Author: GIKorea

I can understand why people would want to have days where the public can enjoy the Gwanghwamun area without protesters everywhere. However, it is interesting that this idea comes up when it is conservative groups busy rallying against the liberal Korean president. When the liberal groups were rallying against the former conservative President Park Geun-hye the city government did not consider doing this:

Squares and plazas in Seoul, open to all including protests and sit-ins, may get a “break” day.

Citizens have been calling for a “break” from rallies at Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggye Plaza, Seoul Plaza and other public spaces in downtown Seoul, and the city government is seriously considering this.

Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday it is considering designating a “no-rally day” regularly, a day without any protests, rallies, or other events at the locations so that the public can use them. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I wonder why the media is blurring out her face when everyone accused of wrong doing in the Park Geun-hye impeachment had their faces widely published across the Korean media?:

Chung Kyung-sim, wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, attended a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court Wednesday to challenge the prosecution’s request to put her behind bars as it investigates corruption allegations against her. 

Chung, a professor from Dongyang University, entered the court building in southern Seoul around 10:10 a.m., making her first appearance before the press since the prosecution started its probe 57 days ago. Chung is being investigated for possible irregularities in her daughter’s admissions application to medical school and alleged corruption in managing the family’s wealth.

Following dozens of raids including her residence and seven rounds of questioning of Chung, the Special Investigation Department II of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office asked the Seoul Central District Court on Monday to issue a warrant to detain Chung. In its warrant application, prosecutors listed 11 charges against her, which they say require pretrial detention. They also claim that evidence destruction is a worry. 

About 100 reporters asked Chung various questions, but she only replied, “I will faithfully face the hearing,” before entering the building.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Here is some good news for native English teachers:

The top court has ruled that native English teachers working at private language institutes here are eligible for severance pay and annual vacation allowance according to the Labor Standards Act. 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld an appellate court’s decision to recognize native English instructors as employees protected by the law and thus provide them various allowances. 

But the court sent the case back to the Seoul High Court to amend the calculation of such payment.

The lawsuit started in 2015 when eight English teachers sued their language institute demanding unpaid severance pay and allowances in lieu of annual vacation. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The North Koreans will be very unhappy with this news:

A New York court has formally handed the US ownership of a North Korean cargo ship seized for violating international sanctions, the Justice Department said.

The 17,061 ton bulk carrier Wise Honest — the first North Korean vessel seized by Washington for sanctions violations — was caught carrying a $3 million shipment of coal in Indonesian waters last year and later handed over to US authorities.

The court in the Southern District of New York ordered the vessel to be forfeited to Washington and for the Treasury Department to “dispose of” it, an order released by the Justice Department showed.

The sale process has already taken place, according to the US Coast Guard, which earlier this month said the ship had been auctioned in a court-ordered process.

AFP

You can read more at the link, but seizing the Kim’s regime ships caught smuggling and then selling them off is an idea I have long advocated for.

Well at least this time the Russians did not violate South Korean airspace like they did earlier this past summer:

Six Russian military aircraft violated South Korea’s air defense identification zone on Tuesday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighter jets to turn them back, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

An A-50 early-warning aircraft, three SU-27 fighter jets and two TU-95 bombers entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) four times between 9:23 a.m. and 2:44 p.m. without prior notice and stayed in the zone for about four hours in total before leaving at around 3:13 p.m., according to the JCS.

The warplanes breached the KADIZ over waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula, including the country’s easternmost islets of Dokdo and the island of Ulleung in the East Sea; above the southern city of Pohang and the island of Jeju and areas in the Yellow Sea.

But none of the aircraft violated South Korea’s territorial airspace, the JCS said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Gallup Korea had President Moon’s approval rating decreasing to 39% while Realmeter has it rising to 45%. So which poll should people believe?:

 President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating has bounced back to 45 percent after Cho Kuk’s resignation as justice minister, a weekly poll showed Monday.

According to Realmeter, the rating gained 3.6 percentage points on-week to 45 percent. It conducted the phone survey of 2,505 people nationwide, aged 19 or older, for the five business days last week. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

It marked Realmeter’s first weekly poll of Moon’s approval rating since Cho stepped down last Monday after months of controversy over whether he’s suitable for the Cabinet post.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.