Articles by Ock Hyun-ju
Ock Hyun-ju
laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com-
Questions surround asylum seeker’s airport death
A Moroccan asylum seeker in Korea was belatedly confirmed to have died several months ago at Incheon International Airport while being deported by immigration officers, with human rights activists claiming there may have been “excessive” use of force. The 18-year-old Moroccan lost consciousness at the airport while being taken to the boarding gate on March 20, according to a report obtained by The Korea Herald. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died, the Justice Ministry confirmed. The pol
Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2015
-
Police arrest Indonesian al-Qaida follower
South Korean police said Wednesday they had arrested an Indonesian migrant, who was illegally residing in Korea, on suspicion of supporting an international terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida. The National Police Agency nabbed the 32-year-old Indonesian at his residence in South Chungcheong Province on charges of violating the Immigration Control Law and forging documents. The police raided his residence and confiscated a bowie knife, a model of an M16 rifle and a number of books on Islami
Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2015
-
Who is to blame for ‘violent’ protests?
On a chilly Saturday night, downtown Seoul turned into a battlefield between antigovernment protestors and the police in the largest rally held in seven years. At the forefront of the battle were 20-something police conscripts armed with shields and helmets. Looking frightened, they confronted protestors of similar age who took to the streets against the government’s push to reintroduce state-authored history textbooks. “I was too afraid to be there. ... I was pushed for one hour by angry protes
Social Affairs Nov. 16, 2015
-
51 detained after violent protests
The largest protests in years held in central Seoul on Saturday spiraled into violence, with police firing tear gas and water cannons to stop antigovernment protestors from marching toward the presidential office. The rallies, led by labor, civic and farmers’ groups, took place in protest against the government’s push to reintroduce state-authored history textbooks, reform the labor sector and open the agricultural market.Police estimated some 64,000 people took to the street for rallies through
Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2015
-
Former POSCO chairman indicted without detention
The months-long investigation into alleged corruption involving the nation’s biggest steelmaker and its subcontractors came to a close Wednesday with the prosecution indicting former POSCO chairman Chung Joon-yang without detention. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office filed charges against the 67-year-old Chung for taking bribes and breaching his duties by causing financial losses to the nation’s biggest steelmaker, it said in a press briefing Wednesday morning. Chung Joon-yang (Yonha
Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2015
-
Korea seizes ex-president’s assets in U.S.
The Justice Ministry said Tuesday that the U.S. government finalized the transfer of former South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan’s laundered money in the country to South Korea. The U.S. Justice Department returned $1.12 million in U.S. assets belonging to Chun’s family to the Korean government in the first such case as part of the Korean authorities’ drive to collect unpaid fines from the 84-year-old former dictator.Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong confirmed the agreement with his U.S. counterpa
Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2015
-
Police ramp up arrests of hit-and-run drivers
The police said Monday they had arrested all those accused in hit-and-run murders nationwide so far this year, prompted by public furor that erupted in January over the killing of a young father-to-be who was hit by a car and left on the street to die.As a result of stepped-up initial response to reports of hit-and-run, the police arrested a total of 125 people from January to October across the nation who have hit and killed somebody and then left the scene of a car accident.The total arrest ra
Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2015
-
Suu Kyi eyes historic win in Myanmar elections
Myanmar's boisterous election campaign draws to a close Friday, two days before milestone polls that could finally propel Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power after a decades-long struggle against the military. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is eyeing an outright majority at Sunday's general election, the first the party has contested since 1990.Myanmar was ruled for half a century by a brutal and isolationist junta which crushed pro-democracy movements through a combin
World News Nov. 6, 2015
-
Obama says bomb may have caused plane crash
US President Barack Obama and Britain's prime minister both believe a bomb may have downed a Russian plane in Egypt, with reports Friday suggesting their theory was based on intercepted communications.With concerns over security mounting, European airlines readied to bring home thousands of tourists from the Sinai peninsula resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, from where the crashed Russian plane took off last Saturday.But there were angry scenes at the airport as thousands of anxious Britons who had hope
World News Nov. 6, 2015
-
China to restart IPOs as market stabilises: Xinhua
China will restart initial public offerings, state-run media reported Friday, after suspending them in July as part of a rescue package to rein in a rout that wiped trillions of dollars from market capitalisations.Chinese IPOs usually drain funds away from the stock market as the country's restrictive IPO system offers guaranteed profits for investors who are lucky enough to secure flotation shares.The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) suspended 28 already approved new issues in July
World Nov. 6, 2015
-
Park calls for success in 'Korea Visit Years'
President Park Geun-hye on Friday asked for national efforts to make the Korea Visit Years starting next year a success so it can propel the country to such heights in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and make a great leap in the tourism industry."We need to upgrade the nation's tourism industry to make it a country where foreigners want to visit again," Park said in her speech to the ceremony to launch the 2016-2018 Korea Visit Years. (Yonhap)Noting that with only two years left before t
Politics Nov. 6, 2015
-
CJ-hosted K-pop convention kicks off in Jeju
A large K-pop festival created by South Korea's leading content and media company CJ E&M opened in South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju Friday.It is the first time the annual K-pop convention is taking place in its home country. KCON launched in 2012 and has quickly developed to be North America's largest annual Korean cultural festival that incorporates K-pop concerts with a marketplace showcasing a variety of Korean products and trends. In April, KCON was held in Saitama, Japan, making
Nov. 6, 2015
-
Lawyers accuse top law schools of age discrimination
A lawyers’ group filed a petition with South Korea’s human rights watchdog on Friday, accusing the nation’s top law schools of discriminating against relatively old applicants. The Seoul Bar Association submitted the petition to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, questioning the admission criteria by local law schools, saying they favored students aged under 30. The law schools officially do not have an age restriction for applicants. (Yonhap)“Only a single-digit percentage of the s
Social Affairs Nov. 6, 2015
-
Majority of Koreans oppose Seoul’s new slogan: survey
More than half of Koreans oppose Seoul’s controversial new slogan “I.Seoul.U,” a survey showed Thursday. According to the survey conducted by local pollster Realmeter, 54.7 percent of the respondents were against the slogan, while only 11.9 percent supported it. Nearly 7 in 10 Seoul residents were unhappy with it.Nearly 36 percent of respondents opposed said that Seoul should keep the current slogan “Hi Seoul” while 18.9 percent thought the government should pick a new one. Last week, “I.Seoul.U
Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2015
-
371 foreigners nabbed in 2-month crackdown on gambling, phishing
The police said Thursday they had arrested a total of 708 foreigners in the past two months, with gambling and financial fraud being the most common crimes committed by foreigners residing in Korea. The head office of the National Police Agency. (Yonhap)The police arrested 371 foreign nationals, of whom 27 were physically detained, for involvement in gambling and phishing scams during the two-month crackdown that started in September. In most cases, foreigners gambled for fun with their friends
Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2015
Most Popular
-
1
S. Korea's English proficiency slips 13 notches to 49th
-
2
N. Korea reinstates DMZ guard posts
-
3
N. Korea says spy satellite took photos of White House, Pentagon, key US naval base
-
4
15-year-old girl saves 5 lives with organ donations after death
-
5
BOK likely to keep policy rate unchanged on slowdown, hope for Fed's rate freeze, easing inflation
-
6
Samsung sets up control tower for new growth drivers
-
7
Busan loses World Expo 2030 bid
-
8
12 foreigners nabbed on suspicion of drug use
-
9
Korea to start hiring E-9 visa foreign workers in restaurants
-
10
S. Korea's Busan making last-ditch efforts to bring World Expo on voting day
