[Newsmaker] Government issues ‘grave warning’ against liquid e-cigarettes

The government on Wednesday warned against using liquid e-cigarettes, or e-liquids, until health perils associated with them are better understood.“The Health and Welfare Ministry strongly recommends discontinuing the use of liquid e-cigarettes until the link between lung injuries and liquid e-cigarettes is clearly identified,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo in a press briefing Wednesday morning.“Teenagers and those with respiratory diseases, in particular, should stop usi

TechnologyOct. 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Opposition party leader denies involvement in alleged martial law plan

Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday denied allegations made by a civic group that he took part in planning to impose martial law to quell monthslong candlelight protests if the impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye failed. Hwang’s party filed a complaint to the prosecutors’ office against Lim Tae-hoon, the chief of the Military Human Rights Center for Korea, who raised the suspicions.  On Monday, Lim, testifying as a witness at the parliamentary audit of

PoliticsOct. 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] JP Morgan Chase, Societe General bagged W8b from controversial derivatives products: data

Overseas investment banks JP Morgan Chase and Societe General earned a combined commission income of nearly 8 billion won ($6.8 million) from designing derivatives products sold mostly via South Korean commercial lenders that put investors at huge risk, data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed Monday.The data was acquired and released by a ruling Democratic Party lawmaker here after the nation’s financial watchdog said earlier this month that it has found 750 suspected cases of &

MarketOct. 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] Uniqlo pulls controversial ad

Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo stopped airing a controversial advertisement that has been criticized here for mocking victims coerced into Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement and labor, the company said Sunday, amid growing outrage among Korean customers. The 15-second advertisement features 97-year-old style icon Iris Apfel and 13-year-old fashion designer Kheris Rogers in conversation. In the ad, Rogers asks Apfel how she dressed when she was her age. Apfel responds, “I can&rsq

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Trial begins for ex-justice minister's wife

Court proceedings for recently resigned Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family began Friday. The trial preparation hearing for Cho’s wife, Chung Kyung-shim, 57, was held at the Seoul Central District Court at 11 a.m.The pretrial hearing is intended to allow defendants to clarify their positions on the charges pressed against them. As defendants are not obliged to attend, Chung did not appear. Chung, a professor at a private university, was indicted on Sept. 6 over charges of fabricat

PoliticsOct. 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Top court confirms suspended sentence for Lotte chief

South Korea’s top court on Thursday confirmed a suspended sentence for Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin for his involvement in a corruption scandal that removed former President Park Geun-hye from power in 2017.The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that sentenced Shin to 2 1/2 years, suspended for four years, on charges including bribery, dereliction of duty and embezzlement. 　Lotte Group said in a statement it will do its best to become a trusted company by contributing

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] KBS reporters slam sexual harassment on Rhyu’s show

KBS reporters on Wednesday called on former liberal politician Rhyu Si-min to take responsibility for inappropriate remarks made by a guest on Rhyu’s YouTube show.During the live broadcast of the show “Alileo” on Tuesday, a reporter said prosecutors had leaked information about the investigation into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family to a KBS reporter because they liked her.“Prosecutors spilled out everything because they liked the KBS reporter. … They

PoliticsOct. 16, 2019

[Newsmaker] Military culls wild boars to stop spread of swine fever

South Korea’s Defense Ministry kicked off a joint operation Tuesday to shoot wild boars to stop the African swine fever from spreading near the border areas to North Korea, after infected carcasses were found. In a joint mission with the Environment Ministry, about 70 to 80 teams of 11 to 12 members each, will be dispatched to border regions, including Paju, Cheorwon and Yeoncheon to shoot down the wild boars with guns and traps, according to the Defense Ministry.Since the first case was c

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seoul subway workers to go on strike Wednesday

The labor union of Seoul Metro, which operates eight subway lines, announced a three-day walkout starting Wednesday if their demands are not met by the government.The union urged the Seoul Metro, Ministry of Interior and Safety and Seoul Metropolitan Government to meet the demands regarding enhancement of working conditions during a press briefing on Monday. “Seoul Metro has the highest rate of industrial accidents among all public corporations, and this results from the insensitivity to s

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2019

[Newsmaker] K-pop superband SuperM tops Billboard 200

Brand new K-pop act SuperM topped a main Billboard chart upon its debut in the United States, according the chart result re-released on Monday.The supergroup's first release, "SuperM: The 1st Mini Album," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the week of Oct. 19, making the septet the first K-pop band to do so following global phenomenon BTS, Billboard said.The achievement was made only two weeks after the group's official release on Oct. 4."The set ... launches w

PerformanceOct. 14, 2019

[Newsmaker] BTS writes history with Arab fans at Riyadh concert

RIYADH – For BTS and the 30,000 screaming Arab fans who filled King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday evening, it was a night to remember.“We’d never thought we would perform here. Thanks to all the people, to all the ARMYs (BTS’ fandom) who made this possible. There is a beautiful full moon up in the sky. Remind of us, remind of tonight,” band leader RM called out to the crowd. Indeed, BTS’ Saudi Arabian leg of its ongoing &ld

K-popOct. 13, 2019

[Newsmaker] BTS rocks capital of Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- The strong religious culture in Saudi Arabia couldn't stop abaya-covered fans from springing up in their seats to dance as K-pop superband BTS performed its latest mega hit, "Boy With Luv," in the country's capital, Riyadh, Friday evening.     Religious restraints and Islamic doctrine melted away as the K-pop septet took the stage of Riyadh's King Fahd International Stadium and opened up its nearly three-hour concert to a rapt audience.  

PerformanceOct. 12, 2019

[Newsmaker] Railway services affected as 72-hour strike begins

Railway services across South Korea are expected to be affected Friday and throughout the weekend as workers began a 72-hour strike demanding better working conditions.Around 20 to 60 percent of passenger and cargo train services are forecast to be affected by the labor action, according to the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Intercity subway operations will be reduced to 88.1 percent of normal operations, while high-speed train services and

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] S. Korea enhances quarantine operations following 14th ASF case

South Korea's agricultural ministry on Thursday announced a lockdown on all pig farms in a town north of Seoul, where the country's 14th African swine fever case was confirmed a day earlier, and designated nearby areas as a "buffer zone" for intensive quarantine operations.The 48-hour movement ban on all pig farms in Yeoncheon, north of Seoul, went into effect earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs.South Korea confirmed its 14th case of AS

Social AffairsOct. 10, 2019

[Newsmaker] Railway workers’ 3-day strike to cause inconvenience starting Friday

Amid the continuing work-to-rule campaign, demanding improvement in working conditions and the wage system, which began Monday, the unionized railway laborers reaffirmed their plan to hold an all-out strike.The Korean Railway Workers’ Union will embark on a 72-hour strike starting 9 a.m. Friday, the organization said during a press conference Tuesday. The union has been staging protests requesting the normalization of salaries, shorter working hours, increase in number of employees an

Social AffairsOct. 9, 2019

[Newsmaker] Democratic Party to bring opposition lawmaker to ethics panel for swearing

Democratic Party Floor Leader Lee In-young said Tuesday the ruling party will refer an opposition lawmaker to the parliamentary ethics committee for alleged intervention in ongoing probes and the use of abusive language. Rep. Yeo Sang-kyoo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, who chairs the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said Monday the prosecution should not deal with the case of a physical standoff in parliament, in which he was involved.In April, Liberty

PoliticsOct. 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] Cho Kuk probe takes center stage at parliamentary audit of prosecutors’ office

An audit of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at the National Assembly saw a heated confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties Monday. The prosecutors in Seoul are leading a probe into corruption allegations surrounding Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family, even as he has refused to quit.Ruling Democratic Party lawmakers accused the prosecution of conducting a “politically charged” and “biased” probe and of colluding with a main oppositi

PoliticsOct. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Entire North Korean crew of fishing boat that collided with

All of the roughly 60 North Korean crew on board a fishing boat that sank after colliding with a Japanese patrol ship in the East Sea early Monday were rescued, Japanese media said. The collision took place at around 9 a.m. in waters some 350 kilometers northwest of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, NHK and Kyodo News reported. As the fishing boat began to sink, the North Korean crew jumped into the water before Japanese patrol and maritime safety authorities arrived alongside the vesse

North KoreaOct. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Unionists of Seoul Subway Line No. 9 begin 3-day strike

Unionized workers of a Seoul subway began a three-day strike on Monday, demanding an increase in the number of workers and the introduction of a step-based salary system.The labor union of Seoul Metro Line 9 Corp., which operates the second and third sections of Seoul Subway Line 9, said it launched the strike at 5:30 a.m. as scheduled after its last-minute negotiations with the management over its demands broke down. The union is affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. The str

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Cho Kuk’s wife denies allegations, to be summoned again

Chung Kyung-shim, the wife of scandal-ridden Justice Minister Cho Kuk, returned home near midnight Saturday after spending 15 hours at the prosecutor’s office for questioning over allegations she committed academic fraud and made a shady investment.Chung, a professor at Dongyang University, returned home around 11:55 p.m. on Saturday night after the second round of questioning, and she will be summoned again for questioning at a later date, the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said

Social AffairsOct. 6, 2019