my timesThe Korea Times
leehs

Lee Hyo-sik

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.

Go to Email

Read more

South Korea

Lieutenant-colonel dismissed for playing go-stop

By Lee Hyo-sik The Seoul Administrative Court Thursday ruled against an army lieutenant-colonel who filed a lawsuit against the Minister of National Defense after he was dismissed for playing “go-stop,” a popular Korean card game similar to poker, inside the barracks. The court said even though the amount of money at stake was not large enough to be speculative, the 52-year old army officer, identified only by his surname Min, gambled with his junior officers on several occasions. “He failed to be a role model for junior soldiers. We see that the army did not overstep its disciplinary authority in dismissing Min.” It also said he coerced junior officers who gambled with him to lie that they never played the game inside the barracks after the army launched an investigation into the case. “He was also engaged in other activities to conceal the incident. We think if he is allowed to continue to serve in the military, it will tarnish the dignity of the nation’s armed forces and negatively affect its organizational culture.” While serving as a battalion leader, Min and junior

Aug 26, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Five provincial educators busted for gambling

Five workers at the Naju Office of Education in South Jeolla Province have been booked for gambling in the office during work hours, according to the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station. A 60 year-old senior manager, identified only by his surname Sohn, and four other workers were caught on site by police officers while playing “go-stop,” a popular Korean card game similar to poker, in a night-duty room. The police confiscated 3 million won in money from the scene. An officer said the police received a tip that several education office workers habitually gambled in the workplace during office hours. They followed the lead and raided the gambling scene at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The manager Sohn was serving as an acting head of the education office as the superintendent was on summer vacation. According to the police, the five workers played go-stop three to four times a week since late June. They changed the site of gambling frequently so as not to be detected by other employees. They usually began playing the game from noon into late afternoon.

Aug 26, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Violent crimes on upward curve

By Lee Hyo-sik Murder, rape, robbery and other violent crimes are climbing higher. The National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday that the number of crimes committed in 2009 across the country totaled 2.02 million, down 2.1 percent from 2.06 million a year earlier. However, five types of violent crime — murder, robbery, rape, theft and violence — jumped 8.4 percent to 590,087 last year from 544,527 in 2008. The number of murders soared 24 percent to 1,374 nationwide over the one-year period, while robberies surged 32 percent to 6,351. The number of burglaries reached 256,423, up 15 percent from 2008, with rape and other sex crimes rising 6.4 percent to 18,351. The rapid jump in cases of violent crimes came even after the NPA introduced a performance-based payment system for police officers to encourage them to work harder to prevent crimes and apprehend more criminals. “We are making every effort to prevent sexual assaults against women and children, but heinous crimes appear to be rising” a police officer said. Murders occurred most frequently from

Aug 26, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

KoreaToday More men subject to sexual harassment

By Lee Hyo-sik When we hear someone is sexually harassed, we usually think that a young woman is the victim and a middle-aged man, the perpetrator. But things have changed over the years and many men these days have fallen victim to rape and other sexual violence in workplaces and elsewhere. In particular, many young men suffer from various forms of sexual harassment while serving in the military. But the majority of male victims choose not to come forward to speak out about the violence against them and seek counseling as Confucian teachings still dominate Korean society, which teaches men not to shed tears and stay mentally strong under any circumstances. A 28-year old man who recently began a career at one of the nation’s mid-sized business groups has been harassed by his female supervisor in her early 40s. He is often hugged unexpectedly from behind by her. She also touches his buttocks, saying that physical contact with a young man gives her ``yang,’’ positive energy. The man has been putting up with it, thinking that he may lose his job or suffer from the fallo

Aug 25, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Tattoos ― taboo for golf club membership

By Lee Hyo-sik The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said Wednesday that a golf club denying a tattooed man membership does not constitute a violation of human rights. It said the public display of a tattoo could create a sense of incompatibility and revulsion among the other members. In February 2009, a man filed a complaint with the commission against a golf club for refusing him a membership because of the multiple tattoos on his shoulders, chest, arms and other parts of his body. The man claimed that he was discriminated against for his appearance. But the commission dismissed his petition, saying the tattoos on his body were so extensive that it may offend others in public places. “If the size and type of tattoos make other members feel uneasy and threatened, it is hard to say his rights were violated just because he was denied membership,” it said. “A golf club is a private place for sport and social gathering. Additionally, he can golf there without obtaining a membership. Considering all these aspects, it is very unlikely that he was irrationally discrim

Aug 25, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

PD notebook fails to impress viewers

By Lee Hyo-sik MBC TV’s investigative journal “PD Notebook” aired its controversial program, “The secret behind the six-meter depth of the four rivers,” which was critical of the government’s ongoing four-river refurbishment project, Tuesday night, a week after it was initially scheduled to be shown. Despite the media hype surrounding the program, most viewers expressed disappointment after watching it as controversial and sensitive content concerning the project were largely edited out by management. Over the past week, PD Notebook producers, MBC unionists and progressive civic groups were protesting MBC President Kim Jae-chul’s order to suspend the airing of the program just hours before the planned broadcast on Aug. 15. They claimed that management got cold feet because it did not want to worsen its already poor relations with the Lee Myung-bak administration after previously airing material critical of the government. On Aug. 15, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs filed an injunction with the court to ban the airing of the investigative program, ar

Aug 25, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Asiana offers better deals to mileage users

Asiana Airlines said Tuesday that it will offer more seats in September to those who seek to fly through accumulated mileage. The airline firm plans to set aside 100 seats on domestic and international flights for members of its mileage program from Sept. 12 through 16, for only half of the normal mileage. For instance, those who want to fly between Gimpo and Jeju usually have to spend 5,000 miles. But during the five-day period, only 2,500 miles will be required.

Aug 24, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Family busted after enjoying free stay at hotel

A family of five was caught running away from a Seoul hotel without paying the bill after eating and sleeping there for seven days, police said Tuesday. A 44-year old man, identified only by his surname Chung, checked into a hotel in downtown Seoul with his wife and three children on Aug. 5. During their seven-day stay through Aug. 11, they slept in a guest room at the rate of 240,000 won per night and often ordered room service totaling 100,000 won. They had meals at the buffet restaurant and used the recreational facilities, which amounted to a substantial amount of money. The seven-day hotel bill was 3.1 million won. The hotel asked Chung to settle the bill several times during the seven-day period but he refused to do so, saying he would pay the charges when he checked out. After the hotel sent Chung an ultimatum to either pay the bill or leave on Aug. 11, he tried to run away with his family through an emergency staircase. They were caught by hotel employees and Chung was booked without physical detention for the crime. 유명호텔서 공짜피서 즐기다 발각 일가족 5명이 서울의 한 호텔에

Aug 24, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Human rights agency becoming toothless

By Lee Hyo-sik The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is coming under increasing criticism for its reluctance to investigate the illegal surveillance of politicians by the Prime Minister’s Office and other politically sensitive matters. Critics argue that the commission has increasingly turned a blind eye to possible human rights violations by law enforcement authorities and other branches of the government. They said the state-run human rights advocacy agency has fallen into “a vegetative state” under the conservative Lee Myung-bak Administration. On Monday, the commission held a general meeting to decide whether to probe the alleged illegal surveillance of Rep. Nam Kyung-pil and other governing Grand National Party (GNP) lawmakers by the Prime Minister’s Office. But out of 11 permanent and non-permanent members, only five approved of the commission launching an independent investigation into the matter. The remaining six members who are classified as conservative voted against it, saying they do not have enough information to fully comprehend the nature of th

Aug 24, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea

Health insurance premiums to surge

By Lee Hyo-sik Koreans may have to pay about one 10th of their income for national health insurance premiums by 2020 due to the aging population and increasingly health-conscious social trends. Heavier insurance premiums will likely weaken drive to work harder and lower the financial ability to spend on various goods and services or to save for rainy days, undermining Korea’s economic viability. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) said Monday that the nation’s total medical and health-related expenditure will reach 110 trillion won in 2015 and 156 trillion won in 2020, up from 77 trillion won this year. That’s because Koreans demand more advanced and expensive medical services in line with rising income levels. A growing number of senior citizens, and new treatments and services are also expected to push up Korea’s medical bills. The institute projected that Koreans aged over 65 will account for 15 percent of the population in 2020, adding the ratio of the nation’s medical expenses to gross domestic product (GDP) will reach 9.6 percent, up

Aug 23, 2010By Lee Hyo-sik
previous page
189190191192193
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.