The Korea Times

Tourism industry needs greater investment

By Cho Jae-hyon Lee Charm, president of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), is not a typical Korean chief _ not because of his naturalization or appearance, but because of the way he runs the tour promotional agency. Lee is far from bossy. He tries to persuade employees with logic to get the job done, rather than scolding or pressurizing them. For instance, he replaced the monthly gathering with all employees with an irregular tea-time meeting. Previously at the gathering, they had to listen to their chief’s boring lecture but under the new format, they causally talk over a cup of tea. Lee looks comfortable with his job. He casually exchanges jokes with his public relations officials. His subordinates also say they think of and treat him just like any other Korean. He is also encouraging employees to take a two-week leave and he himself will do so next month. A two-week leave is almost unthinkable for any presidents of state-invested public corporations here. He emphasizes the importance of holiday. “If people take leave more often and freely, they will travel mor

Sep 26, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Koreas population to top 50 million at end of Sept.

The population of South Korea is expected to surpass 50 million for the first time at the end of September, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said Friday. The registered population stood at 49.97 million at the end of August, it added. “Given that the figure has risen by 20,000 to 30,000 a month, the nation’s official population will likely breach the 50-million mark at the end of the month,” the ministry said in a statement. As of last month, the number of households stood at 19.42 million. Per household population went down to 2.57. The number of males accounted for 25.03 million, and females reached 24.94 million, it said. The registered number of citizens rose to 49.95 million at the end of July from 49.81 million in January. Next month at least 50.4 million people will be living in the South.

Sep 24, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

MC Mong had healthy teeth extracted

By Cho Jae-hyun Singer and TV-show host MC Mong, 31, was booked without physical detention Monday on suspicion that he had healthy teeth extracted to dodge mandatory military service, police said, Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said MC Mong whose real name is Shin Dong-hyun intentionally delayed entering the army by making various “false” excuses and intentionally had three of his healthy teeth pulled out to receive assessment grades in physical checkups low enough to be exempted from fulfilling his military duty. Police said he had delayed being conscripted for 422 days since 2004 when he first received the conscription notice. The popular entertainer was found healthy enough for active duty as a soldier after his first physical checkup in August 1998. Police will refer the entertainer to the prosecution on charges of violation of the military service law. The president of the agency representing MC Mong and a broker who helped arrange MC Mong’s draft dodging were also booked. MC Mong has denied the draft dodging allegations. Before the issue surfaced,

Sep 17, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Shin disappears after caught lying about gambling in Cebu

By Cho Jae-hyon TV-show host Shin Jung-hwan, 35, reportedly lied about his coming down with dengue fever to cover up his gambling in Cebu, the Philippines, and is seeking to fly to another country to escape from heated media attention. The popular singer and entertainer had claimed that he had been hospitalized for treatment for the disease, denying allegations that he lost hundreds of millions of won at a casino and borrowed money after putting his passport up as collateral. However, staffers of an SBS TV entertainment program, which aired on Thursday, met a doctor from the hospital in Cebu and quoted him as saying that Shin had no symptoms of dengue fever. The doctor said Shin just checked in to take a rest on Tuesday. The report came just hours after Shin posted a photograph and a long letter on his fan club website, showing him taking a medical checkup. He claimed that his visit to a casino was just sightseeing and did not get involved in any form of betting. Shin, who was discharged from the hospital on Friday, is believed to be either staying in a hotel in

Sep 12, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Asiana Airlines to launch Incheon, Atalanta cargo route

Asiana Airlines will launch a new cargo route next week linking Incheon to Atlanta, with the new service available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Asiana, which currently operates daily freight services to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, will be offering freight services on a total of 23 routes to 14 countries with the new service.

Sep 9, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

Opinion

Politics of Twitter

By Cho Jae-hyon City Editor “Rain is falling and mother is getting married,” was tweeted by Kim Tae-ho just hours after the former prime minister-nominee offered to step down over corruption allegations at parliamentary confirmation hearings. It was a variation on a quotation by Mao Zedong, the founder of modern communist China. Mao uttered the line after he found out that his designated successor Lin Biao was involved in a failed plot to kill him and trying to flee to the Soviet Union. The line means one cannot keep the rain from falling and prevent one’s mother from marrying. It’s a metaphor for a helpless state one cannot change no matter how hard he or she tries. The short message Kim posted on his Twitter account pointedly summed up his miserable situation. His Twitter timeline hasn’t been updated since the metaphorical message. As shown in Kim’s case, Twitter is emerging as an important social networking vehicle for politicians. Especially, for those who harbor ambition to rule the country, it is a sort of must. On top of many young, tech-savvy lawmakers,

Sep 1, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

DNA database decodes 47 unsolved cases

The National Police Agency said Friday that it has been able to track down criminals in 47 unsolved cases thanks to DNA samples taken from convicts under a new law that went into effect a month ago. “We’ve taken DNA samples from 1,145 criminals since July 26 when it became legal to collect and store them. Using the samples, we were able to identify a total of 30 felons who committed crimes in 47 unsolved cases,” it said. The law allows the police to collect samples from those charged with serious crimes, such as murder, sexual assaults against children and armed robbery. The police will refer the cases to the prosecution.

Aug 27, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Man kills fishmonger for making noise

A man in his 30s killed a street vender in broad daylight at a residential area in a fit of anger because of the blaring noise from the fishmonger’s loud speaker, police said Friday. The Gwangmyeong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province apprehended the suspect, a 39-year-old day laborer, at the crime scene and are questioning him. An officer quoted the suspect as saying: “I wielded a blunt weapon (knife) as the noise from the speaker was too loud while I was watching TV.” The suspect chased the vender for about 20 meters to confirm the victim was dead, as he was trying to run away after being stabbed, witnesses were quoted as saying. He was caught on the spot by police officers who rushed to the scene upon a report from a witness. The police plan to seek an arrest warrant once the initial investigation is completed.

Aug 27, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Seoul education chief vows to innovate schools

By Cho Jae-hyon, Kang Shin-who Korean students have been driven into a competition to study higher grade courses in advance at private cram schools or hagwon. In what is known as “seonhaeng hakseup” here or learning in advance, students at elementary schools study middle school courses and middle school students study what will be taught at high schools. This competition, aimed at gaining higher scores in university entrance exams, is one of the key factors behind soaring private education costs. Kwak No-hyun, the new superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, wants to free students from “the vicious cycle” that has been set up by private institutes. “I believe this ‘seonhaeng hakseup assembly line’ is wrong. It’s a pity to see our society caught in this trap, which is the root of all evil,” Kwang said in an interview. “I want to save our students from the trap. To do so, we should figure out the cause of this disease and then come up with right prescription.” He said the current public and private educational system can’t make students happy.

Aug 25, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Teacher found guilty for corporal punishment

By Cho Jae-hyon A district court ruled that hitting a student on the head once and two times on the palm with a wooden rod bigger than authorized constitutes assault. The appeals court in the southwestern city of Gwangju upheld a lower court’s ruling that found a female teacher, 37, guilty of assault. She received a suspended sentence along with an 800,000 won fine. “The teacher, using a rod that is bigger than allowed by the school, hit students on the head with considerable force,” judge Song Hee-ho said in the ruling. “This cannot be viewed as an authorized act.” On Nov. 20, 2008, she called nine middle school third graders to the front of the classroom and hit them with the rod — 38 centimeters in length and 2 centimeters in width — once on the head and twice on the palm. The school allowed corporal punishment on a restricted basis — the length of the rod should not bigger than 60 centimeters or wider than 1.5 centimeters. During the corporal punishment, one of the students fainted, and sustained a chin injury, which took eight weeks to recov

Aug 23, 2010By Cho Jae-hyon

Cho Jae-hyon

Read more

Tourism industry needs greater investment

Koreas population to top 50 million at end of Sept.

MC Mong had healthy teeth extracted

Shin disappears after caught lying about gambling in Cebu

Asiana Airlines to launch Incheon, Atalanta cargo route

Politics of Twitter

DNA database decodes 47 unsolved cases

Man kills fishmonger for making noise

Seoul education chief vows to innovate schools

Teacher found guilty for corporal punishment

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