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Chuseok greetings

Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung, left, does exercise during his visit to a welfare center in Incheon for those who were forced to move to Sakhalin by the Japanese during the colonial period, Friday. New Politics Alliance for Democracy floor leader Park Young-sun, right, shakes hands with a citizen going home for the Chuseok holiday at Yongsan Station in Seoul. / Yonhap

Sep 5, 2014

Chuseok holiday begins

Passengers get off Korean Air flight KE1259 at Jeju International Airport, Jeju Province, Friday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expects that an estimated 39.45 million people will visit their familiesacross the country, a 13.3 percent increase from last year. /  Yonhap

Sep 5, 2014

Both Koreas have abysmal suicide rates

It’s well known that South Korea has a soaring suicide rate, but it turns out the problem is even worse in North Korea, according to a report released by World Health Organization (WHO) this week.The report estimated 9,790 North Koreans committed suicides in 2012.It reached the figure by considering a range of statistically predictive factors, as North Korea has remained as one of the most secretive states in the world.One of the harshest factors leading to the figure is the regime’s strict punishments, which can be handed down to three generations of the criminal’s family.Sandra Fahy, assistant professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, told the Guardian that some North Korean defectors killed themselves to evade collective punishments.The WHO report raised alarms about the South as well, where the country’s suicide rate was 29.8 per 100,000 people.The figure ranked third highest in the world, following that of Guyana and North Korea. “Koreans are reluctant to speak openly about their problems out of fear of being considered weak or unstable, and tha

Sep 5, 2014

Extreme fan of EXO arrested for fraud

A 21-old-year woman has been arrested for selling bogus goods so that she could better follow around her favorite K-pop group, EXO.Identified only by her family name Nam, the woman is what is referred to in Korean as a “sasaeng fan” – a person who spends their time following their favorite celebrities and tracking their activities.The police began investigating in February after receiving a complaint that Nam had sold a digital camera online but had never delivered the product.The police learned that Nam had nabbed some 4.7 million won ($4,583) in bogus deals in nine separate fraud cases. In some of them, she sold goods that had been rented.It turns out Nam has been jobless since graduating high school, and has reportedly admitted to saving her stolen money so that she could better follow the band around.

Sep 5, 2014

Lee Byung-hun lashes out at blackmailers

By Ko Dong-hwanActor Lee Byung-hun has expressed his support for robust legal action against two women who attempted to blackmail him, using a secretly-recorded video clip.The two women demanded the star pay them five billion won ($4.9 million) not to post the video, which allegedly contained footage of Lee saying a sexually-explicit remark. Lee’s management company BH Entertainment said in a release that the women’s threat was a “carefully planned crime” and that the two were ready to flee to Europe after grabbing the money. The company added that Lee suffered “secondary damage” of mental trauma as premature media reports covering the incident fueled baseless rumors and malicious comments against him.The company cited Seoul Central District Court as saying “the incident’s gravity is significant to the extent of requiring an arrest of the women” and “the range of their penalties will be from five years in jail to life imprisonment considering the huge amount of the money they attempted to swindle.”Kim Da-hee, 20, membe

Sep 5, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Lee Byung-hun lashes out at blackmailers

Still waiting

Family members of those still missing from the April 16 sinking of the Sewolferry at a gymnasium Thursday on Jindo Island, where they have been camping out since the disaster. They say they will stay in the gymnasium during the Chuseok holiday as divers continue their search. The bodies of 294 passengers and crew members have been retrieved from the sunken ship, while 10 others remain missing. / Yonhap

Sep 4, 2014

Soldier's tears

A special forces soldier wipes away tears during a memorial ceremony for two of his fellow soldiers at the military hospital in Daejeon, Thursday, who died during mock prisoner of war training, Wednesday. / Yonhap

Sep 4, 2014

On Chuseok, Seohaean Expressway is nation's most congested

Everyone knows that highway traffic during the Chuseok holiday season can be a nightmare.  But which road is the most congested? Judging by last year’s data, the worst highway is the Seohaean Expressway running along the western part of the peninsula. The data showed that the busiest road sections in the country were from Balan to West Pyeongtaek Junction, Gyeonggi Province; and Seocheon to East Seocheon Junction, South Chungcheong Province. Both sections are parts of the Seohaean. Last year it took some drivers upwards of 19 hours to pass through the areas. The data was prepared by the Korea Expressway Corporation and submitted Thursday to Rep. Lee Chan-yeol of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD). Lee is a member of the land, infrastructure and transport committee.Among the top ten busiest sections, six were on Seohaean.These included East Seocheon Junction to Gunsan, South Chungcheong Province; Iljik Junction to Geumcheon, Gyeonggi Province; Songak to West Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province; and Bibong to  Balan, Gyeonggi Provinc

Sep 4, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

On Chuseok, Seohaean Expressway is nation's most congested

Conservatives stage “eat-ins” over Sewol bill

Pictured is a flyer by the Korea Parent Federation, which held a rally this week against hunger-striking relatives of the Sewol ferry victims. It reads, “Let's go to Gwanghwamun Plaza for lunch box picnics.”Conservative backlash against protests related to April’s Sewol ferry disaster are picking up in Seoul, including a series of “eat-ins” meant to mock hunger strikers.Families of those who died in the sinking have camped out at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul and have been joined by activists. They are calling for the nation to enact a law aimed to get to the bottom of the sinking. One victim’s father, Kim Young-oh, staged a 45-day hunger strike to that end.But some conservative groups are unhappy with the publicity. Some such people have been seen eating chicken or noodles with black bean sauce (“jjajangmyun”) in a bid to mock hunger strikers.Some members of the “eat-in” were reportedly members of ultra-right-wing online community Ilbe.On Tuesday, the conservative Korea Parent Federation held a rally not far from the

Sep 4, 2014

Conservatives stage “eat-ins” over Sewol bill

Actor fined for stalking, beating wife

Ryu Si-wonThe Supreme Court has fined actor Ryu Si-won seven million won ($6,900) for illegally monitoring his wife’s whereabouts with GPS technology and physically abusing her.  The court on Thursday reaffirmed a lower court’s ruling on the matter.  The 41-year-old actor was indicted May for secretly attaching a GPS device on a car owned by his wife, only known as Cho, in May 2011 and monitoring her locations for eight months. In August the same year, Ryu hit Cho several times in the face during a fight, after the woman discovered his GPS scheme.  The couple, married in 2010, is getting a divorce.

Sep 4, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Others

Others

Chuseok greetings

Chuseok holiday begins

Both Koreas have abysmal suicide rates

Extreme fan of EXO arrested for fraud

Lee Byung-hun lashes out at blackmailers

Still waiting

Soldier's tears

On Chuseok, Seohaean Expressway is nation's most congested

Conservatives stage “eat-ins” over Sewol bill

Actor fined for stalking, beating wife

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