The Korea Times

Is Sewol Park's 9/11?

Ferry tragedy alters presidential agendaBy Kim Tae-gyu, Jun Ji-hyePresident Park Geun-hyeThe Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks reset former President George W. Bush’s political agenda.By all means, the April 16, 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol is changing that of President Park Geun-hye.Bush opted for a war on terror, putting all kinds of national resources toward revenge against Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the bloodiest attack on the U.S. mainland. “Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly attacks,” Bush told the world.Park is opting for a “national renovation” from scratch to eliminate all irregularities that contributed to the ferry sinking.She decided to use an anti-corruption campaign as a primary tool.Prime Minister nominee Ahn Dae-hee is delegated to wield the “big stick.”As with the 9/11 aftermath, the prevalent social atmosphere here is one of intolerance, captured by the Bush doctrine of “my way or the highway.”At the starting point of her cleanup drive, fe

May 23, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Boeing, Airbus compete for Seoul's flight tanker project

By Jun Ji-hyeThe world’s two major aircraft makers are seeking to win a contract to supply the Air Force with four in-flight refueling tankers.The project to improve airborne operations of its fighters at a maximum cost of 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) was finalized last November.Boeing's KC-46 and Airbus Defence & Space’s A330 MRTT are the potential candidates for the acquisition.During a briefing session Thursday, Airbus stressed that its fully-developed and certified A330 MRTT was the most suitable aircraft for the Air Force.“It will provide Korea with a full range of tanker and air transport services, including flying military personnel to and from Afghanistan and providing refueling support to fighters for the country’s air defense,” said Pablo Quesada, regional sales director in charge of Northeast Asia.He presented three different roles that the A330 MRTT can perform in one single platform.“It is capable of performing the transition from air-to-air refueling, to passenger and freight transport and to an aero medical evacuation mission wi

May 22, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Liberal figure blames Park for sunken ferry

By Jun Ji-hyeRhyu Si-minRhyu Si-min, a former welfare minister, has stirred controversy over his remarks that the deaths of so many people were forecasted right after President Park Geun-hye took power.His statement referred to the Sewol ferry disaster that left more than 300 dead or missing, most of them high school students.“I had said so many people would die or be sent to prison under the Park regime,” Rhyu said Wednesday. “Unfortunately, the current situation seems to be going in that direction.”Rhyu made the remarks in a video clip to promote the minor opposition Justice Party’s podcast for the June 4 local elections. He is a member of the party.“The enormous death of innocent children occurred during the seven-year rule of the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye governments,” said Rhyu. “The Sewol tragedy resulted from the two presidents’ appointment of incompetent figures to high-ranking positions, and those people’s corruption has caused a malfunction of the government’s safety administration.”During an even

May 22, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

Liberal figure blames Park for sunken ferry

South Korea

China, Russia's exercise area overlaps with KADIZ

By Jun Ji-hyeMilitary forces strengthened their reconnaissance and surveillance activities in the southwestern air defense zone part after China and Russia announced a joint maritime exercise there.“The two countries are carrying out a joint drill in the East China Sea starting Tuesday, which will continue to Monday,” said the Ministry of National Defense in a statement.“On Friday, Beijing designated some areas as no-sailing zones for live-fire exercises, and some of these later appeared to be covered by Korea’s air defense identification zone or KADIZ and Japan’s ADIZ.”The two countries have mobilized 14 surface combat vessels, two submarines, nine aircraft and six helicopters for the exercise.“Seoul dispatched flight reconnaissance jets and Navy vessels to the scene this morning,” said a ministry official. “Surveillance radar on Jeju Island is closely monitoring the situations as well.”The military is also utilizing a “hot-line” between Seoul Beijing’s Air Force and Navy to prevent any possible collision

May 20, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Safety agency to handle disasters

The swimming pool of the Korea Coast Guard Academy in Yeosu, North Jeolla Province, is empty Tuesday, a day after President Park Geun-hye announced a plan to abolish the Coast Guard for its mishandling of the sinking of the ferry Sewol. A swimming test was scheduled Tuesday, but cancelled. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeAfter President Park Geun-hye said she will create a new national disaster control tower, during a televised address Monday, all eyes are now focused on the role of the tentatively titled National Safety Agency (NSA).President Park said the new organization will cover all sorts of disasters ― maritime, land, aviation, energy and chemical accidents ― during her speech about the Sewol ferry disaster.Park said the agency, under the control of the prime minister, will aim to prevent major accidents and better handle any emergencies that occur.The NSA will have three departments covering land safety, maritime safety and other special disasters.Its maritime safety department, which will take over the handling of sea disasters from the Korea Coast Guard (KCG), will have four

May 20, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

11 injured in subway explosion

By Jun Ji-hyeAn explosion that occurred on a subway train approaching a station south of Seoul left 11 people injured, police said Monday.An insulator exploded around 6:56 p.m. as the train was entering Gunpo’s Geumjeong Station on Line 4, breaking some windows and injuring people on the platform.Officials said the injured were immediately taken to hospital.It is unknown whether there were any additional casualties. “It appears that the accident occurred when an insulator linking the train to the electrical supply equipment suddenly exploded,” said an official of the train's operator, KORAIL, adding that the exact cause has yet to be established.The train was moved to a garage after all passengers exited at the station and subway services on the same route were resumed about 20 minutes later.The accident came after two subway trains collided earlier this month at Sangwangsimni Station on Line 2, reportedly due to a signal error. The collision, which injured 246 people, led police to raid the headquarters of Seoul Metro in Seocho, along with three other offices.

May 19, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Opposition says address 'insufficient'

By Jun Ji-hyeRep. Kim Han-gil, co-chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, comments on President Park Gun-hye’s address about the Sewol ferry disaster at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) downplayed Monday an address made by President Park Geun-hye over the Sewol ferry tragedy, calling it an “insufficient diagnosis and prescription.”But the ruling Saenuri Party described the address as a “sincere apology” because she expressed a strong desire for government reform.The NPAD co-chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil criticized Park’s suggestion of setting up a Safety Agency under the control of the prime minister. He argued that the National Security Council (NSC) of the presidential office should play the role of disaster control tower.“The tragic accident occurred because the President and Cheong Wa Dae neglected their duties to manage relevant systems,” said Kim in a news conference. “If Cheong Wa Dae again attempts to avoid

May 19, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Park, Chung clash in their 1st debate

Park Won-soon, right, speaks while Chung Mong-joon looks on during their first open debate at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul, Monday. Park, a member of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, and Chung of the ruling Saenuri Party are competing in the Seoul mayoral election on June 4. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyePark Won-soon and Chung Mong-joon went head to head in their first open debate in the Seoul mayoral election scheduled for June 4.Both stressed that they were the most qualified to take responsibility for the safety of Seoul citizens, apparently wary of public sentiment following the Sewol ferry tragedy.The debate was hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a fraternity of senior journalists, at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul.“Many young children were victimized due to the fault of adults. I will devote myself to create a safe nation to ensure that those lives that were lost were not wasted,” said Chung of the ruling Saenuri Party.He said the capital city is in trouble as its economy has been slow while crime rates have been soaring.“Park seems to sta

May 19, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

23-floor apartment collapses in Pyongyang

Families of victims of an accident at an apartment construction site in Pyongyang grieve during a gathering in the capital where senior officials apologized and took responsibility. The word of the collapse in the secretive nation's capital was reported Sunday morning by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, which gave no death toll but said that the accident was "serious" and upset North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un./AP-Yonhap  NK makes unprecedented apology By Jun Ji-hye A 23-floor apartment building in Pyongyang collapsed last Tuesday, killing a considerable number of people, according to the Ministry of Unification, Sunday.A ministry official said that the collapsed building was located in the Pyongchon district of the capital city and was not completed.“People had already been living in 92 housing units that were finished first,” said the official, indicating that the death toll would reach hundreds.The explanation came soon after the North’s state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported a “serious” accident that oc

May 18, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

23-floor apartment collapses in Pyongyang

South Korea

Parties struggling in home turfs

Kim Boo-kyum of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy seeks support during a visit to a temple in Daegu, Sunday. Kim is running in the Daegu mayoral election against Kwon Young-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hye The ruling and opposition parties are currently being threatened in their respective traditional home turfs, buffeted by independent candidates in the run-up to the June 4 local elections.Alerted by the mavericks faring well thus far, the two main parties are engaged in a desperate fight to safeguard their strongholds, as defeats there will severely dent their fortunes nationally.The governing Saenuri Party has been in the hot seat in the Busan mayoral election.Until recently, Saenuri’s Suh Byung-soo had been expected to clinch an overwhelming victory in the nation’s second largest city.But all that is now in doubt after Kim Young-choon of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) made a concession to independent Oh Keo-don in order to field a single opposition candidate.In a recent survey jointl

May 18, 2014By Jun Ji-hye

Jun Ji-hye

Read more

Is Sewol Park's 9/11?

Boeing, Airbus compete for Seoul's flight tanker project

Liberal figure blames Park for sunken ferry

China, Russia's exercise area overlaps with KADIZ

Safety agency to handle disasters

11 injured in subway explosion

Opposition says address 'insufficient'

Park, Chung clash in their 1st debate

23-floor apartment collapses in Pyongyang

Parties struggling in home turfs

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