After former President Park Geun-hye called her corruption trial a “political retaliation,” thousands of Koreans took to the streets in central Seoul on Saturday demanding the ousted president be immediately released from jail. “Immediately release innocent President Park Geun-hye” and “Stop murderous political revenge right now!” they chanted, vehemently waving the Korean national flag. “President Park Geun-hye declared a political fight in prison. We should fight together to reveal the truth a

Social Affairs Oct. 22, 2017

The Justice Ministry on Wednesday denied former President Park Geun-hye’s claim that her rights are being violated at a detention facility where she is being held for corruption charges. CNN cited a report written by her international legal team from global consultancy MH Group, saying Park is living in a cell that is “dirty, cold and constantly lit so she cannot sleep.” “Park is being held in a cell of an appropriate size with a heating system, TV, drawer and a flush toilet, among other things,

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2017

South Korea’s top prosecutor said Tuesday that the prosecution would accelerate investigations into alleged wrongdoings under past administrations and did not rule out the possibility of a probe into former President Lee Myung-bak. Three former presidents -- two conservative and one liberal: Park Geun-hye, Lee and the late Roh Moo-hyun -- are concurrently under the microscope of state prosecutors as the liberal Moon Jae-in administration is pushing for a campaign to eradicate deep-rooted evils i

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2017

South Korean citizens, who took to the streets to protest against President Park Geun-hye for months and peacefully removed her from power, have received an internationally recognized award for their commitment to peace and democracy. 　Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Germany’s oldest political foundation, decided to give this year’s Human Rights Award Prize to a total of 17 million people who participated in the candlelight rallies last year demanding former President Park resign over a corruption sca

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2017

South Koreans have voted fishing as their favorite outdoor activity when they go on a trip, pushing hiking to second place, a recent survey showed. 　According to a quarterly poll conducted by Sejong University’s Tourism Industry Institute and a marketing research firm Consumer Insight, fishing has topped the list of activities that Koreans would like to do on vacation for two quarters in a row.    (Yonhap)In the poll for the July-September period, some 40 percent of the respondents said they wou

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2017

Former President Park Geun-hye will continue to stand trial under detention over the corruption charges that removed her from power in March, as a Seoul court decided to extend her custody on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court said there is the “possibility of her destroying evidence,” issuing an additional warrant to extend her detention for another six months. Her six-month detention order was set to expire Monday. Ousted former President Park Geun-hye leaves a Seoul court on Friday. (Yo

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2017

Lee Young-hak, dubbed “Molar Daddy” and suspected of murdering his daughter’s 14-year-old friend, may have picked his victim to satisfy his sexual desire and killed her as she strongly resisted, police said Friday. Lee, 35, admitted Tuesday to killing the girl at his home in eastern Seoul and disposing of the body on a mountain earlier this month. However, he has kept mum on why. His 14-year-old daughter also admitted to assisting her father in abandoning the body. “Lee said he had committed the

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2017

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted of bribing ousted President Park Geun-hye, and state prosecutors clashed Thursday over the validity of a former presidential aide’s notebook as evidence in the first hearing by an appeals court.The notebook contains memos by An Chong-bum, arrested and on trial alongside Park on charges of bribery, which he said were notes of what ex-President Park said. It allegedly includes key phrases Park used regarding Samsung Group, such as “

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2017

The identity of “Molar Daddy,” a suspect who confessed in the death of a 14-year-old girl last month, was unveiled Thursday following a police decision to disclose it for the sake of people’s right to know. The suspect is Lee Young-hak, who years ago received public sympathy for suffering a rare, autosomal dental tumor himself and raising a daughter with the same condition. Lee was dubbed “Molar Daddy” because he had lost all his teeth except one molar due to repeated surgeries to remove outgrow

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2017

Public focus on the confessed killing of a teenager by a 35-year-old suspect dubbed “Molar daddy” turned toward his motive Wednesday, with police clarifying that there was not enough evidence to conclude it was sexual.The suspect, identified by the surname Lee, who had earned public sympathy years ago for suffering a rare dental tumor himself and raising a daughter with the same condition, admitted Tuesday to killing the 14-year-old girl and disposing of her body. Although he has confessed to th

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2017

A 35-year-old man, who had earned public sympathy years ago for suffering a rare medical condition himself and raising a daughter with the same condition, admitted Tuesday to killing the daughter’s friend and dumping her body. A murder suspect is escorted into a police station in northeastern Seoul on Tuesday, to undergo questioning over suspicions he killed a friend of his daughter and abandoned her body. (Yonhap)The man, surnamed Lee and arrested, made the confession during the third day of qu

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2017

Nearly half of all kimchi served at restaurants and food service facilities is from China, a survey showed Monday. According to the report on trends in the kimchi industry in 2016 by the World Institute of Kimchi, 13.7 percent of the kimchi consumed in Korea was imported. Some 47 percent of the Kimchi served at restaurants and cafeterias was from abroad, with 90 percent of it from China. Kimchi (123RF)Koreans consumed was 1.85 million tons of kimchi, up 15 percent from the previous year – 36.1 k

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2017

Outside Exit 12 of Daerim Station, the main street is lined with restaurants bearing Chinese signs and street food stalls. They lure Chinese of Korean descent living and working here with the taste of home -- northeastern China.   The Daerim-dong area is the largest enclave of the ethnic Korean-Chinese community, or joseon-jok, in Seoul, but this vibrant neighborhood has become a place that many South Koreans avoid at night.  “I wouldn’t go there at night, to be honest,&

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2017

For most Koreans, this year’s record-long Chuseok holiday, stretching for 10 days from Saturday, means a long-awaited chance to catch up with family and friends and get some much-needed sleep and rest. But the holiday means “stress” for many foreign women, who moved to Korea after marrying Korean men, largely due to the cultural differences and language barriers.“Back in Cambodia, I looked forward to traditional holidays. It is when we wear beautiful clothes, prepare delicious food and go to a t

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2017

Six out of 10 teenage entertainers do not attend school regularly, a survey showed Monday, sparking worries over the K-pop industry‘s violation of the school-age children’s right to learn. 　According to a 2016 report on pop culture industry submitted by Korea Creative Content Agency to Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the Democratic Party, only 35.3 percent of the entertainers aged under 19 went to school every day despite their work schedule. 　Some 47 percent of them went to school two to three times a w

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2017