The Korea Herald

Doctors’ strike set to cripple hospitals

Mar 9, 2014

The country’s largest group of doctors said Sunday it would go ahead with a scheduled one-day strike Monday to protest the government’s plan to introduce telemedicine and for-profit subsidiaries of hospitals.“We doctors have made a very difficult decision to shut doors and refuse treatment (of patients). We can only blame the government in making such a radical choice,” said Roh Hwan-kyu, president of the Korea Medical Association, in a press conference in Seoul on Sunday. Doctors affiliated wit
Yun warns Japan of deeper isolation

Mar 7, 2014

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Friday urged Japan to take steps to resolve the sex slavery issue, warning that it will otherwise face “further isolation” from the international community. He made the remarks upon his return from a U.N. Human Rights Council session in Geneva, where he slammed Tokyo’s move to modify a landmark 1993 statement by then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, in which the country acknowledged and apologized for its military’s conscription of sex slaves during World War
Government reaffirms stern stance against doctors’ strike

Mar 7, 2014

The government reaffirmed Friday that it would sternly punish doctors participating in a strike next week, urging them to step back from “illegal action.”“(Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health and Welfare) issued a work order to doctors to open their clinics on Monday,” Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo said in the press briefing. “Doctors and institutions must remember that those taking part in the illicit strike without justifiable reasons will be punished according to the law.”T
Prosecution opens formal probe into spy scandal

Mar 7, 2014

Prosecutors on Friday launched a full-fledged investigation into allegations that the state intelligence agency helped the prosecution in charging a North Korea defector with espionage by fabricating evidence.The case of Yoo Woo-seong, a 34-year-old former civil servant for the Seoul municipal government, has raised a political storm in South Korea amid mounting suspicions that the National Intelligence Service obtained the fake evidence, including documents purporting to be Yoo‘s immigration re
Hackers steal 12m KT users’ information

Mar 6, 2014

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Thursday arrested two hackers and a telemarketing firm CEO in connection with the theft of 12 million KT Corp. customers’ personal information. KT is the country’s second largest telecom services provider with some 16 million consumers subscribing to its mobile, fixed-line telephone and internet services. “KT will fully cooperate with the police investigation. (The company) will work to minimize the damage to customers.” KT said in a statement. Accordin
U.S. envoy denounces Japan’s sexual slavery

Mar 6, 2014

The U.S. ambassador to Seoul said Thursday Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II is “a grave human rights violation,” expressing hope for Tokyo to take steps to ease the pains of victims. Sung Kim made the remarks at a forum hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a senior journalists’ association, in Seoul, echoing Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se’s criticism the previous day in Geneva of Japan’s attempts to deny its wartime atrocities.“Yes, I agree (with Yun),” Kim said. “The comfort
SBS takes flak for reality show suicide

Mar 6, 2014

A top Korean television station faced a storm of media criticism Thursday following the shock suicide of a female contestant on a popular reality matchmaking show known for putting its contestants under intense emotional pressure.The contestant on “Jjak (The Mate)” ― a show aired on SBS, one of the South’s top three TV stations ― was found dead Wednesday during a weeklong production shoot at a guesthouse in the southern island of JejudoThe 29-year-old, surnamed Chun, appeared to have hanged hers
Seoul seeks to add Yongsan park to UNESCO list

Mar 6, 2014

The Seoul municipal government plans to push for adding an envisioned park to be created in a U.S. military base in central Seoul to UNESCO’s world heritage list, officials said Thursday.In accordance with the plan to promote historical features of the city, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been working to register the park to be built in the Yongsan District as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the U.S. military camp there is relocated in 2016.“Once the troops relocation plan is completed
Key witness in spy scandal attempts suicide

Mar 6, 2014

A key figure in an espionage case involving a former Seoul city official tried to kill himself on Wednesday, creating a major setback for the investigation. The witness, only identified as ethnically Korean with Chinese nationality, is accused of giving the National Intelligence Service forged immigration documents regarding a former Seoul official suspected of spying for North Korea. Investigators said the man slit his neck with a knife at a motel in Seoul, after being questioned by the prosecu
Seoul City to train temporary workers for maternity leaves

Mar 6, 2014

Seoul City will train a substitute workforce to temporarily fill positions left vacant by women on maternity leave to help working mothers return to work after childbirth, officials said Thursday. The new move came as concerns grew over working moms who quit their jobs to raise their children rather than taking maternity leave. Many have complained that their employers do not encourage maternity leave because of concerns over work vacancies. This year the city will open six centers for women to
Key witness in spy scandal in critical condition after suicide attempt

Mar 6, 2014

A key witness in a case of alleged evidence forgery framing a North Korean defector for espionage was in a life-threatening condition Thursday after attempting suicide, prosecution officials said.The witness, an ethnic Korean with Chinese nationality whose name was withheld, is suspected of obtaining the fake evidence, including documents purporting to be the defector's immigration records, and handing it over to the National Intelligence Service.The case of Yoo Woo-seong, a 34-year-old former c
Policies fail to curb noise pollution

Mar 5, 2014

Environment Ministry guidelines on dispute settlements including noise measurement costs come under fire
Court clears Korean-Japanese man of spying charges

Mar 5, 2014

The nation’s top court upheld a ruling by an appeals court to acquit a Korean-Japanese man accused of espionage for a pro-North Korean organization. The 63-year-old defendant, only identified by his last name Park, was indicted in 1982 on charges of working as a spy at the behest of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.“There’s lack of evidence proving his spying activities. (The appeals court) has made the right decision based on legal principles,” the presiding chief justice, K
Korea to beef up anticorruption measures

Mar 5, 2014

Korea’s anticorruption body said on Wednesday it would establish an advanced anticorruption system and vowed to address the difficulties faced by foreign investors. Anticorruption and Civil Rights Commission chairman Lee Sung-bo said the agency is looking to strengthen regulations against solicitation of public officials and tackling the system and practices that trigger corruption. Speaking at the annual ACRC policy briefing for foreign business leaders, he said the Korean government is making
English education strewn with hurdles

Mar 5, 2014

Experts urge evaluation revamp, tailored education and speaking exposure