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Irish nun who nursed Korean HIV patients dies

Sister Miriam CousinsBy Park Jae-hyukSister Miriam Cousins, an Irish nun who dedicated her life to helping prostitutes and HIV patients in Korea, died Aug. 17, according to the Missionary Society of Saint Columban. The nun, who is also known by her Korean name, Go Myeong-eun, was 79.She reportedly died while undergoing intestinal surgery at a local hospital.The funeral mass was held at St. Mary's Hospital Funeral Home in Seoul, Tuesday, and she was buried at Resurrection Parish Memorial in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.“Sister Miriam passed away at 11 p.m., Aug. 17,” the missionary society wrote on its website. “Please remember her beautiful life filled with love, and please pray for her to rest in peace.”Born in Galway, Ireland, she came to Korea in 1971 as a member of the missionary society.As a licensed nurse and nurse-midwife, Miriam initially served as a nurse for underprivileged patients and pregnant women at hospitals in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, and Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, as well as on Jeju Island.In 1989, she set up a hostel near a red-light d

Aug 22, 2019By Park Jae-hyuk
Irish nun who nursed Korean HIV patients dies

Former Korea Times managing editor dies

By Bahk Eun-jiKim Yong-koo, former Korea Times managing editorKim Yong-koo, a former managing editor of The Korea Times, passed away, Monday. He was 90.He worked as an interpreter and chaplain in the army between Korean and U.S. forces during the Korean War at U.N. Military Headquarters.Kim, Korea's first Nieman fellow at Harvard University in 1962, started his carrier in journalism by working as a reporter at the country's oldest English daily in 1954. He served as managing editor of the newspaper from 1959 to 1961. He continued his career as an editorial writer for its sister paper, the Hankook Ilbo, from 1963.He was a founding member of Kwanhun Club, the nation's first journalists' group, and a chief of the Korean branch of the Congress for Cultural Freedom. After retiring from the journalism industry, he became a distinguished professor of journalism at Korea University in 1998. He also published “Bushitdol,” a literary journal, after retirement.His funeral service will be held at the Catholic University of Korea Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul on Wednesday. He i

Aug 19, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
Former Korea Times managing editor dies

'Easy Rider' star, 1960s swashbuckler Peter Fonda dies at 79

Peter Fonda. Capture from Instagram (@fondstagram)Actor Peter Fonda, the son of a Hollywood legend who became a movie star in his own right after writing and starring in the counter-culture classic “Easy Rider,” died Friday at his home of complications from lung cancer. He was 79. “I am very sad,'' Jane Fonda said. “He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing.” Born into Hollywood royalty as Henry Fonda's only son, Peter Fonda carved his own path with his non-conformist tendencies and earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing the psychedelic road trip movie “Easy Rider.” He would never win that golden statuette, but he would later be nominated for his leading performance as a Vietnam veteran and widowed beekeeper in “Ulee's Gold.”Fonda was born in New York in 1940 to parents whose personas were the very opposite of the rebellious images their kids would cultivate. Father Henry Fonda was already a Hollywood giant, known for playing st

Aug 18, 2019
'Easy Rider' star, 1960s swashbuckler Peter Fonda dies at 79

Independence fighter Kim Byung-gil passed away at 96

The late independence fighter Kim Byung-gil / YonhapBy Jhoo Dong-chanKim Byung-gil, an independence fighter during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era, died of a stroke Thursday. According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Busan Office, Friday, Kim passed away from stroke at the Busan Veterans Hospital in Busan, Thursday. He was 96.He had a previous stroke in March last year, and had been receiving treatment at the hospital over the past year.Born in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim was forcibly drafted to the Imperial Japanese Navy when he was 19. He then decided to become an independence fighter and formed IlShimhoe, a resistance group, with his 11 comrades.The group planned to assist alled forces' possible landing operation to take out the Japanese military presence in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, but the plan was later discovered by the Japanese. Kim was immediately arrested by the Japanese forces, and sentenced to a year and half in prison by the Japanese military court on July 12, 1944, after four months of torture.Kim remained in jail until Korea bec

Aug 11, 2019By Jhoo Dong-chan
Independence fighter Kim Byung-gil passed away at 96

Lee Min-hwa, start-up pioneer and entrepreneurship educator, dies at 66

Lee Min-hwa.By Park Si-soo Lee Min-hwa, a start-up pioneer, entrepreneurship professor and prolific writer about innovation, died of a heart attack on Saturday. He was 66. He was healthy and energetic until recently ― his last Facebook photo on July 31 shows him and his wife smiling on Naksan beach in Gangwon Province.His body lies at the Asan Medical Center.Born in 1953 in Daegu, Lee studied electronic engineering at Seoul National University and earned master's and doctor's degrees in the same discipline from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He founded South Korea's first medical device startup Medison in 1985, which was later merged into Samsung Electronics and renamed Samsung Medison. He played a key role in establishing Korea Venture Business Association, a non-profit organization promoting the interests of domestic startups, in 1995 and KOSDAQ, a stock exchange for investment-hungry mid- and small-cap companies, in 1996. He has spearheaded a variety of activities aimed at making South Korea startup-friendly. As a professor, since 2009 he has taugh

Aug 4, 2019
Lee Min-hwa, start-up pioneer and entrepreneurship educator, dies at 66

Former lawmaker Chung found dead

By Kim Hyun-binChung Doo-un, former lawmaker of the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the now main opposition Liberty Korea Party, was found dead on a mountain in Seoul, Tuesday.Chung Doo-unAccording to Seodaemun Police Station, the former lawmaker was found dead in a park in Hongeun-dong in Seoul near his residence at 4:25 p.m.Chung's wife called the police after finding a suicide note at 3:58 p.m., and police found his body after searching nearby areas with drones and rescue dogs. Police suspect he committed suicide, but are looking into the exact cause of his death.After working for 20 years as a civil servant, he entered politics as an aide to former President Lee Myung-bak when Lee was Seoul mayor. Chung then became a lawmaker on the conservative Saenuri Party's ticket in 2004 and served three terms. But after Lee became president, Chung became estranged from him and other political heavyweights, following conflicts with Lee's elder brother, also a lawmaker.After losing in the 2016 general election, he worked as a political commentator on numerous TV shows. He also ran a Japanes

Jul 16, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin
Former lawmaker Chung found dead

Ex-dictator Chun's elder brother dies at 90

Chun Ki-hwan. Korea Times fileBy Park Si-soo Chun Ki-hwan, the elder brother of Chun Doo-hwan, who ruled South Korea with an iron fist in the 1980s, has died from natural causes. He was 90. Chun, a former police officer, amassed a massive fortune in the 1980s by taking advantage of cozy ties with the government and business leaders. He was said to be the “de facto owner” of Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market, the biggest fisheries market in Seoul. He was jailed on corruption charges in the late 1980s in a sweeping investigation targeting his younger brother's corruption and other illegalities committed during Doo-hwan's 1980-88 presidency.

Jul 3, 2019
Ex-dictator Chun's elder brother dies at 90

Koreans bid farewell to ex-first lady

The coffin bearing late former first lady Lee Hee-ho is carried to outside Changchun Methodist Church in Seoul's Seodaemun District, Friday, where her funeral service was held. YonhapLee Hee-ho. Korea Times fileSouth Koreans bid their last farewell to late former first lady Lee Hee-ho on Friday, in honor of her contribution to inter-Korean reconciliation efforts and the enhancement of women's rights.Lee died at the age of 96 late Monday while suffering from liver cancer. She was the widow of former liberal President Kim Dae-jung, the architect of the "sunshine policy" of engaging North Korea and the Nobel Peace Prize winner.A funeral service was held at Seoul National Cemetery in southern Seoul, attended by some 2,000 people, including political leaders, government officials and citizens.The service was carried out in the format of a "society funeral," a ceremony to mourn the death of an influential figure who made contributions to society."We've lost a great leader of our times. We have to let her be laid to rest, the symbol of the hardships and glory of modern history," Prime Minis

Jun 14, 2019
Koreans bid farewell to ex-first lady
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