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≡ Retrial Hearings Of Massive Corruption Scandal To Begin Friday
A set of retrial hearings for key figures mired in the massive corruption case that led to the impeachment and removal of former President Park Geun-hye from power, will start in the coming days.
The Seoul High Court will open its first hearing of the retrial of Samsung's de facto leader Lee Jae-yong on Friday after the Supreme Court overturned in August its dismissal of key bribery convictions.
The focal point of the issue will be whether three horses that Samsung provided to the daughter of Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil and 1.6 billion won to an athletic foundation owned by Choi constitute a bribe or not.
If so, it will lead to a worse sentence for Lee that could land him back in jail.
Meanwhile, a separate court hearing will be held for Choi on October 30th.
The date for former president Park's hearing has not yet been set.■[2019.10.20]
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≡ S. Korea, China To Resume 'Strategic' Defense Talks
South Korea and China will hold high-level defense talks this week for the first time in five years.
According to Seoul's defense ministry, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min is scheduled to hold the fifth South Korea-China vice ministerial strategic defense dialogue Monday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Lieutenant General Shao Yuanming.
The two sides are expected to discuss security conditions of the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual concern.
During the talks, Seoul will likely bring up the issue of repeated intrusions by Chinese warplanes into South Korea's air defense zone.
The annual dialogue, which began following a bilateral agreement in 2011, has been suspended since 2015 following the deployment of the THAAD system on Korean soil.■[2019.10.20]
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≡ Trump Keeps N. Korea On Aid Blacklist Over Human Trafficking
U.S President Donald Trump has decided to keep North Korea on a blacklist due to its notorious human trafficking record.
According to the White House, Trump reapplied a Presidential Determination that prevents the U.S. from providing "non-humanitarian, nontrade-related assistance" to the North.
Funding for participation in educational and cultural exchange programs by North Korean officials and employees is also banned.
Several other nations, including Cuba, Russia and Syria, are subject to the same step to be effective through the 2020 fiscal year.
The measure came amid continued deadlock in nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.■[2019.10.20]
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≡ Police Request Arrest Warrants For 9 Students Over Break-In
Police have requested arrest warrants for nine South Korean university students who were taken into custody after breaking into the U.S. ambassador's residence in Seoul.
On Friday, 17 student members of a progressive civic group entered the compound of Ambassador Harry Harris' home by climbing over the wall using a ladder.
They staged a protest criticizing the U.S.' reported demand to hike Seoul's burden for the upkeep of U.S. troops stationed in Korea.
Police said they released other students, though they will remain under investigation.■[2019.10.20]
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≡ Korea's Employment Rate 10th Highest Among OECD Countries At 60.8%
South Korea's employment rate of people aged 15 years or older reached 60.8 percent in the second quarter of this year.
According to Statistics Korea and the latest data held by the OECD, South Korea ranked 10th out of the member countries in terms of the employment rate over the period.
The countries ranked above Korea included New Zealand, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Israel and England.
The United States ranked 11th with 60.6 percent, followed by Japan with 60.4 percent.■[2019.10.20]