A key figure in an espionage case involving a former Seoul city official tried to kill himself on Wednesday, creating a major setback for the investigation. The witness, only identified as ethnically Korean with Chinese nationality, is accused of giving the National Intelligence Service forged immigration documents regarding a former Seoul official suspected of spying for North Korea. Investigators said the man slit his neck with a knife at a motel in Seoul, after being questioned by the prosecu

Social Affairs March 6, 2014

The nation’s top court upheld a ruling by an appeals court to acquit a Korean-Japanese man accused of espionage for a pro-North Korean organization. The 63-year-old defendant, only identified by his last name Park, was indicted in 1982 on charges of working as a spy at the behest of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.“There’s lack of evidence proving his spying activities. (The appeals court) has made the right decision based on legal principles,” the presiding chief justice, K

Social Affairs March 5, 2014

The nation’s top court on Monday classified auto blog commenting and mass emailing software as malware programs, citing their damage to the digital network.A South Korean programmer on Feb. 13 was charged with selling seven types of spamming software that offer services such as collecting email addresses, auto-blog commenting and bulk emailing to an unspecified number of individuals.The Supreme Court sentenced the man, surnamed Kim, to eight months in prison with a two-year stay of execution and

Social Affairs March 3, 2014

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama said Thursday the landmark 1993 Kono Statement admitting the country’s conscription of sex slaves should not be re-examined, amid growing speculation that the Japanese government will attempt to revise it.Muramaya also said in a press conference that his 1995 apology for the country’s wartime atrocities was an international pledge that could not be retracted. “The 1993 Kono Statement came after comprehensive research of the evidence,” the former P

Politics Feb. 28, 2014

A nuclear reactor at a plant in the southwest unexpectedly stopped operations on Friday, plant operators said. The 950,000-kilowatt Hanbit reactor 2 in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, shut down at about 10:50 a.m., according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. The operator said the exact cause of the stoppage is unknown, but it will not cause problem with supplying electricity.“We’re looking into the cause of the shutdown and it’s not clear when the reactor will restart,” KHNP public relations

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2014

South Korea’s top court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s ruling to sentence the chief of SK Group, the country’s third-largest family conglomerate, to four years in jail for embezzling company assets. SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won was convicted of misappropriating nearly 46.5 billion won ($43.6 million) from two of the SK Group affiliates ― SK Telecom Co. and SK C&C Co. ― to make personal investments in stock futures and options in 2008.The Supreme Court also handed down a three-and-a-half-ye

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2014

The South Korean Supreme Court is set to hand down a ruling on Thursday on a high-profile embezzlement case involving the two brothers leading the country’s third-largest family conglomerate, court officials said. A lower court had sentenced SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won to four years behind bars for embezzling nearly 45 billion won ($42.2 million) from SK Group companies. His younger brother, Chey Jae-won, was sentenced to three years and six months in jail for collusion.The case has attracted

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2014

South Korea’s militant umbrella labor union, boasting a membership of 700,000, said on Monday it would hold a one-day strike as planned to protest the government’s oppression of workers and its plan to privatize public firms.The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said its members will stage the nationwide walkout on Tuesday, timed with the first anniversary of the Park Geun-hye administration. “This is just the beginning of our fight against the government’s plot to privatize the public sector

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2014

The ruling Saenuri Party is pushing for a new system that will require lawmakers to draw up budget proposals when submitting bills, according to local news reports. The “PAYGO” system, short for “pay as you go,” would be part of the Park Geun-hye administration’s efforts to restore the government’s financial health. The current law does not require lawmakers to lay out plans to secure a related budget when sponsoring new bills. If implemented, the system is expected to curb runaway government sp

Politics Feb. 23, 2014

Democratic Party chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil announced a third batch of political reform plans on Sunday, in an apparent attempt to gain greater support ahead of independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s launch of his own party next month.In his parliamentary address, Kim laid out a package of reform proposals, including barring those with records of corruption charges from consideration as candidates for national elections and expanding direct voting to the selection of election candidates and party leade

Politics Feb. 23, 2014

In a landmark ruling, a Seoul court ordered the government to compensate a group of farmers who were forced to give up their land during former President Park Chung-hee’s dictatorial rule, officials said Thursday.The Seoul High Court ruled on Feb. 11 in favor of the 291 farmers, awarding 65 billion won ($60 million) in compensation based on the land’s value in 1988. Including the 5 percent annual interest tallied at about 45 billion won, the total compensation is estimated to surpass 110 billion

Social Affairs Feb. 20, 2014