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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.

Seoul to create 'yellow ribbon garden' for ferry victims

The Seoul municipal government said Wednesday it will open a garden featuring yellow ribbons at a downtown plaza this week to pay tribute to hundreds of victims of a recent ferry disaster.The municipality allowed the Korean Society of Landscape Architects (KSLA) to use the eastern plot of Seoul Plaza to create the "Yellow Ribbon Garden," which will open on Thursday, according to its officials.Yellow ribbons represent a desperate hope for the safe return of those still missing in the deadly sinking of the ferry Sewol two weeks ago.Around 210 passengers out of 476 people aboard the ferry have been confirmed dead, with about 92 others still unaccounted for, as of early Wednesday.Citizens across the country have written messages of hope and remorse on the ribbons and tied them to fences and walls, with the campaign also spreading in social media.The 450-square-meter garden will have a total of 302 metal bars reserved for ribbons, which symbolize the 302 passengers who have either been confirmed dead or missing.The place will be available at least until the joint memorial altar set up in

May 1, 2014
Seoul to create 'yellow ribbon garden' for ferry victims

Insiders blame maritime ministry-police discord for bungled response to ferry sinking

As the country seeks answers to the deadly sinking of the Sewol ferry two weeks ago that left hundreds of people dead or missing, people who know the inner workings of sea-related agencies are describing a power struggle between the maritime ministry and the Coast Guard that probably botched an early response that could have saved many lives.The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol, carrying 476 passengers and crew members, sank off the country's southwestern island of Jindo on April 16.Investigators have found a number of factors that could have caused the deadly accident, including cargo overloading and an inexperienced crew at the helm.However, there is still no clear explanation for time being wasted as different vessel traffic service (VTS) centers responded to distress calls. Insiders point to a lack of cooperation and communication between the maritime ministry and the Coast Guard, whose history together hasn't been amicable.The first distress call by the ship's crew members was made to the VTS center on Jeju island, where the ship was headed. The Jeju center did not have authority over wate

May 1, 2014

N. Korean leader's aunt appears again in documentary film

The aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared in a rerun of a documentary film, a move that could confuse outside analysts on whether she was ousted from power.The North's state television aired the documentary on Tuesday that showed Kim Kyong-hui visiting a soccer stadium along with her nephew Kim Jong-un.The documentary was first aired on Feb. 11, and North Korea did not edit out scenes of Kim Kyong-hui on Tuesday when it aired a rerun of the film.On April 20, the North's television also aired a photo of Kim Kyong-hui and her elder brother, long-time leader Kim Jong-il, taken together during their trip to a textile factory in Pyongyang.Kim Jong-un took over the communist country after his father Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack in December 2011.The North's confusing signal came two weeks after North Korea aired a rerun of another documentary that edited out scenes of Kim Kyong-hui's trip to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.The mausoleum in Pyongyang is home to the embalmed bodies of the country's two late leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who are the grandfather and

May 1, 2014
N. Korean leader's aunt appears again in documentary film

Civilian diver hospitalized after falling unconscious in ferry search

A civilian diver taking part in the search for those missing from a recently sunken ferry was admitted to a hospital Thursday after falling unconscious during a mission, hospital officials said.The diver, identified as a 40-year-old man surnamed Kim, was brought to Samcheonpo Seoul Hospital in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, about 440 kilometers south of Seoul, around 1 a.m. Thursday, officials said.According to the hospital, Kim took part in search operations near the ferry Sewol and fell unconscious inside a decompression chamber after emerging from the water.After receiving treatment at the hospital's hyperbaric oxygen therapy center, Kim regained his consciousness but complained of a severe headache and pains in his pelvis, typical symptoms of decompression sickness, hospital officials added.The 6,825-ton passenger ship sank in waters off the southwestern island of Jindo on April 16, leaving 302 passengers dead or missing.As the search operation continued round-the-clock over the past several days, divers are increasingly suffering exhaustion, with some of them treated for de

May 1, 2014

S. Korean military drone crashes into mountain near Seoul

A South Korean military drone crashed into a mountain near Seoul on Thursday, but no one was hurt, an army official said.The RQ-101 crashed into a mountain in Yangju, just north of Seoul, at around 11:44 a.m. as it was returning to an army base after a routine training mission, the official said.Military investigators were checking the debris to find out the exact cause of the accident.The crash came three weeks after the South Korean Army unveiled one of its own locally developed unmanned aerial vehicles in an apparent move to show off its more advanced drone technology than that of North Korea.The rare disclosure came as the military was under fire over its failure to detect three North Korean drones that were found  to have crashed in South Korea in recent weeks. (Yonhap)

May 1, 2014

Ready for new album in Japan

Hallyu star Kim Hyun-joong, a member of K-pop group SS501, unveiled his photo to be included in his upcoming single album which will be released in June in Japan. The album titled “Hot Sun” will be his fourth single to be released in Japan. / Courtesy of Key East

May 1, 2014

Russia preparing to test-run joint railway with N. Korea: Seoul official

Russia appears to be preparing for a test operation of its newly renovated railway linked to North Korea, but the economic feasibility of South Korea's joining the logistics project remains to be seen, a Seoul diplomat said Wednesday.Late last year, Russia reopened the 54-kilometer track linking the Russian eastern border town of Khasan to the North's port of Rajin following a five-year renovation."I have been sensing that Russia is preparing to export its coal through the Rajin-Khasan railway in the near future as part of an experiment," Lee Yang-goo, council general in Vladivostok, told reporters. "But it seems that there is no substantial demand for the rail line now."The project is part of Russia's ambition to set up a rail road linking Asia to the Eurasian region. Last year, South Korea agreed with Russia to extend the track to South Korea.Seoul officials said that they may be able to finish linking the rail to South Korea's southern port city of Busan and put it into operation as early as next year, but experts have said feasibility of the plan remains to be seen.Several factor

May 1, 2014

Victims of Korean ferry disaster honored by U.S. government in D.C.

Daniel Russel, the U.S. government's top Asia hand, visited the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., Wednesday to honor the victims of a South Korean ferry tragedy."I am here on behalf of Secretary (John) Kerry, as well as the American people and the government," he told reporters after a moment of silence in front of a temporary memorial altar on the first floor of the embassy building.Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said, "We can only offer our unwavering friendship and support at this moment of deep, deep sorrow."The 6,825-ton ferry, the Sewol, sank off the southwestern tip of the peninsula on April 16. The latest official tally put the number of confirmed deaths at 212. Ninety others remain missing.Most of the victims are high school students who were on a field trip.It's a devastating blow for the friends of Korea to see the loss of "so much beautiful, young life," Russel said.Talking separately to South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Ahn Ho-young, he noted President Barack Obama's visit to the South Korean presidential office, Cheong

May 1, 2014
Victims of Korean ferry disaster honored by U.S. government in D.C.

N. Korea increases car, liquor imports from Hong Kong in 2013: report

North Korea increased imports of vehicles and alcoholic beverages from Hong Kong in 2013, despite an overall drop in bilateral trade, a South Korean report showed Thursday.The trade representative office for Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in Hong Kong said Pyongyang spent $4.36 million to buy vehicles, up 27.5 percent from the year before, a large number of them with over 3-liter engine and seating capacity for more than 10 people.Cars were the second-largest single product imported by North Korea from Hong Kong after electronic components, the office said."The cars were made in other countries and shipped through Hong Kong," it said.North Korean imports of alcoholic beverages shot up 51.3 percent last year from 2012, with whiskey and vodka making up the bulk of products shipped. Though liquor products only accounted for 1.4 percent of goods shipped from the former British colony to Pyongyang, its annual growth rate surpassed that of all others last year.This trend continued into 2014, with North Korea's purchase of alcoholic beverages soaring 758.8 percent in Januar

May 1, 2014

Free mobile phone charge for Sewol ferry victims, families

By Jeong Ji-suSewol ferry tragedy’s victims and families will be exempt from their mobile phone charges for April and May.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the three major mobile carriers ― KT, LG U+ and SK Telecom ― announced the plan Thursday.Sewol ferry’s passengers and related families are eligible for this aid. However, the inclusion of the crew members is still under debate because of moral issues.All Sewol ferry’s passengers and families will be exempt from their mobile phone charges for April and May. In the case of passengers, they will get exempt from the cancellation charges they get when they break contracts, and also exempt from the mobile phone’s leftover monthly installments.Passengers are also guaranteed a free change of mobile devices if their phones were damaged or lost.The recipients will automatically get this service as soon as the three major mobile carriers are planning to get the list of the passengers and bereaved families from related organizations.

May 1, 2014
Free mobile phone charge for Sewol ferry victims, families
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