Articles by Suk Gee-hyun
Suk Gee-hyun
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Coast Guard communication record said to be fabricated
The South Korean Coast Guard has warned of legal actions over allegations that the Sewol’s communication log with the Vessel Traffic Service was fabricated. Local broadcaster SBS on Sunday raised suspicions that parts of the communication log revealed on April 20 were deleted and the conversation was rearranged. “We will seek all possible legal actions against the broadcaster, including filing a complaint with the state-run Press Arbitration Commission,” the Coast Guard said in a statement, imme
Social Affairs April 28, 2014
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Grief-stricken students return to school
Classes for Danwon High School freshmen and sophomores who did not sign up for the ill-fated field trip to Jejudo Island resumed Monday, as funerals for the ferry victims were held in the same town. The chilly, rainy weather reflected the general somber mood, as the students walked past flowers and messages outside the gates. Some students were seen standing still as funeral cars carrying the victims of the Sewol disaster passed by. Reporters’ access to school staff members, students and parents
Social Affairs April 28, 2014
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Ex-Seoul City official cleared of spy charges
An appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court’s ruling to acquit a former Seoul City official of espionage charges. Yoo Woo-seong, a 34-year-old of North Korean-Chinese descent, was accused of spying for Pyongyang while working at the Seoul municipal government from June 2011 to January 2013. The Seoul High Court, however, found Yoo guilty of hiding his Chinese citizenship when entering the country in 2004 and violating the Act on the Protection and Settlement Support of Residents Escaping fro
Social Affairs April 25, 2014
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Donations for the ferry disaster
Efforts to provide aid and monetary support for the ferry victims are accelerating in Korea, with corporations, politicians and celebrities offering their support. Below are a few organizations providing information and handling donations for victims and their families. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected. ● The Community Chest of KoreaWebsite: www.chest.or.krContact: (02) 6262-3000● The Korea Disaster Relief AssociationWebsite: www.relief.or.krContact: (02) 6251-9595● The Korea
Social Affairs April 25, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Divers face growing fatigue
South Korean divers searching for missing passengers in the sunken ferry Sewol are suffering from health problems, according to a rescue center. Ten divers from a joint rescue team of civilian and state organizations were treated in decompression chambers on two Navy ships Wednesday, after showing symptoms of paralysis and severe headaches. One has been confirmed as having decompression sickness, the emergency center said Thursday. “Divers are suffering from more fatigue as the rescue operation
Social Affairs April 24, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Despair sinks in over Sewol
It has been a long, silent week in South Korea since the fateful morning of April 16.Much of what happened inside the sunken ferry remains unknown, leaving the victims’ relatives, and South Koreans in general, struggling with despair and sadness.The word “regret” weighs heavily on the entire nation. Many Koreans feel horrified by the helplessness of those on board at the time of the sinking, the utter lack of rescue plans and the actions of the crew members. Worse, the government appears to have
Social Affairs April 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Four ferry crew members issued arrest warrants
Investigators intensified their probe on Tuesday into what caused the ferry Sewol to list and capsize and arrested more crew members allegedly responsible for the tragic accident. Four crew members were issued arrest warrants on Tuesday evening on charges of neglect of duty and leaving hundreds of passengers trapped inside the sinking ship. The number of arrests has now reached a total of seven, including the ship’s 69-year-old captain, Lee Joon-seok, and two others who were arrested on Saturday
Social Affairs April 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Sewol disaster investigation expands to owner family
South Korean authorities widened their investigation into the cause of the ferry disaster on Monday by arresting four crew members and banning others involved from leaving the country. Prosecutors on Monday barred the family that owns Chonghaejin Marine Co., the operator of the ill-fated ferry Sewol, from leaving Korea.The Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office took the measure as part of an expanding probe to identify whether the ship’s renovation and the crew members’ lack of safety education pl
Social Affairs April 21, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Woman questioned for slandering Coast Guard rescue operations
Hong Ga-hye doing interview on KBS a few years ago then again on MBN in 2014A Korean woman who made a false claim in a television interview about the delayed rescue operation of the capsized ferry Sewol turned herself in late Sunday, police said.The South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency on Saturday issued a warrant to detain the 26-year-old woman, surnamed Hong, who claimed that the Coast Guard told civilian divers to “kill time” and that some divers had confirmed survivors inside the sunken shi
Social Affairs April 21, 2014
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[Graphic News] Search and rescue operations for submerged ferry
Divers combed the sunken ferry Sewol, retrieving more than a dozen bodies over the weekend.More than 560 divers took turns Sunday entering the ship and searching passenger compartments while 204 Navy, Coast Guard and private vessels. But hopes were fading for any survivors among the hundreds still missing.
Social Affairs April 20, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Divers risk lives to find, save missing passengers
Hundreds of civilian, Coast Guard and Navy divers are putting their lives on the line to search for the missing passengers of the capsized ferry Sewol.Late Saturday, divers successfully entered the wreckage after four days of efforts that were frustrated by dangerous conditions. The rescue divers are taking on the daunting task despite the potentially life-threatening circumstances, in the hopes of finding survivors inside the vessel.Many of the civilian divers view the matter as if the victims
Social Affairs April 20, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] 3 divers swept by waves rescued: report
(Yonhap)Three divers mobilized for the rescue operation of the capsized Sewol ferry off the coast of South Korea have been rescued by people on a fishing boat, cable news channel YTN reported.Chung Dong-nam, head of a rescue team at the scene, said the divers went missing at around 2:18 p.m. Thursday while searching for the 287 missing passengers. The navy officials said the rescue operation was being hampered by poor underwater visibility and strong currents. By Suk Gee-hyun (monicasuk@heraldco
Social Affairs April 17, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Shipwrecked students send heart-wrenching texts
“Mom, This might be the last chance to say I love you”“Dad, I can't get out.”“Are you okay son? Son? Answer me...”“The ship is sinking. Dad, I’ll see you outside…”Heartrending messages sent from students on the sinking ferry off the coast of Jindo, South Jeolla Province are offering a vivid picture of the frantic situation inside the stricken vessel.“Mom, this might be the last chance to tell you that I love you,” said one 17-year-old student on the ferry in a text to his mother. Fortunately, th
Social Affairs April 17, 2014
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Prosecutors raid POSCO unit in corruption probe
Prosecutors on Wednesday raided a subsidiary of South Korea’s leading steelmaker POSCO over corruption allegations involving its officials. A team of prosecutors obtained computer hard drives, account books and steel trading records from the offices of POSCO P&S in Gangnam, Seoul, to corroborate the charges, the prosecution said. “The raid is solely focused on POSCO P&S, and not the whole group,” an investigator told media on Wednesday.POSCO P&S officials said in a statement that they would full
Social Affairs April 16, 2014
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Lotte kickbacks used for political lobbying: report
Prosecutors are expected to widen the investigation into Lotte Homeshopping’s graft allegations after finding evidence the retailer received kickbacks from suppliers to lobby political officials, local media reported Tuesday.Executives of the country’s fifth-largest retailer, including former head Shin Heon, have been under probe for allegedly taking billions of won in cash in return for business favors, such as securing primetime spots on its home shopping channel. The Seoul Central District Pr
Social Affairs April 15, 2014
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