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Today's #MeToo roundup (March 8)

#MeToo is all the rage in South Korea. The Korea Times daily updates new claims you should not miss. -- ED.31 celebs under investigationPolice said 40 people, including 31 well-known figures, are under formal investigation over #MeToo accusations. Among them are actor Jo Min-ki, play director Lee Yoon-taek and Cho Jeung-yoon, head of an acting troupe, according to the National Police Agency. Musician Nam Goong Yeon and film director Kim Ki-duk were not added to the list because investigators were unable to contact their alleged victims.PastorA pastor was struck by #MeToo accusations. An alleged victim told the Hankook Ilbo, a sister daily of The Korea Times, she was molested by a chief pastor of a church in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, 10 years ago. The alleged perpetrator, surnamed Lee, 74, is a co-chair of the Christian Council of Korea. She claimed the pastor started molesting her after she divorced. Judge The Supreme Court launched an investigation into allegations a male judge spoke “sexually humiliating” words to a female lawyer over the phone in mid-February. The lawy

Mar 8, 2018
Today's #MeToo roundup (March 8)

Shock claim: 'Military action discussed to quell candle vigil'

The candlelight revolution in 2016 / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoTop military officials seriously considered suppressing a nationwide candlelight vigil by force after former President Park Geun-hye was impeached by the National Assembly in late 2016, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea (CMHRK) claimed Thursday.Citing sources in the military, the CMHRK said senior officials, including Major General Koo Hong-mo, discussed in detail scenarios of quelling millions of street protesters across the nation.“It is very shocking that they considered using military forces to quell the peaceful protest,” the center said. “The military mapped out a plan to trample on citizens with guns and swords in order to suck up to those in power like they did 40 years ago in Gwangju. It is tantamount to a rebellion conspiracy.”If the Constitutional Court had dismissed the Assembly’s impeachment motion, the officials would have put that plan into action, according to the center. But in March 2017, the court ruled unanimously to remove the former president from office.The center ur

Mar 8, 2018
Shock claim: 'Military action discussed to quell candle vigil'

#MeToo-hit ex-governor cancels press conference amid rumors of fresh accusations

An Hee-jung, former governor of South Chungcheong Province, on Thursday abruptly canceled a press conference he offered to hold to explain mounting sexual allegations against him.Shin Hyung-cheol, an aide to An, sent a message to reporters that the former governor decided to answer to the prosecution's questioning first before he makes a formal apology to the public. "(An) decided to cancel the press conference since he came to the conclusion that it is a priority to undergo questioning by the prosecution at the earliest date, before he bows to the public and apologizes," he said.An is embroiled in a sex scandal sparked by a revelation by his secretary Monday. She claimed she was forced to have sex with him multiple times over the past eight months. The press conference was slated for 3 p.m. (Yonhap)

Mar 8, 2018
#MeToo-hit ex-governor cancels press conference amid rumors of fresh accusations

Prosecution stepping up pressure on ex-president Lee

Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother grilled about corruption for second timeBy Kim Se-jeongThe prosecution is stepping up its pressure on former President Lee Myung-bak, planning to summon him for questioning over diverse corruption charges.It grilled Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of Lee, for a second time Wednesday.The questioning came a week before the scheduled summoning of the former President who faces multiple allegations.Lee Sang-deuk, 83, arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office around 10 a.m. He was in a wheelchair as he was during his previous appearance in January and didn’t answer any question from journalists.Lee’s older brother is accused of taking a bribe from former spy agency chief Won Se-hoon in 2011 in return for helping Won keep his position at the spy agency. Lee Sang-deuk was a six term lawmaker at the time. A second allegation involves former Woori Financial CEO Lee Pal-sung who is accused of giving the elder Lee 800 million won ($780,000) also in exchange for him keeping his position. The former CEO also bribed Lee Myung-b

Mar 7, 2018
Prosecution stepping up pressure on ex-president Lee

Today's #MeToo roundup (March 7)

 #MeToo is all the rage in South Korea. The Korea Times daily updates new claims you should not miss. -- ED. Chung Bong-jooChung Bong-joo, a former lawmaker and contender for Seoul Mayor, was hit by #MeToo. He allegedly forcibly kissed and molested a university student at a hotel in 2011. The alleged victim told online news outlet Pressian that she met him as a “fan” of the reform-minded leftist politician but he started flirting as they met often. Chung called off a press conference to declare his bid for Seoul Mayor in the June elections. Ex-Ewha professor A retired professor from Ewha Womans University has become another target of the #MeToo movement. A woman who introduced herself as a school graduate said on the student body’s online community that she was sexually molested when she visited the professor a few days after National Teachers Day in May 2016. The incident allegedly happened at the professor’s lab. The student did not report the matter to police because she feared a backlash. She said the professor, whose identity is unknown, later offere

Mar 7, 2018
Today's #MeToo roundup (March 7)

Five under probe over washer technology leaks to China

By Jung Min-hoFive people are being investigated for allegedly leaking Korea’s world-class washing machine technology to China, police said Tuesday.According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, the five are suspected of colluding in illegally leaking a core technology for drum-type washing machines to a Chinese company in 2015.The Chinese company offered a Korean, 56, who was in charge of a Korean washing machine motor maker’s research center in China at that time, an annual salary of 160 million won ($150,000) as well as other perks ― such as housing and a vehicle ― for stealing the technologies.The suspect, whose identity is being withheld, allegedly stole documents containing detailed designs of washing machine motors and took them to the Chinese firm.One of the stolen technologies (for a direct-drive motor) was developed by the Korean firm in 2003 and regarded as the world’s best.The Korean company’s estimated business loss from the alleged crime has been 6.4 billion won so far. That loss is expected to increase.Four others allegedly helped in

Mar 7, 2018
Five under probe over washer technology leaks to China

Loan sharks caught charging 380% interest

By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-sooPolice have caught 11 private lenders imposing annual interest rates of up to 380 percent, well above the 24 percent legal ceiling. They are suspected of having raked in 3.8 billion won ($3.53 million) in return for lending one billion won to 552 delinquent borrowers at illegal interest rates between October 2015 and June 2017. They are also suspected of having used physical threats to those who failed to repay loans on time.

Mar 6, 2018
Loan sharks caught charging 380% interest

Ex-President Lee Myung-bak to be questioned on March 14

Former President Lee Myung-bak / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoFormer President Lee Myung-bak will be summoned next Wednesday for questioning by the prosecution.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it will question Lee, 76, who is accused of playing a central role in many illegal activities during his five-year term, at 9:30 a.m. on March 14.“It is necessary to investigate him to uncover the truth,” a prosecution official said.  “We’ve collected enough evidence to believe that he was involved in the cases we are looking into.”Lee, who was in office from 2009-2013, is suspected of receiving “black budgets” from the National Intelligence Service and misappropriating the money. One former aide, Kim Baek-joon, has already been indicted on this charge. But prosecutors suspect Kim only delivered the money to his boss, Lee.Lee is also accused of using DAS, an auto parts company, to collect and manage slush funds.He is the country’s fifth president prosecutors will have questioned over corruption allegations.

Mar 6, 2018
Ex-President Lee Myung-bak to be questioned on March 14

#MeToo rocks Myongji Univ, University of Seoul

By Kim Se-jeongA professor at the University of Seoul has been accused of sexually harassing a student, the latest in a series of sexual misconduct allegations sweeping the nation’s ivory towers.The university said Monday it halted all classes of Prof. Park Man-yeop of the College of Liberal Arts and Cross-Disciplinary Studies and will interview him this week. The allegation was raised by an anonymous female student who posted her experience on the school’s intranet. “A few years ago, he called me out for a drink. He grabbed my hands and attempted to kiss me while his hands groped my body.”She added that she couldn’t reject the invitation because he was her teacher and she ran away after the harassment. “At first, I thought everything would be ok as long as I kept things to myself but I began feeling sorry for other potential victims,” she wrote, explaining why she decided to share her experience. The revelation came less than a day after the Ministry of Education’s announcement that it would look into Myongji College located in Seoul w

Mar 5, 2018
#MeToo rocks Myongji Univ, University of Seoul

Winning lottery ticket ends friendship

CCTV footage shows the suspect sitting with his friend -- whose lottery won second prize -- in a Busan coffee shop on Jan. 20. / Courtesy  Busan Police StationBy Kang Aa-young, Park Si-sooA man in his 20s is under police investigation for allegedly stealing his friend’s winning lottery ticket worth 52 million won ($48,050).The man recently gave himself up to a police station in Busan after he became a target of a police search.The man is suspected of having stolen his friend's lottery ticket, which won second prize by matching five out of six winning numbers -- at a coffee shop on Jan. 20.Police secured CCTV footage that shows the man stealing the ticket in a tussle and then running away.

Mar 5, 2018
Winning lottery ticket ends friendship
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