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Former President Park to be indicted Monday

By Jung Min-hoProsecutors will indict former President Park Geun-hye today on bribery and other charges related to the scandal centered on her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office will take the case to court after making a public announcement about its investigation results. Prosecutors will disclose the exact charges she will face, and whether Lotte, SK and CJ groups were also involved in bribing her and Choi for business favors.On Friday, prosecutors questioned So Jin-se, a leader of Lotte’s external affairs unit, over the retail group’s involvement in the scandal.Little is known about what Park told prosecutors as she was interrogated over the past two weeks. Senior prosecutors — Han Woong-jae and Lee Won-seok — grilled her five times at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, after she was arrested on 13 charges, March 31.Ahead of the announcement, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won are especially on edge. The two were recently questioned over suspicions that

Apr 16, 2017

'Gov't should recognize 2 part-time Danwon teachers died on duty'

 By Lee Kyung-min The human rights watchdog urged the government Friday to recognize two part-time teachers from Danwon High School as having died while on duty.A standing committee under the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) decided, Thursday, to submit a recommendation to National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun calling for an amendment to related laws to recognize the deaths of Kim Cho-won and Lee Ji-hye as such.Of nine Danwon teachers who died aboard the ill-fated ferry, the two, aged 26 and 31 at the time of the sinking were the only ones denied the status because they worked part-time.The other seven were recognized as having died while on duty, and were buried in Seoul National Cemetery.“The government failing to recognize the two teachers died while on duty is discrimination based on the occupation status, not the work itself,” the NHRC said.The recommendation came almost two years after the Ministry of Personnel Management rejected the request by bereaved families of the two that sought the recognition in July 2015.The ministry at the time notifie

Apr 14, 2017

Weekend rally scheduled to commemorate Sewol sinking today

‘April 16 commemoration’ to be held in Ansan SundayBy Lee Kyung-min Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at Gwanghwamun Square today to commemorate the third anniversary of the sinking of the ferry Sewol, rally organizers said Friday.According to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a main organizer of the weekend candlelit rallies held over the past six months, a large number of people are expected to come to the square in downtown Seoul, on the eve of the third year since the ferry sank claiming more than 300 lives on April 16, 2014.Other rallies thus far have entailed political slogan-chanting marches to Cheong Wa Dae; but today’s gathering will be more of a cultural event, focusing on sharing the memories of the victims aboard the ill-fated ferry.“We will demand the government thoroughly search the ferry to recover the remains of the nine missing victims and determine the cause of the ferry sinking,” an official from the KCTU said. “We also demand that those responsible for the disaster be held accountable.”

Apr 14, 2017

Army chief accused of ordering 'homosexual hunt'

By Kim Bo-eun The Army chief ordered a hunt of homosexual soldiers, committing human rights violations in the process, a civic group claims.The hunt followed an earlier probe based on a video a soldier posted on social media showing him having sex with another soldier.Army officials began the search after obtaining information about homosexual soldiers from the suspect, according to Lim Tae-hoon, the head of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, Thursday.The probe team targeted soldiers mentioned by others in the investigations, and also signed up for gay dating applications to find homosexual soldiers.The hunt is based on the Military Criminal Act, under which sodomy is punishable by up to two years in jail.The center took issue with the way the probe was conducted _ investigating individuals without evidence, forcing confessions and probing for irrelevant details.“Simply subjecting individuals to an investigation based on their sexual identity is a discrimination and violation of human rights,” Lim told a press conference in Seoul.He said that accor

Apr 14, 2017

Crime Scene Man booked for assaulting pregnant nurse

By Lee Han-sooPolice booked a man on Friday for allegedly assaulting a nurse in her last month of pregnancy who told him to quieten down, according to Sangdang Police Station in North Chungcheong Province.The man, 50, whose identity is unknown, allegedly punched the nurse in the face numerous times at a general hospital in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, at around 7:30 p.m. Thursday.The nurse is being treated for head injuries, but the fetus is said to be safe.The man visited the hospital for treatment for a skin problem. A police official said the man “made a ruckus inside the emergency room demanding that he be treated.”The man reportedly has mental problems.

Apr 14, 2017

[Crime Scene] Man booked for assaulting pregnant nurse

Samsung office evacuated after bomb threat

A police bomb squad searches Samsung Life building in Seocho-dong, Seoul, after the company received a bomb threat Friday. / Korea Times file By Lee Han-sooThe bomb threat, which led to the evacuation of about 3,000 staff from the Samsung Life building in southern Seoul Friday, turned out to be false.There were no reports of injuries or property damage and the police have started their investigation to track down the source of the false report.Initially, The Samsung Life building received the threat at around 11:30 a.m. The building is one of three Samsung buildings at the site, with the other two occupied by Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T.A Busan resident surnamed Shin reported the bomb threat.Shin reported to the police that one of his friends received a text message in English, which allegedly implied that two North Koreans were preparing to plant a bomb inside Samsung Life building.The report caused the police to evacuate the 34-story building and initiate a full-scale search for the bomb.The police bomb disposal unit alongside the military searched the buildin

Apr 14, 2017

Samsung office evacuated after bomb threat

Court confirms validity of Ko Young-tae's arrest

By Kim Jae-heunThe Seoul Central District Court ruled Thursday that its initial approval of a prosecution’s arrest warrant for Ko Young-tae was valid.Prosecutors had sought the arrest warrant for Ko for allegedly avoiding their calls to come in for questioning and going into hiding for over a month.Ko denied the prosecution’s allegations and requested the court to review the legality of his arrest.His legal representative Kim Yong-min said in a statement: “There was a problem in the prosecution seeking Ko’s arrest and the court’s issuing of the warrant.”Kim added that Ko was arrested immediately despite his prompt response to the prosecution’s requests.“We will fight the prosecutors in court over their allegations that Ko refused their demands,” he said before entering the court.Ko appeared before the court at 2 p.m. Thursday, to argue against the issuance of the arrest warrant.The prosecution is looking into allegations that Ko received 20 million won from an official named Lee at the Incheon Customs Office to get a personal cont

Apr 13, 2017

Sewol interior search preparation begins today

 By Lee Kyung-min Recovery crews will start preparation work today to search the interior of the Sewol after they finish washing the exterior of the wreck using high-pressure industrial washing equipment.They started washing the exterior of the ferry Thursday, to remove mud, oil and salt residue, rust and barnacles, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.Six teams comprised of 14 recovery workers from Korea Salvage, a local contractor hired by the ministry to conduct the salvage operation, began the work at 10 p.m. using six water cannons, forklifts and elevators to clean the exterior. They plan to finish the work today.The ministry dismissed concerns that the powerful equipment, which shoots water with 500-bar force, will pose further damage to the ferry’s exterior. Bar is the measurement of water pressure and one bar is the force needed to raise water to a height of 10 meters.As most of the current disfigurement of the ferry resulted from its more than 17,000-ton weight, the possibility of external shock by water cannons resulting in damage to the ferry i

Apr 13, 2017

University students resort to alcohol due to stress of competition: study

By Lee Kyung-min University students are drinking alcohol as a temporary means of forgetting the stress of a highly competitive society, increasing the likelihood of possible alcohol abuse and thus a vicious cycle, a government study showed Thursday.According to a Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs study of 503 university students, the more depressed the respondents felt, the more they sought to cope with stress. The more they struggled to find answers, the more they relied on drinking.The study said opting to drink away stress problems only worsens mental health, leading to more frequent and uncontrollable alcohol intake.“This is how possible addiction begins: those who get drunk to forget about their problems keep relying on alcohol to soothe psychological pain,” the study said.The study said drinking when depressed only reinforces negative psychological problems, and in turn self-control will gradually deteriorate.It also suggested focusing on what triggers one to drink is more important than categorical banning.Education to find other ways to relieve s

Apr 13, 2017

Police search office of Park supporters

By Kim Bo-eun Police searched the office of an organization of supporters for former President Park Geun-hye, Wednesday, amid an investigation into violent rallies by group members.Officers of the Jongno Police Station searched the office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, at around 1:30 p.m., to secure evidence of the orchestration of a violent protest held near the Constitutional Court, March 10, the day the court delivered its ruling on Park’s impeachment.Police also searched the home of the group’s spokesman Chung Kwang-yong in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.The police summoned Chung,  Wednesday, and questioned him for 14 hours on charges of organizing the rally.At the protest, some participants wielded makeshift weapons against police, and three participants died from injuries sustained in the process.Chung told reporters after the interrogation he does not acknowledge the charges against him, and blamed “police oppression” for the casualties.He also claimed the police summoning him, the secretary general of the newly formed Saenuri Party, is a politi

Apr 13, 2017

Law & Crime

Law & Crime

Former President Park to be indicted Monday

'Gov't should recognize 2 part-time Danwon teachers died on duty'

Weekend rally scheduled to commemorate Sewol sinking today

Army chief accused of ordering 'homosexual hunt'

Crime Scene Man booked for assaulting pregnant nurse

Samsung office evacuated after bomb threat

Court confirms validity of Ko Young-tae's arrest

Sewol interior search preparation begins today

University students resort to alcohol due to stress of competition: study

Police search office of Park supporters

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