South Korea - The Korea Times

Public calls rise for entry ban on Yoo again

Singer Yoo Seung-jun speaks on Afreeca TV, pleading to be allowed to enter Korea, May 2015, 13 years after he was banned from entering the country for renouncing his Korean citizenship to evade conscription. Captured from AfreecaBy Kim RahnOpposition is growing to a Supreme Court ruling Thursday that would lift a ban on singer Yoo Seung-jun from entering Korea. The ban was imposed after Yoo evaded compulsory military service by renouncing his Korean citizenship. Online bulletin boards have been flooded with negative comments about the singer, also known as Steve Yoo, who chose to use his U.S. nationality to evade conscription about one month before his scheduled military service in 2002.Immediately after the court decision, a petition was posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website under the title “Please impose an entry ban on Steve Yoo again. The decision is against fairness and makes people angry.”The petitioner wrote that he felt furious at the court ruling and is confused about what is right and what is wrong.“Do you think the decision is right, to exchange the patriot

Jul 12, 2019By Kim Rahn

Public calls rise for entry ban on Yoo again

Former finance minister's 5-year jail term confirmed

By Kang Seung-wooThe Supreme Court confirmed a higher and lower court ruling, Thursday, that sentenced Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to five years in prison for taking bribes from the country's spy agency while serving as finance minister in 2014. Choi Kyung-hwanThe verdict stripped the 64-year-old of his National Assembly seat and disqualified him from running in elections for five years. A lawmaker loses their post if sentenced to a punishment heavier than a fine of 1 million won for violating the Political Fund Law. In June 2018, the Seoul Central District Court slapped Choi with a five-year prison term, ordering him to forfeit 100 million won ($85,000) and pay 150 million won in fines. In January this year, the Seoul High Court upheld the ruling as the top court has now also done.He had been kept in detention because of the allegations since January 2018.Choi, a four-time lawmaker who is close to former President Park Geun-hye, was convicted of accepting 100 million won from the National intelligence Service (NIS) in October 2014 when he was the

Jul 11, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Former finance minister's 5-year jail term confirmed

UN expert to assess privacy violations in Korea

Civic groups hold a press conference on the state of privacy protection in Korea, at the building of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Seoul, Thursday, before a two-week investigation visit by Joseph Cannataci, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to privacy. Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoonCivic groups hope UN rapporteur's visit can spur privacy debate in KoreaBy Lee Suh-yoonA U.N. special rapporteur will visit Korea to investigate allegations of surveillance by intelligence organizations of citizens and their illegal collection of data as well as other privacy violations, a human rights groups said Thursday.The “watchdog position” of special rapporteur on the right to privacy was created in 2015 after Edward Snowden's revelations of mass surveillance by the National Security Agency. Joseph Cannataci, the first privacy rapporteur, has sharply criticized western governments for excessive surveillance measures in the past.Korea, one of the most wired nations in the world, is up next, and Cannataci will visit Korea from July 15 to 26.“We hope his v

Jul 11, 2019

UN expert to assess privacy violations in Korea

Top court rules in favor of singer Yoo over entry ban

By Kim Hyun-binThe Supreme Court has ruled the government ban on former singer Yoo Seung-jun from entering Korea due to his failure to perform mandatory military service, did not adhere to due administrative procedure, leaving open the possibility for him to return to Korea 17 years after the restriction was imposed.The court overturned Thursday lower courts' rulings that approved the immigration authorities' refusal to issue visas for Yoo, sending the case back to the Seoul High Court.Yoo Seung-junYoo, also known as Steve Yoo, debuted in 1997 and was one of the most popular singers until January 2002 when he chose to renounce his Korean nationality and claim use his U.S. citizenship, apparently to evade conscription. He was then banned by the justice ministry from entering Korea. He filed a lawsuit in 2015 after the Korean consulate general in Los Angeles rejected his request for an F-4 visa, which is given to ethnic Koreans with foreign citizenship.The top court said the consulate general had the discretionary power to consider various factors when deciding on visa issuance, but it

Jul 11, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

Top court rules in favor of singer Yoo over entry ban

Actor Kang under probe over alleged rape

By Kim Jae-heunKang Ji-hwanActor Kang Ji-hwan was detained by police early Wednesday morning on allegations of sexually assaulting two women at his home in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the Gwangju Police Station, Kang raped one woman and molested another after the three drank together at his home, Tuesday.Kang allegedly had dinner with employees of his agency and subcontractor companies earlier and came home with the two women to continue drinking. The two women were workers at the agency's subcontractor. One of the victims told police they went to sleep in a separate room from Kang's after they finished drinking. She said when she woke up, she witnessed Kang raping her colleague so she screamed, adding that he stopped at that point. She said she woke up with her clothes pulled off and thought she had been harassed as well, according to police.The victim added Kang locked them in the room and fell asleep, so she sent a text message to her friend in Seoul to call the police at 9:41 p.m. The police went to Kang's house and detained him following the women's testimony.During

Jul 10, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Actor Kang under probe over alleged rape

Sri Lankan dies after fishing boat capsizes

Tongyeong coast guard members rescue the fishermen near Maemuldo Island. YonhapBy Lee Han-naA man died and five were rescued after a fishing boat capsized while deploying fish finder sonar off Maemuldo Island, Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday morning. The dead man was a Sri Lankan, 24. He was first listed missing, but found inside the cabin later. Rescue workers administered CPR, but failed to revive him. The other rescued men were treated in hospital for hypothermia.The boat was towed to port. The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the accident.

Jul 9, 2019

Sri Lankan dies after fishing boat capsizes

Murder suspect commits suicide during confrontation with police

Residents of a mixed residential-commercial building in Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, look up at a man who fled to the rooftop after stabbing another man to death, Monday. After 16 hours of confrontation with police, the man jumped off the rooftop and died. / YonhapBy Kim RahnA 16-hour police confrontation with a murder suspect ended in death on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, early Tuesday morning.According to local police, the man, surnamed Park, 45, visited a mixed residential-commercial building and stabbed the chief of a company at 2:17 p.m. the previous day. The victim, 57, was moved to a hospital but died. Park's ex-wife works for the victim's company, and police believe Park suspected she had been having an affair with the head of the company.After the attack, Park fled to the rooftop of the 20-story building where he was confronted by police. He told the police he would like to talk to his ex-wife over the phone.The police tried to persuade Park to surrender throughout the night, and rescue workers set up rescue air cushions on the ground around the build

Jul 9, 2019By Kim Rahn

Murder suspect commits suicide during confrontation with police

Immigrant wives vulnerable to Korean husbands' assaults

A Korean man leaves the Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Court, Monday, after a court reviewed whether to issue an arrest warrant for him on charges of assaulting his Vietnamese wife. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunFollowing the outrage generated by a video clip showing a Korean man assaulting his Vietnamese wife, many similar cases have shown that the immigration system here has made these women in particular vulnerable to domestic violence.Initially the law used to require Korean husbands to be sponsors for their wives' visas and immigration status, and to apply for visa renewal or permanent residency. But the law was abolished in December 2011 to better protect marriage immigrants' human rights. However, civic groups say remaining legal procedures still make it difficult for foreign wives to earn permanent residency or Korean nationality without their husbands' help.“Foreigners need to undergo an interview after applying for Korean nationality, and until last year, the immigration authorities did not offer a chance for an interview to foreign wives if the Korean husbands did not

Jul 8, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

Immigrant wives vulnerable to Korean husbands' assaults

Top prosecutor nominee vows political neutrality

Yoon Seok-youl, the nominee for prosecutor general, answers lawmakers' questions during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Hong In-keeBy Kang Seung-wooThe nominee for the nation's top prosecutor promised Monday that the prosecution would remain politically neutral under his tenure. The pledge comes amid the government's move to reform the prosecution that has often been embroiled in political scandals.“So far, the prosecution has taken criticism for being swayed by improper political influence and neglecting in self-reflection, and I take this seriously. After I am inaugurated, I will ensure that prosecutors will never be politically motivated,” Yoon Seok-youl said during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.“I promise the prosecution will strictly maintain its political neutrality.” In mid-June, President Moon Jae-in picked the 59-year-old as the prosecutor-general to replace outgoing top prosecutor Moon Moo-il, whose tenure ends later this month. The prosecutor-general nominee must undergo a

Jul 8, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Top prosecutor nominee vows political neutrality

'Drugged Russian' breaks into cruise liner cabin

A drugged Russian broke into an occupied cabin on an international cruise ship on July 4. Korea Times fileBy Park Si-sooPolice are investigating a Russian man who allegedly broke into an occupied cabin on an international cruise ship and then assaulted two crew members. The Russian, 46, broke into a cabin occupied by a Japanese couple, at 5:45 p.m. on July 4 while hallucinating, according to a Korea Coast Guard official. The Russian tested positive in a drug test, investigators said. The ship was traveling toward South Korea from Vladivostok in Russia.“He was roaming and suddenly dashed into the room after seeing a person walking out of it,” an investigator said. “Crew members caught him after a brief shoving match.” The investigation focuses on how he got drug.

Jul 8, 2019

Law & Crime