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Documentary revealing media censorship during 2 previous governments due on Friday

By Kim Se-jeongA documentary revealing the censorship of public broadcasting companies by former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye is finally to be screened, Friday, after public broadcaster MBC tried to block it.On Monday, a court in Seoul ruled against a request by five former and incumbent high-profile MBC executives, including former CEO Kim Jae-chul, that “Accomplices” should be banned. The five said the way the work portrayed them was derogatory and sued the production team, News Tapa, for defamation.  But the judge stated in his ruling: “What the documentary did was raise questions and criticisms about the plaintiffs. It’s different from defamation. Also, the plaintiffs had the chance to make their case against the work, but they chose not to do so and only sued the production company.”In the documentary, MBC’s former CEO Kim was criticized for failing to live up to the expectations of the people as head of a public TV outlet, instead serving the interest of the two former presidents as a tool to manipulate public opinion. The

Aug 15, 2017
Documentary revealing media censorship during 2 previous governments due on Friday

Court rejects reward payment to man who reported Yoo Byung-eun body

By Kim Se-jeong A court in Seoul ruled against a man Monday whose 2014 call to police ended the national scale manhunt for Yoo Byung-eun, former chairman of Semo Group.Yoo was found dead on June 12, 2014 at the man’s farm in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, along with a bag full of socks, underwear and liquor bottles.The man claimed he deserved 10 million won, one fifth of the entire reward offered to locate Yoo who was on the run, and filed a complaint against the government.Rejecting his request, the judge said although his call was critical to end the manhunt, he reported to the police without knowing it was Yoo and therefore wasn’t eligible for the reward.Yoo had been dead for almost 40 days when his body was found, which was almost two months after the ferry sank. Decomposition was so advanced that it took 40 days for forensic experts to confirm it was Yoo.  

Aug 14, 2017

Prosecutors reopen 2012 election fraud case

 / Korea Times photo by Cho Young-ho By Jung Min-hoProsecutors have begun a reinvestigation of the nation’s spy agency, which conducted an illicit campaign to rig the 2012 presidential election in favor of Park Geun-hye, who narrowly defeated Moon Jae-in.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday that it is looking into the result of the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) internal investigation of the election.Earlier, the NIS concluded that it had operated 30 teams of tech-savvy civilians with 3,500 IDs to support Park and other right-wing politicians in the three-year run-up to the vote. Then, it handed all the data to the prosecution.After analyzing the evidence, the prosecution will decide whether to ask a court to hold additional hearings to question former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon, who is charged with taking a leading role in the smear campaign.Won, who served in the post from February 2009 to March 2013 under former President Lee Myung-bak, is now awaiting a verdict, which is scheduled for Aug. 30.During their first investigation in

Aug 14, 2017
Prosecutors reopen 2012 election fraud case

UN human rights monitoring group accused of 'hypocrisy'

 By Lee Kyung-min A group of former workers at a private body that studies United Nations human rights policies alleged, Monday, their group leadership has engaged in multiple human rights violations for years.All four of the group’s workers at the Korea Center for United Nations Human Rights Policy (KOCUN) quit last week.In a statement issued Sunday, the four demanded the group leadership be held accountable for what they call “hypocritical” management.In the Facebook message posted by the group, the four said they were under constant threat of dismissal and their pay was reduced or denied.They claimed they were subject to abusive treatment that entailed their years of efforts being severely undermined and they were left voiceless under a unilateral, top-down chain of command.“We decided to raise this issue publicly because we could no longer continue our mission to safeguard human rights, democracy, dignity and equality,” the group said.“We have devoted up to eight years in efforts to better help human rights policy recommendations be e

Aug 14, 2017

Lawmaker questioned for allegedly assaulting mistress

By Jung Min-hoKim Kwang-sooA 59-year-old lawmaker has been questioned after allegedly assaulting a woman that many suspect is his mistress.Rep. Kim Kwang-soo of the People’s Party was summoned for questioning by police Monday on suspicion of assaulting a 51-year-old woman at her house in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.“I apologize for what happened,” Kim told reporters as he entered the Jeonju Wansan Police Station. “I will take this as an opportunity to reflect on myself. I also promise to cooperate with the investigation to find the truth.”Police officers took him to the police station, after her neighbor called them at around 2 a.m., Aug. 5, on suspicion of “family violence.”Kim initially did not identify himself, but police later found this out after questioning him.Following media reports about the case, many accused the married man of having an affair, though it is not the focus of the investigation.His wife and child currently live in the United States.Kim later denied the accusations, saying the woman is just one of the people who work

Aug 14, 2017
Lawmaker questioned for allegedly assaulting mistress

Foreigners on run with $310,000 from Seoul Station

By Ko Dong-hwan                                                                 Six foreigners are on the run after stealing a bag of cash from Seoul Station earlier this month.The bandits, from countries including Mexico and Colombia, stole 360 million won ($316,000) from a Korean man at a fast food restaurant at the train station in Jung-gu, on Aug. 2, according to Seoul Namdaemun Police on Monday.Three men and three women were involved, of whom at least some had left Korea, police said.They said the gang had waited for the victim at the station and followed him into the restaurant.The man left his bag on a table and went to place an order with the cashier while a person with him kept an eye on the bag.But gang members distracted him by dropping mo

Aug 14, 2017
Foreigners on run with $310,000 from Seoul Station

Foreign workers vulnerable under work permit system

By Lee Kyung-minNepalese worker’s suicide sparks call for law revisionThe handwritten note found next to the body of Keshav Shrestha. Courtesy of Sunita BandeyA regulation banning foreign workers from seeking new jobs without their current employer’s approval has drawn growing criticism, following the suicide of a migrant worker whose requests for such permission were repeatedly denied.Many Korean employers have abused the Employment Permit System, under which migrant workers have had to endure habitual verbal and physical abuses as they are tethered to the companies they work for. The system has deprived non-professional foreign workers of their right to seek new employment.A Nepalese man, Keshav Shrestha, 27, was found dead in a dormitory at a bearing manufacturing factory in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, at 4 a.m., Aug 7. A roommate of Shrestha found his body with a note next to it.The note read: “I was under enormous stress at work. I was not allowed to leave the workplace to find new work at a different factory, nor was I permitted to go back to Nepal fo

Aug 13, 2017
Foreign workers vulnerable under work permit system

Interior minister breaks up police infighting

Interior Minister Kim Boo-kyum, third from left, National Police Agency Commissioner General Lee Cheol-seong, second from left and Central Police Academy Chief Kang In-cheol, right, bow in apology during a press conference at police headquarters in Seodaemun, Seoul, Sunday. YonhapBy Lee Kyung-minInterior Minister Kim Boo-kyum ordered police leadership to halt the ongoing “mudslinging,” Sunday, demanding the figures involved return to serving the public immediately.Kim made an unprecedented visit to the National Police Agency (NPA) and apologized to the public for the ongoing conflict between NPA Commissioner General Lee Cheol-seong and Central Police Academy Chief Kang In-cheol over what Kang claimed was an “abuse of power by Lee” last November.“I demand Lee and Kang immediately halt any attacks against each other,” Kim said. “I, as interior minister, will resolve the issues by thoroughly reflecting the opinions of both sides who respectively have claimed the situation has played out unfairly. I will direct an investigation into this matter a

Aug 13, 2017
Interior minister breaks up police infighting

Charity workers caught allegedly embezzling 12 billion won

/ Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Police StationBy Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooTwo charity workers face arrest for allegedly embezzling over 12 billion won ($10.5 million) donated to help underprivileged children.They are said to have spent the money buying houses, taking luxury overseas trips and on high-end cars, according to Seoul Metropolitan Police Station.The two are founders of charity organization “New Hope Seeds.” Establishing the charity in 2012, they collected 12.8 billion won from 409,000 donors over three years. Police said they used only 200 million won for good causes and misused the rest.They are expected to be charged with habitual fraud and embezzlement.

Aug 11, 2017
Charity workers caught allegedly embezzling 12 billion won

Ex-diplomat sentenced to prison for sexual assault

By You Soo-sun A former South Korean diplomat received a three-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting minors in Chile, where he was stationed. Gwangju District Court, Friday, gave what many see as an unprecedented verdict for government officials here. Critics view this as a warning to diplomats, as numerous sexual offenses by diplomats have been revealed over the past few years.The ruling against the 51-year-old diplomat, identified by his surname Park, received much attention as his molesting of a minor was caught on video by a local television program in Chile. In September 2016, he was indicted on charges of hugging and molesting a 12-year-old female student and for sending an obscene text message in October the same year. He was indicted without restraint in May 2017.According to a local news agency here, the court decision was affected by the fact he assaulted the victim repeatedly.and also failed to settle with the victim. The court also said Park “disgraced Korean government officials and damaged the country’s reputation.”The local news agency als

Aug 11, 2017
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