The Korea Herald

Man stabs noisy neighbor to death

May 18, 2014

A man killed his neighbor in another case of fatal noise-related conflict in apartment complexes, Seoul police said Sunday.The Dobong District police are investigating a 54-year-old man surnamed Cho for the alleged murder of his neighbor at an apartment in Chang-dong.According to the police, Cho, who lives on the 12th floor of the building, went to the floor above around 9 p.m. to complain about the noise. Cho and the victim, a 48-year-old man surnamed Jin, then got into a physical altercation,
Illegal call vans, taxis caught in tourist areas

May 18, 2014

The police on Sunday caught 64 call vans and taxis operating illegally near major tourist attractions in Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Police reported 57 drivers to their respective district offices and booked seven people in a patrol of popular tourist sites, such as Myeong-dong, Namdaemun Market and Dongdaemun shopping district. The patrol took place from April 21 to May 6, a period that includes the Chinese Labor Day (April 30 to May 4) and Japan’s Golden Week (April 25 to May 6) holidays. By
Court orders disclosure of Nate hacking records

May 18, 2014

The court on Sunday ordered the prosecutor’s office to reveal the investigation records related to the 2011 Nate hacking case.The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of a 43-year-old man surnamed Park in a case against the head of the Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office. Park filed a suit against the prosecutor’s office when his request for investigation records was rejected. SK Communications Co.’s portal site Nate suffered attacks from hackers in July 2011, resulting in a personal data le
ASEAN-Korea Center to kick off awareness education

May 18, 2014

The ASEAN-Korea Center is set to kick off a program aimed at increasing awareness of Southeast Asian culture among elementary school students on Monday. The 2014 ASEAN School Tour Program will host an event to enhance the understanding of Southeast Asian cultures and raise multicultural awareness among elementary school students in Korea. The program will run May 19 to May 23 at five elementary schools across North Chungcheong Province, where a large number of multicultural families are concentr
[Ferry Disaster] Death toll from sunken ferry rises to 286

May 18, 2014

Rescue divers retrieved one more body early Sunday morning from a ferry that sank off South Korea's southwest coast last month, bringing the confirmed death toll to 286, officials said. The body of a woman was recovered from the crew's cafeteria on the third-floor dock at around 5 a.m., the government emergency response team said. The number of those still unaccounted for dropped to 18 as the search and rescue operation entered the 33rd day. The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol carrying an estimated 476 pa
Rallies planned in downtown Seoul to protest gov't response to ferry sinking

May 17, 2014

A host of street rallies were scheduled to be held in downtown Seoul late Saturday in protest of the government's poor handling of the sinking of a ferry off South Korea's southwest coast one month ago. A group of about 500 civic groups, including the Korean Federation of Trade Unions and People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, planned to hold a joint rally around Cheonggye Plaza, downtown Seoul, starting Saturday evening in memory of the more than 300 people killed in the deadly sink
Death toll from ferry sinking rises to 285

May 17, 2014

Rescue divers brought out one more body early Saturday morning from a ferry that sank off South Korea's southwest coast last month, bringing the confirmed death toll to 285, government officials said. The body of one man was retrieved in early morning search operations, according to the officials. The number of those who remain unaccounted for in one of the country's worst maritime disasters dropped to 19. The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol carrying an estimated 476 passengers capsized and sank off t
[Weekender] Life as a Korean journalist

May 16, 2014

Reporters face challenges from digital platforms, tougher competition
[Ferry Disaster] Arrest warrant sought for ferry firm owner

May 16, 2014

Prosecutors on Friday requested a preliminary arrest warrant for Yoo Byung-eon, the de facto owner of the Sewol, on the charges of embezzlement, negligence and tax evasion after he disobeyed the summons for questioning. Yoo and his family are suspected of illegally pocketing billions of won in company funds from several of their affiliates.The Incheon District Court said that it would review the prosecution’s request on Tuesday.Yoo’s eldest son Dae-gyun, is currently on the run from the prosecut
[Weekender] Korean reporters face tough rite of passage

May 16, 2014

The first step to becoming a reporter in Korea is to pass a written exam and rounds of competitive interviews. The next step entails sleepless nights and stressful days at police stations. “Taxi, Jongno police station.” This was the beginning of a long night ahead of me. Cub reporters must pass the rigorous training program called “mawari” (the Japanese word for “going around”) in order to continue. We eat and sleep at police stations, checking every incident, including those at fire stations an
[Weekender] Under pressure from the outset

May 16, 2014

A career in journalism in Korea is laden with stress from the word go. Would-be reporters compete for jobs against odds of hundreds to one, only to be put through seemingly endless training with workdays as long as 20 hours. Park, a 30-year-old reporter for a daily newspaper, describes his experience as “hell.” “It was indescribably tough. I don’t think I could do it again. But, the hard experiences made me stronger,” Park said. “Whenever I face difficulties, I remind myself that nothing can be
[Weekender] Intense competition for journalism jobs

May 16, 2014

Ahn Jae-hyun works at a company many Koreans term as a “workplace of the gods” ― one that offers high job security and a host of other perks ― but what he does is not his dream job. “I still dream of becoming a journalist,” says the 29-year-old office worker. Ahn, who once interned at a local newspaper, says that he prefers a journalist’s “thrilling life” over a “comfortable life.” “I cannot forget the thrill of seeing my efforts presented in the form of an article in the newspaper each day.” S
[Weekender] SNS increase opportunities, but at a price

May 16, 2014

Gone are the days when journalists dictated how news was delivered and what made headlines.The explosion in use of social networking and smartphones has undermined the monopoly that professional reporters once had.Rather than simply producing news, they had to become communicators, working in collaboration with the public. They also had to adjust to new, more varied methods of delivering information.Defense journalist Yang Nak-gyu of the Asia Economy Daily is among those to embrace the changes e
[Weekender] ‘Sewol disaster reveals failure of mass media as watchdog’

May 16, 2014

The Sewol tragedy has left many to blame. The captain of the ill-fated ferry escaped, leaving hundreds of passengers trapped in the sinking boat. Maritime authorities closed their eyes to the ferry operator’s illegal business activities for years. But the country’s mainstream media also failed in their jobs right in the midst of the disaster. Public criticism has been mounting against the Korean media as it relied too much on the government’s inconsistent and inaccurate announcements, releasing
[Ferry Disaster] Recovery work continues for 20 victims

May 16, 2014

Search efforts for the ferry victims resumed Friday, following a half-day suspension due to strong winds and high currents.As of Friday, the death toll from the April 16 ferry disaster rose to 284 with 20 still unaccounted for. Most of the victims were students from a high school who were on a school trip. Divers reentered the water in the afternoon to search the third and fourth decks of the ship. This is the second round of full search operations following the completion of the first round tha