People & Events

Korean folk icon Jo Dong-jin dies of cancer at 70

Jo Dong-jin, one of the pioneers of South Korea's contemporary folk music scene, died on Monday, according to his family. He was 70 years old.Jo was found unconscious inside a bathtub at his house by his son and was transported to a hospital by an ambulance when he passed away at 3:43 a.m., according to his sister and fellow musician Jo Dong-hee. The late singer had been battling bladder cancer."We think he collapsed as he's been fighting cancer at his old age and also his heart wasn't well," the sister told Yonhap News Agency. Jo was scheduled to have surgery at Korea University Medical Center on Monday.Jo first began his music career by playing and writing songs in bands at U.S. Army bases from 1966. He made his official debut in 1979 through the album "Jo Dong Ik," which was ranked 46th in a list of the 100 most influential records compiled by music industry critics and experts in 2007.During a period of political turmoil, Jo's sound and lyrics stood out for being meditative and melodic, while other generational cohorts, such as Han Dae-soo and Kim Min-ki, leaned more towards conv

Former Samsung Electronics chairman dies at 90

By Yoon Sung-wonKang Jin-ku, former chairman of Samsung ElectronicsKang Jin-ku, the former chairman of Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, died Saturday of a chronic ailment at the age of 90.Kang has been considered a business leader who played a big role in founding the semiconductor business of Samsung Electronics, which currently is the world’s top memory chipmaker.“As the former chairman of Samsung Electronics, Kang was a pioneer who strengthened the basis of the company to become the world’s leader in semiconductors, displays, mobile phones, televisions and home appliances,” the electronics maker said in a statement.According to Samsung, Kang also stressed the importance of technology independence in the manufacturing industry at a time when Samsung lagged behind foreign competitors.Kang was born in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on March 1, 1927, and majored in electronics at Seoul National University. He worked at multiple media companies including KBS and the JoongAng Ilbo.Kang was also a founding member of TBC, Korea’s first

Remembering the brothers who fought for Korean independence

Lee Jong-chan, center, chairman of the Woodang Scholarship Foundation, poses with guests at the Seoul Museum of History in Seoul, Thursday, a day before the opening of an exhibition featuring six brothers who fought for Korean independence. The guests include Song In-ho, fourth from left, the director of the museum, and Lee Jong-gul, third from left, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). / Courtesy of Woodang Scholarship FoundationBy You Soo-sunAn exhibition showcasing the lives of six brothers who fought for Korean independence during Japanese rule in Korea began Friday at the Seoul Museum of History in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. Born to a prosperous family, the six activists are best known for spending their entire family fortune to fight against the Japanese occupation.The exhibition was organized by the Seoul Museum of History and the Woodang Museum as this year marks the 150th year since the birth of Lee Hoe-yeong (1867-1932) _ the most renowned among the brothers. A ceremony commemorating the opening of the exhibition was held Thursday in front of the exhibitio

Another former 'comfort woman' dies

By Kim Se-jeong Kim Kun-ja, a woman who was sexually enslaved by Japanese military during World War II, died on Sunday. She was 89.According to the House of Sharing, a shelter for the surviving victims, Kim was found dead at 8:03 a.m. on Sunday and didn’t suffer any visible illness. The shelter said she died of “old age.”With Kim’s death, the remaining number of Korean survivors is 37.Born in 1926 in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, Kim was lured into sex slavery at the age of 17. She was first taken to Hunchun in northeastern China, where she was forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers there for a year-and-a-half. She recounted she was with up to 40 men a day. She suffered venereal diseases and had one abortion. She also had to endure constant beating from the soldiers, which caused a permanent injury to one of her ears.According to the House of Sharing, Kim was moved to another town near Hunchun _ which she remembered as Gokashi _ where she was liberated.She said she had thought her life was useless during the three years of sexual slavery and attempted

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Voice phishing swindler commits suicide in regret

By You Soo-sunA woman accused of voice phishing committed suicide, Wednesday, leaving a written note apologizing for her crime. The woman, in her 20s, was found dead inside her house at Dong District in Gwangju, 8:04 p.m., by her father who filed a report to the police.The woman was accused of working for a call center under a voice phishing ring in the Philippines from August to November, 2014. The Incheon district court had ordered her to attend court on July 13 for the alleged crime.She had often talked to her family about wanting to die, according to the police. On the desk inside her room where she was found dead was a letter of apology to the judge. It was written, “I became involved in the voice phishing crime in the Philippines to earn money and to travel, after quitting my job. I knew it was wrong, but I truthfully regret it.”

Daycare center bus crashes in Cheongju, killing 2 and injuring 10

The vehicles destroyed from a string of collisions, Wednesday, at an intersection at Sachang-dong, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The accident killed two and injured 10. / YonhapBy You Soo-sunA daycare center-run bus crashed into a sidewalk, Wednesday, killing two people and injuring 10 others according to police. After hitting the sidewalk, the bus also collided with three cars heading in the opposite direction. The accident occurred around 12:26 p.m. near an intersection at Sachang-dong, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.  Two elderly women, identified by their surnames Park, 85, and Kim, 73, died after they were transported to a nearby hospital. The 10 others ― including passengers of the cars and pedestrians ― were injured and transported to local hospitals for treatment; no serious injuries were reported. The bus, operated by a daycare center, was carrying four members of a church, but no children.It had been going from Bongmyeong-dong to Sachang-dong when it suddenly accelerated and crossed the center line of the road, hitting three people who had

Former Korea Times CEO dies at 80

 Han Kon-juBy Lee Kyung-min   Former Korea Times President-Publisher Han Kon-ju died at the age of 80, his family said Wednesday.Born in 1937, he began to work for the country’s first English daily, the sister paper of the Hankook Ilbo, as a staff reporter in 1962.Han was promoted to business editor in 1982 and served as managing editor from 1991 to 1994. He served as chief executive editor in 1994 before being promoted to president-publisher in 1997. He retired in January 1998.Han graduated from Kyungbock High School in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, in March 1954. He majored in English language and literature at Yonsei University.Han is survived by his wife, Lim Song-ja, 78, and three sons _ Dae-soo, Min-soo and Sung-soo.Those who wish to pay respects to the late president can visit the St. John’s Catholic Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. The funeral is scheduled for Friday.  

Ex-Boston Marathon champion Suh Yun-bok passes away

Sun Yun-bok, who won the 1947 Boston Marathon with a world record time, died on Tuesday. He was 94 years old.The Korea Association of Athletics Federations (KAAF) said Suh passed away at around 4:40 a.m. but the cause of his death wasn't immediately known.Suh became the first Asian champion of the Boston Marathon in 1947, setting the then-world record with 2:25.39. It was also the first world record set at the Boston Marathon, which began in 1897.Suh also participated in the 1948 London Olympics, and retired the following year. He spent the next four decades as a sports administrator in South Korea, serving as an executive director and then vice president for the KAAF, and also as vice chairman for the Korean Olympic Committee. (Yonhap)

Top rocker's wife dies of cancer

By Park Si-sooSong Nam-young, the musical actress and wife of Korea’s top rocker Yim Jae-beum, has died of cancer. She was 45.She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011. It spread to liver, stomach and womb despite chemotherapy and surgery, according to Yim’s agency.“She passed away with her husband next to her,” said the agency, adding that Yim wanted a quiet funeral.Yim talked about his ailing wife on a popular music show in 2011. The reclusive rocker later confessed that he appeared to support medical fees.The two married in 2001. Song is survived by her husband and daughter.