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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Park faces first trial this week

By Kim Bo-eun Former President Park Geun-hye’s official trial on bribery charges will begin Tuesday.Bribery is one of the main charges Park faces _ she is suspected of accepting or receiving promises for funds amounting to 59.2 billion won ($53 million) from conglomerates including Samsung.Although Park was not required to attend pre-trial hearings, she will have to be present for her official trial, at which her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil will also be present. Park’s expected appearance on Tuesday will come 53 days since she was detained at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, on March 31.At the trial, prosecutors will elaborate on the 18 charges she faces, and defendants will deliver their pleas on the charges.Park faces other charges including abuse of power, mishandling classified state information and drawing up a blacklist of artists critical of the government.Park, who has been flatly denying all of the charges she faces, will likely maintain her not guilty plea at her trial.Park’s legal representatives have been claiming she was not a

May 21, 2017

'Black budget' controversy resurfaces

Bribery allegations involving senior prosecutors have renewed controversy over "special activity budgets," also known as "black budgets." / YonhapGov’t urged to minimize secret expensesBy Jung Min-hoIt is the money that cannot be traced. Once given, no one asks about it, and no one needs to explain why and how it was spent.“Special activity budgets,” also known as “black budgets,” are given to ministries and other government agencies for classified operations. But there are plenty of examples where the money often turns into the root of corruption or simply a waste of taxpayers’ money.The latest case came into the spotlight this week when it was revealed that Ahn Tae-geun, a former deputy minister for criminal affairs, and Lee Young-ryeol, former head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, exchanged suspicious money envelopes over dinner last month.Four days after the end of the Choi Soon-sil scandal investigation, Lee, who led the probe for the prosecution, met Ahn, a friend of one of the key suspects in the scandal, at a restaur

May 19, 2017
'Black budget' controversy resurfaces

25 Koreans arrested in Philippines over alleged fraud, illegal gambling

Five South Korean men cover their faces as they are presented to reporters in Manila, Philippines, Friday. They are among twenty five South Koreans who have been arrested in Manila on suspicion of internet fraud or illegal online gambling. / AP-YonhapBy Park Si-sooTwenty-five South Koreans have been arrested in metropolitan Manila on suspicion of internet fraud or illegal online gambling, the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing Philippine authorities.Twelve of the suspects are wanted at home for allegedly duping their compatriots into investing money in bogus real estate projects in the Philippines, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente was quoted as saying in the report.  Their arrests Wednesday in a posh condominium followed the bureau's apprehension on Monday of four other South Koreans for alleged fraud and voice phishing. They are accused of duping hundreds of their compatriots who lost money after revealing private information to callers impersonating legitimate companies.

May 19, 2017
25 Koreans arrested in Philippines over alleged fraud, illegal gambling

Park Geun-hye to stand trial on Tuesday

Hundreds of South Koreans flocked to a court in Seoul on Friday to take part in a drawing for the opportunity to watch former President Park Geun-hye's first hearing next week.Ahead of the hearing slated for Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court held the drawing to randomly allocate spectator seats to prevent people from lining up for hours under the current first-come, first-served rule.A total of 521 people ranging from college students to Park's avid supporters applied for the 68 seats available, recording a competition rate of 7.6 to one.It will be Park's first public appearance since she was arrested at the end of March over a string of allegations, including bribery and abuse of power. She was removed from office on March 10."In terms of politics, we saw Park stepping down and a new president sworn in. I wanted to witness how this historical case is dealt with in the judiciary," said Lee Tae-gyeong, a freshman in college who came to the draw with two friends.A 69-year-old Park supporter said he came from Incheon, west of Seoul, to gain a chance to see the former leader."The

May 19, 2017
Park Geun-hye to stand trial on Tuesday
  • Park indicted on 18 charges
  • Ex-president Park hires 3 lawyers to strengthen defense
  • Park's lawyer denies all corruption charges at first hearing
  • Legacy of Park Geun-hye to haunt conservative parties
  • Park Geun-hye refusing TV and newspapers in cell: report
  • Park Geun-hye studying English in lockup

Prosecution reform starts at the top

Lee Young-ryeol, left, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and Ahn Tae-geun, a deputy minister for criminal affairs / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA team of 22 inspectors will look into bribery allegations involving two of the most powerful figures that control the prosecution ― a sign that President Moon Jae-in has begun to reform the institution as he promised.The targets of the inspection, which the president ordered Wednesday, are Ahn Tae-geun, a deputy minister for criminal affairs, and Lee Young-ryeol, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.The two offered their resignation, Thursday, after allegations surfaced that they exchanged suspicious money envelopes over dinner on April 21, four days after the end of the Choi Soon-sil scandal investigation.But Cheong Wa Dae will not let them get away. A senior official at the presidential office told reporters that their resignations won’t be accepted until the inspectors finish their job.With Prosecutor General Kim Soo-nam already gone, many experts see the inspection as the beginning

May 18, 2017
Prosecution reform starts at the top

Actor Lee Tae-gon has no plans to forgive assailants

Lee Tae-gon / Korea Times fileBy Lee Han-sooActor Lee Tae-gon will not forgive two men who have been charged with making false accusations and assaulting him, according to a hearing at the Suwon District Court on Wednesday.Lee, 40, who was at the hearing filed by prosecutors, said forgiving the men was pointless and he wanted them punished."I have suffered financially and psychologically after the defendants tried to drag out the case by making false statements that the incident harmed both sides," Lee said. "If they had apologized from the beginning, I would have forgiven them.”Lee last month filed a compensation lawsuit against the two for 390 million won ($346,000).On Jan. 7, the men allegedly assaulted Lee after they tried to shake his hand without permission outside a Yongin restaurant. The actor’s refusal triggered a scuffle that turned violent and abuse was exchanged. Lee suffered a nose fracture.The men claimed both parties provoked the fight, but police cleared Lee of all charges in March. 

May 18, 2017
Actor Lee Tae-gon has no plans to forgive assailants

Taxi driver jailed over 297 false accusations, failing to pay karaoke bill

A taxi driver was sentenced to jail on Tuesday for falsely accusing his customers of upsetting his business and fleeing a karaoke salon without paying his bill. / Korea Times fileBy Eom Da-solA taxi driver who made hundreds of false accusations against his customers over 20 years was jailed for 15 months on Tuesday.The Seoul Southern District Court was told that the false accusation charge against the driver, surnamed Kim, who pleaded guilty, arose after an incident on Sep. 21, 2016, involving customers surnamed Roh and Jang. They got into Kim’s taxi that day to go to Gimpo International Airport from Gangseo-gu, western Seoul.The court heard that Roh had an argument with Kim over not fastening the seatbelt. Roh, upset, tried to leave the car but Kim grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay. Kim then drove about 50 meters while the passenger door was open.Kim later sued Roh and Jang for disturbing his business.But this was not the first time Kim had sued customers. He had filed 297 lawsuits over the past 20 years, according to the court. Most cases were dismissed.The court also hear

May 17, 2017
Taxi driver jailed over 297 false accusations, failing to pay karaoke bill
  • Three strikes and OUT: Korean cabbie loses license for overcharging foreigners

14 companies report 'WannaCry' damage in S. Korea

Employees watch an electronic board to monitor possible ransomware cyberattacks at the Korea Internet and Security Agency in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapSouth Korea's state-run cybersecurity agency said Wednesday that 14 companies have been struck by the crippling ransomware "WannaCry" so far, which has been emerging as one of the biggest threats to global cybersecurity.Ransomware refers to malware that locks up files on a computer with encryption until the victims pay a certain amount of money to hackers. The latest instance of ransomware, called "WannaCry," first surfaced last week, damaging some 200,000 computers in 150 countries around the globe.The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) said it has received 5,012 calls inquiring into ransomware through its hotline so far.Industry watchers said the number of computers struck by WannaCry is estimated to be higher considering individuals and companies that have not filed reports.The KISA said users should continue updating their Windows to the latest versions to prevent potential attacks.

May 17, 2017
14 companies report 'WannaCry' damage in S. Korea
  • Cyberattack: N. Korea's new cash source?

Bone found near site of ferry sinking confirmed as missing teacher

This photo taken on May 11, 2017, shows workers searching through the wreckage of the Sewol ferry at the port of Mokpo in southwest South Korea. / YonhapA bone fragment found near the site of a deadly ferry sinking was confirmed to be that of a teacher who was missing from the 2014 disaster, officials said Wednesday.The 34-centimeter bone underwent DNA testing after it was found on the country's southwestern coast near Jindo Island earlier this month.The 6,800-ton Sewol ferry sank off near the island in April 2014, claiming the lives of 304 people, mostly high school students on a school excursion.The hull was raised from the bottom of the sea and put into dry dock at a local port in Mokpo, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul, last month. The bodies of nine people, including four students and two teachers, have not been found. (Yonhap)

May 17, 2017
Bone found near site of ferry sinking confirmed as missing teacher

Public organizations dropping high school graduate hiring

Some 60 percent of public organizations did not choose any high school graduates when hiring new regular employees last year, data showed Wednesday, backtracking on a policy drive advocated by previous governments.State agencies and their affiliated organizations hired 21,016 new regular workers last year, of which 9.3 percent, or 1,949 new employees, were high school graduates, according to the government portal All Public Information in One (ALIO).A closer look showed that of the 355 public organizations, 215, or 60.6 percent, had no high school graduates among new entrants. The total number of regular workers hired by these companies stood at 4,932 people.Eighty-three organizations filled more than 10 percent of their new positions with high school graduates. The ratio at the other 57 places was under 10 percent.The percentage of high school graduates being hired overall was also falling. In 2012, the ratio was 12.2 percent. It fell to 11.8 percent in 2013, to 10 percent in 2014 and to 9.3 percent in 2015. Even in the private sector, financial companies, formerly one of the larges

May 17, 2017
Public organizations dropping high school graduate hiring
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