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Lee Kyung-min

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South Korea

SMG to install music-playing streetlights

By Lee Kyung-min The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) plans to install music-playing streetlights in four places by 2018.Inspired by the “Sonic Bloom” outside Seattle’s Pacific Science Center in the U.S., the key functions of the lights will include playing tunes that best match the weather of the day, and changing them based on the movement of people underneath it, the SMG said.The city government plans to make them one of the city’s landmarks that will serve as major attractions for tourists and locals.Popular city parks will be the most likely locations for the musical lights.The SMG has yet to decide whether the installations will be of a fundamentally new design, or simply require the attaching of a motion-detecting device to existing streetlights.The SMG is seeking professional help from renowned designers worldwide for the project, officials said.With the limited inspiration of Seattle’s installations, the city plans to differentiate it and come up with something unique and that best meets local tastes, they said.“As far as we know,

Mar 26, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

BBQ ordered to compensate for franchisees

BBQ Group Chairman Yoon Hong-geunBy Lee Kyung-minAn appeals court ordered “Genesis BBQ”, which operates the fried chicken franchise “BBQ”, on Tuesday to compensate store owners for making them pay for increased advertising costs after a menu price increase in 2005.Under the contract terms, Genesis BBQ should have informed and obtained consent from store owners before launching any promotional events, but failed to do so.The firm spent 6.6 billion won on advertising over eight months in 2005, but made some 1,800 shop owners pay 6 billion won of the money by increasing fees, saying the fee hike was inevitable because it decided to use more expensive olive oil for its products.A group of 13 store owners filed a compensation suit after the firm received a warning in 2008 from the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) for violating the Franchise Business Law.The Seoul High Court ruled against Genesis, ordering it to pay a total of 37.4 million won ($33,000) to the 13 plaintiffs.Previously, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in July last ye

Mar 24, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Gov't to issue 'halal' certificates to restaurants

By Lee Kyung-minThe government plans to issue “halal” certificates to at least 140 restaurants nationwide, where Muslims can eat food without worrying about the ingredients.The measure aims to attract more Muslim travelers who prioritize halal food as one of the most important factors in deciding a travel destination, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Monday.The 140 halal restaurants will be selected as early as next year on a trial basis, and depending on response from Muslim visitors, the number may increase, they said.While pork and alcohol are major ingredients in Korean food, under Islamic law, better known as the Sharia Law, such items are haram (sinful) for Muslims. The word halal means “allowed” in Arab.“For travelers, food usually is the most important part of a happy and memorable trip. If they have problems with what they eat, they cannot fully enjoy the time overseas. The measure was introduced to prevent such unfortunate cases and to better meet the demands from visitors with

Mar 23, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Big builder allegedly bribed USFK official

SK Engineering and Construction denies it By Lee Kyung-min SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C) is being investigated for alleged bribing an official of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to win the bid for expanding a military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, police said Friday.Channel A, a cable channel, claimed that the firm delivered money to a U.S. Army official via a subcontractor. When contacted, the firm denied it. The USFK demanded a written inquiry be submitted, neither confirming nor denying the allegation.In 2008, SK E&C won the bid to expand the military base on 2.3 square kilometers of land in Pyeongtaek in a project worth 460 billion won ($410 million). Police recently questioned an official from the subcontractor, who claimed that he handed 500 million won to a U.S. Army official at the request of an SK official, according to Channel APolice may also expand their investigation into other subcontractors suspected of being involved in the alleged bribery.The government of President Park Geun-hye is engaged in a full-scale crackdown on cor

Mar 20, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Free legal services eyed for foreigners

By Lee Kyung-minForeigners will be able to receive free legal services from lawyers regarding visa extensions and naturalization starting in the latter half of the year, the Ministry of Justice said Thursday.Illegal aliens will also be eligible for these services, it added.The ministry said it will set up legal counseling centers for foreigners in at least five places with large foreign communities.The move is in response to the growing demand from expats for legal services, the ministry added.   Lawyers using translators will answer questions via fax, phone and online in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Philippines, Thai and 15 other languages.  The ministry will ask the Korean Bar Association (KBA) to recommend lawyers to volunteer for these services.Districts with more than 10,000 foreigners, or with more than a 1 percent foreigner population, will be given priority, the ministry said.“We expect exchange students, migrant workers and migrant wives interested in seeking legal advice will get help,” ministry official Cha Yong-ho said.  “Also, not e

Mar 19, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

KU student probed for rape attempt

By Lee Kyung-min A Korea University student is under investigation for allegedly attempting to rape a fellow student at the school.The university said Thursday it will launch an internal investigation Monday based on complaints from students.According to the students, the suspect attempted to rape the alleged victim in a room at the university in January. The identities of both have been withheld.The victim said she could not file a complaint with the university, much less the police, until early this month, for fear of drawing unwanted attention.Upon being informed of the on-campus sexual violence, her fellow students filed a complaint with the university’s Gender Equality Center.The center is now conducting an investigation, calling in both the suspect and the victim, the university said.“We plan to investigate this matter thoroughly to find out what led to such a heinous act on school property. The assailant will face due punishment for the crime,” an official from the center said.Police have not launched an investigation into the incident because complaint

Mar 19, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Gov't sued for keeping woman in mental hospital for 33 years

By Lee Kyung-minA mentally challenged woman who was kept in a state mental hospital for 33 years filed a compensation suit against the government Wednesday.The plaintiff, Hong Jeong-in, 56, claimed in a petition that she had to “waste” so many years in the hospital due to the government’s negligence in checking her identity.She filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court, demanding 100 million won ($98,000) in compensation from the government.Her mental state was stable enough to make herself understood, according to the Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person’s Right in Korea, which is helping her.“Hong had to spend 33 years after being taken there by a district official. Even if she wins, her lost years will not be fully covered by monetary compensation, but I think compensation would help console her,” said Youm Hyung-kuk, Hong’s lawyer.“Both police and government officials failed to follow the identification process, even though they were legally bound to do so. Also, they just put her in the hospital, rather tha

Mar 18, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

DongA One under probe for stock manipulation

By Lee Kyung-minProsecutors said Tuesday they are investigating DongA One, a flour maker owned by Lee Hi-sang, the father-in-law of former President Chun Doo-hwan’s third son, Jae-man, for alleged stock manipulation.The Seoul Southern Prosecutors’ Office said it detained a stockbroker, surnamed Kim, on suspicion he helped the firm inflate its stock price in 2010 and 2011. During the period, the company’s stock price doubled from 3,000 to 6,000 won.The company reaped some 38 billion won in illegal gains by selling its stock to institutional and individual investors, the prosecution said.DongA One is suspected of providing money to the stockbroker to help raise the stock’s price.The Securities and Futures Commission first detected the manipulation last year and referred the case to the prosecution in May.Previously, Lee was investigated for allegedly helping the Chun family create a slush fund to hide assets.

Mar 17, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Call police if your get 'calls from FSS'

By Lee Kyung-minPolice issued a warning for a new type of phishing scam, in which scammers impersonate Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) officials and visit victims in person to take their money.The Seoul Seongdong Police Station said it has detained eight men for allegedly swindling some 260 million won ($229,000) out of six elderly people using this method.Police are trying to locate other suspects who are reportedly staying in China.Police said the scammers first made random calls and chose only those who lived alone. The caller then falsely identified himself as a FSS official, pretending to inform the victim about a hacking attempt into his account, saying the money is in danger of being transferred to another account abroad.Then the caller hurriedly asked the victim to withdraw all the cash at the nearest ATM and hand it over to their “agent,” who would visit them to guarantee the safe deposit of the money.After the victim came back with the cash, a man with a false FSS identification visited to collect the money.Police said the “agent” dressed up with

Mar 16, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

District office in Busan on 'garbage strike'

By Lee Kyung-minA district office in Busan is refusing to collect garbage from a popular street in its jurisdiction in a desperate bid to raise public awareness of trash dumping.According to the Jin District Office, it has not cleaned up garbage in Seomyeon, a street of bars, restaurants and clubs, since Sunday, and the “strike” will continue until 10 a.m. Tuesday.Officials there said the three-day strike is a desperate effort to make the street clean as garbage dumping remains rampant despite its campaign to curb the problem.The district office held a similar one-day strike in September 2012.The measure drew both positive and negative responses from residents.While some said the sight of heaped trash brought shame to those who improperly dump their garbage, others said it only further tarnishes the district’s reputation for outsiders who do not know the intended objective.“First, I thought it was just disgusting. But when I heard it was because people kept throwing the trash despite the cleaning effort, I thought twice about how I have mindlessly thrown the t

Mar 16, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
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