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Minister vs prosecutors? Disputes rise over probe evidence leaks

Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl heads to the cafeteria for lunch at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul, Monday. Liberals have accused the prosecution of having leaked classified investigation information regarding Justice Minister Cho Kuk's family. YonhapBy Kim Hyun-binControversy continues over the leaking of information and material obtained by prosecutors during their investigation into newly appointed Justice Minister Cho Kuk's family. The ruling bloc and Cho's supporters have accused them of leaking the material on purpose to create negative public sentiment toward him and prevent him from carrying out President Moon Jae-in's key policy goal of reforming the prosecution. Prosecutors, however, have flatly denied such speculation.After prosecutors launched their investigation into Cho late last month as a nominee before his appointment Monday, a petition was posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, Aug. 28, calling for the “punishment” of Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl for leaking confidential information.The petitioner cited a report by a conservative broadcast

Sep 9, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin
Minister vs prosecutors? Disputes rise over probe evidence leaks

Top court confirms ex-governor's rape charges

Former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung is taken to a prison transport vehicle after he has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in an appeals trial held at the Seoul High Court in Seoul, in February. / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoonBy Kim Jae-heunThe Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling that found former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung guilty of sexual violence, Monday.The final ruling is likely to discourage An, once a high-profile politician who was believed to be a strong hopeful in the next presidential election, from returning to the political arena.An was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for raping his former secretary Kim Ji-eun four times and sexually harassing her six times between July 2017 and February 2018.The main issue in the final ruling was whether the judges would acknowledge the credibility of Kim's testimony.In the first trial, a district court acquitted An of the charges saying that she went with the ex-governor to a wine bar a day after one of the rapes took place and made supportive comments ab

Sep 9, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Top court confirms ex-governor's rape charges

17 caught for secretly filming women on beaches

By Kim RahnThe Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in cooperation with the police caught 17 people for filming women on beaches and at subway stations during a two-month intensive crackdown. / GettyimagesbankSeventeen people were caught secretly photographing or filming women at holiday destinations or in Seoul's metro system during the two-month vacation season, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said, Monday.Together with police, the ministry conducted an intensive crackdown on spycams and other illegal filming activities at three beaches ― Haeundae in Busan, Daecheon in South Chungcheong Province and Gyeongpodae in Gangwon Province ― and at subway stations in Seoul from July to August.On the beaches, 12 were caught taking photos or filming women in swimsuits on the beaches or near bathhouses. They told police that they intended to look at the photos and watch the video clips alone at home.Five of them were booked as the photos were too explicit, while the remaining seven were given verbal warnings.The five people caught at subway stations allegedly took photos or filmed

Sep 9, 2019By Kim Rahn
17 caught for secretly filming women on beaches

Prosecution charges wife of justice minister nominee with certificate fabrication

The wife of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk was indicted on Friday over allegations that she fabricated a school certificate for her daughter.The prosecution filed a formal charge against Cho's wife, a professor surnamed Chung, without summoning her for its probe into a series of corruption allegations involving Cho's family.Chung, 57, a Dongyang University professor, was accused of forging a school president's award certificate in 2012 to help her daughter enter a medical school in 2014.The move is expected to deal a blow to Cho, who attended a parliamentary confirmation hearing Friday, nearly one month after he was nominated to lead the justice ministry.State prosecutors swiftly proceeded with the indictment as a seven-year statute of limitations over such fabrication charges expired at midnight.Since being nominated in early August, Cho has faced a string of allegations of irregularities, including that his 28-year-old daughter received preferential treatment in entering elite schools and that his family made a dubious investment in a private equity fund.Cho told lawmakers that h

Sep 7, 2019
Prosecution charges wife of justice minister nominee with certificate fabrication

Justice ministry to set up new refugee appeals division

Yemeni asylum seekers on Jeju Island line up at a Red Cross booth for health checkups in this June 2018 photo. Korea Times fileBy Lee Suh-yoonStarting next year, the justice ministry will run a separate department for reviewing asylum seekers' appeals against decisions made by the refugee screening department, the ministry announced, Thursday.Previously, rejected asylum seekers appealed their cases to a committee under the refugee screening department. By creating an independent unit, the ministry said appeals applications can be given a faster and more professional review.The organizational change means more staff will be dedicated to reviewing asylum seekers' appeals. The ministry hopes this will help alleviate the existing bottleneck. According to ministry data from the first half of 2019, the evaluation process for an average asylum seeker took 12.3 months, and the following appeals reviews, 11.3 months. Over 80 percent of rejected applicants appeal, the ministry said.“The creation of a new refugee appeals review department will provide the infrastructure for a timely and f

Sep 5, 2019
Justice ministry to set up new refugee appeals division

Justice minister nominee's family faces legal charges

Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kim Hyun-binDongyang University will conduct an internal investigation into allegations surrounding justice minister nominee Cho Kuk's wife and daughter, as the family is maintaining its claim that the latter received an award from the university president, something the school strongly denies.Cho's wife Chung Kyung-sim has worked at the university since 2011 as an English professor.If the award was fabricated, it could constitute forgery of a private document and the daughter's admission to Pusan National University (PNU) Medical School, where the award was accepted as genuine, could be canceled. Chung could be summoned for questioning by prosecutors soon.Dongyang President Choi Sung-hae ordered his staff to establish a fact-finding team, Wednesday, to look into the controversial award and Cho's wife's involvement in the matter.Cho's family claimed the daughter served as an assistant at Dongyang's English Education Center in a project to publish English education books for young students, and the award was give

Sep 5, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin
Justice minister nominee's family faces legal charges

CJ heir-apparent ask prosecutors to arrest him

By Kim Jae-heunLee Sun-hoProsecutors asked for an arrest warrant for CJ Group heir-apparent Lee Sun-ho, Thursday, on drug smuggling and drug use charges. The request came after Lee voluntarily appeared at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, Wednesday evening, and requested his own arrest. Prosecutors had initially booked him without physical detention and sent him home, leading to accusations that he had received favorable treatment as the eldest son of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun.According to prosecutors, he took a taxi to the office alone, without notifying his lawyer or company officials.Lee told them that it was heartbreaking to see people around him suffer due to his wrongdoing and that he wanted to be arrested as soon as possible if it was legally plausible.He also said he now feels “lighthearted,” according to the prosecution.While the prosecution requested the Incheon District Court to issue an arrest warrant and the court is scheduled to review whether to accept the request soon, Lee said he would not attend the review session, meaning he will not appeal the

Sep 5, 2019
CJ heir-apparent ask prosecutors to arrest him

Prosecutors search CJ heir-apparent's residence

By Kang Seung-wooThe prosecution carried out a search and seizure on the residence of Lee Sun-ho, CJ Group heir-apparent and the eldest son of group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, Wednesday, as part of its investigation into drug-smuggling charges against him. Lee Sun-ho According to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, its investigators searched Lee's residence in Jangchung-dong, eastern Seoul, for evidence linked to the drug scandal. However, his office at CJ CheilJedang was not searched.“We carried out a search and seizure operation on his residence, but cannot provide any other immediate details,” a prosecutor said.The prosecution is set to decide whether to request an arrest warrant for Lee after analyzing the confiscated evidence. On Sunday, the 29-year-old was caught attempting to smuggle liquid marijuana in cartridges and edible marijuana products into the country at Incheon International Airport from the United States. He hid dozens of e-cigarette cartridges fi

Sep 4, 2019By Kang Seung-woo
Prosecutors search CJ heir-apparent's residence

EXCLUSIVE ROK Army clueless of KATUSA soldier's desertion for 5 months

By Kim Hyun-binA Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) soldier allegedly went absent without leave (AWOL) and spent the last five months of his service at his home, but the Korean military authorities were unaware of this until another soldier made an anonymous complaint, sources said Wednesday. The former KATUSA sergeant, who was stationed at the U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) in Yongsan, central Seoul, was to be relocated to USAG Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, early this year. However, he did not follow the relocation order. Currently, over 90 percent of U.S. forces and KATUSAs who were stationed in and around Seoul have moved to the recently expanded USAG Humphreys, according to a U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) official.The deserter took advantage of lax personnel management at the time when soldiers were being continuously relocated to Humphreys in large numbers and only a small batch of KATUSAs were left behind at Yongsan.“The suspect allegedly told Korean Army officers in Pyeongtaek that he was part of a handful of KATUSA and U.S. troops left working in

Sep 4, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin
[EXCLUSIVE] ROK Army clueless of KATUSA soldier's desertion for 5 months

'CJ Group heir-apparent also had marijuana candies'

By Kang Seung-wooLee Sun-ho, CJ Group heir-apparent and the eldest son of group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, who was caught attempting to smuggle liquid marijuana into Korea, was also found to be in possession of additional products containing marijuana.Lee Sun-hoAccording to a local news outlet Newsis, Tuesday, the 29-year-old was also in possession of edible marijuana products, when he was apprehended by customs officers at Incheon International Airport, Sunday, for attempting to smuggle dozens of e-cigarette cartridges filled with highly enriched liquid marijuana in his luggage from the United States.The products included marijuana-infused candies and jellies and drug-smoking devices, raising suspicions that he may have habitually taken the drug. Although the most popular method for using marijuana id smoking and vaping, edibles are currently gaining traction.Lee is now under investigation for violation of the Narcotics Control Act, noting his urine sample tested positive for the banned substance. Meanwhile, the prosecution's release of Lee is also raising speculation that the scion of

Sep 3, 2019By Kang Seung-woo
'CJ Group heir-apparent also had marijuana candies'
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