The Korea Times

9 out of 10 people text while driving: study

By Lee Kyung-minNine out of 10 people send text messages when they are behind the wheel, a study showed Wednesday.Some 90 percent of those surveyed said they either send text messages or check for new ones while driving, according to a study conducted by the Hyundai Insurance Research Center (HIRC), which is affiliated with Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance.They surveyed 1,000 people 20 years of age and above in November.According to age groups, 92.7 percent of people in their 20s; 94 percent of people in their 30s; 94.2 percent of people in their 40s; and 90.3 percent people in their 50s replied that they send or read text messages while behind the wheel of their vehicle.Some 70 percent of the total said they do so while waiting at traffic lights.  Sending or viewing messages is not illegal here, but could lead to accidents, experts say.According to the law, only those who view TVs or videos or use cell phones can be punished by fines of up to 70,000 won depending on the size of the vehicle.“The punishment applies to only those who engage in such activity while the vehi

Jan 21, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

'Yoo is worst-performing mayor'

By Lee Kyung-minYoo Jeong-bokIncheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of the ruling Saenuri Party is the worst performer among 17 governors and mayors of metropolitan cities, an opinion poll shows.According to the survey conducted by Gallup Korea, Yoo’s approval rating was the lowest with only 37 percent saying he is “doing well,” while 29 percent said he is “doing poorly.”The firm asked 14,116 men and women aged 18 and over from November to December last year.Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon of the Saenuri Party had the highest approval rating with 67 percent giving him positive answers, while only nine percent said they are not satisfied with his performance.North Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kwan-yong of the same party ranked second with 63 percent of positive answers and 11 percent of negative answers.Both Jeju Island Governor Won Hee-ryong of the Saenuri Party and Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon of the main opposition New Politics for Democratic Alliance (NPAD) ranked third.Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun of the NPAD ranked second to last with only 40 percent

Jan 21, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

Hong Ga-hye, liar or victim of conspiracy?

 By Lee Kyung-min  Two days after the ferry Sewol sank off Jindo, South Jeolla Province, on April 16, a 26-year-old woman, Hong Ga-hye, claimed she was a “civilian rescue diver” and held an interview with the cable news channel MBN.During the interview, which was broadcast live, she alleged that the Korea Coast Guard was not working properly to save the passengers and was uncooperative with civilian divers who had voluntarily rushed to the island to help rescue efforts.She also claimed that many passengers were still alive inside the sunken ferry, saying that she had heard that from the other divers.“The Coast Guard is telling civilian divers to just watch or go back home. Civilian divers need proper diving equipment to join in rescue operations, but it is refusing to provide assistance,” she charged.The interview of Hong Ga-hye prompted a wave of criticism of the government and the Coast Guard, and made the families of the victims furious. The government’s task force subsequently released a statement saying the allegations raised by Hong

Jan 19, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

20 emergency hotlines to be merged into 3

By Lee Kyung-minThe government plans to merge some 20 emergency hotlines into three ― 112, 119, 110 ― in order to enhance response times after receiving calls.According to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, Friday, 112 will deal with crime reports and 119 will be used for general emergencies. Reports about issues that are not time-sensitive will be made to 110.The measure follows criticism that the large death toll from the sinking of the Sewol ferry in April was partly due to the inept initial responses of government agencies.People called 119 to report the Sewol incident, but the staff there referred the calls to maritime emergency hotline 122, saying they do not handle such reports. Experts said such delayed response resulted in deaths that could have been prevented.The 122 hotline will be shut down, the ministry said.The other non-emergency numbers included 118 for reporting crimes in cyberspace, 117 for reporting bullying at schools, 113 for reporting suspected North Korean spies, and 1388 for juveniles in need of counseling.The government plans to handle

Jan 16, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

'Kim attempted to rape stepdaughter before killing her'

Ansan hostage siege survivor says her father was like beastBy Lee Kyung-minKim Sang-hoonThe “hostage killer” Kim Sang-hoon attempted to rape his 16-year-old stepdaughter before killing her on Tuesday, police said Friday.This comes from testimony given by her older sister who survived the siege at her father’s house in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Kim was apprehended by the police SWAT team, Wednesday, after the overnight siege.According to police, the elder stepdaughter testified that, “Kim untied my sister’s hands and touched her breasts. He tried to rape her, but failed.”“He then masturbated before her, saying, ‘My love, you are mine’.”According to Kim’s wife, Kim sexually harassed his stepdaughter when she was only nine years old, police said. On Tuesday, Kim killed his wife’s ex-husband, surnamed Park, at his house. He then took his two stepdaughters and Park’s girlfriend hostage. Kim later said he killed Park because he thought his wife and Park were having an affair.Police said Kim lost custody of h

Jan 16, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

'Kim attempted to rape stepdaughter before killing her'

South Korea

Kumho Tire unionist attempts suicide

By Lee Kyung-min A Kumho Tire union member is in critical condition after an apparent suicide attempt, the union said Thursday.The 34-year-old man, surnamed Park, was found hanging by his neck on Thursday morning in a patients’ room in a hospital in Gawngju, where he had been treated for a head injury sustained during a Jan. 7 fight with another union member, surnamed Jung.Park was transferred to another hospital after a nurse found him, but has yet to gain consciousness.Park was one of seven union members leading wage negotiations with management. The negotiations have been temporarily suspended due to the incident, the union said.It’s unknown at this time whether his suicide attempt had something to do with the negotiations.Before the incident, Park left a short memo referring to the Jan. 7 fight saying, “I’m so upset. It’s unfair,” to his friend, who is also a union member.According to the union, Park was upset about a complaint filed with police in Gwangju against him over the fight with Jung.

Jan 15, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

Police hit for mishandling Ansan siege

No manual exists for negotiators in hostage situationsBy Lee Kyung-min Public criticism is mounting over an inept police response during Tuesday’s hostage siege in which two people died in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.A man surnamed Kim took four hostages at the home of his wife's ex-husband, surnamed Park. They were Kim's two stepdaughters, Park and his female friend.Kim demanded to talk to his wife, who had been separated from him since August. During the siege, Kim killed Park and his younger daughter who was 16.Public said police were disorganized during the whole situation, and failed to get the basic facts straight.Police first said that Kim took his own daughters hostage, but later said they were his stepdaughters.  The police also failed to realize early in the siege that Park’s female friend was one of the hostages. Police only learned that after the siege ended.  A police official at Ansan Sangrok Police Station said, “Such a failure was regrettable, but the situation was unfavorable to us. Kim was in an agitated state, yelling and cursing

Jan 14, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

People & Events

'Bar association to break corrupt ties'

Ha Chang-wooBy Lee Kyung-min The new head of the Korean Bar Association (KBA) has pledged to root out corruption between judges and lawyers who have served as judges or prosecutors in the past.Ha Chang-woo was elected as the 48th president of the KBA, Monday, and now represents 15,545 lawyers nationwide. He will take the helm of the association starting Feb. 23 for a two-year term.He is the second head to be elected through an all-members direct vote since the association adopted the system in 2012.Until then, an internal committee had named the head of the association. All of the heads had previously been either former judges or former prosecutors.Ha had criticized such practice, which he said contributed to lawyers’ corrupt ties with judges and prosecutors.“Many of them bring cases to their law firms by taking advantage of their personal connections established while in the prosecution or courts. This is wrong,” he said, adding that such practices would no longer be tolerated.“The practice has drawn criticism from the public, as well as lawyers within t

Jan 13, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

Man kills wife's ex-husband, stepdaughter

An unidentified injured person is carried to an ambulance in front of a house in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where a man took his stepdaughters, their birthfather and a family friend hostage, Tuesday. The birthfather and one of the girls died during the hostage situation. / YonhapBy Lee Kyung-min Police apprehended a man who held four people hostage and killed two of them, one stepdaughter and her birthfather, Tuesday. The 47-year-old suspect surnamed Kim, who had been separated from his wife since August, held the hostages at the house of his wife’s ex-husband in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, demanding she come to talk to him, according to police. The four hostages included his two stepdaughters, their birthfather surnamed Park, and a female friend of Park in her 40s, police said. According to police, Kim went to Park’s house on Monday afternoon, suspecting she was seeing Park again. The younger stepdaughter, 16, and Park’s friend was there at that time.When Park came home at 9 p.m., Kim fought with him and stabbed him. He left the body in the bathroom. The elder stepdau

Jan 13, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

Hospitals may have to record all operations

By Lee Kyung-min A group of lawmakers has submitted a bill to the National Assembly mandating that all hospitals set up cameras in operating theaters to record all surgical procedures in an effort to reduce or prevent instances of medical malpractice.Under the bill, introduced Jan. 8 by Rep. Choi Dong-ic of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and six other lawmakers, hospitals must record operations with patients’ consent, and must honor their requests for recording.   The move reflects rising public concern about medical malpractice. Recently, a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul came under fire after photos surfaced of the medical staff enjoying a birthday party in the operating room with an unconscious patient lying right beside them.   On Dec. 19, a female college student, surnamed Jung, 21, died two hours after facial bone contouring surgery at a plastic surgery clinic in southern Seoul.On Dec. 2, a man in his 30s died four days after undergoing similar surgery in Busan. A teenager who underwent cosmetic surgery for his eyes

Jan 12, 2015By Lee Kyung-min

Lee Kyung-min

Read more

9 out of 10 people text while driving: study

'Yoo is worst-performing mayor'

Hong Ga-hye, liar or victim of conspiracy?

20 emergency hotlines to be merged into 3

'Kim attempted to rape stepdaughter before killing her'

Kumho Tire unionist attempts suicide

Police hit for mishandling Ansan siege

'Bar association to break corrupt ties'

Man kills wife's ex-husband, stepdaughter

Hospitals may have to record all operations

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