Articles by Kim Yon-se
Kim Yon-se
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New N. Korean launch site near completion: think tank
North Korea will be able to test longer-range rockets at its new launch site before the end of this year, a U.S. think tank has said.A major construction program has been under way at the North’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station since mid-2013, focused on upgrading facilities to handle larger, longer-range rockets with heavier payloads.Satellite images taken this month indicate that several significant construction projects there are nearing completion despite heavy rain this summer, the U.S.-K
North Korea Aug. 22, 2014
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Lawmakers’ arrests spark political bickering
The New Politics Alliance for Democracy on Friday called on senior prosecutors to apologize for having sought to suppress the main opposition party through their “irregular investigation” into some lawmakers.Its statement came a day after the Seoul Central District Court turned down the prosecution’s request to issue arrest warrants for two NPAD lawmakers on charges of bribery.“The prosecution has publicized unconfirmed allegations in an alleged bid to put some opposition lawmakers to shame,” th
Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2014
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Park vows support for Busan financial hub plan
President Park Geun-hye pledged Friday to help turn South Korea’s No. 2 city Busan into a global financial hub, building on its strong industrial base and central position in international logistics.Park, on her third visit to the southeastern port city since taking office in February 2013, also expressed hope that Busan would provide a much-needed boost to the country’s sluggish economy through the inauguration of the Busan International Finance Center.“Busan is an international logistics cente
Politics Aug. 22, 2014
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Park calls for military readiness amid tensions
President Park Geun-hye on Thursday called on the military to maintain a firm readiness amid North Korea’s threats of a preemptive strike against South Korea and the United States, her office said.The threats are a typical North Korean response to annual joint military drills underway between South Korea and the U.S.North Korea has condemned the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion. Seoul and Washington have repeatedly said such exercises are purely defensive in nature
Politics Aug. 21, 2014
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15-year prison term sought for Tong Yang Group chief
Prosecutors sought a 15-year jail term for irregularity-saddled Tong Yang Group chairman Hyun Jae-hyun on charges of instructing his staff to sell fraudulent investment products that led to severe losses to investors.Hyun initiated the sale of irregular corporate bonds and commercial paper worth 1.9 trillion won ($1.8 billion), which had been issued by the group’s nonfinancial firms, at the group’s brokerage units “without publicizing the risks of investment.”When the five Tong Yang units filed
Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2014
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U.S. Treasury official discusses sanctions on N. Korea, Russia
A senior U.S. Treasury official on sanction affairs has met with the South Korean government in a bid to discuss an array of sanctions imposed on North Korea, Russia and Iran, government sources said Thursday.David Cohen, U.S. undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for a two-day visit as part of his tour to Asia and the Middle East.Earlier in the day, he met with Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul’s top nuclear envoy, and Lee Kyung-soo, deputy
Foreign Affairs Aug. 21, 2014
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Court suspends custody of CJ chairman
A Seoul court on Thursday again accepted a request from the convicted chairman of food and entertainment conglomerate CJ Group for a temporary release from jail for hospital treatment.The Seoul High Court decided to suspend the confinement of Lee Jay-hyun, who was found guilty of various corruption charges, for the next three months, citing his poor health.But Lee’s place of stay will be limited to Seoul National University Hospital until Nov. 21, the court said.In a lower court ruling earlier t
Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2014
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Native English teachers caught taking drugs
Dozens of native-speaking English teachers and professors have been detained for distributing marijuana or taking the drug, police said Wednesday.“Some of them taught students while intoxicated,” said the police. “The suspects included Americans, Canadians and other nationalities. And there were some Korean-Americans.”Among them were three professors working at a college in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, two English teachers at elementary schools in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, and Suwon and
Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2014
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Police believe Yoo died from hypothermia
Investigators on Tuesday raised the possibility that Yoo Byung-eun, the late owner of the Sewol ferry, died from hypothermia. During a news briefing over the whereabouts of the late Yoo, who was found dead in a South Jeolla Province city by a farmer on June 12, the police dismissed the possibility that the fugitive could have been murdered. “No clue or evidence that would back up the scenario that Yoo Byung-eun’s death was due to a crime has been found,” investigators sai
Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2014
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Park warns against security complacency
President Park Geun-hye cautioned Tuesday against complacency in annual exercises meant to boost capabilities in managing national contingencies amid tensions over North Korea’s missiles and nuclear weapons programs.Park instructed officials to hold the Ulchi exercises in preparation for possible threats from North Korea as well as various disasters, potential terrorist attacks or fires.“We should hold drills to make sure that measures will be taken immediately” in case of national contingencies
Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Korea expands global presence in eco-friendly technology
The global demand for green products and services has sharply expanded in recent years as the world strives to meet its needs for economic growth and environmental protection.Korea’s environmental industry is stepping up a foray into the flourishing market, especially in developing countries, capitalizing on technology, knowledge and experience accumulated through the country’s rapid industrialization and fight against pollution.At the vanguard of the efforts is the state-run Korea Environmental
Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2014
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Unification can’t solve low birth rate
Unification is not the answer to South Korea’s problem of low birthrates because the event will rather bring down the fertility rate in North Korea than increase the South’s, a U.S. demographic scholar said Monday.Elizabeth Hervey Stephen, a Georgetown University professor, made the prediction during a presentation on South Korea’s demographic dividend at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, citing what happened to Germany after unification.South Korea is known for its low birthra
Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2014
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Sankei head quizzed over report on president
Investigators have embarked on their probe into Sankei Shimbun over its Aug. 3 report on President Park Geun-hye, as the Japanese newspaper’s Seoul bureau chief appeared before the prosecution on Monday.Though the 48-year-old bureau head Tatsuya Katou had been summoned to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Aug. 12, he appeared before the investigative authority on Aug. 18 due to scheduling difficulties.In the report, the Sankei raised questions about Park’s whereabouts on the day
Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2014
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Seoul to add consular affairs division for overseas Koreans
The Foreign Ministry will create one more consular affairs division to better protect South Koreans living overseas, a ministry official said Sunday.The new division will complement the current single consular affairs division at the Foreign Ministry, the official said. The launch of the new division will be included in the home affairs ministry’s government reorganization plan to be announced in the near future, he said.The Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau is currently in charge of
Foreign Affairs Aug. 17, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Sankei investigated over report on Park
Korean prosecutors have opened an investigation into Sankei Shimbun over a report on President Park Geun-hye that raised questions about her whereabouts during the day of the ferry sinking.The Seoul bureau of the Japanese newspaper speculated in its Aug. 3 online edition that Park was not at Cheong Wa Dae when the ferry capsized on the morning of April 16.Citing rumors in the stock brokerage industry, Sankei Shimbun alleged that Park was staying outside the presidential office at the time with a
Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2014
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