Today on The Korea Times Podcast: Over 150 women are missing near Suwon and international retailer IKEA may be forced to shut its doors. Plus some fear an unwanted child donation station is encouraging abandonment and President Park asks the UN for help in facilitating inter-Korean talks.
Over the past two years, 159 women over the age of 18 have been reported missing in Suwon, according to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency. It's also where last month’s gruesome “torso murder” took place. A Korean-Chinese illegal alien, Park Chun-bong, killed his Korean-Chinese ex-girlfriend and discarded her body parts in four separate places. Police said they have designated some districts in Suwon where there are large foreign communities as “vulnerable areas,” and will increase patrols and security measures.
Swedish furniture retailer IKEA faces a business suspension because of severe traffic congestion on roads surrounding its first shopping center, in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. "People's frustration caused by the congestion has reached boiling point," said an official familiar with the case and continued, “Not only drivers but also people living or working near the outlet are affected."
The IKEA spokeswoman said the company was "taking the situation seriously and would suggest a solution by the deadline." But she did not elaborate, citing the sensitive nature of the case.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 220 babies were left at the so-called “baby box” - a facility operated by a church in Seoul last year, compared to only four in 2010. The box was installed by Pastor Lee Jong-rak at a church in Sillim-dong, who didn't want babies abandoned indiscriminately outside district offices or orphanages.
However, almost five years into its operation, critics say the box has become a cause for baby abandonment. Last year, the entire number of babies abandoned in the city was 228, meaning almost all came from the baby box. "It's because mothers trust the baby box. They believe their babies will be well taken care of," one anonymous expert said.
President asks UN chief to help revive S-N talks
President Park Geun-hye requested U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to help revive inter-Korean dialogue. The request came amid optimism for the resumption of high-level inter-Korean talks following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's allusion to a conditional summit.
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