[Newsmaker] Telegram outrage spills over to Korean ‘Lolita’ game characters

Outrage over the Telegram sexual abuse ring is spilling over to children’s online games that depict preadolescent characters in sexualized ways. An online Cheong Wa Dae petition posted Tuesday raised alarm over video games in which characters who physically resemble children wear revealing costumes. This follows the news that at least 58 women and 16 underage girls were sexually abused over several months so the abusers could produce videos and sell them in Telegram chat rooms. &ldqu

IndustryMarch 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Korean coronavirus test kit firms earn US FDA pre-approval

Three South Korean COVID-19 test-kit companies have obtained preliminary approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the foreign ministry said Saturday. The initial FDA approval will allow the Korean test-kit makers to sell the products in the United States, where the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 100,000, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said over the phone. The official did not provide the names of the three approved test kits or a time frame

PoliticsMarch 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ex-FT Island singer additionally convicted for filming rape victims

The 31-year-old Choi was additionally indicted later on charges of filming and photographing his rape victims, sharing the footage and photos with friends in mobile chat rooms and offering 2 million won ($1,650) to a police officer after being caught driving under the influence in February 2016. The same Seoul court handed out the suspended jail sentence to Choi after finding him guilty of the additional allegations. It also ordered Choi to undergo 80 hours of sex offender treatment and barred

Social AffairsMarch 27, 2020

[Newsmaker] ‘Walk-through’ coronavirus testing begins at airport

South Korea began to operate “walk-through” testing facilities for the novel coronavirus at Incheon International Airport on Thursday to speed up screening amid an alarming rise in the number of cases imported from Europe and the US.  　 Korea reported 104 new cases Thursday, bringing total infections to 9,241, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　  Of the new cases, 39 cases -- 34 citizens and five foreign nationals -- involved travelers arr

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] Churches respond to government’s recommendation of stricter social distancing

Churches showed different responses to the Korean government‘s urging of stricter social distancing before schools are due to restart on April 6. The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul on Wednesday announced that it has decided to suspend holding Mass and other large group activities until April 5. “We take the current situation very seriously so we have decided to delay our original plan and start our Masses from April 6, when elementary, middle and high schools start,” Cardinal

CultureMarch 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] Seoul city cancels Shincheonji permit, blames religious sect for virus

The Seoul city government canceled a permit for a foundation apparently associated with Shincheonji Thursday, accusing the fringe religious sect of aggravating the coronavirus outbreak. The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, estimated to have more than 200,000 followers in the country, and its founder Lee Man-hee face multiple lawsuits. They are accused of hiding information that could help contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The group is linked to 55 percent of the country's more than 9,000 confirmed pa

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] COVID-19: Are kids OK?

Most kids who catch COVID-19 will fare better than adults and get mildly sick, new findings suggest, but not all will be spared from falling severely ill. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tuesday data show the number of patients under 10 here stood at 105, accounting for 1.15 percent of the total 9,137 cases, and those under 20 stood at 475, or 5.2 percent. “No one under 20 is having severe or critical symptoms in Korea,” pediatric infectious disease specia

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] USFK begins issuing furlough notices to Korean employees

US Forces Korea began notifying 5,000 South Korean employees Wednesday that they would be furloughed starting next month, officials said, as defense cost-sharing talks between the two countries remain stalled. The two sides have been negotiating a new Special Measures Agreement that stipulates how much Seoul should pay for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong USFK. Salaries of about 9,000 South Korean employees are also funded under the agreement. The latest round of negotiations took place last w

Foreign AffairsMarch 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] Spring flower festivals say ‘No’ to visitors

Though spring flowers are in full bloom, local authorities are requesting that people refrain from visiting flower sightseeing spots, due to fears about the spread of COVID-19. Amid the health crisis, most festivals across the nation have been called off. However, it has been difficult to turn away visitors at areas where spring flower festivals are usually held. Though the events have been canceled, some are still showing up to view the flowers. Earlier this month, the southeastern city

TravelMarch 24, 2020

[Newsmaker] Police chief vows thorough probe of Telegram sex abuse videos

Amid public fury over a sexual abuse ring operating on Telegram, South Korea’s police chief on Monday vowed a thorough investigation of the case, as well as any similar crimes connected with the encrypted messaging platform. “We will conduct a rigorous investigation by cooperating closely with law enforcement agencies overseas,” said Min Gap-ryong, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, in a statement. “We are looking into the distribution of illeg

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Public anger grows over Telegram underage sexual abuse ring

Public anger has exploded over a recently busted Telegram sexual abuse ring, prompting millions to sign petitions for the disclosure of the full identities of the operators as well as their tens of thousands of clients. A petition filed with Cheong Wa Dae calling for the disclosure of the main suspect, arrested last week, quickly garnered a record number of signatures: 1.85 million as of 4 p.m. Sunday. A separate petition calling for the disclosure of some 260,000 users of Telegram chat roo

Social AffairsMarch 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] Police expand probe into Telegram sex slave videos

Police nabbed a 20-something man for allegedly subjecting at least 74 people, including 16 minors, to sexual exploitation and assault and operating a pornography ring on Telegram, the police revealed Friday. The alleged crimes involved the messenger service Telegram, where videos of a sexual nature were posted in return for cryptocurrency payments. The suspect, currently known by the surname Cho and by the Telegram nickname “doctor,” is thought to be one of a large number of ind

Social AffairsMarch 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Protestant church groups hope to normalize activities starting April 6

Mainstream Protestant church groups -- the National Council of Churches in Korea and the United Christian Churches of Korea -- apologized to the public on Thursday for the COVID-19 clusters that formed at churches. The statement also said the organizations hoped to normalize group activities and worship services from April 6. The joint statement followed an increase in the number of novel coronavirus clusters in South Korea this week among those attending Protestant church services. As of Fr

CultureMarch 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Korea seeks to arrange 2 chartered flights to bring home citizens from virus-hit Italy

South Korea is seeking to arrange two chartered flights to bring home hundreds of its citizens from Italy, which has been hit hard by the new coronavirus, a senior foreign ministry official said Friday. Italy's COVID-19 death toll had topped 3,400 as of Thursday afternoon -- a tally higher than that of China where the novel virus first emerged in December. As of Friday afternoon, more than 570 people have expressed their wish to return to Korea. "We currently think that two flights are

Foreign AffairsMarch 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Women's pro basketball season canceled due to coronavirus

There will be no more women's pro basketball played in South Korea this spring in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Women's Korean Basketball League decided on Friday to scrap the rest of the regular season, which had been on hold since March 10, and to also wipe out the playoffs. With all other major professional sports -- men's basketball, baseball, men's football and men's and women's volleyball -- having come to a halt due to COVID-19, the WKBL became the first league to cancel it

More SportsMarch 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Chung Euisun elected as chair of Hyundai Motor Group board

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun has been elected the new chairperson of the group’s board of directors, in an apparent move to give the heir apparent more managerial power as he seeks to strengthen the future mobility vision. According to the company, it was decided for Chung to succeed his father, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, in his chairmanship during a board of directors meeting held Thursday. The senior Chung has held the position for 21 year

MobilityMarch 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] First-ever strong wind warning to be issued for Seoul

South Korea's weather agency on Thursday issued a strong wind advisory for the entire nation, calling for concerted preparedness for typhoon-class winds and forest fires throughout the day. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour, or 25 meters per second, will blow across the nation, due to the difference in air pressure between cold low pressure over North Korea and warm high pressure southeast of the peninsula. The KMA put the entire nat

PoliticsMarch 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Desperate crisis for shopkeepers

While industry sectors across the board in Korea are struggling to handle the economic impact of COVID-19, the nation’s 5.48 million self-employed and small business owners are among those suffering most. Oh Myong-seok, who has been running a 24-hour diner in Yongsan, Seoul, for seven years, is experiencing its worst-ever slump, as the store has seen its daily customer figures cut in half. “For night times from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., revenue has been halved, for day times it has been

IndustryMarch 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] Korean National Ballet fires dancer for breaking quarantine

The Korean National Ballet has fired a dancer for inappropriate behavior, the first such action since the troupe was founded in 1962. Na Dae-han, 28, corps de ballet dancer at the Korean National Ballet, was fired for traveling to Japan during home quarantine period. The national ballet company held a disciplinary committee meeting on Monday where the decision was made to fire Na. Other members of the state ballet company were suspended for conducting private lessons during the home quarant

PerformanceMarch 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] River of Grace Community Church sprays saltwater into worshippers’ mouths

River of Grace Community Church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is alleged to have sprayed saltwater into the mouths of people attending church services on March 1 and 8, which may have contributed to the cluster infection of at least 46 people with the novel coronavirus. “It is very unfortunate. As we were reviewing the CCTV footage from River of Grace Community Church, we found that members of the congregation were sprayed saltwater into their mouths one-by-one because of misinformati

TechnologyMarch 16, 2020