Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
[Breaking] Lee Jae-yong gets suspended sentence, released in appeals trial
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was freed Thursday, as a Seoul appeals court cleared him of major charges and handed down a suspended sentence. The Seoul High Court overturned a lower court’s five-year sentence and handed down two years and six months in prison suspended for four years for bribery -- rejecting the special counsel’s argument that it was linked to his succession. Prosecutors had maintained a 12-year prison term for Lee.The 50-year-old scion of the biggest conglomera
Industry Feb. 5, 2018
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[Weather] Snow Friday night, colder weather over weekend
The temperature will drop back down over the weekend after the slight rise during the week, the weather agency said. On Friday night, it will snow in most regions, including Seoul.The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a cold wave warning for northern Gyeonggi Province, North Chungcheong Province and North Gyeongsang Province. (Yonhap)During the weekend, the skies will be cloudy overall and snow will continue into Saturday morning for some regions in the southern part of the Peninsula,
Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Ruling party announces constitutional revision plan
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea came up with a plan for the revision of the Constitution on Friday, which includes changing the current single five-year presidency and naming popular uprisings in the preface to the Constitution.On the second day of the party’s discussion on how to revise the Constitution, the party’s Floor Leader Rep. Woo Won-shik said they have decided to promote a change in the presidential system but maintain it as well. While there were many who favored a four-year two-
Politics Feb. 2, 2018
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Justice Ministry launches sexual harassment prevention committee
The Justice Ministry launched a sexual harassment prevention committee Friday, amid public outrage triggered by a female prosecutor’s revelation of sexual misconduct by a former Justice Ministry official.The newly established committee will investigate sex crimes that occurred at the Ministry of Justice and affiliated organizations, and come up with measures to prevent further occurrences. The prosecution, which has launched its own investigation team, will not be subjected to the ministry’s pro
Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2018
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Chief of sexual harassment investigation team vows to unveil truth
The head of a special probe team looking in to the sexual harassment allegation inside the Prosecution on Thursday vowed to get to the bottom of the case to prevent a repeat of such crimes. “I wish for the special investigation team to lead to creating a working environment where two genders can work together on equal footing,” Cho Hee-jin, the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office said in a press conference in front of the prosecution. The 10 member-investigation te
Social Affairs Feb. 1, 2018
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Female prosecutor calls for sexual harassment prevention
The female prosecutor who spoke up about sexual harassment within the prosecution has asked the public to shift its attention and efforts to measures to resolve the pervasive mistreatment of women in society, rather than focusing on her experience. “Please look at why the organization (the prosecution) did not listen to a lone victim, instead of what happened to me at the funeral,” Seo Ji-hyun, a public prosecutor at the Tongyeong branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office, said in a st
Social Affairs Jan. 31, 2018
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Female prosecutor opens up about sexual harassment
After a female prosecutor claimed sexual harassment by a former senior Justice Ministry official, voices of support grew for the prosecutor Tuesday, along with demands for an investigation into the case. In a televised interview Monday, Seo Ji-hyun, a public prosecutor at the Tongyeong branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office, said Ahn Tae-geun, who was a senior Justice Ministry official at the time, sexually harassed her at a funeral in 2010. Members of the far-left minor opposition
Social Affairs Jan. 30, 2018
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[Feature] Korean celebrities find it difficult to break silence on sexual exploitation
American movements against pervasive sexual harassment -- #MeToo and Time’s Up -- have led to a slew of allegations against some of the world’s most powerful men.What started out as a tweet from a Hollywood actress encouraging those who have been victims of sexual harassment to use the hashtag #MeToo soon evolved into a global movement, starting with the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Cover of Times (AP-Yonhap)And while it was never easy for the silence breakers to come forward with
Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2018
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Prosecutors seek 8 years in prison for ex-Park aide Woo
The prosecution on Monday demanded eight years in prison for Woo Byung-woo, a key former aide to ousted President Park Geun-hye, for dereliction of duty, abuse of power and perjury. The court is expected to rule on Feb. 14, before the Lunar New Year holiday. At the final hearing of the nine-month trial at the Seoul Central District Court, a special counsel and state prosecutors asked the court to sentence Woo, 50, to eight years in prison, saying he had abused his power as a presidential aide. “
Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2018
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People’s Party dissenters establish preparation committee for new party
About half of People’s Party lawmakers established a preparation committee to create a new party and held a meeting of promoters on Sunday, speeding up the breakup of the center-left opposition party.Sixteen parliamentarians, including veteran lawmakers Reps. Park Jie-won and Chung Dong-young and some 1,000 supporters gathered at the National Assembly held a ceremony and proposed the creation of a new party, the Party for Democracy and Peace. People's Party awmakers opposing the merger with Bare
Politics Jan. 28, 2018
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Investigators suspect faulty wiring led to Miryang hospital fire
Faulty wiring and flammable ceiling materials are suspected as the major causes of the fire at a hospital in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, which has so far claimed 38 lives and left 151 people hurt, investigators reported on Sunday, after a third on-site inspection.The special probe team, which includes officials from police, fire and forensics departments, focused on the structure of the building and whether the electrical wiring system had been managed properly, suspecting that defective
Social Affairs Jan. 28, 2018
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South Korea launches WTO dispute over US tariffs
(Yonhap)GENEVA (Reuters) -- South Korea has launched a tradedispute at the World Trade Organization to challenge US safeguard tariffs on washing machines, a filing published by the WTO showed on Thursday.“Korea considers these measures to be inconsistent with the United States’ obligations under the relevant provisions of the GATT 1994 and Agreement on Safeguards,” South Korea’s complaint said.
Industry Jan. 25, 2018
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Korea Skating Union expels coach for beating short tracker Shim
The Korea Skating Union said Thursday that it has decided to permanently expel a coach for beating Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee.The skating authorities convened an independent disciplinary committee of eight experts to make a decision on the coach, whose name has been withheld from the media. (Yonhap)“We have decided on the heavy punishment of permanent expulsion after we discussed the gravity of the issue following statements from the attacker,” Kim Sang-kyum, the cha
Olympic Games Jan. 25, 2018
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Hardline labor group to return to three-way dialogue with gov’t, management
A hardline labor confederation decided Thursday to return to a dialogue panel with the government and management for the first time in eight years.The recently elected leaders of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions made the decision during a central committee meeting. (Yonhap)The tripartite dialogue panel was set up in 1998 in the wake of the Asian foreign exchange crisis. The KCTU, one of the country’s two major union groups, walked out of the committee the following year. The Federation o
Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors raid DAS again, probe closes in on ex-President Lee
The prosecution on Thursday raided offices of the auto parts maker DAS linked to former President Lee Myung-bak, and companies associated with the firm, over allegations that Lee’s government helped the firm recoup an investment. The Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office collected documents and computer files from the DAS office located in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and the residence of the DAS President surnamed Kang. It is the second time prosecutors have searched the office. The Seo
Politics Jan. 25, 2018
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