The Korea Times

Foreign residents in Gyeonggi top 380,000

By Lee Hyo-sik The number of foreigners residing in Gyeonggi Province has surpassed 380,000 for the first time this year as more people from China and Southeast Asian nations come here to find work. A rise in the number of migrant wives marrying Korean men has also boosted the province’s foreign population. The Gyeonggi Provincial Government said Sunday that foreign nationals as well as those born overseas that have become naturalized Korean citizens totaled 380,606 as of January this year, up 12.7 percent from a year earlier. They account for 3.2 percent of the province’s total population of 11.79 million. Migrant workers totaled 203,736, accounting for 53.5 percent of the non-Korean population, followed by migrant wives at 37,541 and children of multicultural families at 37,519. In particular, the number of foreign women tying the knot with Korean men jumped 15.2 percent from a year ago, while children born between them jumped 25.5 percent over the one-year period. By nationality, Chinese accounted for 57.9 percent of the province’s foreign population at 220,408, fo

Sep 13, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Louis Vuitton opens 1st airport shop in Incheon

By Lee Hyo-sik Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s leading luxury brands, has opened its first-ever airport shop at Incheon International Airport to capitalize on a surging demand from Korean, Chinese and Japanese customers. In partnership with the Shilla Duty Free, affiliated with Samsung Group, the maker of high-ended handbags and other luxury items based in France held an opening ceremony at Incheon Airport on Sept. 10, inviting hundreds of industry officials and journalists from Korea, China and Japan. Among the participants in the tape-cutting event were Louis Vuitton CEO Yves Carcelle, Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Bu-jin and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp. Lee Chae-wook. At a keynote speech, Carcelle said the newly opened-shop will be the No. 1 duty free store in Incheon airport. The Louis Vuitton store covers 550 square meters in the middle of the third floor of the passenger terminal, the most strategic spot on Airstar Avenue. The shop features leather goods, women’s and men’s shoes, watches, belts, ties, textiles, fashion jewelry, sunglasses, watches a

Sep 13, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Seoul government’s debt surges

By Lee Hyo-sik The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s debt has jumped three-fold over the past five years while former mayor Oh Se-hoon, affiliated with the governing Grand National Party, was running Korea’s largest metropolis. Oh’s supporters say the city had no choice but to borrow more to cope with the unprecedented global economic crisis that began in late 2008. Conversely his opponents attribute the city’s worsening financial soundness to the many of Oh’s ``pork barrel’’ development projects. The Seoul government said Sunday that its outstanding liabilities stood at 3.82 trillion won ($3.54 billion) as of the end of 2010, up from 1.1 trillion won in 2005. The city’s debt is twice as much as that of other large municipalities, which average 1.93 trillion won. In particular, the debt soared sharply to 3.24 trillion won in 2009 from 1.86 trillion won a year earlier as the city government borrowed heavily to finance a number of public works and create jobs in efforts to mitigate the economic downturn. Seoul City also issued municipal bonds worth 900 billion won ov

Sep 13, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Chinese tourists outspend Japanese

By Lee Hyo-sik Chinese tourists have proved to be more lavish spenders than their Japanese counterparts as they purchase mostly cosmetics, clothes and other high-priced items. In contrast, Japanese visitors tend to buy dried seaweed and other modestly-priced food items as souvenirs. In a survey of 300 Chinese and Japanese tourists conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), 32.2 percent of visitors from the mainland said they spent over $1,000 per person to purchase various goods here. But only 4.2 percent of Japanese respondents said they did the same. About 81.5 percent of Japanese tourists said they spent less than $500 on shopping, compared with 37.9 percent among the Chinese. The survey found that nearly 87 percent of Chinese visitors put cosmetics as a must-buy item, followed by food items at 54.9 percent. But 80.5 percent of Japanese said seaweed and other dried sea foods were on top of their shopping list, followed by cosmetics at 75.3 percent, and snacks and other groceries at 55.8 percent. ``Our survey shows that more Chinese tourists pur

Sep 9, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Korail CEO to get leadership award

By Lee Hyo-sik Korail CEO Huh Joon-young will receive an international leadership award for his creative management style and corporate achievements, the state-run railroad operator said Thursday. The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), a leading international association dedicated to improving productivity and performance in the workplace, has picked Huh as one of this year’s recipients of the “Leadership in Performance Award,” the company said. ISPI, headquartered in the U.S. state of Maryland, was founded in 1962 and has since recognized up to 10,000 performance improvement professionals throughout the United States, Canada and 40 other countries. Korail said an award ceremony will be held at the company headquarters in Daejon today, with renowned psychologist Carl Binder, senior ISPI member, taking part in the event to deliver the award to the Korail CEO.

Sep 8, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Youth sex crime victims surge 43% in 4 years

The number of adolescents victims of sex crimes has jumped by more than 40 percent over the past three years. According to the data submitted to Rep. Moon Hak-jin of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) by the National Police Agency, Thursday, 4,529 youths aged between 16 and 20 were sexually abused at least once by either adults or their peers in 2010. It marks a 43 percent gain from 3,159 in 2007. Among those aged 13-15, 1,656 were subject to sexual assaults, up 36 percent from 1,220 three years ago. “Sex crimes targeting minors have increased at a much faster than those on adults over the past few years. In particular, the number of sex offenses adolescents committed against their peers grew sharply amid the increasingly open and liberal social atmosphere toward sex,” a police officer said. A total of 166 such cases were reported last year, more than double from 64 in the year 2007. Rep. Moon said law enforcement authorities should harshly punish sex offenders preying on minors, stressing that teachers and parents need to pay more attention to the wellbeing of

Sep 8, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Beast’s song ruled not harmful to youth

The lyrics of a song cannot be considered harmful to adolescents just because they are deemed to promote drinking, the court said Thursday, suspending a government decision. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled that a censorship arm of the Ministry of Gender and Equality and Family should revoke its decision to designate a song, titled “When It Rains,” by six-member idol group Beast, as harmful to adolescents. “We suspend the effectiveness of the ministry’s decision for the next 15 days. We recognize the need to take such action in order to prevent the plaintiff from sustaining unnecessary damage,” the court said. In July, the ministry slapped the song with the “harmful to youth” rating, saying that its lyrics encourages youths to drink alcohol. As a result, the song was banned from being played on TV and radio from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays. During weekends and school vacations, it was not heard from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In protest, the idol group’s agency Cube Entertainment filed a suit against the ministry to nullify the “harmful to youth

Sep 8, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

Travel & Food

Hotels offer one-more-night promotion

This is the final in a series featuring hotels holding the ``one-more-night promotion’’ which offers a one-night complementary stay to guests who stay for three or four nights. A total of 36 hotels across the country were presented over a six-month period. The series introduced three hotels at a time biweekly and is in conjunction with the nationwide campaign to promote the ``2010-2012 Visit Korea Years.’’ ― ED. Seoul Education Culture Center In celebration of the ``2010-2012 Visit Korea Years,’’ Seoul Education Culture Center presents an exceptional offer to long-term staying foreign guests. Those who stay for over three nights will receive a fourth night free through Dec. 31, 2011. The room rate is based on the best available rate and subject to room availability. The offer is not valid in conjunction with other promotions or packages such as group, travel agency and special corporate rates. To make a reservation or for more information, call 82-2-571-8100 or visit http://www.temf.co.kr Hotel Shilla In commemoration of the ``2010-2012 Visit Korea Years,’’ Hotel S

Sep 8, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Tax probe unnerves high-income celebs

By Lee Hyo-sik Popular comedian and TV show host Kang Ho-dong might have thought that his trouble with law enforcement authorities would end as soon as he pledged to pay back taxes and penalties amounting to hundreds of millions of won. It turns out to be wishful thinking as he is now being accused of evading taxes. Kang’s problem has also unnerved other high-income celebrities who are concerned that the tax office may come after them. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Wednesday that an unidentified businessman filed a complaint against the 41-year-old traditional Korean ssireum wrestler-turned-comedian, claiming that he broke the law by evading taxes. In a petition filed with the prosecution, the businessman argued that Kang engages in various entertainment-related activities and runs his own businesses, earning over 30 billion won ($28 million) per year. “Kang committed wrongdoings in order to evade taxes. After being caught, he just excused himself by saying that he did not know about any irregularities,” the petition said. “The comedian then sai

Sep 7, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea

Prosecutor commits suicide

A 34-year-old prosecutor, identified only as Huh, was found dead in an apparent suicide in Daejeon, Wednesday morning, according to the police. Huh, a prosecutor at the Daejon District Prosecutors’ Office, had apparently choked to death and was found with a rubber glove around his neck in the kitchen. Huh’s colleague told police that he went to the prosecutor’s apartment as he did not show up for work. The coworker found Huh lying on the kitchen floor and called the 119 emergency services. A suicide note was found near Huh’s body, which only read: “I am sorry.” A police officer said the note was confirmed to have been written by Huh, adding no one else was spotted by a surveillance camera, entering or exiting his apartment. “Given all the circumstances, we think the prosecutor committed suicide. But to find out the exact cause of death, we will conduct an autopsy,” the officer said.

Sep 7, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

Lee Hyo-sik

Read more

Foreign residents in Gyeonggi top 380,000

Louis Vuitton opens 1st airport shop in Incheon

Seoul government’s debt surges

Chinese tourists outspend Japanese

Korail CEO to get leadership award

Youth sex crime victims surge 43% in 4 years

Beast’s song ruled not harmful to youth

Hotels offer one-more-night promotion

Tax probe unnerves high-income celebs

Prosecutor commits suicide

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