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Gyeonggi governor indicted for violating Election Law

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung speaks to the press in front of his office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, after the prosecution announced it had indicted him for alleged violations of the Election Law during the local election campaign in June, and abuse of power. /YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunThe prosecution indicted Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, Tuesday, on two charges of violating the Election Law, and one on abuse of power in committing his estranged brother to a psychiatric hospital. However, prosecutors didn't indict Lee's wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, on allegations she used a “controversial” Twitter account to illegally campaign for her husband due to a lack of evidence.The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office indicted Lee without detention two days before the statute of limitations on the alleged Election Law violations is reached.The office said the governor abused his power in forcibly hospitalizing his older brother in 2012 when he was Seongnam mayor. Lee is suspected of ordering local government civil servants to get his brother committed. While it

Dec 11, 2018By Kim Jae-heun
Gyeonggi governor indicted for violating Election Law

More single moms are dumping their babies

Infant abandonment by single moms continues to rise in Korea. YonhapBy Dong Sun-hwaA single mom in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, was recently arrested for dumping her dead baby into a trash heap. She had reportedly neglected the baby after giving birth, leading to the death. Single mothers abandoning babies has been rising in Korea. There were 116 cases in 2016 and 177 in 2017. There have been 142 cases up to August this year, the latest figure available, according to the National Police Agency. Experts attribute the increase to the enforcement of the September 2012 revision of the adoption related law. Under this law, infants that are not registered after birth cannot be adopted or go to an orphanage. But single moms are reluctant to make registrations because they do not want to be “officially” identified. The unstable economic situation of single moms is another big factor. About 46 percent of them have run up debts, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. “Men are also half-responsible, and the problem regarding childbirth is also the issue of o

Dec 11, 2018By Dong Sun-hwa
More single moms are dumping their babies

Four Liberians scam Koreans in fake online romance

Thirty-four South Korean men and women were defrauded by four Liberians from December 2017 until October this year. The Liberians pretended to be American military officers and approached with romantic intentions on social media. The person in the photo is unrelated to the story. Getty Images BankSouth Korean police have arrested four Liberians for defrauding more than 30 South Koreans of nearly 1.3 billion won ($US1.15 million) after posing as American military officers, officials said Tuesday.The Liberians are accused of mobilizing a romance scam by approaching South Korean men and women on social media sites and pretending to look for marriage or business partners, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said.Romance scams involve feigning romantic intentions toward a victim, gaining his or her affection and then using that goodwill to commit fraud.The Incheon police agency said a fifth Liberian has been booked without detention in the same romance scam case.Incheon Metropolitan Police AgencyThe Liberians have been staying in South Korea to apply for refugee status.The unident

Dec 11, 2018
Four Liberians scam Koreans in fake online romance

Man faces murder charge for killing Filipina wife

By Jung Min-hoA Korean man is being investigated for allegedly killing his Filipina wife, police said Monday.According to the Yangsan Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province, the suspect, 59, was apprehended at his home at 10 p.m. Tuesday after allegedly stabbing his 38-year-old wife to death.Police said they received a call from the man, who confessed his alleged crime on the phone.When they arrived, he was unconscious. He was taken to a hospital immediately. Police said his injuries are not life-threatening.The woman reportedly came to Korea seven years ago after the couple married.

Dec 11, 2018By Jung Min-ho
Man faces murder charge for killing Filipina wife

KORAIL chief steps down after bullet train derailment

Korea Railroad CEO Oh Young-sik, right, heads to ride a KTX bullet train at Gangneung Station in Gangwon Province, Dec. 10, when the transportation service resumed in three days after a KTX bound from Gangneung to Seoul derailed, injuring a dozen passengers. YonhapOh Young-sik, CEO of the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), resigned Tuesday, taking responsibility for the derailment of a bullet train that injured over a dozen passengers in the country's northeast. "I have emphasized that (ensuring) the safety of our people is the most important role and reason for KORAIL's existence, but I take full responsibility with my deepest apologies for failing to keep that promise," he said in a statement. A Seoul-bound KTX train ran off the tracks in the eastern provincial city of Gangneung early Saturday and injured 16 passengers aboard, with no fatalities.Oh has faced criticism after he cited "freezing weather" as a possible cause of the derailment in a press briefing hours after the accident. He has been blamed for not addressing the problem properly despite a series of similar incidents that h

Dec 11, 2018
KORAIL chief steps down after bullet train derailment

Infrastructure failures raise safety concerns

A derailed KTX train lies across the tracks in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Saturday. Fifteen of the 198 passengers onboard suffered minor injuries. / YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonAn underground fire blacks out communication, a hot water pipe bursts, a KTX train derails ― a string of high-profile infrastructure failures have plagued the nation in recent weeks, making Koreans question the safety and reliability of basic services they once took for granted.Poor maintenance and disaster prevention measures were common factors in the incidents. In the fire at KT's network tunnel, which cut off hundreds of thousands from phone and internet connections, Nov. 24, the telecom company did not have a worker stationed there or an automatic fire response system. Similarly, the Dec. 4 pipe rupture in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, which unleashed a scalding flood that claimed one life and left thousands of households without hot water or heating for hours, could have been prevented with regular inspections. Saturday's derailment of a KTX train on the new Seoul-Gangneung line, which opened a year ago in time

Dec 10, 2018
Infrastructure failures raise safety concerns

Ex-Gwangju mayor summoned for questioning

Former Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun answers questions from the press upon his arrival at the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, Monday, before being questioned over his alleged influence peddling and violation of the Election Law. / YonhapBy Kim Jae-heunFormer Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun was questioned by the prosecution Monday over an alleged violation of the Election Law and influence peddling. He appeared at Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, a day after returning from Nepal where he was doing volunteer work.“I am sorry to have caused worries over my unwise decision. I apologize as a former mayor to the citizens of Gwangju,” Yoon said at a press conference before facing prosecutors. “I will commit myself to the investigation based on facts and tell no lies. If there is something I need to take responsibility for, I will do so.”Last December, Yoon was swindled out of 450 million won by a 49-year-old scammer surnamed Kim, who claimed to be the former first lady Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of President Roh Moo-hyun. Kim asked to borrow the money, an

Dec 10, 2018By Kim Jae-heun
Ex-Gwangju mayor summoned for questioning

Taxi driver sets himself on fire in protest of Kakao carpool service

Investigators look into the car of the taxi driver after he set himself on fire in protest of the launch of Kakao's ride-sharing service, at the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, Monday. YonhapA Seoul taxi driver died after setting himself on fire in front of the National Assembly on Monday, apparently in protest of the planned launch of a ride-sharing service by a local information technology enterprise.The driver, identified only as 57-year-old with the surname Choi, sprinkled flammable materials on his body inside his car and committed self-immolation in front of the Assembly's entrance at around 2 p.m.Choi was rushed by police and firefighters to a nearby hospital but died at 2:49 p.m.According to his acquaintances and police, the driver burned himself to death to oppose Kakao Corp's plan to launch a commercial carpool service in South Korea. Choi reportedly notified his acquaintances of his self-immolation plan beforehand.The incident occurred as Kakao Corp. launched a commercial carpool service on a trial basis on Friday ahead of its formal launch slated for

Dec 10, 2018
Taxi driver sets himself on fire in protest of Kakao carpool service

Gov't official avoids disciplinary action for complying with unjust order

By Kim Hyun-binA government official has won a suit which he filed to nullify disciplinary action taken against him for following an illegal order given by former Vice Culture Minister Kim Chong. The order was made during the massive corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the official at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, identified by his surname Kim, Monday, ordering the ministry to rescind the disciplinary action. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) found early last year that Kim approved the establishment of the K-Sports Foundation ― later found to have been controlled by Choi ― upon the orders of the former vice minister and another superior, even though the foundation failed to meet the necessary requirements.After the presidential corruption scandal emerged at the end of 2016, it was found the vice minister committed multiple irregularities and peddled influence for Choi.Kim was also ordered to allocate funds to a specific sporting organization led by a friend of

Dec 10, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Ex-Gwangju mayor faces questioning over fraud scandal

By Jung Hae-myoungFormer Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyunThe prosecution is accelerating its investigation into former Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun's alleged Election Law violation and influence peddling, as he returned to Korea on Sunday from a trip to Nepal.Upon arriving at Incheon International Airport early in the morning, Yoon told the press, “I will explain in detail at the prosecution's office, and take responsibility if necessary.” At the airport, investigators from the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office confiscated his mobile phone and told Yoon to be present for questioning at the prosecution's office at 10 a.m. on Monday.Yoon, 69, sent 450 million won ($400,000) to a scammer who claimed to be former first lady Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of former President Roh Moo-hyun. The scammer, a 49-year-old woman surnamed Kim, sent the same message to 10 politicians, but Yoon was the only one who was fooled. To send the huge amount of money, he even took out a loan of 350 million won from two banks and borrowed the remaining 100 million won from an acquaintance. The prosecut

Dec 9, 2018
Ex-Gwangju mayor faces questioning over fraud scandal
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