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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

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South Korea

First confirmed case of MERS reported

 By Lee Kyung-min  Health authorities confirmed an outbreak in the country of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a deadly new virus that is sweeping Arabic countries.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the infected patient, 68, is currently under treatment, and is in a stable condition.The man visited a hospital seeking treatment after experiencing symptoms of violent coughing and fever soon after returning from a trip to Middle Eastern countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).He stayed in Bahrain from mid-April and returned to Korea on May 4.The man reportedly spent substantial hours on a farm on a daily basis during his stay.He reportedly did not come into contact with camels, which transmit the disease, a CDCP official said.The mildly contagious yet highly deadly virus was first discovered in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. No vaccines are available for the disease yet.Out of 1,142 confirmed cases reported in 23 countries, 465 people have died, marking 40 percent fatality rate.So far, no confirmed cases have been reporte

May 20, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

NIS officials found guilty of document forgery

By Lee Kyung-minAn appeals court Wednesday upheld guilty verdicts for three National Intelligence Service (NIS) officials and three others involved in document forgery that led to the indictment of North Korea-born Korean-Chinese Yoo Woo-sung on espionage charges.Yoo, a former contract worker for Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), was indicted on charges that he accessed and delivered government data on North Korean defectors here to the North. However, it was discovered that the indictment was based on manipulated documents provided by spy agency officials.Yoo received a not guilty verdict from lower courts, and the case is being reviewed by the Supreme Court.The six include three NIS officials surnamed Kim, Kwon and Lee; a consulate general stationed in China, Lee In-cheol; a man surnamed Kim who helped the NIS; and a Korean-Chinese surnamed Kim.The Seoul High Court handed down heavier sentences for three ― the NIS official surnamed Kim, and the other two Kims.The NIS official was sentenced to four years after being found guilty of fabricating Yoo’s immigration records

May 20, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Ex-FSS official faces arrest for bribery

By Lee Kyung-minThe prosecution sought a detention warrant for former Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) deputy governor Kim Jin-soo, Tuesday, over allegations that he had corrupt ties with Keangnam Enterprises.The prosecution suspects Kim peddled his influence on creditors of the firm to provide emergency funds to Keangnam through a debt-for-equity swap deal when it was under a creditor-led debt rescheduling program in 2013.Kim is suspected of having taken kickbacks from the firm's former owner, Sung Woan-jong, in return for his help.Earlier this month, prosecutors raided Kim’s home and offices and the headquarters of Shinhan Bank, which was the firm’s main creditor.The investigation is based on allegations raised by the Board of Audit and Inspection that the financial regulator gave preferential treatment to Keangnam.The emergency fund provided to the firm amounts to some 1 trillion won ($ 91 million), according to the prosecution.

May 19, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Visitors need translation service most

By Lee Kyung-minThe most frequently requested form of help from foreign tourists visiting Korea is for translation services, a study showed Tuesday.Besides this, visitors also seek information on popular shopping districts, the transportation system and accommodation.The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) analyzed some 300,000 calls made to 1330, a 24-hour hotline for foreign tourists operated by the organization, over the past two years. About 38 percent of these calls concerned translation services.More than half sought help in English (57 percent), followed by Chinese (35 percent) and Japanese (7 percent).The most frequently asked question in English was regarding public transportation (34 percent), taxi services (19 percent) and overnight stays (eight percent).In Chinese, almost a third of the inquiries were regarding taxi services (30 percent), followed by shopping district and restaurant location (15 percent) and overnight stays (15 percent.In the case of calls made from a taxi, callers wanted to make sure their driver understood the destination they were planning to reach.Most n

May 19, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

POSCO slush fund probe widening

Ex-POSCO E&C vice chairman questionedBy Lee Kyung-min  Chung Dong-hwaProsecutors questioned former POSCO E&C Vice Chairman Chung Dong-hwa, Tuesday, over allegations that he played a central role in creating a slush fund while he served in the post from 2009 to 2012.He is also suspected of accepting bribes from the firm’s subcontractors and business partners.His summons came about two months after the prosecution launched an investigation into the “failed energy diplomacy” conducted during the Lee Myung-bak administration.Chung allegedly masterminded the creation of a 10 billion won ($9 million) slush fund while leading the firm’s overseas construction projects.Prosecutors believe behind Chung was former POSCO Chairman Chung Joon-yang, who maintained close relations with Lee’s aides. The former chairman is also likely to be summoned soon.The prosecution said it will determine whether to seek a detention warrant for Chung Dong-hwa.Five former and incumbent POSCO E&C officials have been indicted for their alleged roles in creating and

May 19, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
POSCO slush fund probe widening
South Korea

Family of civilian victim of US shelling during Korean War wins compensation suit

By Lee Kyung-minAn appeals court ruled Monday that the Korean government is responsible for a civilian’s death caused by a shelling attack by the U.S. during the 1950-53 Korean War.The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of the family of a victim surnamed Bang, ordering the government to pay 48.88 million won ($44,000) in compensation.Bang was killed in an attack by the USS Haven of the U.S. Navy in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in September 1950.It is the first time that a local court has recognized the government’s liability for a wartime civilian casualty caused by bombing or shelling by the U.S.Earlier, a district court ruled that no liability is incurred on the Korean government in Bang’s case because the U.S. caused his death.However, the high court overturned the ruling based on evidence that the shelling resulted from wrong information provided by the Korean Army.Bang’s family filed the suit after a report in 2010 by a state truth-finding commission, which concluded that the U.S. shelling resulted in his death, and the attack was based on directions f

May 18, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Cats killed most often on Seoul roads

By Lee Kyung-minMotor vehicles kill an average of 10 animals a day in Seoul, according to a study released Monday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) study shows that more than 11,869 animals died that way from 2012- 2014.A total of 9,668 cats were killed, accounting for 81 percent of the dead animals, followed by dogs (12 percent), birds and other creatures (7 percent).Of the city’s 25 districts, Gangnam-gu reported the most animal deaths (15 cases daily), followed by 12 cases per day in Guro, Geumcheon, Nowon and Seongdong.An SMG official said city officials were aware of the problem.“Most of the cats killed are believed to be stray animals,” the official said.“Under the law, we have taken measures to trap, spay and neuter, and release them to reduce the number of stray cats.”She said the program, called “trap-and-return” (TNR), was being widely implemented in other developed countries.More than 6,000 cats are spayed or neutered each year.The official said spaying or neutering the cats was preferable to them being killed

May 18, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Lee, Hong will be indicted this week

By Lee Kyung-minThe prosecution said Sunday it will indict former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and South Gyeongsang Governor Hong Joon-pyo as early as this week on bribery charges, but is unlikely to seek detention warrants against them. The two are among eight people mentioned in a hand-written bribery list left by the late Keangnam Enterprises Chairman Sung Woan-jong before he committed suicide in April.“We are in the process of finalizing the date to bring charges against them,” a prosecutor said.The two have been summoned for questioning.The prosecution said the former prime minister is suspected of receiving 30 million won ($27,000) in illegal funds from Sung during his National Assembly by-election campaign in April 2013.The prosecution suspects that Sung gave Lee the money in his campaign office in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, on April 4.Surveillance camera footage showed Sung's car passed through the Buyeo tollgate at 4 p.m. that day.The prosecution reportedly secured necessary testimony after questioning Sung's former secretary, surnamed Geum, and Lee's

May 17, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

3 men indicted for producing meth in NK

Prosecution says two involved in plot to kill noted defectorBy Lee Kyung-minThree South Korean men have been indicted for producing methamphetamine in North Korea with the help of a North Korean spy, the prosecution said Sunday.Two of the three suspects were also charged with plotting to murder anti-Pyongyang advocates, including Hwang Jang-yup, the highest-ranking North Korean defector, before Hwang died of a heart attack in 2010.The prosecution said that it discovered the case after securing testimony from a former North Korean spy.“This is the first time that we have obtained hard evidence that the North is resorting to drug production to earn foreign currency,” a prosecutor said.The three men ― surnamed Kim, 63, Hwang, 56, and Bang, 69 ― are suspected of producing a total of 70 kilograms of methamphetamine from June to July in 2000 in North Korea’s Hwanghae Province.Half of this amount is believed to have been delivered to North Korean authorities, but how it was sold is unknown, said the prosecution.The rest was given to the three, but they failed to

May 17, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Hearing opens on chemical castration

By Lee Kyung-minThe Constitutional Court held its first public hearing Thursday to discuss whether the law on chemical castration of sex offenders infringes on their fundamental rights.Based on opinions gathered through the hearings, the court will determine the constitutionality of the law by the end of this year.During the hearing, at issue was whether the measure violates offenders’ human rights. There were also heated debates over whether the procedure is the most effective punishment for sex offenders.The discussion also touched upon whether the chemical injection entails any side effects, and if so, whether any countermeasures can be used.Lawyer Jang Woo-seung claimed chemical castration is highly abusive and can possibly change a person’s sexual orientation.“The punishment is excessive, because it involves a hormone injection that might cause an unwanted change to a person’s system,” he said. “It is no less of a punishment compared to physical detention, contrary to its original aim as a supportive measure.”Lawyer Seo Kyu-young represe

May 14, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
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