Scholars and experts virtually gathered Wednesday for a livestreamed forum hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to discuss the future of city leadership in the post-COVID-19 era. The fifth “Seoul Brand Global Forum” was held under the theme of “SEOUL Initiative-The Future of City Leadership,” at SEOUL ON, the city’s studio dedicated to video conferences. The one-day forum was organized to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of Seoul’s ci

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2020

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will toughen its on-site inspections on nightlife businesses to verify their compliance with antivirus measures ahead of Halloween amid concerns over another potential outbreak of mass coronavirus infections. Talks on temporary suspensions of operations on Halloween weekend are underway with owners of night entertainment venues including nightclubs, no-alcohol dancing halls called colatec and bars with dancing spaces, the city said. “The city will make

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2020

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is stepping up its push for the launch of a new investigation body for high-ranking public officials, a flagship project of President Moon Jae-in’s prosecution reform initiative, by proposing bills to amend related laws and seeking to move up the launch by a month. According to the National Assembly’s bill information site on Tuesday, 10 ruling party lawmakers jointly tabled 13 bills on Monday to create a legal framework for the Corruption Inv

Politics Oct. 27, 2020

The death Sunday of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee ushers in a new era under his son, the group’s de facto head Lee Jae-yong, but the path forward for the new leader appears fraught with legal challenges. Lee Jae-yong, the 52-year-old third-generation leader of the country’s largest conglomerate, is currently standing trial in two cases that could send him back to prison and are likely to take years to reach a conclusion. At the center of the legal disputes is the process by whic

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2020

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl on Thursday lashed out at Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who had accused him of bias and a lack of sincerity, saying she has no legal authority to deprive him of his powers to lead investigations. During a parliamentary inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Yoon said Choo’s decision to sideline him in a high-profile probe into a sprawling financial fraud scandal allegedly involving politicians and incumbent prosecutors was “unlawful

Social Affairs Oct. 22, 2020

The conflict between the country’s justice minister and the chief prosecutor intensified Wednesday, with the minister accusing the prosecution of “deceiving the public” with its probe of a high-profile fund scam scandal. 　 Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae said that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl should have apologized over prosecutors’ unfair investigative practices when they looked into a key suspect in the Lime Asset Management fund scam, who last week delivered the

Social Affairs Oct. 21, 2020

Exposure to ultrafine dust caused 63,000 extra deaths in South Korea during a recent three-year period, an opposition party lawmaker said Wednesday. Particulate pollution called PM2.5, consisting of particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, resulted in 63,969 more deaths than otherwise would have been expected among people aged 30 and older between 2015 and 2017, said Rep. Kang Gi-yun of the People Power Party, citing data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Social Affairs Oct. 21, 2020

  Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae urged state prosecutors to investigate, thoroughly and in accordance with law and principle, a sprawling financial fraud scandal allegedly involving politicians and incumbent prosecutors as opposition parties called for her immediate removal from the office for intervening in the probe. “The law should be applied fairly according to the same standards without sanctuary and regardless of the status (of suspects). This rule should be implemented evenly to

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2020

Opposition parties doubled down on their calls for an independent counsel to look into financial fraud scandals that cost investors several trillion won, after hearing testimony alleging corrupt ties between the financial companies and the government and ruling party. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, said Monday that the party would submit a bill proposing a special probe by an independent counsel. “The ruling and the opposition parties should hal

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2020

Optimus Asset Management CEO Kim Jae-hyun on Friday expressed his discontent over suspicions that he had played a key role in the company’s attempts to illegally lobby the government and politicians to cover up fraud. Speaking at the first trial for Kim and other Optimus executives on investment fraud charges, Kim’s attorney said the CEO has been suffering due to the lobbying suspicions. “Before finding the truth in open court, argument from only one side has been reported

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2020

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung was effectively acquitted by the high court of election law violations, overturning a verdict that jeopardized his political career. The Suwon High Court ruled that Lee’s remarks during a televised debate ahead of the 2018 local elections were not intended to spread false information, overturning its previous verdict after the Supreme Court sent the case back and ordered a retrial. “The defendant’s remarks during the debate can be evalua

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2020

Yeonsu District in the western port city of Incheon is bidding to host the 2021 International Conference on Learning Cities, the district office said Thursday. The district office submitted its application -- containing endorsement letters from 60 people, including President Moon Jae-in and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae -- to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. The host of the event, to be held in October 2021, will be announced in late November. In the application, the district o

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2020

The government plans to carry out diagnostic tests for COVID-19 on some 130,000 workers at mental hospitals and nursing homes in the greater Seoul area after a major cluster was discovered in Busan. Another 30,000 senior citizens who attend day care facilities will be tested too.　 “Patients pose relatively lower risks (of virus transmission) as they are tested before they are admitted, but there’s a possibility that the medical staff and other workers could bring about COVID-19 in

Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2020

More than 50 employees and patients at a nursing home in Busan have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the largest figure traced to a single virus cluster in the city, according to the city government on Wednesday. One of the infected patients died. A total of 52 people tested positive at the nursing home, Haeddeurak in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu -- 43 patients and nine staff members. The hospital was immediately put under cohort isolation after the infections were confirmed Wednesday

Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2020

Korea’s military recruitment agency said Tuesday it will push for legislation to give outstanding entertainers more room to continue their careers by putting off their mandatory military service in recognition of their contribution to the country’s reputation. In a parliamentary audit report, the Military Manpower Administration said it is seeking to revise the military service law to enable those who are recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to postpone th

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2020