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Kim Se-jeong

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.

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South Korea

Former top prosecutor will face questioning for sexual abuse

By Kim Se-jeongShin Seung-namFormer Prosecutor General Shin Seung-nam will be summoned for questioning this week over allegations that he sexually harassed a female employee at a country club he is the chairman of.Shin, 70, served as top prosecutor between May 2001 and January 2002 under the Kim Dae-jung administration.A Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency officer  said, “As soon as our initial investigation is completed this week, we’ll summon him for questioning.”Police launched an investigation after the victim filed a complaint last week.The woman, whose identity is being kept undisclosed, claimed Shin came to her dormitory room, and hugged her and kissed her on the cheeks for two hours on June 22 last year at the Fortune Hills Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.After her claims were reported by the media, Shin met several reporters and denied the allegations, asking the reporters not to reveal his name.He argued he had visited her dormitory room to persuade her not to quit.“We have seen many employees quit lately. I knew she was well liked by t

Nov 16, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Former top prosecutor will face questioning for sexual abuse
South Korea

Fire at guest house kills 4

Forensic scientists inspect wreckage from a fire that killed four people and injured six others at a guest house in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, Sunday. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Four university students were killed and six others sustained injuries in a fire at a guest house in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, Saturday.The fire erupted in a hut in the guest house compound, where some guests were having a barbeque.A survivor said the fire began after one of the guests attempted to extinguish a charcoal fire by pouring water onto it, which caused sparks to reach the flammable ceiling.Police said the hut was built with flammable materials ― dried grass for the roof, a wooden floor and plastic walls.Twenty-six guests were inside the hut grilling meat at the time of the incident. All were students from Dongshin University in Naju, South Jeolla Province.Another survivor said there wasn’t a fire extinguisher in the hut, which is used by guests for barbeques.“I had to bring one from elsewhere, but even that stopped working after 30 seconds,” he was quoted as

Nov 16, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Fire at guest house kills 4
People & Events

Watanabe fights for interracial families

Waterdrop Society of Korea Chairwoman Mika WatanabeBy Kim Se-jeong When Waterdrop Society of Korea chairwoman Mika Watanabe, had salt thrown on her in an Incheon street in the 1990s, she did not know why.She later studied Korean/Japanese history, and decided to accept and endure the prejudice.By the mid 2000s, she felt a different kind of prejudice against her and her family. So, together with friends who experienced similar discrimination, she decided to do something.Watanabe, 53, was born on Tokyo. She first traveled to Korea in 1987 for a workshop on security. She was soon introduced to her future husband, and the two were married in 1988. In 1992, she permanently moved to Korea, where she now teaches Japanese language classes at a Seoul university.She also founded the Waterdrop Society of Korea in 2009. Rep. Jasmine Lee of the ruling Saenuri Party was among its 40 founding members.The group’s goal is clear: to make Korea an integrated society where there is no distinction between interracial families and the rest.Watanabe is among the first marriage settlers.“I h

Nov 7, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Watanabe fights for interracial families
South Korea

Rights panel to probe spying on Lotte players

By Kim Se-jeong                        A human rights panel plans to investigate alleged secret surveillance of Lotte Giants baseball players by the club’s management.The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)’s announcement came Friday, with the revelations causing a huge uproar among baseball fans.“We’ve decided to investigate the case because it appears highly likely the human rights of Giants players were abused by the Giants staff and executives,” an NHRC official said.On Thursday, the team’s CEO Choi Ha-jin and General Manager Bae Jae-hu offered to resign amid growing protests by angry fans in Busan, where the team is based.“I feel responsible for what happened to our team. I would like to apologize to our fans and all players of this team,” Choi said.Choi and Bae reportedly ordered the team’s staff to monitor players using surveillance cameras at hotels where they slept on road trips between April and Jun

Nov 7, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Travel & Food

Hotel Briefs

 The ZEST buffet restaurant at the Conrad Seoul is featuring Macanese food for 10 days from Nov. 7 to 16, with a visiting chef from Macao. During the promotion, Conrad will be conducting online giveaway events with the Macau Government Tourist Office. Prizes include a flight to Macao, and Conrad Macao lodging and buffet vouchers. The menu will include Portuguese suckling pig with oranges, prawns with chili, Portuguese style crab curry, and Macao’s representative desserts, including Serradura, a layer of biscuits and soft cream and the famous, Portuguese style egg tart. Cooking classes are also scheduled for Nov. 10 and 15 where participants will learn how to make egg tarts.The price for a weekday lunch is 65,000 won and weekday dinner 75,000 won. The weekend lunch is 80,000 won, while Friday and weekend Dinner are 85,000 won (per adult, including tax). The egg tart cooking class will take place at the Atrio Italian restaurant. A maximum of 12 persons can join the class at a cost of 60,000 won per person (including ingredients and tax). For reservation or inquiries call ZES

Nov 6, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Hotel Briefs
Travel & Food

GrandInterContinental wins Earthcheck award

The GrandInterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX are the first hotels in Korea to be awarded the Gold Level from Earthcheck, a global environmental benchmarking program.Earthcheck is managed by the global environmental advisory group, EC3 Global, which pursues sustainable environmental conservation by assisting international organizations in developing environmental preservation systems, and issues environmental certificates.General Manager Darren Morrish of the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas said, “We are very happy that our efforts and dedication to become the first Gold Level accredited organization in Korea has been accomplished and we shall continue to look for effective and efficient ways of improving and setting the benchmark as an eco-friendly and focused business.”To acquire the Global Level, an organization must maintain the Silver Level for five consecutive years, and as such the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX are the first to do so in Korea.Both hotels established energy and environmental committe

Nov 6, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Travel & Food

Holiday Inn offers comfortable stay in Songdo

Holiday Inn Incheon Songdo opened on Sept. 5. / Courtesy of Holiday Inn Incheon SongdoBy Kim Se-jeong Less than five years ago, many visitors to Korea complained about a lack of hotels. Now, the situation is changing, according to Michael Wilson, general manager of Holiday Inn Incheon Songdo.He says he can feel the mounting competition in Korea firsthand. “The competition is more fierce than we hoped it would be,” Wilson said during an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday.Holiday Inn opened in the Songdo International Business District on Sept. 5. The district was created by the Incheon Metropolitan Government and has roughly 80,000 residents, and is growing. By the end of 2020, the district will have more than 250,000 residents, according to the Incheon government.Its proximity to Incheon International Airport is the most attractive selling point about the district.Rooftop bar Touchsky Holiday Inn is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group. Started as a motel chain in the U.S., it is now one of the biggest hotel chains in the world. The property in Songd

Nov 6, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Holiday Inn offers comfortable stay in Songdo
Travel & Food

Ibis Budget Ambassador offers 80,000 won per night rooms in Seoul

Ibis Budget Ambassador’s colorful lobby creates welcomeing atmosphere. / Courtesy of Ibis Budget AmbassadorBy Kim Se-jeong The Ibis Budget Ambassador is offering rooms for 80,000 won a night at its hotel in Dongdaemun, Seoul, which opened on Oct. 30.The French hotel chain is targeting budget travelers ― both international and national.I know a motel room in Seoul can cost as much as 80,000,” said Patrick Basset, chief operating officer of Accor Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. Accor owns the Ibis Budget Ambassador.The Seoul hotel offers compact rooms, with small hangers, a TV, and a tiny bathroom with a shower. Beds are high, with space beneath for suitcases. Each bed has a 12-centimeter latex mattress. Hotel staff who stayed the night gave high marks for their sleeping experience.The hotel has dormitory rooms also ― one queen-sized bed and a single overhead bed ― designed for a family or group.The hotel has coin laundry machines. While waiting for clothes to dry, guests can use the gym or sauna. Th

Nov 6, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Ibis Budget Ambassador offers 80,000 won per night rooms in Seoul
South Korea

Does video of surgery on singer exist?

By Kim Se-jeongThe family of the late singer Shin Hae-chul has claimed that Seoul Sky Hospital video-recorded an operation performed on Shin, but deleted the file to avoid responsibility for his death.Clarifying the latest allegation is expected to be the focus of the police’s planned questioning of the hospital’s lead surgeon and President Kang Se-hoon, who conducted the surgery on Shin.While initial autopsy results linked Shin’s death to a surgical error, Kang and the hospital have flatly denied responsibility.Through his lawyer, Kang blamed Asan Medical Center, where Shin was briefly treated after arriving in a coma days after the surgery, for his death. He even alleged that Shin died because he ate something after the surgery, even though he was not supposed to.Kang may face criminal charges depending on the results of the ongoing investigation.According to Shin’s family, Sky Hospital promised last week to hand over the surgery video file at the family’s request. However, when police officers raided the hospital on Monday, hospital personnel told the

Nov 6, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Hospital denies wrongdoings during Shin's operation

Surgeon will be grilled Saturday over Shin’s deathBy Kim Se-jeongThe late Shin Hae-chulSeoul Sky Hospital on Tuesday refuted the findings of an initial autopsy report regarding the death of the singer Shin Hae-chul, saying that its surgeon did not make any mistakes during an operation that took place on Oct. 17.“Shin’s death has nothing to do with my client. It is premature to conclude that the hospital is responsible for his death on the basis of the autopsy results only,” said a lawyer representing both the surgeon, Kang Se-hoon, and the hospital.This reaction came one day after the autopsy, which found that there had been two perforations in Shin’s small intestine and pericardium. The pericardium is a double-layered membrane that surrounds the heart. Forensic scientist Choi Youn-sik, who examined his body, said the perforations were likely caused during the operation conducted on Oct. 17.Kang is scheduled to be questioned on Nov. 8 over possible negligence charges or medical malpractice. The full results of the autopsy are expected next week. On basis

Nov 4, 2014By Kim Se-jeong
Hospital denies wrongdoings during Shin's operation
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