The Korea Times

Two minke whales found dead on same day

A dead minke whale is lifted after a fisherman found it off Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Coast GuardBy Jung Min-hoA 5.68-meter minke whale was found off Yeongdeok, Sunday, only a few hours after another minke whale was found dead in a neighboring county.According to the Korea Coast Guard Monday, a fisherman found the whale around 10:30 a.m. in a fixed net 15 kilometers east of Changdae Port in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province.After inspecting the carcass, police said they found no signs the whale had been hunted. It was later auctioned for 71.3 million won ($61,000).A dead minke whale is lifted after a fisherman found it off Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Coast GuardAbout five hours ago, a 5.2-meter minke whale was found dead in a fixed net 15 kilometers southeast of Jukbyeon Port in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province.Police concluded that the whale was not intentionally killed. It was auctioned for 33 million won.Commercial whaling is banned in Korea, but retrieving dead whales is allowed.

Jan 7, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Society

For first time, more people are living inside Seoul capital area than outside

Seoul. / GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoThe Seoul capital area is more crowded than ever, with more people living inside Gyeonggi region than outside out it.Data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) show that 50.001 percent of the country's population lives in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.The number of Seoul residents has gradually fallen in recent years to 9.72 million in 2019. But meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province's population increased to nearly 13.24 million; Incheon's was 2.95 million.According to KOSIS, overpopulation in the capital area has become increasingly serious. In 1970, 28.7 percent of the country's population lived there, but this rose to 42.8 percent in 1990 and to 49.2 percent in 2010.Following the release of the data, civic groups criticized the government for not doing enough about the situation.“It is a major crisis that 11.8 percent of the country's land area accounts for more than half its population,” they said in a statement Sunday. “All the resources are concentrated in the capital area … It is getting ever more s

Jan 7, 2020By Jung Min-ho

For first time, more people are living inside Seoul capital area than outside

Economy

Korea on track to becoming world's 10th largest economy in 2027: report

Korea is expected to become the world's 10th largest economy in 2027, a think tank report says. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoKorea is expected to become the world's 10th largest economy in 2027, according to a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, a British think tank. It currently ranks 12th.The World Economic League Table 2020, which was published last week, also forecasts that China will become the world's largest economy in 2033 and that India will overtake Germany to become the fourth largest in 2026.The report says the economic slowdown in China has “badly hit” the Korean economy, which otherwise would grow faster.“The data available so far for 2019 suggests that there was a slight decline in the rate of GDP growth, with the economy set to have expanded by 2 percent this year,” the report says. “This compares to 2.7 percent in 2018.“Indeed, Korea's exports fell by 14.3 percent year-on-year in November, which was the sixth straight month of double-digit annual decline.”A weak rate of population growth has limited over

Jan 2, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Korea on track to becoming world's 10th largest economy in 2027: report

Law & Crime

Wanted: Police reveal list of 20 high-risk fugitives

By Jung Min-hoA wanted list including alleged murderers, rapists and robbers in Korea has been revealed.On the first day of 2020, Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency issued a list of 20 high-risk fugitives, including Cho Kyu-seok, 60, a murder suspect.Cho, who is 170 centimeters tall and speaks in Jeolla dialect, is suspected of kidnapping and killing a businessman, 56, with two accomplices at Gwangju in May.His body was found at a parking lot near the Yangju City Hall on May 21. There were bruises all over his body and many bones were broken, police said.The other two were later arrested and sentenced to 12 and five years in prison, respectively, last month.Rewards will be offered to those who report critical information on the whereabouts of the fugitives.

Jan 2, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Wanted: Police reveal list of 20 high-risk fugitives

Companies

First foreign visitor this year receives airline tickets, hotel voucher

Korea's first foreign visitor for the year, fourth from right, smiles after receiving gifts from Korean Air at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. Courtesy of Korean AirBy Jung Min-hoThe first foreign visitor to Korea this year has been welcomed with flowers and other special gifts.The Chinese woman who arrived at Incheon International Airport at 1 a.m. from Beijing was greeted by Korean Air and airport staff with gifts, including a round-trip prestige-class ticket and a voucher for the Grand Hyatt Incheon.“I came here to celebrate the New Year and experience Korean culture through traveling and shopping,” she said. “What a great start. I have good feelings about my trip.”According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists surged more than 26 percent to 5.51 million in the first 11 months of 2019, compared with the previous year.

Jan 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho

First foreign visitor this year receives airline tickets, hotel voucher

Law & Crime

Korean tourists attacked in Seattle: reports

A man faces hate-crime charges after allegedly attacking Korean tourists in Seattle on Christmas Day. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoA man was charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking Korean tourists in Seattle last week, according to local media Wednesday (KST).Citing court documents, KOMO News reported that the suspect, 30, yelled, “I hate Chinese,” at a group of Korean men before assaulting two of them near the AMC movie theater at Pacific Place on Christmas Day.The visitors from California, Missouri and Korea told police that the man hit one of them in the face and punched another in the back.The suspect, who was convicted of felony assault in 2004 and 2016, has had 16 arrest warrants since 2016.“Visitors to Seattle deserve to feel safe in the heart of our city,” the nonprofit organization Downtown Seattle Association's spokesman was quoted as saying.“With a string of recent arrests, it's clear this individual isn't getting the help he needs. We need to fix a system that is failing both the community and the repeat offender.”

Jan 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Korean tourists attacked in Seattle: reports

Photo News

PHOTOS Snow on first day of 2020

Snow covers Mt. Gwangdeok in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 1, 2020. YonhapYonhapYonhapYonhapYonhap

Jan 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Law & Crime

Too young to prosecute? A fifth grader will not face trial after stabbing peer to death

The minimum age of criminal responsibility in Korea is 14. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoHow young is too young to be prosecuted? In Korea, that legal threshold is 14 years old. But after a series of horrendous crimes committed by minors in recent years, there have been growing calls for change.The latest controversy erupted last week when a fifth grader was found to have stabbed a peer to death at her grandparents' home in revenge for “badmouthing” her and her family.The attacker, who “was removing blood stains” at the crime scene when police arrived, later confessed to the killing and trying to cover it up.Because she is under 14, she will not face trial. Instead, she was sent to a juvenile review center, where she will stay for about a month for medical observation.Shocked by the news, hundreds of people have signed online petitions urging authorities to toughen laws against minors' crimes.Data from the National Police Agency show that 7,364 people under 14 were sent to juvenile institutions last year, up 12.4 percent from 2015. Four crimes ― murder, robbery

Dec 31, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Too young to prosecute? A fifth grader will not face trial after stabbing peer to death

Films

'Parasite' among Obama's favorite films of 2019

Former U.S. President Barack Obama. / AP"Parasite" won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoFormer U.S. President Barack Obama has named “Parasite” among his favorite films this year.Obama unveiled his favorite movies and TV shows of 2019 on Facebook, Sunday (local time), a day after he posted his favorite books.“This year's list includes everything from explorations of class dynamics and relationships, to an inspired reboot of a classic graphic novel, to a portal back to one of the most special places in history ― an Aretha Franklin concert,” he wrote.“Of course, there's also 'American Factory', a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. It's our first offering in partnership with Netflix, and I'm excited about the other projects we've got in the works.”“Parasite,” a Korean black comedy thriller, won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong amo

Dec 30, 2019By Jung Min-ho

'Parasite' among Obama's favorite films of 2019

'Parasite' wins Oscar for Best Picture

Society

Korea's minimum wage increase to take effect Wednesday

The 2020 minimum wage will be 8,590 won an hour. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoKorea's minimum wage increase will go into effect on Wednesday (Jan. 1).Next year's minimum wage will be 8,590 won ($7.4) an hour, up from 8,350 won.In July, the Minimum Wage Commission, made up of experts and representatives of labor and business, decided to raise the minimum wage by 2.87 percent.According to the commission, the new minimum wage is expected to affect more than 1.37 million workers across the country.The government hopes the increase will improve the lives of people struggling with high and ever-increasing living costs.Raising minimum could backfire for workers, some argueThe Moon Jae-in administration aims to boost the economy by increasing disposable workers' income, one of the key policies of his income-driven growth strategy.But the idea has brought a strong backlash from small business owners, who say they have no choice but to hire fewer workers to stay afloat. After raising the minimum wage rapidly in his first two years ― by 16.4 percent for 2018 and 10.9 percent for 2019 ― the gove

Dec 30, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Two minke whales found dead on same day

For first time, more people are living inside Seoul capital area than outside

Korea on track to becoming world's 10th largest economy in 2027: report

Wanted: Police reveal list of 20 high-risk fugitives

First foreign visitor this year receives airline tickets, hotel voucher

Korean tourists attacked in Seattle: reports

PHOTOS Snow on first day of 2020

Too young to prosecute? A fifth grader will not face trial after stabbing peer to death

'Parasite' among Obama's favorite films of 2019

Korea's minimum wage increase to take effect Wednesday

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