsJune 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] 3 in 10 elderly abusers are sons: survey

Three in 10 abusers of older people were sons of the victims, with emotional abuse being the most common form of abuse reported, government data showed Monday. Some 31.2 percent of elderly abusers nationwide were sons, followed by spouses (30.3 percent) and care home workers (18.5 percent), according to data released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The number of elderly abuse cases reported from 34 elderly care facilities across the country stood at 16,071 last year, up 3.8 percent fr

Social AffairsJune 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] US Embassy in Seoul shows support for Black Lives Matter movement

The US Embassy in Seoul hung a banner on its building Saturday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has spread across the US, the embassy said Sunday. “The US Embassy stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change,” the embassy said on social media Saturday. “Our #BlackLivesMatter banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive &

Foreign AffairsJune 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] Police arrest man for brutally abusing 9-year-old stepdaughter

The police on Saturday arrested a man on charges of brutally abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter, around two weeks after the girl escaped from her home seeking help. The 35-year-old suspect was going to be summoned earlier this week, but it was delayed after the man attempted to harm himself in protest of the decision to place the family's other children under temporary custody. The suspect declined to answer questions asked by reporters. During the investigation, however, he admitted to

Social AffairsJune 13, 2020