The Korea Times

Shop in Changwon only sells goods from Gaeseong complex

By Kim Se-jeong A store that only sells goods produced at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex has opened in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.According to Song Sang-gi, who is involved in the operation of the shop, it sells goods made by 13 companies. The items includes clothes, ceramic ware, shoes, socks, underwear, handkerchiefs, gloves, sesame oil and red pepper powder.The shop opened on Jan. 10 and has five staffers.Opened in 2002, the Gaeseong Industrial Complex is a symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, but has had its ups and downs, often reflecting the state of inter-Korean relations. A moment of crisis came in April 2013 when souring North-South relations led to the shuttering of the complex for four months.Song said the opening of the shop was motivated by curiosity.“I thought this was something no one did. Also, products from those companies are cheaper than goods made here.” He added he is satisfied with sales so far. “It’s not like things are sold out. But surprisingly, the sales are quite decent.”A total of 124 Korean companies ha

Jan 27, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

NGO warns of pine tree extinction

By Kim Se-jeongA rising number of pine trees are dying after being infected with pine wilt nematode, Green Korea said Monday.The environmental group warned that the disease may kill all pine trees on the country’s mountains within three years unless something is done.The group said 72 villages in 13 provinces are currently affected by the pine wilt disease. It causes trees to wilt, and destruction is visible because the trees quickly turn red.In 2011, 46 villages were reportedly affected. Saying that the infection is spreading quickly, the group added, “If destruction continues like this, it could remove all the pine trees in the country.” Gyeongsang Province is most affected, especially near Busan, followed by Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces.The group said many fine trees on major mountains are either destroyed or under imminent threat.Originated in North America, the disease first affected Korea in 1988. Other affected countries include Japan, China, Taiwan and Portugal. Korea has almost 150 million pine trees that cover almost 30 percent of its mountains.The pine

Jan 26, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Koreans in California send book on comfort women to public schools

By Kim Se-jeong The Korean community in California has decided to send copies of a novel depicting the lives of comfort women to public schools and libraries across the United States in order to raise awareness of the issue.Five groups are leading the campaign, including the Korean American Forum of California, Korean Literary Society of Korea, Future Young Leaders of America and Korean Women’s International Network’s LA chapter.The novel, “Daughter of the Dragon,” was written by William Andrews and published in January last year.Comfort women refer to the victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. At least 200,000 women are believed to have been conscripted for the sex service, most of whom were Asians.The author has also pledged to donate some of the proceeds of the book to the cause. Two book signing events took place on Jan. 17 and 22 in California, drawing ethnic Koreans and other interested parties in the issue.The book is a historical novel that depicts the lives of two sisters who fall victim to sexual slavery. The aut

Jan 26, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Bomb threat on Cheong Wa Dae

Police, military on high alertBy Kim Se-jeong Police are looking for a caller who threatened to blow up Cheong Wa Dae early Sunday morning.The Public Relations Office at Cheong Wa Dae received five calls ― the first at 2:39 a.m. ― early in the morning from the same person.The caller’s number had a French country code, police said.“If you don’t show your will to do what I want by noon today, I will bomb Cheong Wa Dae,” the caller was quoted as saying by police. However, he did not elaborate on what he wanted.Incoming call numbers are easily manipulated, police said, adding that they are investigating all leads. “It’s possible the caller is in Korea,” one officer said.This is the second bomb threat Cheong Wa Dae has received in two weeks.On Jan. 17, the police found a twitter message saying Park’s private residence was to be bombed at 2 p.m. that day. The twitter message had an address, which turned out to be a chicken restaurant in Paris.Police are not ruling out the possibility that the twitter user and the caller are ide

Jan 25, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Reported child abuse cases jump by 30 percent

By Kim Se-jeong The number of child abuse cases reported to police and child protection agencies increased by 30 percent last year, the Ministry of Justice said Sunday.The ministry said an average of 1,416 child abuse cases were reported per month last year, a 30-percent increase from 2013.Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn met with the ministers of gender equality and family, education, and health and welfare on Saturday to find ways of preventing child abuse occurring at daycare centers and kindergartens. The government will unveil a package of such measures next month.According to the ministry, police received the most calls reporting child abuse, followed by the National Child Protection Agency.The minister also said that 952 cases, out of 1,416, were investigated by police. Experts say the new law which allows for the punishment of child abusers contributed to the increase of reported incidents. The law was implemented in September last year. According to the law, a person charged with child abuse can receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.The recent child abuse c

Jan 25, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

'Do not resume Japanese fish imports'

Participants stage a performance of eating fish contaminated with radioactive materials during a protest in central Seoul, Wednesday. They urged the government to drop its plan to lift an import ban on fisheries products from Fukushima and eight adjacent prefectures in Japan. / YonhapActivists claim import ban is still necessaryBy Kim Se-jeongEnvironmentalists and consumer groups criticized the government on Wednesday for considering lifting the ban on Japanese fish imports which has been in place since September 2013 in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.The ban was enacted because the sea water near the power plant was found to be highly contaminated. The ban is applicable to all types of fishery products from Fukushima and eight prefectures nearby.The groups gathered in central Seoul to urge the government to re-consider its plan to resume Japanese fish imports. “It is like giving Japan a gift at the cost of the public health. We condemn the ministry’s approach,” the groups said in a statement.The participating groups included the Korea Feder

Jan 21, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Ulleung Island to have airport by 2020

By Kim Se-jeongAn airport will be built on Ulleung Island in the East Sea by 2020, the government of North Gyeongsang Province said Tuesday.According to the Korea Transport Institute, a state-funded research organization, the airport will boost the number of island tourists to 800,000. Currently, 420,000 people visit the island each year.The construction of the airport will start in May.The airport will be small, with a 1,100-meter-long runway, enough for a plane with a maximum of 50 seats.The government said the airport project would cost 493 billion won and is expected to be completed by 2020. When ready, it will take an hour to get to the island from Gimpo International Airport near Seoul. A one-way ticket will cost approximately 90,000 won ($83), said the provincial government.“We will gather our efforts and resources to build a safe and environmentally sustainable airport so that the island can be more accessible. An imminent assignment is to secure a budget for the project,” said Lee Jae-chunn from the provincial government.Last week, the local government briefed re

Jan 20, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

2 receive scholarship honoring Sewol ferry victim

By Kim Se-jeongA scholarship named for the late Danwon High School teacher Nam Yoon-cheol, one of the victims of the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol, will be offered to two people, Nam’s family said Monday.Nam’s family set up the scholarship with money donated from the Digital Seoul Culture Arts University, where he was studying to become a Korean language teacher. The school conferred an honorary degree on Nam in July.The beneficiaries of the “Nam Yoon-cheol Scholarship” are Jeong Soon-mi, an employee of Ansan City Hall in Gyeonggi Province and Yoo Seon-woo, a Danwon High School student. Both will attend the university from this year.Nam’s parents attended an awarding ceremony on Monday, but declined to speak to reporters.In a statement, released by the school, Jeong, who will study the same course as Nam, said, “I am honored to receive this meaningful scholarship. I have heard what he did to save students.”She was chosen for her voluntary work at the mourning site in Ansan where millions had visited to pay their respects. Jeong ser

Jan 19, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

People & Events

Activist supports sexual slavery victims

Anne Suzanne Vandana Joseph from India holds a placard supporting former sex slaves forced to serve Japanese soldiers during World War II, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. She joined two sexual slavery victims in a weekly demonstration calling on the Japanese government tomake a sincere apology for Imperial Japan’s crimes against humanity. / Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeongBy Kim Se-jeong Anne Suzanne Vandana Joseph from India said that she was deeply moved by a life-long fight waged by former sex slaves who were forced to serve Japanese soldiers during World War II.“They are still waiting for justice,” she said, adding that she was deeply moved by their life-long fight. Many of the victims passed away, and those who are still alive are at least in their 80s.“I was not aware of the issue before coming here. What I could do is to tell their stories and spread awareness of the issue when I go back to my college. Indians don’t have much awareness of this issue,” she said.Joseph, 25, teaches business administratio

Jan 16, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Activist supports sexual slavery victims

South Korea

Rules on daycare centers will be toughened

By Kim Se-jeong The ruling Saenuri Party and the Ministry of Health and Welfare agreed Friday to shut down any daycare centers even if a single case of child abuse is reported there.They also plan to require all daycare centers in the country to install surveillance cameras.The measures came amid public uproar over a child abuse case in a daycare center in Incheon. Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo and Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung visited a daycare center in Seoul.“We are working to react more quickly to abuse cases,” a health ministry official said. “We are trying to make rules more stringent for daycare centers to prevent possible abuses. The workers who are found to have abused children will also be deprived of their licenses.”Under the current law, a shutdown applies only to facilities where a child dies as a result of abuse.On Friday, police sought an arrest warrant for an Incheon daycare worker surnamed Yang, 33, for abusing a 4-year-old girl. Police detained Yang on Thursday for allegedly manhandling the girl just because she refused to eat kim

Jan 16, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong

Read more

Shop in Changwon only sells goods from Gaeseong complex

NGO warns of pine tree extinction

Koreans in California send book on comfort women to public schools

Bomb threat on Cheong Wa Dae

Reported child abuse cases jump by 30 percent

'Do not resume Japanese fish imports'

Ulleung Island to have airport by 2020

2 receive scholarship honoring Sewol ferry victim

Activist supports sexual slavery victims

Rules on daycare centers will be toughened

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