• Dongbu Group gets ultimatum

    Chairman Kim pressed to speed up restructuring Dongbu Group Chairman Kim Jun-ki has received a virtual ultimatum from financial regulators to carry out the group’s self-restructuring actions promptly. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and creditor banks criticized Kim’s reluctance in selling the group’s key affiliates, warning that Dongbu may collapse…

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  • The Casey Lartigue Show with YeonMi Park!

    Greetings! You are tuned to the “Casey Lartigue Show with YeonMi Park,” a new TV talk show online at JKJ TV. I am delighted to welcome you to our lovely bi-weekly show that will focus on North Korea and North Korean refugee issues. My name is Casey Lartigue and I…

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  • Human rights body’s fall

    Seoul must take swift steps to avoid further disgrace Korea’s human rights organization, once the object of envoy among new democracies, has become a disgrace to the nation. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC), which barely limped along during the past seven years under successive conservative governments, is…

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  • American critic falls for indie K-films

    Darcy Paquet launches Wildflowser Film Awards The local film industry has been on a roll recently. The shooting for the Hollywood blockbuster “Avengers: The Age of Ultron” is still underway in Korea, suggesting that the country and its capital city is an attractive location for international moviemakers. A number of…

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  • Gamblers exempted from repaying borrowed money

    The Seoul Central District Court rejected a private moneylender’s demand to order repayments of 11 million won lent to a gambler at Kangwon Land Casino. Presiding Judge Shim Chang-seop said in his ruling that moneylenders’ loans requiring “abnormally high” interest rates have a negative effect of promoting gambling and causing…

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  • ‘Fatal Encounter’ slated for N. American release in May

    Will top Korean actor Hyun Bin ignite “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, in films in North America? His soon-to-be released film, “The Fatal Encounter,” is expected to be shown on 25 screens in North America starting May 23, Lotte Entertainment said Monday. The release in North America follows just a…

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  • NK drones land Kim in hot water

    Defense minister faces criticism for slack military readiness Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin finds himself with few allies. President Park Geun-hye rapped the military Monday over North Korea’s recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, intrusions. Lawmakers also are moving to see somebody take responsibility. A relic from the previous administration,…

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  • 1 in 10 female patients feel sexually abused

    One in 10 female patients felt they were sexually humiliated during medical procedures, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), 118 of 1,000 females who received medical services in the past five years said they experienced sexual humiliation or offense while going…

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  • Foreign law firms take big bite of Korean M&A market

    Multinational law firms are rapidly catching up with the dominant player Kim & Chang in the local merger and acquisition (M&A) legal advisory market, Bloomberg’s quarterly review showed Monday. The New York-based Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP ranked second on Bloomberg’s M&A legal advisory league table in terms of volume…

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  • East Asia

    KRC leads in farming knowledge sharing

    State-run firm eyes public-private partnership with developing countries The state-run Korea Rural Community Corp. (KRC) has been sharing its farming and agricultural infrastructure knowledge and experience with the developing world. The company has helped over 30 countries modernize their agricultural sector and participated in a number of rural development projects…

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