[Newsmaker] Jongno race bellwether for presidential election

Home to the presidential office and Seoul Government Complex comprising key government offices, the Jongno District in central Seoul has been a symbolic seat in the political landscape. The election results there have proven to be a yardstick on where rival parties stand for the next president. In the upcoming parliamentary elections in April, the district will once again serve as a key battlefield for liberals and conservatives, as Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Chairm

PoliticsFeb. 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] 1339 coronavirus hotline short of counselors to help foreigners

Foreign language speakers seeking assistance with their queries on the novel coronavirus are finding it difficult to get help through Korea Centers for Disease Control’s hotline 1339. Korea Tourism Organization announced on Thursday that people who need advice in foreign languages could call 1339 and press 4, which would connect them to a three-way call service with interpreters to accommodate callers who do not speak Korean. The service is available in eight languages, including Englis

TravelFeb. 7, 2020

[Newsmaker] Coronavirus infection closes GS Home Shopping headquarters, live show suspended

  GS Home Shopping said Thursday it has decided to close its headquarters until Saturday morning as one of its employees was infected with the new coronavirus. “As an employee was confirmed to be infected by the new coronavirus, the company has closed the headquarters building in Seoul in case of emergency,” the company said. During the period, the firm said it would thoroughly disinfect the entire building. All of its home shopping broadcasts will be replaced by rebroadcas

IndustryFeb. 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] Taiwanese voice-phishing suspect alarms police by coughing

A Taiwanese person arrested for voice phishing repeatedly coughed and said he felt feverish Thursday morning, prompting police to take precautions against the novel coronavirus. The 35-year-old, locked up at the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station for allegedly stealing cash through telephone fraud, was taken to a clinic, where he was declared well as he had a normal temperature and no symptoms of pneumonia. Medical staff assumed that his persistent coughing was due to excessive smoking. Police ha

Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] Government tries damage control following face mask shortage

With face masks running out fast as the new China-borne virus spreads, the government is cracking down on hoarding and illicit trading of hygiene goods in high demand. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip announced Wednesday a joint clampdown on market cornering and price gouging of face masks and hand sanitizers. A response team comprising 180 officials of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Fair Trade Commission, National Tax Service and National Police Agency will monitor unfair trading pr

Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2020

[Newsmaker] Universities reschedule key ceremonies amid coronavirus scare

February and March are usually the most celebrated and busiest months in the Korean school calendar. Schools hold graduation ceremonies in February and welcome freshmen at the beginning of March. But things are likely to be different this year as more and more schools reschedule the milestone events with the potentially fatal new coronavirus showing no signs of abating here. South Korea has confirmed 18 cases of infection since Jan. 20. A majority of universities based in the country's cap

Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2020

[Newsmaker] Candidates turn to social media to woo voters amid coronavirus crisis

The coronavirus is forcing general election candidates to find ways to reach voters apart from street canvassing, with many turning to social media. 　 Campaign rally events often involve face-to-face conversations, handshakes and canvassing trucks with loudspeakers blaring music at places with a large flow of people and dense crowds. But fears over the contagious disease are driving candidates to run online campaigns. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has suggested party leaders suspend ele

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ex-Samsung executive Choi questioned by prosecution over 2015 merger of key units

The prosecution called in Choi Gee-sung, a former senior Samsung executive, on Tuesday for its probe into suspicions surrounding Samsung Group's controversial merger of two affiliates in 2015. Choi, former head of Samsung's now-disbanded strategy control tower, was questioned by prosecutors over his role in heir apparent Lee Jae-yong's managerial succession process related to the merger of Samsung C&T Corp. and Cheil Industries. The prosecution is looking into allegations that senior Sams

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Coronavirus-positive Chinese tourist stirs up fear in Jeju

The southern resort island of Jeju is struggling to track down those who came into contact with a Chinese tourist who tested positive for a deadly coronavirus after returning from a trip there. As fears mounted, health authorities said Monday that the Wuhan resident was unlikely to have had symptoms while traveling around the island for five days last month.  “The Chinese health authorities informed us that the patient was quarantined after showing symptoms like a fever on Jan.

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] Father checks into quarantine center to look after 2 kids

The father of two children who were airlifted from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, voluntarily checked into the quarantine center in Asan to look after the kids, authorities said Sunday. The children, aged 8 and 10, were among the hundreds of Korean residents who were flown in from the city in Hubei province on Jan. 31 and are currently staying in isolation at two locations. Their mother could not accompany them for the trip because of her Chinese nationality. A

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2020

[Newsmaker] Despite doctors’ assurances, public uneasy over use of Wuhan evacuation plane

After the government flew the first chartered flight using Korean Air’s B747 to Wuhan and brought 368 South Koreans here on Friday morning, the future use of the plane has come under public scrutiny, despite assurances by doctors about very low possibility of getting infected. According to the real-time air traffic tracker Flight Radar 24, Korean Air’s 22-year-old B747 which has tail number HL7461 was used to evacuate Koreans based in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbrea

MobilityJan. 31, 2020

[Newsmaker] Explosion at leather factory kills at least 2, injures 8 others

A fire caused by an explosion broke out at a leather processing factory north of Seoul on Friday, killing at least two and injuring eight others, fire fighters said. The accident occurred at 11:25 a.m. at the factory in Yangju, 25 kilometers north of Seoul, according to the fire service. The eight injured people, including four foreign workers, were taken to a nearby hospital. Two of them are said to be seriously wounded. A total of 13 people, including one who was believed to have gone miss

Social AffairsJan. 31, 2020

[Newsmaker] Asan, Jincheon residents continue to protest accommodating evacuees from Wuhan

Residents of Asan and Jincheon continued on Thursday to protest the government’s plan to use facilities in their towns to quarantine some 700 Korean evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The evacuees -- first batch scheduled to be flown out of Wuhan Thursday night -- will be housed at a public officials training center in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, and a police training center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, for monito

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ahn quits own Bareunmirae party, likely to create new one

Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said Wednesday he has decided to leave the party he co-founded two years ago, in an apparent move to create a new group for the April general elections. The former chief of the Bareunmirae Party, who returned from abroad last week after more than a year’s absence from the political scene, said he was giving up on the minor opposition party, blaming party leaders for failing to present a vision for new politics. The move came after the party&rsq

PoliticsJan. 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ex-presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo defects from minor opposition party

Ahn Cheol-soo, a former presidential candidate, announced Wednesday that he will defect from the minor opposition party that he previously co-founded, as he has resumed political activity ahead of the April elections. The decision came as the minor Bareunmirae Party is on the verge of being split amid his deepening rifts with Sohn Hak-kyu, the incumbent party chief over reform measures. "I am leaving the BP with a bitter heart. I gave up the dream of reviving the party after seeing Sohn'

PoliticsJan. 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] Will Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold replace Note series?

Amid rumors that the next edition of Galaxy Fold will feature a bigger screen and S Pen, speculations that it could replace the 10-year-old Galaxy Note series are gaining ground, according to industry sources Tuesday. Responding to news reports based on a recent tweet that the Galaxy Fold 2 will feature an 8-inch main display, ultrathin glass and S Pen support, parts suppliers here said they are preparing for mass production of the device scheduled for the second half of the year. However, t

TechnologyJan. 28, 2020

[Newsmaker] Reshuffle of prosecutors draws backlash

The Justice Ministry’s latest decision to replace prosecutors involved in investigating President Moon Jae-in’s associates has drawn strong criticism from all opposition parties. Following the first round of shakeup on Jan. 8 that ousted Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s closest aides from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the ministry last Thursday reassigned senior prosecutors who led the probes into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and people in the presidential offi

Social AffairsJan. 27, 2020

[Newsmaker] Union protest over Moon-appointed IBK chief set to intensify

Protests outside the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea are expected to intensify, with the union’s fight against the top-down appointment of CEO Yoon Jong-won gaining support from powerful national labor associations in recent weeks. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the two largest umbrella labor organizations here, announced Wednesday that it was joining the IBK unionists in protesting what they see as excessive government meddling in the organization’s personnel affai

MarketJan. 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Transgender sergeant forcibly discharged from military

A Korean transgender sergeant was forcibly discharged Wednesday from the military after undergoing sex reassignment surgery while enlisted, despite her wish to continue service as a female officer.  What the solider has done “falls into reasons deemed unfit” for military service in accordance with related laws, the Army said Wednesday in a statement after a committee convened to decide on the sergeant’s discharge, among other items on its agenda, earlier in the day. 　Staff

Social AffairsJan. 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] 8,093 foreigners in Korea without permission leave voluntarily

The Justice Ministry said Tuesday that 8,093 foreign nationals who had been staying in Korea illegally voluntarily left in the period of one month, thanks to new incentives that exempt them from penalties if they leave by June 30 and allow them to reenter the country on short-term visas.The daily average number of those leaving Korea more than doubled after the incentives were introduced on Dec. 11, the ministry said.From March 1, those found to have overstayed their visas will be slapped with f

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2020