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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

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South Korea

Cho acquitted of document leak in 'memogate'

By Lee Kyung-min     Cho Eung-chon, former presidential secretary, answers reporters’questions at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul after being acquitted of charges of leaking confidential information and violating the Presidential Records Management Act, Thursday. / YonhapA district court acquitted former presidential secretary Cho Eung-chon on charges that he leaked presidential documents, Thursday.The Seoul Central district Court cleared Cho of violating the Presidential Records Management Act and leaking confidential information.While Cho passed copies of original documents to an outsider, the court did not recognize a copied one as a presidential document.“If all copied documents are regarded as presidential records, it means all such copies should be preserved and those damaging them should face criminal punishment. It is unreasonable,” it said.Regarding the confidential information leak allegation, the court said it was within Cho’s official duty.But the court handed down a seven-year prison term and a 43 millio

Oct 15, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
Cho acquitted of document leak in 'memogate'
South Korea

Professors' resistance to state textbook intensifies

Students at the Korea University protest against the government’s plan to publish standardized history textbooks during a press conference on the school campus in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Lee Kyung-minAn increasing number of history professors are joining protests against the government’s plan to publish a standardized history textbook, refusing to take part in the project.Such a move may make it difficult for the government to secure enough scholars as authors. Concerns are also growing that the books may fail to guarantee a balanced view of history as the government pledges.All 13 history professors at Yonsei University issued a statement Tuesday, vowing not to participate as authors in what they call, “a move of shameless regression of democracy that goes against our conscience.“We don’t think the government will ask us to write, but we will refuse any involvement in the government’s textbook-making,” they said in the statement.They said the government measure is not an issue of education but rather politics.“The Park Geun-hye ad

Oct 14, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Ideological dispute expected in classrooms

State-led textbook to trigger ideological dispute in classroomsBy Lee Kyung-minEducators, historians and civic groups have vowed to take measures against the government’s plan to use state-authored history textbooks from 2017, saying they will develop their own teaching materials.Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Jang Hui-guk said Tuesday his office would seek other history materials to teach the “truth.” Many other top educators nationwide are considering similar measures.The Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union is considering boycotting the government-written textbook. “We cannot teach the inaccurate content in government-authored history textbooks that glorify authoritarian military dictatorship and the pro-Japanese collaborators during Japanese colonial rule,” a union spokesman said.“Teachers cannot teach students the wrong history while knowing it is wrong. We will make teaching materials of our own.”Under the law, teachers cannot use other books as main textbooks, but have discretion in determining sup

Oct 13, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Travel ban on criminal suspects constitutional

By Lee Kyung-min It is constitutional to impose a travel ban of up to six months on a suspect due to stand trial, the Constitutional Court said Tuesday. The court said that the law is necessary for the state to prevent suspects, who are due to stand trial without detention, from fleeing overseas. It said it is legal not to notify suspects of the ban in advance. “Such people can file an administrative suit later to nullify the ban or seek compensation, and the ban does not infringe on their rights to a fair trial,” it said.The ruling followed a petition by a man surnamed Kim, who was banned from leaving the country in 2012 while he was on trial for fraud.

Oct 13, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Police to crack down on school meals corruption

By Lee Kyung-min  Police will crack down strongly on corruption involving school meals following the recent case at Choongam High School in Seoul where school officials and food suppliers allegedly embezzled 410 million won from the lunch budget.The National Police Agency (NPA) said Monday it would crack down on collusion between food suppliers and school officials, embezzlement of a school’s budget by manipulating the account books, poor food hygiene and supplying substandard ingredients.School officials suspected of embezzling food budgets will be held for investigation. Suppliers who were not directly involved in such embezzlement but had gained financially through the corruption will also face questioning. Illicit financial gains will be returned to the school and the parents.The NPA is also considering raising the cash reward for people reporting irregularities from 5 million won to 50 million won.Police will also intensify the crackdown on substandard food in cooperation with related agencies.Food suppliers and distributors who forge hygiene regulation tests wil

Oct 12, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Breast surgery failure causes loss of labor ability

Hospital to compensate woman for bungled operations By Lee Kyung-min A high court upheld Monday a ruling that side effects from breast enlargement surgery should be recognized as a disability that can result in a loss of labor ability.The court said a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul must pay 57 million won ($49,000) in compensation to a woman who underwent a series of breast enlargement operations.The woman in her 30s, surnamed Hyeon, had the first surgery at the clinic in 2006; followed by a second operation in 2010. However, she had to undergo a third due to shoulder pain. Because of continuous pain, Hyeon had two additional operations in 2011, resulting in scarring and an asymmetrical appearance.She demanded the clinic pay 93 million won. A lower court put the clinic’s responsibility at 50 percent, saying she had a partial loss of labor ability. The clinic appealed the decision, saying breasts were not exposed unlike the face and thus any side effects would not cause the loss.But the high court said the woman is expected to have difficulty breastfeeding in the futu

Oct 12, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Students oppose state-authored history textbook

A group of high school students protest a government plan to publish a state-authored history textbook,in Insa-dong, central Seoul, Sunday. / YonhapRallies continue against state-authored history textbook By Lee Kyung-min  Students’ groups have joined the protest against the government’s push to author a history textbook, which they called “an attempt to standardize students’ mindsets.”Following protests by liberal civic groups and history professors for several months, a group of university students held a rally in front of the ruling Saenuri Party office in Yeouido and at Gwanghwamun Square, Saturday, demanding the government stop the move.“Such a textbook will allow the government to interfere with the interpretation and teaching of history,” they said. “This infringes on the independence and political neutrality of education guaranteed by the Constitution, and also on the freedom of speech and publication.”They said that the government was pushing ahead with its plan after many schools refused to adopt a right-leanin

Oct 11, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
Students oppose state-authored history textbook
People & Events

'Teaching foreigners Korean is my passion'

Kim Joon-mo, fifth from left in the back row, audit department head at the Incheon Seobu Office of Education, poses with his students learning the Korean language at the Incheon Support Center for Foreigners, Sunday. / Yonhap By Lee Kyung-min  Kim Joon-mo, audit department head at the Incheon Seobu Office of Education, has been teaching the Korean language to foreigners for the past four years.He has given two-hour lectures every Sunday at the Incheon Support Center for Foreigners under the Human Resources Development Service of Korea.The 51-year-old said teaching Korean to foreigners is a passion he will never give up.“While teaching, I learn a lot more about the things that I otherwise wouldn’t. I am happy that I can be of help to others in the process, too.”Some 20 students attend his class each semester. He has taught more than 160 students, who remain close friends.His students include foreigners who teach English in schools, immigrant wives and migrant workers.For the Spanish major at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, learning foreign langua

Oct 9, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
'Teaching foreigners Korean is my passion'
South Korea

Presidential Archives removes sign written by 'leftist scholar'

By Lee Kyung-minThe state agency for presidential records has changed the sign on its main entrance following a conservative civic group’s complaint that it was written by a “leftist professor.”Rep. Lim Su-kyung of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said during a National Assembly audit Thursday that the Presidential Archives under the National Archives of Korea changed the sign last December.The change followed a complaint filed in October 2013 by the civic group, Blue Union, which demanded that the sign be removed because it was written using a font created by Sungkonghoe University professor Shin Young-bok, a left-leaning scholar.Shin served 20 years in prison from 1968 for espionage under the dictatorial Park Chung-hee administration. The font he developed is popular for its unique shape, and has been used by many sectors in the country, also for commercial purposes including local soju brand, Cheoeum Cheoreom.The sign with his font had been used since 2008.The group claimed that the country’s identity was damaged because it was

Oct 9, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Trial over 'Itaewon murder' begins

The mother of Cho Choong-pil, the victim of the “Itaewon murder,” calls for punishment of the suspect, Arthur Patterson, after preparatory proceedings in the case at the Seoul Central District Court, Thursday. / Korea TimesBy Lee Kyung-minThe defense lawyer representing Arthur John Patterson, who is the key suspect in the “Itaewon murder” trial, declared that his client was innocent at the first hearing held at Seoul Central District Court.The trial began 18 years after the incident occurred, and about two weeks Patterson 's extradition from the United States to Korea.At the preparatory proceedings, Patterson appeared in courtroom 417, wearing a white prison uniform, looking tired yet calm. It is customary for an arrested suspect to appear at proceedings where the prosecution and lawyers establish the issues to be dealt with at future hearings.Patterson only answered questions in short statements. When asked by the presiding judge Shim Gyu-hong whether he could understand the proceedings in Korean, he said, “Very little.”   He was indicte

Oct 8, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
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