-
≡ Prime Minister Lee Meets With Families Of Chopper Crash Victims
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon has met with the families of victims still missing from a helicopter crash near the Dokdo islets last week.
Lee met with the families at a fire station in Daegu where he promised to make utmost efforts in the search operation, including mobilizing more divers with expertise to find the four people that remain unaccounted for.
The meeting is known to have been requested by the bereaved families after the search operation was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Three bodies have so far been retrieved from the waters near Dokdo.
The ambulance helicopter transporting a patient crashed into the sea shortly after its takeoff on October 31st.■
[2019.11.09]
-
≡ President Moon Jae-In To Meet Political Party Leaders Sunday
President Moon Jae-in will meet with the leaders of five major political parties tomorrow amid a political stalemate over key reform bills and other pending issues.
Moon has invited the political leaders to Cheong Wa Dae for dinner, where he is expected to express his gratitude for their condolences over the death of his mother late last month.
In the meeting to be held behind closed door, they are expected to touch upon recent contentious issues including a set of fast tracked bills as well as the looming expiry of Seoul's military information-sharing pact with Japan.
The ruling Democratic Party is forecast to call for cooperation by opposition parties for the passage of a budget bill, while the Liberty Korea Party will likely voice its criticism against the government's proposal to set up an independent unit to probe corruption allegations by high-ranking public officials.■[2019.11.09]
-
≡ Former YG CEO Faces Questioning Over Drug Cover Up Allegations
Former YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk is undergoing police questioning, this time on allegations that he attempted to cover up drug suspicions surrounding one of the company's singers.
Upon arrival at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon as a suspect this morning, Yang told reporters that he will faithfully undergo the interrogation.
According to police, Yang threatened a suspect of a drug use back in 2016 to change her testimony that singer B.I had illegally purchased drugs.
Yang is also suspected of having used the company money to pay for the whistleblower's lawyer though she was not a YG employee.
Police say they will continue their probe by comparing the testimonies from Yang with those from the informant.■
[2019.11.09]
-
≡ Trump Rules Out Complete Rollback Of China Tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has not agreed to anything in terms of scrapping tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump made the remark to reporters at the White House Friday, saying that China was pushing for the removal of some tariffs as part of an agreement.
He added that China wants to make a deal a lot more than he does.
His remark is in contrast to what Beijing's Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday that negotiators from the two countries agreed to a “phased cancellation” of tariff hikes imposed on each other's products if talks made progress.■[2019.11.09]
-
≡ Southwest, American Airlines Push Back Boeing 737 MAX Return Until March
Two major airlines operating in the U.S. pushed back their timeframe once again for resuming flights on the Boeing 737 MAX to early next year.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines extended the plane's grounding through March, amid uncertainty over when regulators will approve the plane for service.
The grounding has dragged on much beyond initial expectations as Boeing upgraded systems and faced questions from regulators over the plane, failing to receive clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Boeing 737 MAX has been grounded globally by the FAA since mid-March following crashes of Indonesian Lion Air and Ethiopian Air which killed 346 people.■[2019.11.09]
