Muslims pose at a mosque in Seoul on June 15, 2018, to mark Eid al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. (Yonhap)
This photo shows a car damaged after crashing into the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in central Seoul on June 7, 2018. (Yonhap)
A gender equality ministry official slammed his car into the front gate of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Thursday and claimed he wanted to seek asylum in the United States, police said.
The official, identified only by his surname Yoon, was immediately taken into custody after crashing his sedan into the steel gate of the embassy in central Seoul around 7:15 p.m.
Police said Yoon, 48, is a director-level official at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The ministry is located in Seoul’s main government complex building across the street from the U.S. Embassy.
Police said Yoon went to work in the morning and left early after taking a half-day off.
Witnesses said Yoon’s car was traveling on the boulevard in front of the embassy before it abruptly changed its direction toward the embassy.
As he was overpowered by police, Yoon shouted, “Help me!” several times.
Yoon later told police that he slammed the car into the embassy because he wanted to seek asylum in the U.S. due to reasons related to North Korea. No further details were immediately known. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but if you are wondering Yoon was not drunk at the time to explain this crazy story. On a positive note at least the US embassy now knows that their gate works at stopping speeding cars from smashing through it.
This was very lucky that no one was at home at the time of the collapse and the businesses were closed or this could have been quite a tragedy:
Police officers and firefighters examine the rubble of a collapsed building in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Monday. The building was completed in 1966 and collapsed on Sunday. Residents believe the cause was cracks in the foundation. [YONHAP]Residents of a four-story building that collapsed in central Seoul on Sunday are blaming the Yongsan District Office for ignoring their complaints about cracks in the foundation that they called a recipe for disaster.
The building, which consisted of restaurants on the first and second floors and living quarters on the third and fourth, collapsed at 12:35 p.m. A 68-year-old woman living on the top floor sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The other residents were not at home, and the restaurants were all closed, which prevented further casualties.
Authorities have yet to identify the precise cause of the accident. Because the building was completed in 1966, police and firefighters believe it was the outcome of progressive deterioration. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but of course government authorities are alleged to have blown off reports from the residents of crack they seen forming in the building. This appears to be another example of the poor safety culture in South Korea.
This is a bizarre incident that of course President Duterte of the Philippines was the cause of during his visit with Filipino workers in South Korea:
In this video from PTV taken Sunday, June 3, 2018, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte leans in to kiss a Filipino worker at the podium during a town hall-style meeting with overseas Filipino workers in Seoul, South Korea. PTV VIA AP
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s mouth has landed him in hot water again, this time for kissing a married woman on the lips in front of thousands of his cheering supporters.
Duterte, known for his verbal outbursts and other antics, is being slammed by critics for the kiss, which took place Sunday during a town hall-style meeting with overseas Filipino workers in South Korea. One senator called the act “a despicable display of sexism and grave abuse of authority.”
Duterte sought a kiss from the woman after he called her on stage to give her a copy of a book at the event in Seoul. When Duterte asked if she can explain to her husband that the antic was just a joke, and she said yes, the president leaned in and kissed her as thousands erupted in cheers. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but according to the article the kiss was a joke towards the end of Duterte’s two hour long rambling speech in Seoul to Filipino nationals living in South Korea. The woman that allowed him to kiss her is married to a South Korean man and has two kids. No word on what he thought of all of this.
Something I plan to do more of is post various articles of interest that I see while browsing through the historical archives of the Stars & Stripes. Below is an article I saw about a bizarre hostage incident that occurred in a Seoul teahouse that was published in the April 12, 1972 Stars & Stripes.
Example of a teahouse in a historical hanok structure at the Korea Folk Museum in Seoul.
The incident involves a 19-year old teenager who took six people hostage in the teahouse before blowing it up with TNT. Twenty buildings were burned in the resulting fire with nineteen people injured. Fortunately no one was killed. Amazingly the teenager survived blowing up the teahouse and claimed he did it because “He did not want to live anymore.” You can read more details of the incident in the below article.
Just another example of something I can point to the next time someone tries to tell me that South Korea is a conservative Confucian country:
South Korea held its first ever drag parade this weekend, a small but significant step for rights activists in a country that remains deeply conservative when it comes to gender and sexuality.
Dozens of drag queens and kings marched through Itaewon on Saturday, a suburb of Seoul best known for its nightlife and a nascent but vibrant gay scene.
Carrying rainbow flags, they cheered and strutted their best outfits, receiving shouts of support and the odd baffled look from those they passed.
While homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, same-sex marriage is not recognised and people cannot legally change their birth gender.
The country is home to a large evangelical Christian community and LGBT people feel pervasive pressure to stay closeted.
“When it comes to South Korea, human rights guarantees for sexual minorities are insufficient,” Yang Heezy, a drag queen and the organiser of Seoul Drag Parade, said.
“Today’s drag parade and more queer culture festivals should take place to bring attention to sexual minorities and help those who are not from those minorities learn more,” he added, sporting a flame red wig and floral dress. [South China Morning Post]
Protesters stage a rally in front of the Government Building in downtown Seoul on May 24, 2018, to demand the government introduce measures to fully display the ingredients of genetically modified organism (GMO) food products. (Yonhap)
A poledancer performs at the Seoul International Poledance Championship (SIPC) in Seoul on May 13, 2018, in this photo provided by the SIPC organizer. (Yonhap)
Thai tourists pose behind a welcome sign set up at Myeongdong Street in downtown Seoul on April 25, 2018. The Seoul city has launched the 2018 Spring Welcome Week for foreign tourists, which will last until May 6. (Yonhap)
