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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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Law & Crime

Samsung heir summoned over controversial management succession

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong arrives at the Incheon International Airport after a business trip to China, May 19 YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The prosecution questioned Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong, Tuesday, over the conglomerate's controversial decision to merge two of its affiliates five years ago.It's unclear how long the questioning lasted. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office refused to disclose any information concerning the Samsung Electronics vice chairman. It was Lee's first appearance since February 2017 when he was grilled over his conviction for bribing a confidante of former President Park Geun-hye ― a case went all the way to the Supreme Court that referred an appeal's court's dismissal of the charge back for review. Tuesday's summons came less than a month after Lee made a public announcement that he would not pass on management of Samsung to his children. Prosecutors suspect Samsung managers helped Lee to succeed his father, Lee Kun-hee, by conspiring to lower the value of Samsung C&T before its merger with Cheil Industries ― Lee was Cheil's largest shareholder

May 26, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Samsung heir summoned over controversial management succession
Global Community

Expats cry foul over points-based new visa rules

Ministry of Justice recently proposed rule changes for the F-2-7- visa which is drawing outcries from expats in Korea. Korea Times fileBy Kim Se-jeong Jennifer Strout is an English teacher in Korea and has been working to found a nonprofit school for low-income families.She said her hopes are to contribute to the community which she now calls home and to become a Korean citizen in the future.Yet, her plan is likely to become a distant dream with the Ministry of Justice's recent proposal for rule changes for the F-2-7 visa. The changes are not yet final as the government is still collecting opinions. Yet, Strout, along with many expats in Korea, are worried that the proposal would cut short their time in Korea. According to the proposal, the visa which is run on a points system would allocate the most points to annual income. For example, under the current system, 10 points are allocated for those who earn 100 million won or more, but that will change to 60 points.Age, education level and Korean language proficiency are other criteria, and the points allocated for each would also be r

May 24, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Expats cry foul over points-based new visa rules
  • South Korea launches integrated administrative services website for expats
  • More expats have their voices heard in Korea
Health

FC Seoul apologizes for putting sex dolls in stadium

Sex dolls fill an empty football stadium in western Seoul during Seoul's game with Gwangju, Sunday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongSeoul's K League football team apologized Monday over filling its stadium in western Seoul with sex dolls during its Sunday game with Gwangju FC but placed the blame on its supplier. “We tried to make sure the mannequins weren't sex dolls multiple times,” FC Seoul said in an apology posted on Instagram, adding that it happened because of a mix-up by the suppliers. “We take the blame on this point. We should have paid attention to details (when communicating with the supplier).”Slowly reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea's professional football league had its first game of the year on Sunday with no live fans present. “When we talked about this idea (filling the stands with dolls), it was only to add entertainment to the game which was to happen without any spectators,” according to FC Seoul.On Instagram, where FC Seoul posted pictures from the game, the sex doll suspicion spread fast. Not long after, the RT, a Television out

May 18, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
FC Seoul apologizes for putting sex dolls in stadium
Law & Crime

Identity of 4th key Telegram sex crime case suspect revealed

Moon Hyung-wook, another key suspect in the high-profile Telegram chat room sexual abuse and exploitation case, had his identity made public Wednesday by police. Courtesy of Gyeongbuk Provincial Police AgencyBy Kim Se-jeong Police made public the identity of a fourth key suspect in the Telegram sexual abuse and exploitation case Wednesday.Moon Hyung-wook, a 24-year-old university student, is in police custody and is expected to be transferred to the Daegu Prosecutors' Office, Monday.He was arrested May 9 on charges of coercing women to create sexually exploitative videos and distributing them in Telegram chat rooms under the ID “God God.” Police said Moon started his criminal activities around 2015 and Cho Ju-bin, who was indicted on charges of online sexual crimes using minors, in fact, copied what Moon was doing. He allegedly approached women who shared naked pictures with him on social media and blackmailed them into making the sexually exploitative content. Some videos were recorded by his accomplices as they raped the victims. The police said Thursday that Moon had o

May 14, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Identity of 4th key Telegram sex crime case suspect revealed
Health

Expats suffer workplace discrimination amid Itaewon outbreak

Officials from Yongsan District Office in Seoul disinfect an Itaewon street thick with bars and clubs, Monday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Foreigners working in Korea are grappling with the fallout from the recent massive coronavirus outbreak linked to five clubs in Itaewon, and along with certain sexual minorities, are facing discrimination and harassment, especially in their workplaces, according to three interviews Wednesday.Some members of the foreign community here have expressed concerns that this will further escalate over time, saying it is unfair for them to be treated as possible spreaders of the coronavirus under the preconceptions that all non-Koreans here often visit the multicultural entertainment district in Seoul.PJ, who is an English hagwon teacher in Suwon, south of Seoul, said she may be about to lose her job because of the Itaewon outbreak. She had been to Itaewon, May 2, and has since tested negative but is currently under self-quarantine.“My boss asked all my coworkers if we had been there. I told her truthfully I was in Itaewon around May 2 and 3… She sa

May 13, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Expats suffer workplace discrimination amid Itaewon outbreak
  • More expats have their voices heard in Korea
Society

Gangnam District Office deals with fine dust pollution underground

A resident walks along Cheongdam Subway Station's fine dust free zone. The 650-meter-long pedestrian path has low fine dust levels at all times./ Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeongBy Kim Se-jeong Subway stations typically suffer from air pollution issues. Train operation generates fine dust and ventilation systems don't fully filter toxic airborne particles.Yet, Cheongdam Subway Station in southern Seoul has a 650-meter-long pedestrian path with quality. The fine dust free zone consists of hundreds of potted plants and 72 air purifiers and five air handling units with cleaning filters. The fine dust free zone also has a tiny garden. Courtesy of Gangnam District Office“Normally, subway stations are notorious for bad air quality,” Cho Jang-won from the Apartment Housing Division at Gangnam District Office said. “But we were able to transform a part of the subway station that had been neglected into an attractive spot where people like to come and spend time.”Entering the station, people walk into a stretch of a long passageways whose walls are adorned with green

May 13, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Health

Itaewon club goers urged to report to authorities

A foreign resident gets a COVID-19 test at a testing center outside Seongdong District Health Center in Seoul, Tuesday. The health authorities said a total of 102 new coronavirus infections had been found linked to five clubs in Itaewon. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The health authorities renewed calls Tuesday for people who visited five Itaewon clubs between late April and early May to come forward for voluntary testing as officials struggle to trace those possibly infected with COVID-19 and others who could be asymptomatic carriers.“Once more we want to emphasize that if you went to an area visited by a confirmed patient, please, stay home, report to the authorities and get yourself tested. This is crucial in containing the spread of the virus,” Kwon Joon-wook, the official handling the government's quarantine efforts, said during a daily briefing.On the same day, education offices sent letters to schools across the country encouraging staff there, especially native-speaking English teachers, to get COVID-19 tests, saying, “We will guarantee anonymity.” Some of the

May 12, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Itaewon club goers urged to report to authorities
  • S. Korea reports 27 new coronavirus cases after cluster infection in Itaewon
  • Itaewon club cases emerge as Seoul's 2nd biggest cluster infection
  • Park Gyu-ri tests negative for virus after visiting Itaewon club
Trends

Hanyang Women's University teacher designs equestrian uniform

Kang Hee-myungBy Kim Se-jeong Kang Hee-myung, a professor of the knit fashion design department at Hanyang Women's University, has become the first Korean designer to redesign uniforms worn by equestrian athletes in Korea.Her uniform is now available for the 20 young members of the South Seoul Horse Club, a private equestrian club based in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. “Equestrian uniform design is dominated by the West and hasn't changed since the sport arrived in Korea. I wanted to give the uniform a Korean identity by adding distinctive colors,” Kang said. Jackets designed by Kang Hee-myungTo create this identity, she added colored piping to the jacket collars, and changed the silhouette of the jacket by adding a double vent, which the designer incorporated after being inspired by a drawing of Cheonmado, a drawing of a horse from Cheonmachong Tomb in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The design was part of a joint branding project for equestrian fashion between the university and the club which started last year. She said the uniform is made of a unique material, too.&

May 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Hanyang Women's University teacher designs equestrian uniform
Law & Crime

Former justice minister vows to fight for truth

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk receives questions from journalists as he arrives at Seoul Central District Court, Friday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongCho Kuk, former justice minister and presidential aide to President Moon Jae-in, vowed Friday to fight tirelessly against distortions made by the prosecution as the first hearing against him took place.Arriving at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday morning for the first court hearing against him, Cho said, “I will counter the prosecution's distortions and exaggerations one by one. It will take time but I will fight tirelessly.”He is facing multiple charges, including fabricating academic credentials for his daughter who wished to enroll in a medical school, as well as abusing his power as the president's secretary to end the presidential office's probe into former Busan Vice Mayor Yoo Jae-soon facing bribery allegations in 2017. Due to these allegations, he was pressured to resign as justice minister in October last year less than a month after he took the office. On Friday, the court heard the case of suspending the inve

May 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Former justice minister vows to fight for truth
Health

Can AC spread coronavirus? A thorny question that emerges with school reopening

As many students are expected to go back to school, people began asking whether air conditioning is safe to use in the COVID-19 pandemic. GettyimagebankBy Kim Se-jeong As students are expected to go back to school later this month and study through the summer to catch up with what they missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest questions is whether air conditioning is safe to use.On Thursday, the Ministry of Education released a guideline to keep all windows at least one-third open at all times while running air conditioning. “At the moment, experts view using air conditioning is okay as long as the room is ventilated frequently,” Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said during a press conference, Wednesday. Yet she added, “A Chinese research team raised a possibility of the device contributing to droplet transmission. That needs more research and experimentation to be verified. For now, experts consider that a possibility. We are collecting opinions from experts on the use of air conditioning and wi

May 7, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Can AC spread coronavirus? A thorny question that emerges with school reopening
  • S. Korea reports 4 new virus cases amid lax social distancing
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