The Korea Herald

Prosecutor slams FTA-skeptic judges

Dec 5, 2011

Calls their action an overstep of authority and violation of power separationA prosecutor criticized a group of judges for questioning the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and seeking to create a task force of judges to study it, calling their actions “overstepping their authority.”Pundits are not waiting to see whether the accusation will spark a fresh turf war between the judiciary and prosecution, which have clashed several times in the past.On Sunday afternoon, Kim Yong-nam, a mid-ranking pr
State advised to halt lottery sales

Dec 5, 2011

The gaming industry’s government supervisor has advised the lottery issuing authority to stop sales of lottery tickets to stem the boom brought on by the launch of pension-style lottery payments in July, officials said Monday.The National Gaming Control Commission has appealed to the Korea Lottery C
More college students to enjoy national scholarship

Dec 4, 2011

An increased number of college students from low-income families will be eligible for state scholarships as the government sets aside a larger amount of its budget to help reduce college tuition fees, the Education Ministry said Sunday.Last September, the government announced its plan to increase tuition support in next years’ budget to 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion) from the previous level of around 300 billion won, following up on its earlier pledge to cut tuition fees by 21 percent for stude
Illegal Chinese fishing boats face heavier fines

Dec 4, 2011

Prosecutors said Sunday they will levy heavier fines on Chinese boats caught illegally fishing in Korea’s exclusive economic zone. The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office said it has ordered prosecutors to raise the amount of security collateral for captured ships which trespassed the Korean EEZ from up to 70 million won ($62,000) to 100 million won beginning this month. Those caught transferring fish to other ships will face a fine of up to 70 million won, while breaching fishing zones and the nu
Police expand probe into election cyber attack

Dec 4, 2011

Police are expanding their investigation into the cyber attack on the national election committee during a pivotal poll for Seoul mayor, as suspicions persist that the four arrested were acting on someone else’s behalf. They were tracing bank accounts and phone records of the former assistant of Grand National Party Rep. Choi Ku-shik, identified by the surname Gong. Gong was among the four arrested on Saturday. According to the National Police Agency’s cyber investigation unit, which is leading
Korean dogfighting ring busted in Philippines

Dec 4, 2011

MANILA (AFP) ― Pillipine police have arrested six Koreans suspected of running a massive, high-tech dogfighting operation where matches in the outskirts of Manila were shown online to overseas bettors, police said Saturday.About 240 pitbulls were confiscated in the raid late Friday from a secluded compound where the dogs were kept and the matches held, the local police intelligence chief said.“They had an arena enclosed with mirrors. They had videocams, computers and they would show live fights
Northern Seoul mountains at severe risk of landslides

Dec 4, 2011

Villages near Mount Bukhan and Mount Bulam in northern Seoul are vulnerable to landslides, recent research has found, sparking fears of a repeat of July’s fatal landslides in the south of the capital. According to the study released by Konkuk University’s Earth Information Engineering Lab on Sunday, the yearly sediment yields from erosion, which are directly linked to landslides, are projected to increase up to 28 percent by 2080 in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province. Mount Bukhan and Mount
Prosecutors to indict SLS chairman

Dec 4, 2011

Prosecutors plan to indict SLS Group chairman Lee Kuk-chul on Monday on several charges including bribing a former vice culture minister and other high-ranking government officials. According to the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday, they plan to hand the 73-day-old case to judicial officials after first summoning Lee on suspicions of bribing former vice culture minister Shin Jae-min.Prosecutors decided to indict the corporate chief on Monday, as the custody time limit expires the same
Anti-FTA protesters vow to continue

Dec 4, 2011

Major plazas and boulevards in downtown Seoul were closed off over the weekend as police sought to block the assembly of protestors against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. But the organizers of the rallies vowed to continue their protests every evening until the government responds to their demands for the pact to be withdrawn or renegotiated. On Sunday, police placed scores of officers at the Gwanghwamun and Seoul plazas in central Seoul and parked dozens of buses to block people from gath
Judges to call for FTA task force

Dec 4, 2011

Some 170 judges nationwide are planning to urge the Supreme Court to establish a task force to study whether the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement is unbalanced and infringes on the rights of Koreans. The team will be aimed at drawing up guidelines for possible renegotiation with the U.S., which President Lee Myung-bak promised ahead of the pact’s ratification on Nov. 22. According to media reports, Judge Kim Ha-neul of the Incheon District Court has started writing a petition to file with the Chi
Korean dogfighting racket busted in Philippines

Dec 4, 2011

MANILA (AFP) - Police have arrested six South Koreans suspected of running a massive, high-tech dogfighting operation where matches in the Philippines were shown online to overseas bettors, police said Saturday.About 240 pitbulls were confiscated in the raid late Friday from a secluded compound wher
Judges to propose study into potential unfairness of U.S. FTA

Dec 2, 2011

Some 170 judges joined hands Friday to press the Supreme Court to launch a study into whether the free trade agreement with the U.S. is skewed in favor of Americans.The rare move came amid mushrooming public discontent over parliamentary approval last week of the trade pact. The deal, first signed i
Judges discuss their own freedom of speech

Dec 2, 2011

Chief Justice Yang Sung-bae met with the country’s top judges on Friday and discussed the mounting criticism against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement within the judiciary.Attending chief judges of High Courts and District Courts are said to have discussed the developments surrounding the Korea-U.S. FTA and reviewed the situation related to the view that the judiciary should analyze the pact from a legal point of view. In the meeting, Yang did not directly criticize judges who have made their
Former President Roh in critical condition

Dec 2, 2011

Former President Roh Tae-woo is surviving on bottled oxygen as his lungs are failing, sources said.According to officials at Seoul National University Hospital, the 79-year-old has been hospitalized for nearly 70 days since Sept. 27 with symptoms of pneumonia and asthma. His symptoms have worsened and medical treatment has had little effect, they said, adding that they do not plan to administer additional treatment. A local daily reported that it was the first time in the past five years the for
Committee suggests ban on sex offenders from welfare work

Dec 2, 2011

A governmental advisory committee suggested Friday that sex offenders should be prohibited from working for social welfare organizations and facilities. The proposal comes in the wake of high-profile sex crimes committed by teachers against disabled students at a special education institution from 2000 to 2005. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday that the special committee on strengthening the transparency of welfare institutions and human rights finalized recommendations to strengthe