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Lee Kyung-min

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South Korea

Rise in drug possession among young adults

By Lee Kyung-minThe number of teenagers and young adults apprehended for drug possession soared by almost 30 percent last year, police said Monday.  According to the National Police Agency (NPA), the number of offenders found to be trading, administering or possessing illegal drugs jumped to 5,699 as of the end of last year, up 4.4 percent from a year earlier.Among them, 916 were teenagers and those in their 20s - up 27.8 percent from 717 in 2013, police said.Of the teens and those in their 20s, 130 were students and 458 were office workers.Methamphetamine and marijuana were the most common substances found.Online trading and increased access to the substances overseas largely contributed to the surge in the number of young offenders, the NPA said.“Smoking marijuana is legal in some states in the U.S. Young adults there are known to smoke ‘pot.’ Many students who studied abroad have the experience of smoking, resulting in attempts to smuggle or trade online in the substances,” an NPA official said.The NPA plans to toughen regulation on

Mar 30, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
South Korea

Former POSCO E&C executive's home raided

By Lee Kyung-minChung Dong-hwaProsecutors on Friday raided the home of former POSCO Engineering and Construction Vice Chairman Chung Dong-hwa as part of a widening investigation into a slush fund scandal involving the firm.The raid came amid reports that Chung will be summoned for questioning next week about a slush fund the company created while carrying out construction projects in Vietnam from 2009-2012. Chung is suspected of having played a central role in creating and using the fund, estimated at 10 billion won ($9 million), prosecutors said.Prosecutors said they seized computer hard disks and documents at his home.  Already, prosecutors secured testimony and evidence to prove the allegations from a former executive surnamed Park, who headed POSCO E&C's Vietnamese unit.Park allegedly helped the firm create a 10 billion won slush fund and transfer 4 billion won of the money, and the prosecution is investigating on what it was spent.  Suspicions are that under the former vice chairman’s reign, POSCO offered the money as kickbacks to high-profile policymakers in

Mar 27, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
Former POSCO E&C executive's home raided
South Korea

KTO head offers to resign

By Lee Kyung-minByun Choo-sukKorea Tourism Organization (KTO) CEO Byun Choo-suk has offered to resign amid speculation about his turbulent relationships with senior culture ministry officials.“Byun has tendered his resignation. He will be formally relieved of his position with an approval from President Park Geun-hye,” said an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.The KTO, which is supervised by the ministry, also issued a statement to confirm that.His resignation comes amid rampant rumors that he has been at odds with ministry officials since he was named to the position in April of last year by President Park.Byun, 59, a former visual art professor at Kookmin University, was a campaigner for Park during the 2012 presidential election.Byun denied these rumors, saying he decided to resign due to poor health and it had nothing to do with the ministry.“I know there are various rumors about me, but it is all rumors. I have nothing to say about them,” he said. “I will try my best to complete my work until I quit as the KTO head.”His

Mar 27, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
KTO head offers to resign
South Korea

Police crack down on 'Bacchus ladies'

By Lee Kyung-min Police have booked 30 elderly people ― 15 men and 15 women ― for engaging in soliciting sex at a park near Jongmyo Shrine in central Seoul, a popular resting place for senior citizens.The park is also where old prostitutes find clients. They are often referred to as “Bacchus ladies” because they sell the energy drinks and sex.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), the crackdown is based on increasing complaints that the place is turning into a hotbed for the prostitution.  “Recently, we have received an increased number of complaints from shopkeepers in the area regarding prostitution, as well as public drunkenness that often leads to street brawls. All of those are offenses that ruin the city’s reputation,” an SMPA official said.“We plan to intensify the crackdown to root out problems near the park that compromise the image of the city.”Alongside the SMPA, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is also stepping up efforts to improve the image of the park.The SMG said it plans to h

Mar 26, 2015By Lee Kyung-min
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
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