KBS News

By Gim Giheung

Ee’s high school graduation photo alongside a contemporary suspect sketch.

Hwaseong serial killer Ee Chunjae stood in court today (2nd of November 2020) 34 years after the incident. He apologised to his victims, but the apology seems belated.

Wearing a mask and a turquoise shroud, Ee Chunjae was finally revealed [to the public]. It’s been 34 years since the first incident. Without hesitating he replied “that’s correct” when asked if he was the perpetrator of 14 killings in Hwaseong and Cheonju [south of Seoul in Gyeonggi province]. When [he was interviewed as part of ] the police re-investigation last year, he expressed his feelings at the time, by saying, “I thought it was coming.” 

But when it comes to a motive for his crimes, he said “I cannot accurately say why I lived in that manner at the time. After I committed the murder, I momentarily felt that I had done wrong,” he added. “But after I turned away, [the crime] was forgotten and I was able to commit another crime.”

He continued “I’m sorry and I apologise to my victims. I have reflected, and I have confessed my guilt in my heart.” He also said that he apologises sincerely to Yun Seongyeo, who was unjustly convicted for the murders and spent time in prison.

Yun commented: “Thanks to Ee for telling the truth, but I’m not completely satisfied. But since he talks conscientiously, I feel weak.”

Ee revealed that he had never thought that his crimes would be hidden forever – but that if the police investigation at the time had been correct and thorough, he would have been a higher-priority suspect. The National Police Agency announced that it would consider canceling promotions of the police officers who had arrested Yun, instead of Ee, the true culprit.

2020.02.29

Today we have a first-hand account from a 31-year-old man, living in Busan, who provides an insight into the Korean situation regarding coronavirus:

“This is really a big issue. Everyone’s staying inside, no-one’s going anywhere or doing anything. Seomyeon [city centre] is empty, Dongnae [restaurant/bar area] is empty. Even Megamart [large supermarket chain] is empty. I have family members who run a restaurant and they’re really suffering – hardly any customers and staff don’t want to work. People use the word “dangerous” to describe public areas. Work is very quiet – I work in a gym, and no-one wants to come and train and be around other people. All the schools have taken a week off. Stock levels in shops are quite low, particularly anything which will keep for a long time. We’ve been trying to make sure we have plenty of rice, cup ramyeon noodles and other things which will keep for a long time.”

Analysis: Koreans take this type of public health crisis extremely seriously; there’s a kind of shared cultural awareness about pandemics which can completely dominate the social discourse. I arrived in Korea in 2008 to huge, nation-wide protests against US beef imports due to the possibility of BSE/CJD infection. Given the scale and passion of the protests I assumed that a number of people had passed away; I was surprised to learn that Koreans had reacted so strongly just to the possibility that they had been exposed to BSE/CJD.

KBS News (video at link)

By O Seungmok

Bong Joon-ho has returned home. Having been honoured with four prizes by the Academy Awards, he expressed thanks to fans and said that he was looking forward to creating again. He was [also] pleased pleased to greet reporters and fans when his airport arrival gate opened. Bong – who has rewritten Korean cinema history, calmly showed off his award and talked about his feelings of returning home.Even after a long flight of more than 10 hours, he was worried about the Coronavirus situation in Korea, and he did not skimp on his typically eccentric language.

Parasite is the first non-English-language film in history to win “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards. It was recognised for its popularity and social commentary as it swept the Best Screenplay, Best International Film, Best Director and Best Picture awards. The film principally deals with the universal and serious theme of societal polarisation, and was lauded for its incisive depiction and satirical viewpoint.

On the 20th, Bong will have lunch with President Mun Jaein at the Blue House.

Analysis: Koreans are, quite rightly, immensely proud of Parasite’s achievements at the Oscars. Koreans take a sincere, unifying pride in achievements by other Koreans on the international stage, and Parasite’s four wins will further cement Bong’s place as Korea’s preeminent film figure. Even the phrase used in the article’s title – gwuiguk 귀국, “returning to one’s homeland,” contains a kind of shared assumption of experience, as it doesn’t explicitly refer to “Korea” at all – but readers will know exactly what homeland is being referred to.

• Wash hands for more than 30 seconds with soap. Wash palms, fingers, and fingernails to the bottom – meticulously!
• Cover mouth and nose with sleeve when coughing
• When coughing or suffering with a fever be sure to wear a mask in case of respiratory symptoms
• When visting China contact with animals is forbidden. Display restraint when visiting markets or traditional medicine stalls.
• When you suspect infectious disease, do not go to a hospital straight away. Contact the Disease Control Division (tel: 1339) or a public health centre. The Disease Control Division is available via KakaoTalk 24 hours a day.

KBS News

By Gim Minjeong

As the new coronavirus continues to spread in China, the [Korean] government has upgraded its travel alerts throughout China’s Hubei province, including Wuhan, to a three-stage recommendation for withdrawal. Two days ago a two-stage “Restrict Travel” alert was issued regarding Wuhan City, where the virus occurred on the 23^rd. A “Travel Caution” warning was also issued regarding the rest of Hubei Province.

The [Korean] Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the new coronavirus is spreading throughout Hubei Province – and confirmed also that there are verified coronavirus patients in Korea. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) also issued advice that it is necessary to thoroughly prepare in order to prevent the spread of the virus infection to the Korean populace. The Foreign Ministry [further] said that Korean citizens staying in China’s Hubei province will withdraw from the province if they are not there for emergency reasons. It was also requested that those who are planning to travel to Hubei cancel or postpone the trip.

KBS News

By Ee Sumin

Many people want to buy a gift set before the New Year holidays. [When doing so] pay particular attention to oversized packaging. [Some gift sets] are packaged to look bulky compared to the contents, which deceives consumers’ eyes, has too high a price, causes pollution and wastes resources.

In a large discount store in Seoul for the Lunar New Year holiday, a [local authority] joint inspection team has cracked down on overpacking. It’s one of the mainstream gift sets you’ll find as part of a lot of New Year’s gifts.

Enforcement criteria are the space taken up by the product and the number of packages [inside]. If more than one item is included, the space (excluding the product) should be 25% or less and the item should be packaged no more than two times. This product contains liquor, cups and coasters, but there is plenty of space left on the sides of the coasters. [The effect is] that the consumer “sees” 25% more product as part of the gift set than is actually there.

In another large department store, two bottles of nutrients were packed in a set, and the space in the box is noticeable. A member of the inspection team said: “The ratio of other space occupied by the product to the inside of the packaging must be 25% or less.”

Even if there is a suspicion of overpacking with the naked eye, [shoppers] can’t open it directly because it is on sale. If a manufacturer is instructed to inspect by a packaging inspection agency, the manufacturer must request an inspection and submit the results within 20 days. If the product turns out to be overpacked, a fine of ₩1 million is imposed. For second offences it’s ₩2 million and the third infraction attracts a fine of ₩3 million. Last year, 63 cases were caught in Seoul alone, with fines of ₩32 million won being imposed. Ee Soyeon, Seoul City Resource Recycling and Recycling Team Manager, said: “[We are] reducing any burden on producers or consumers due to overpacking. And now we want to prevent the environmental pollution and waste of overpacking.”

Consumers also need to spend wisely on stalls rather than paying attention to the colorful packaging of gift sets.

Analysis: Seollal – “Chinese New Year” – is one of the two biggest festivals in Korea, alongside the autumn harvest festival, Chuseok. Koreans will make journeys to relatives’ houses (causing massive disruption on travel networks and the roads) and many women find the period extremely tiring as they are expected to undertake the lion’s share of the cooking and cleaning for the celebration. Elaborately-wrapped and packaged food gift hampers are very popular at this time of year – but as the articles states, they may not represent the best value.

KBS News

By Gim Jisuk

The National Prosecutor’s Office attempted to seize the Blue House autonomous development secretary’s office yesterday (January the 10th) as part of its investigation into suspicions of election intervention by the Ulsan Mayor’s office.

The Blue House (the Korean President’s official residence) criticised the action as a “show” in a statement released to KBS News. An official said in a telephone conversation with a KBS reporter today that “the prosecution reported to the media that the office was seized, but that’s not the statement we’re making.” In particular, the official said, the NPO was claiming that they made a request several times for the Blue House to submit necessary data, but “that is not true.”

“The search warrant for the confiscation stated that everything [seized] was related to a crime,” the official continued. “[But] if we were provided with a list [of items/data] made by the prosecution, the data should be provided according to the public inquiry process, not seizure,” he explained.

The prosecution criticized the Blue House for its statement, saying, “The Blue House is failing to respond to seizure search warrants, without any legal ground [for its failure to respond]… we haven’t confirmed that there are any military secrets or grounds for serious national harm [held within the requested/confiscated date] in the Office of Self-Development, based on Article 110 of the Criminal Procedure Act – which are the only grounds under which the request can be refused. The court has already issued a warrant – if the recepients want to refuse it, they must submit a letter of intent to reject it.”

Article 110 of the Criminal Procedure Act states that ① places that require military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge of the lawsuit. ② The person in charge shall not refuse the consent except in case of serious harm to the State.

Analysis: The conflict between Mun Jaein’s administration and the National Prosecutor’s Office (NPO) is showing no signs of abating. Mun and his allies have been dogged by the story for a year, which exploded when the NPO began investigating his former Justice Minister, Jo Guk, on charges of corruption. Mun’s move to reassign prosecutors who were investigating the case will do little to convince his detractors of his commitment to rooting out graft, but similarly many of Mun’s supporters feel that the NPO’s behaviour is itself politically-motivated. The scandal has been incredibly damaging for Mun, though, and as Korea gears up for parliamentary elections in April his opponents are increasingly attempting to press their advantage. The allegations against Jo – claims that he fabricated transcripts to smooth the path of his young adult children – are particularly piquant given most ordinary Koreans’ feeling that elites shamelessly break the rules to give family members advantages.

 KBS News

By Ee Seungjae

Pastor Jeon Gwanghun appeared at a downtown rally, two days after a warrant against him for leading a disruptive previous [conservative] rally was dismissed. He addressed the crowd.

Parents of a school for blind children objected to another conservative previous march, citing the noise of conservative groups, stopped the march. A petition to the President’s residence calling for the dissolution of exceeded 200,000 signatures within a week.

Jeonreappeared at a rally calling for the resignation of President Mun Jaein and waved the Korean Taegeuk flag. He said: “The Korean Constitution did not redeem me. The leaders of the Republic of Korea, who have moved leftwards, are returning to the Constitution! What should we do with that guy Mun? He’s gone out of his mind.”

At the same time, a conservative group calling for the release of former President Bak Geunhye marched toward the Blue House, confronting parents of the Seoul Blind School, a school for the blind. Parents appealed for [protesters] to refrain from meetings around the Blue House, because students were unable to attend classes due to the noise. Bak Jaehan, Chairman of the Jongnogu district branch of the Federation for the Visually Impaired, said: “Now there is noise all the time – [we’re forced] to go and use the back streets all the time.”

Representative Pastor Kwang-Hoon Jeon, the Korean Christian Federation, and Cheong Wa Dae’s petition for dissolution of the Han Ki-gun received more than 200,000 signatures inside a week – meeting the threshold for an official response from the government.

KBS News

By Han Seungyeon

Today President Mun reached the half-way point of his term – amidst significant disagreement over how his tenure should be assessed. The ruling party points out that “in the past, unimaginable changes were made [by other ruling parties]”, while critics opposition critics said that Mun’s administration had “totally closed down” the courts and prosecution service and had increased conflict [within Korean society].

In addition, the [ruling] Democratic Party lauded the first half Mun’s reign as a time for efforts for a nation-like country and a just Korea, alongside efforts to improve peace and the economic outlook on the Korean peninsula. [They also claimed that Mun had] made every effort to build a fairer society.

The [opposition] Liberal Party strongly criticised Mun at this halfway point on three points: incompetence, irresponsibility and inaction. In particular, they felt that what they perceive as a collapse of the values ​​of justice and fairness was the most serious problem. Representative Hwang Gyoan of the Liberal Party said: “Now it’s a halfway point. What type of halfway return point? It’s a halfway point when Mun should resign.”

Hwang has proposed a two-and-a-half year total closure and called for a full turnaround in state policy in the second half of his term. Hwang is calling for a full investigation into the last two-and-a-half years of Mun’s tenure and a complete turnaround in state policy in the second half of Mun’s presidency.

The [minority opposition] Right Future Party stressed [their desire for] the unity of the people in the second half of Mun’s term, saying that the regime had to heal the conflict it had created. The [minority opposition] Justice Party cited some half-successful policies [from Mun] such as clearing up redundancy and promoting reforms, and the [minority opposition] Democratic Peace Party called for thorough reform, saying they could not give Mun a positive appraisal.

KBS News

By Ee Seyeon

Today (the 2^nd of November) separate demonstrations were held in Seoul – one in Yeouido demanding prosecutorial reform and one at Kwanghamun demanding that President Mun step down.

The national citizens organisation “Solidarity for Judicial Closure” [a left-wing, government-supporting organisation] held the 12th Prosecutors’ Reform Yeouido Candlelight Cultural Festival from 5pm today. They insisted on the passing of National Assembly fast track bills requiring the establishment of tribunals and special inspections for martial law documents. Participants who chanted “Special rebellion conspiracy” and “Establish a prosecutor’s reform ministry” are planning to march to the [opposition] Liberty Korea Party’s offices after the meeting. In front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seochodong, Seoul, they held a press conference at 6:00 pm to condemn the prosecution’s investigation of the former Attorney General’s family and urge the release of his family.

[In contrast] starting at 2:00 pm, Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, held a meeting condemning Mun Jaein’s decision to recuse parliament, along with his decision to establish a national airspace centre. This rally was led by Reverend Jeon Kwanghun of the Korean Christian Federation. Reverend Jeon said “President Moon is a spy trying to make South Korea communist.” After the meeting, the participants marched toward the Blue House with Taegeukgi and Stars and Stripes.

Analysis: Mass civic engagement is a crucial part of Korean culture, but the notable thing about these current opposing movements is the strength of the language and terminology used. Right-wing opponents of Mun now believe the President’s position is notably weak and are hoping to press an advantage.