The Korea Times

ANALYSIS Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Police officers talk to a man mourning for the victims of the deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPolice deserve criticism but must be seen within Korean context: expertsBy Jung Min-hoIn the wake of the deadly crowd crush that killed 156 people and injured 152 in central Seoul's Itaewon last weekend, politicians and the media, domestic and international, have been analyzing what went wrong ― and who to blame as the cause of the tragedy. So far, much of the criticism has focused on Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and the police under his authority. The police clearly deserve much criticism for having dismissed 12 emergency calls coming from Itaewon, as responding to the scene earlier could potentially have prevented or lessened the scale of the Oct. 29 tragedy.Yoon Hee-keun, head of the National Police Agency, admitted Tuesday there was a problem with the way the police handled the emergency calls from Itaewon and apologized. Later that day, Lee followed suit, apologizing as “a Cabinet member in a position to be infinitely re

Nov 2, 2022By Jung Min-ho

[ANALYSIS] Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Law & Crime

Interior minister apologizes over Itaewon crush

Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min lowers his head as he apologizes over the deadly Itaewon crowd crush, at a parliamentary session in the National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday. NewsisEmergency calls for crowd management were ignoredBy Jung Min-hoInterior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min apologized on Tuesday over last week's crowd crush, which took the lives of more than 150 people in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul. “I deeply apologize to the people as a Cabinet member in a position to be infinitely responsible for the people's safety,” Lee said at a parliamentary session. “First of all, I pray for those who died. I also offer my deep condolences to the bereaved families … As the father of a son and a daughter, this incident is so tragic and regrettable. It is difficult for me to accept this surreal reality and my words cannot describe how terrible it was.”The apology comes amid growing criticism over his previous remarks suggesting that he was not responsible for the Oct. 28 incident, which killed at least 156 people and injured 151

Nov 1, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Interior minister apologizes over Itaewon crush

Society

Nation mourns Halloween tragedy victims

A mourner places a flower to pay tribute to the victims of a deadly crowd crush, near Itaewon Station, central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulTeam of 475 police officers investigating cause of Itaewon crushBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee laid white chrysanthemums at an altar, Monday, set up in central Seoul to mourn the victims of a crowd crush that killed more than 150 people in the Itaewon nightlife district two days ago.The altar at Seoul Plaza was filled with a somber silence as the two paid their respects to the deceased and as the country attempts to make sense of how an exuberant evening there suddenly turned into a nightmare.Thousands of others also visited the altar, where they grieved over the tragedy. Some visitors quietly shed tears, while others were seen crying out loud.According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, a total of 154 people died and 149 others were injured from the incident that occurred at a narrow, inclined alley next to Hamilton Hotel. Most of the deceased were young people

Oct 31, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Society

Deadly Halloween crush kills 154, injures 133 others

Debris including a shoe are seen, Sunday, near the scene where over 150 people died and dozens more were injured the night before, after a mass of mostly young people celebrating Halloween became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged in a narrow alley. YonhapYoon declares period of national mourning; 26 foreign nationals from 14 countries among deadBy Jung Min-hoA festive night in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, suddenly turned deadly, Saturday, in one of Korea's worst peacetime disasters. The tragedy occurred among people crammed into a narrow, inclined alley next to Hamilton Hotel. As of 10 p.m., officials have confirmed that 154 people have died and 133 others were injured. Most of the victims were in their late teens and 20s. Given that some of the injured were in serious condition, the death toll could rise further. Except one, all the other 153 deceased victims have been identified, including 26 foreign nationals from China, Iran, Russia, the United States, France, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Norway, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Austria and two other countries, p

Oct 30, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Deadly Halloween crush kills 154, injures 133 others

Foreign Affairs

US midterm election results could complicate denuclearization of North Korea: expert

Former U.S. president Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Robstown, Texas, Oct. 22. Reuters-Yonhap'Diplomacy works only when Pyongyang is trying to move away from China, Russia'By Jung Min-hoSouth Korea should prepare for a United States controlled by more isolationists and skeptics regarding American intervention in foreign affairs as Washington braces for a major Republican win in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a security expert on Northeast Asia.The projected results of the Nov. 8 elections are about to bring new challenges to Northeast Asia, where the U.S.-China rivalry is intensifying and North Korea is speeding up the development of its nuclear weapons despite international outcry. Recent polls show that the conservative U.S. party will take control of the House and possibly win the Senate as well. “Many of the Republicans today are more isolationists and less internationalists than they used to be. That's reflected most recently in signs that, if the Republicans retake the House, they are not going be so open to continue aid to Ukraine. No one is saying a

Oct 26, 2022By Jung Min-ho

N. Korean nuclear test would constitute a 'grave escalatory action': State Dept.

North Korea

North Korean defector found dead in Seoul home

North Korean teenage defectors return to their classroom after a break at Hanawon, a government-run adjustment and education center for North Koreans resettling in South Korea, in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, in this Oct. 12, 2016, file photo. A defector who was once hailed as “a successful resettlement case” has recently found dead at her rental apartment in Seoul. NewsisGov't vows to improve system to protect defectors struggling in South KoreaBy Jung Min-hoA defector who was once hailed by the media as a successful resettlement case has been found dead in her home in Seoul. Authorities believe nearly a year has passed since she died, given how much her corpse had decomposed and the fact that she was found wearing winter clothes. She was 49.According to police in Yangcheon District Tuesday, her body was discovered on Oct. 19 by an official of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporations, the city-owned public rental house provider, which had tried to contact her about renewing her housing rental contract.The official eventually opened the door of her apartment, where h

Oct 25, 2022By Jung Min-ho

North Korean defector found dead in Seoul home

Law & Crime

Opposition leader under siege as corruption probe expands

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, pauses before answering reporters' questions near the party's headquarters in Seoul, Monday, as prosecutors search the Institute for Democracy, a think tank. YonhapProsecutors search headquarters of Democratic Party of Korea By Jung Min-hoWhen prosecutors were investigating key officials at Seongnam Development Corp. last year for alleged corrupt business deals with property developers in the past, Lee Jae-myung, the city's former mayor, denied close ties with any of them. Speaking to reporters on Oct. 3, 2021, Rep. Lee, now the chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), had said that only a few people, such as Kim Yong and Jeong Jin-sang, deserved to be called his “close aides.”It was revealed Monday that prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on Jeong, his vice chief of staff for political affairs. This travel ban comes only two days after Kim, deputy director of the Institute for Democracy, the party's in-house think tank, was arrested on charges of receiving bribes inve

Oct 24, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Opposition leader under siege as corruption probe expands

Law & Crime

Embattled opposition party chief claims innocence as prosecutors close in on confidant

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. NewsisRep. Lee of Democratic Party of Korea calls for special counsel to conduct corruption probeBy Jung Min-hoMain opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung denied allegations of involvement Friday as his right-hand man faces arrest for allegedly receiving bribes prosecutors believe were used to finance Lee's election campaigns. Lee called for a new investigation led by an independent counsel, as he accused the prosecutors of carrying out a “political repression” campaign on behalf of President Yoon Suk-yeol.Lee's proposal to appoint an independent counsel comes a day after prosecutors asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for Kim Yong, who served as the head of Lee's campaign for the party's presidential primary, on charges of receiving 847 million won ($600,000) in illegal political funds from real estate developers between April and August 2021. The suspicions against Lee are that he gave favors to

Oct 21, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Embattled opposition party chief claims innocence as prosecutors close in on confidant

Politics

Yoon doubles down on fighting 'pro-North Korea' faction

President Yoon Suk-yeol enters the presidential office building in Seoul, Thursday. NewsisOpposition politicians condemn remarks as unacceptableBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol isn't backing down despite criticism from opposition parties.Speaking to reporters Thursday, Yoon doubled down on his previous remarks that he would fight what he calls a “pro-North Korea Jucheist faction.”When asked who he was referring to by the description, Yoon said, “They themselves know whether they are a 'jusa-pa' (Jucheist faction). I was not targeting any specific group. I made the statement as a person in a position to defend the country and the Constitution.”“Jusa-pa” refers to a faction of followers of Juche ideology, North Korea's official ideology of self-reliance that includes unconditional loyalty to its leader.At a luncheon Wednesday with officials of his ruling People Power Party, Yoon used the term “pro-North Korea Jucheist faction,” to allude to the opposition here, saying it is an anti-state group that is against the Constitution, which

Oct 20, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Yoon doubles down on fighting 'pro-North Korea' faction

Law & Crime

Ex-presidential chief of staff questioned over deportation of North Korean fishermen

Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff under Moon Jae-in / NewsisDPK claims prosecution's attempted raid on party headquarters is part of political retaliationBy Jung Min-hoFormer presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min was questioned Wednesday over his role in repatriating two North Korean fishermen against their will in 2019 as prosecutors expand their investigation into who gave the final order. This comes a day after prosecutors asked judges to issue arrest warrants for former Defense Minister Suh Wook and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee under the previous Moon Jae-in administration on charges of deleting intelligence reports in an effort to frame as a defector a fisheries official, who was killed by North Korea in 2020.Noh, who held the post between January 2019 and December 2020, is a key figure believed to know whether Moon was directly involved in both cases as former top officials under him are being investigated for alleged abuse of power and destruction of evidence among other crimes.On Nov. 2, 2019, South Korea's Navy captured the fisherm

Oct 19, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Ex-presidential chief of staff questioned over deportation of North Korean fishermen

DPK bristles at prosecution probes targeting top officials of previous administration

Jung Min-ho

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ANALYSIS Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Interior minister apologizes over Itaewon crush

Nation mourns Halloween tragedy victims

Deadly Halloween crush kills 154, injures 133 others

US midterm election results could complicate denuclearization of North Korea: expert

North Korean defector found dead in Seoul home

Opposition leader under siege as corruption probe expands

Embattled opposition party chief claims innocence as prosecutors close in on confidant

Yoon doubles down on fighting 'pro-North Korea' faction

Ex-presidential chief of staff questioned over deportation of North Korean fishermen

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