The prosecution said Friday that it has indicted the chief of South Korean textile and chemical conglomerate Hyosung Group without detention on charges of violating the fair trade law."We indicted Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon the previous day," the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said.Earlier, the Fair Trade Commission had reported the 51-year-old Cho to the prosecution for providing unfair financial assistance to ailing Galaxia Electronics Co., a Hyosung affiliate in

Industry Dec. 27, 2019

Prosecutors here said Friday they have requested an arrest warrant for an Ulsan vice mayor suspected of illegally intervening in the 2018 mayoral election in the southeastern metropolitan city.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it asked the court Thursday evening to issue a pre-trial warrant to detain Song Byung-gi, Ulsan's vice mayor for economic affairs, on charges of conspiring with several presidential aides to influence the city's mayoral poll last year in violation of the P

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2019

South Korean shares opened lower Friday as investors cashed in recent profits ahead of the final trading session of 2019 slated for next week. But major tech stocks continued to build up gains.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 13.41 points, or 0.61 percent, to 2,184.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In South Korea, investors should buy stocks one day before the last trading day of the year to receive dividends. The final trading session of 2019 is Monday.US stocks continu

Market Dec. 27, 2019

미국 플로리다주(州) 탬파에 사는 26세 여성이 77살인 남편의 은행 계좌에서 100만달러(약 11억6천만원)를 인출하려다 사기 등 혐의로 체포됐다고 AP 통신과 NBC 방송이 26일(현지시간) 보도했다.보도에 따르면 이스라엘 국적의 린 헬레나 핼폰은 이달 16일 돈세탁과 사기, 노인 사취 등의 혐의로 탬파국제공항에서 체포된 뒤 기소됐다. 핼폰은 올해 8월 결혼한 사업가 남편 리처드 래퍼포트의 계좌에서 발급된 수표를 현금으로 바꾸려다 덜미를 잡혔다.헬폰은 지난달 탬파에 있는 수표 현금화 점포 4곳을 돌며 100만달러짜리 수표를 현금으로 바꾸려 했으나 점원이 이를 거절하며 실패했다.당시 이런 수상한 정황을 포착한 수사관들이 남편을 접촉했을 때 래퍼포트는 자신의 아내를 믿는다며 그녀가 고국인 이스라엘로 추방되지 않기를 원한다고 말했다.헬폰은 이후 올랜도에서 66만달러(약 7억7천만원) 상당의 수표 2장을 현금화하는 데 성공했다.수사관들이 이달 10일 다시 래퍼포트에게 연락해 '사기와 절

한국어판 Dec. 27, 2019

사기 실패하자 피해자 협박하려 주문…경찰 "일당 소재 파악 중"최근 누리꾼의 공분을 산 이른바 '33만원 닭강정 거짓 주문' 사건은 대출 사기 일당이 벌인 횡포극으로 드러났다.애초 20대인 피해자가 닭강정 거짓 주문자들에게 고등학교 때부터 괴롭힘을 당해 온 것 아니냐는 의혹이 제기됐지만, 경찰 조사 결과 학교 폭력과는 상관이 없는 것으로 드러났다.26일 경찰 등에 따르면 이 사건 피해자 A 씨는 최근 대출을 알아보는 과정에서 해당 대출 사기 일당을 만났다.A 씨는 이들과 일주일 동안 찜질방 등에서 함께 지내며 대출을 받기 위해 재직 증명서를 위조하는 방법 등에 대해 전해 들었다. A 씨는 지난 24일 대출을 받기 위해 은행에 찾아갔으나 문서를 위조해야 한다는 사실에 양심의 가책을 느껴 달아났고, 대출 사기 일당은 이를 앙갚음하려고 피해자 집 주소로 닭강정을 거짓 주문한 것으로 조사됐다.A 씨는 직후 경찰에 대출 사기 피해 사실을 신고한 것으로 전해졌다.

한국어판 Dec. 27, 2019

South Korea's consumer sentiment slightly deteriorated from a month earlier in December but remained positive for a second consecutive month, central bank data showed Friday.The composite consumer sentiment index came to 100.4 in the month, compared with 100.9 in November, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The index remained above 100 for a second-straight month after breaching the benchmark for the first time in the seven mont

Economy Dec. 27, 2019

The Bank of Korea will maintain an accommodative monetary policy next year to help boost the country's economic growth and spur record-low inflation in Asia's fourth-largest economy, while also considering other means to assist the local economy, the central bank said Friday."Under the direction of its monetary policy in 2020, the Bank of Korea will maintain the easing stance of its monetary policy to support the recovery in growth and to ensure the rise in consumer prices will be stabilize

Economy Dec. 27, 2019

A lawsuit filed by several South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery over a 2015 agreement between the two countries was settled Thursday in a court arbitration in which the government in Seoul agreed to deny the deal's validity and vowed continued efforts to help regain the victims' honor, legal sources said.Kang Il-chul and eight other surviving South Korean victims filed the suit against the government in August 2016 demanding 100 million won ($86,000) per person in compensation

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2019

A Seoul court on Friday rejected an arrest warrant for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in a probe into his suspected role in ending an inspection into bribery allegations involving a former Busan vice mayor.Earlier this week, prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant for Cho, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, on charges of abuse of authority in connection with the bribery case of now-arrested Yoo Jae-soo.After an hourslong hearing, Judge Kwon Deok-jin of the Seoul Eastern Dis

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2019

South Korea's top national security officials agreed Thursday to step up efforts for closer relations between their country and two neighboring powers, China and Japan, as they reviewed the results of President Moon Jae-in's summit talks in China earlier this week.Moon made a two-day visit there for a string of summits with the leaders of China and Japan, including trilateral talks.On Monday, he held bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where they agreed on the need for maintain

Foreign Affairs Dec. 26, 2019

North Korea could launch maximum "gray-zone" provocations next year just short of an intercontinental ballistic missile launch to extract US concessions in their stalled nuclear talks, an expert said Thursday.Jun Bong-geun, professor at the state-run Korea National Diplomatic Academy, made the remarks amid speculation that the North could engage in provocative acts in a show of anger over the absence of US concessions by Pyongyang's self-imposed year-end deadline."Though strong pr

North Korea Dec. 26, 2019

The Seoul metropolitan city government said Thursday it will welcome the new year with a traditional bell-ringing ceremony.The bell will be rung 33 times at Boshingak Pavillion in downtown Seoul at midnight on New Year's Eve by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and 11 civic representatives, according to the city.The bell-ringing ceremony, broadcast live across the country, has been held every year since 1953. The ringing of the bell bids farewell to the old year and is an expression of hope, happiness a

Social Affairs Dec. 26, 2019

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on the international community Thursday to take reciprocal actions to maintain the momentum of talks with North Korea and facilitate the peace process."More action is needed to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula," he said in his contribution to Project Syndicate, a global organization carrying op-ed commentaries by prominent figures. "The North Korean nuclear and missile issues have yet to be resolved, and the North is still cautious ab

North Korea Dec. 26, 2019

The prosecution has publicly come out against a push by the ruling Democratic Party and four minor liberal parties to pass a prosecutorial reform bill calling for the creation of a new powerful investigative organization to check the power of the prosecution in probes of suspected corruption by all top-ranking government officials.The Supreme Prosecutors Office issued a statement on Thursday, voicing objection to the bill on the establishment of the so-called High-Ranking Officials' Corruption I

Politics Dec. 26, 2019

The United States has flown spy planes around the Korean Peninsula again, an aviation tracker said Thursday, at a time of speculation that North Korea could carry out a major provocation amid stalled denuclearization talks.According to Aircraft Spots, a RC-135S Cobra Ball plane was presumed to have carried out a surveillance mission over South Korea's East Sea after taking off from the Japanese territory of Okinawa. Another RC-135S aircraft was spotted flying in the same route later.  On th

Defense Dec. 26, 2019