South Korea Today
Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Seoul-si on Saturday, accusing President Park Geun-hye of sacrificing workers and farmers for large businesses and rewriting history textbooks to glorify her father's authoritarian rule.
An estimated crowd of 30,000 people, many of them wearing masks in defiance of Park's call for a ban on masking-wearing during protests, marched through the city center behind a banner reading "Resign Park Geun-hye," chanting slogans.
Police had initially banned Saturday's rally but organizers appealed to the Seoul Administrative Court, which overturned the order, paving the way for a second massive protest in the capital in the space of a month.
The first rally on November 14 drew around 60,000 people and saw numerous clashes between protestors and police using water cannon.
On that occasion, Baek Nam-ki, a 69-year-old farmer, fell into a coma after being knocked to the ground by a water cannon during a clash outside the Jongro District Office.
Organizers vowed to mount a peaceful demonstration this time and 300 religious figures including Buddhists, Catholics and Protestants, each carrying a flower, helped prevent protesters from crossing police lines.
While presiding over a Cabinet meeting on November 24, Park described the earlier demonstration as an attempt "to negate the rule of law and incapacitate the government," calling for a crackdown on those who incite "illegal, violent protests."
She also called for a ban on the wearing of masks by protesters, saying it was the sort of practice adopted by the Islamic State group, sparking angry reactions from opponents.
Park's administration is facing mounting resentment over a range of issues including her plan to impose new history textbooks on schools, to further open the agricultural market and reform the labor market, making the dismissal of workers easier and cutting wages for older workers. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
A defense official confirmed on Sunday that Seoul will develop a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), adding that they would be made to counter North Korea's long-range artillery and mobile missile systems, local media reported.
In November, media reports said that South Korea was planning to develop unmanned aircraft by 2017 to patrol the demilitarized zone separating the country from North Korea. The drones were reportedly expected to significantly reduce cases of soldiers wounded by mines.
"The stealth UAV will directly strike large objects, such as long-range missiles and mobile missile systems," the official said.
According to him, in order to handle smaller targets, the UAV "will deploy several submunition rounds that can independently identify and attack them."
The development is part of the research projects to be conducted by the South Korean military by the end of 2016, the unnamed official said.
The initial research phase is expected to cost KRW380 million (USD327,000), the Philippine News Agency reported citing Sputnik.
A KVH SatNews service.
The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting on December 10 to discuss human rights violations in North Korea, only the second time that such a session will been held, US diplomats said.
The meeting was scheduled after nine council members including Britain and France called for the talks on Pyongyang's dismal rights record.
"We intend to convene the Security Council meeting on the situation in the DPRK on Thursday, December 10," said Hagar Chemali, spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations.
Last year, the council held the first-ever meeting on North Korea's rights violations despite opposition from China, Pyongyang's ally.
China called a procedural vote to block the meeting, but the majority of council members supported the move and the meeting went ahead.
"We believe it is critical for the council to continue to shine a light on the abuses in North Korea and speak regularly about the DPRK's human rights situation - and what we can do to change it - for as long as the crimes committed there persist," US Ambassador Samantha Power said this week.
This year's request for a meeting was made by Britain, Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and the United States, which holds the council presidency this month.
It remained unclear whether China would seek again to hold a vote to register its disagreement with the decision to discuss Pyongyang's rights record.
A UN General Assembly committee in recent weeks voted by a record majority to condemn gross widespread human rights violations in North Korea. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with his Costa Rican counterpart, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, in France and exchanged views on key issues between the two countries as well as other matters of common concern.
Yun was in France accompanying President Park Geun-hye, who attended the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris, the Foreign Ministry said in a news release.
The two ministers noted that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1962, South Korea and Costa Rica have been seeing their substantive cooperation deepen and advance not only in political affairs, economy and culture but alsothrough the recently vitalized high-level exchanges.
Yun voiced expectation that the ongoing negotiations for the proposed ROK-Central America FTA will be concluded as soon as possible and in a smooth manner, and will lead to a further vitalization of bilateral trade and investment. He also spoke about the recently-expanded investment of Korean companies in Costa Rica.
In response, Gonzalez mentioned that Korean companies' investment is playing a role in the improvement of the competitiveness and technology of Costa Rica's textile industry, the statement added.
A KVH SatNews service.
The 14th South Korea-United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, will be held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul-si from December 7 to 8.
The conference will bring together about 130 people, including domestic and foreign disarmament and non-proliferation experts from governments, international organizations, academia, and research institutes, as well as the diplomatic corps in South Korea, the ministry said in a press statement.
Participants are expected to exchange views on the implications of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program, which was reached this year, and ways to effectively implement the JCPOA.
They will also discuss ways for the international community to deal with North Korea's continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
A KVH SatNews service.
SEOUL - Some members of the Korean art community have opposed the appointment of Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art's former director Bartomeu Mari as the new chief of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA).
Some 600 local artists and curators said that Mari should not get the position after he canceled "The Beast and the Sovereign" exhibition due to a sculpture showing sodomy, which features Bolivian labor leader Domitila Chungara, Spanish King Juan Carlos and a dog.
The exhibit still pushed through and Mari resigned from his previous post.
However, the Culture Ministry said in a statement that Mari will be able to manage the MMCA well.
"We expect Mari to help the MMCA to gain a concrete foundation to upgrade into a global art museum," it said as quoted by The Korea Herald.
Mari will be the first foreign director who will head the public museum.
He will replace acting director Kim Jeong-bae and will start his duties on December 14, reports added.
A KVH SatNews service.
News from around Seoul over the past seven days. (In tomorrow's issue: Central/Eastern Korea)
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will soon test run its "Market Analysis System of Our Neighborhood" as part of efforts to help small businesses earn more profit.
The system was developed in 2000 and stores over 200 billion big data records.
Shinhan Card, BC Card and the Korea Appraisal Board provided the system's data on sales and consumption while public institutions provided licensing information from businesses, local media reported.
The decision to test run the system came after the metropolitan government analyzed 43 categories of small businesses and found out that such ventures in the capital only have a ten-year survival rate of 19.9%.
City officials said that the system will provide analysis data of 1,800 local business areas, so that businessmen will know changes in neighboring commercial districts.
Owners will also be allowed to use the system's "Market Traffic Light," which can evaluate degree of risk like closure rates, rate of change in number of stores and average closure period.
A KVH SatNews service.
The Foreign Ministry and authorities in Seoul-si have said that they will observe closely the Japanese government's probe of an explosion at the Yasukuni war shrine after some sources said that the suspect might be a South Korean man.
Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said that so far, Tokyo has not asked the assistance of local police and that the government has not yet been notified about the investigation's initial findings.
The ministry also assured that it will study the matter based on South Korean law.
The National Police Agency also said that its Japanese counterpart is not aware of any reports that a South Korean man might have been behind the incident, KBS World Radio reported.
A KVH SatNews service.
The capital will still push through with the establishment of an elevated park, which will be built on an old two-lane overpass, The JoongAng Daily reported.
"There are 390,000 people on average moving in and out of Seoul Station per day," Mayor Park Won-soon said in an interview, adding that "After finalizing the reinvention project of the overpass and Sewun market, they can move to Namdaemun Market in five minutes, Myeong-dong in seven minutes and Mount Namsan in ten minutes. If one can go to the main points of Seoul in less than ten minutes, this car-flooded city will be changed to a pedestrian-friendly city."
Amid controversies and oppositions, Park said that residents will surely enjoy the new park.
Many groups opposed to the project, saying that it might cause massive traffic jams in the capital.
Park, however, said he was able to talk to this groups and convinced them that the overhaul of the overpass will be a great opportunity for many sectors.
A KVH SatNews service.
KABUL - The Afghan Taliban released an audio message on Saturday it said was from leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, vehemently rejecting reports of his death in an internal firefight as "enemy propaganda."
The 16-minute file claimed recent news reports - which said Mansour was shot in a clash with his own commanders - sought to sow divisions in the Taliban, which has seen a new resurgence under the firebrand supremo.
"There is no truth to the rumors that I was injured or killed in Kuchlak (near Quetta in Pakistan)," the man claiming to be Mansour said in the file, emailed to media by a Taliban spokesman.
"That incident never happened. This is enemy propaganda. I haven't seen Kuchlak in years," he said in a relaxed drawl.
The voice in the message could not be independently verified by AFP but some militant commanders said it appeared to be his. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
SYDNEY, Australia - A ship carrying 25 tonnes of radioactive waste arrived back in Australia on Saturday, met by activists who warned against the vast nation becoming a nuclear dumping ground.
About a dozen Greenpeace protesters, some carrying signs such as "Don't waste Australia," stood near the entrance to Port Kembla south of Sydney as the BBC Shanghai arrived in a well-policed operation.
Environmentalists have raised concerns about the safety of the ship, which left the northern French port of Cherbourg in October, with one French lawmaker describing it as a "dustbin ship."
"This is not the kind of ship you would want to see transporting nuclear waste," Greenpeace campaigner Emma Gibson, who was on board a boat following the BBC Shanghai on Saturday, told AFP.
But the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, which has previously stressed that the ship's seaworthiness had been certified by French officials, said there was no credible chance of an incident during the transport. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
ATHENS - Greek lawmakers are expected to vote late on Saturday for the 2016 budget, with its economic forecasts revised upward to show near zero growth in 2015 and a small contraction next year for the debt-ridden country in its sixth year of austerity.
The coalition government, which enjoys a narrow majority in the 300-seat Parliament, is trying to meet conditions for an unpopular third international bailout enacted in July in return for safeguarding Greece's place in the eurozone.
The 2016 budget, the first tabled by the leftist Syriza-led government, expects zero economic growth in 2015, compared with a forecast for a 2.3% contraction in the draft budget presented in October. For 2016 the budget projects a 0.7% contraction, smaller than the initial 1.3% forecast.
"In the period between the tabling of the draft budget and the presentation of the final draft of the 2016 state budget, there was a significant positive development: the upwards revision of economic growth in 2015 and 2016, the Greek Finance Ministry said in a statement on November 20. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
LOS ANGELES, California - A family who suffered serious injuries in a fatal traffic collision involving Caitlyn Jenner earlier this year sued the Olympic gold medalist on Friday.
The Wolf-Milesi family of Malibu sued Jenner in Los Angeles Superior Court for negligence in the February crash, which killed one woman after Jenner rear-ended her car and pushed it into oncoming traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway.
A sport utility vehicle driven by Peter Wolf-Milesi family struck a car driven by Kim Howe, killing her. The lawsuit states the four members of the Wolf-Milesi family and another occupant of their vehicle sustained serious injuries in the crash.
Peter Wolf-Milesi suffered serious wrist injuries and his one-month old son was unresponsive after the accident, according to the lawsuit. Wolf-Milesi's wife also sustained blunt-force injuries and requires ongoing treatment, the suit states.
"The emotional effects of being involved in a collision that has taken the life of another has caused tremendous distress and suffering for the Wolf-Milesi family," the suit states.
Jenner's publicist Alan Nierob declined comment on Friday. (AP)
A KVH SatNews service.
IRVINE, California - Propelled by the sale of its six millionth vehicle in the US since arriving in 1994, Kia Motors America's (KMA) year-long momentum continued with best-ever November sales of 45,553 vehicles, a 1.4% increase over the same period last year.
The brand's seventh straight monthly sales record was led by the Optima and Soul, with 13,048 and 10,045 units sold, respectively.
KMA is a subsidiary of Seoul-based Kia Motors, a press statement said.
"Kia has outpaced the industry all year, and with our 'Holidays On Us' sales event in place throughout November customers visited our showrooms in record numbers to discover the new Kia," said Michael Sprague, KMA's chief operating officer and EVP.
"Kia continues to grow and mature at a rapid rate, and surpassing the six million vehicles mark as we push toward a strong finish to the year is the latest example of how far this brand has come in a very short period of time."
A KVH SatNews service.
(Friday close)
KOSPI 1,974.40 (-19.67)
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USD 1 = KRW1,156.70
Source: Bank of Korea
A KVH SatNews service.
SINGAPORE - A Singaporean accused of leading the world's largest football match-fixing syndicate was ordered to be detained without trial Saturday under a special law following his rearrest earlier this week, the Interior Ministry said.
Dan Tan, 51, will be held under a special law designed to keep suspected criminals under detention without having to charge them in court, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
"The MHA confirmed that the Minister for Home Affairs has issued a detention order in respect of Dan Tan Seet Eng on 5 December 2015 for his involvement in global soccer match-fixing," the statement said.
Tan had been held for more than two years under the same law following his arrest in September 2013 but the Court of Appeal, the country's highest court, ordered his release in late November, saying his detention had been "unlawful."
The three-judge court had said that while match-fixing was "reprehensible and should not be condoned", the alleged acts "all took place beyond our shores" and had no bearing on public safety in the city-state.
His release came under heavy criticism from football's world governing body FIFA and analysts who said the move was a blow to efforts to eradicate corruption in the sport. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
Stoke City 2 |- Manchester City 0: Two goals from Marko Arnautovic condemned Manchester City to a defeat on Saturday as their Premier League title hopes suffered a serious blow at Stoke City.
The Austrian forward netted twice in the first half and missed several chances for a hat-trick as a dominant Stoke side claimed a well deserved win at a windswept Britannia Stadium.
Xherdan Shaqiri, their GBP12 million (USD18.1 million) record signing, was at the heart of the success with assists for both goals and a wonderful all-round display.
Despite leading the table at the start of the day, Manchester City now have just one win from their last four league games and are experiencing their toughest spell of the season.
Manuel Pellegrini's side improved slightly after half-time, but rarely threatened a fightback after a dreadful defensive display in the first period.
Stoke made a dream start as Arnautovic gave them a seventh-minute lead following fine work from Shaqiri on the right. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
GOLD COAST, Australia - American Harold Varner III and South African duo Dylan Frittelli and Zander Lombard jostled in a three-way tie for the third round lead in the European Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA Championship on Saturday.
Varner produced the day's best round, a bogey-free 6-under-par 66, to rocket into tournament contention at Royal Pines.
But to have any chance of securing his first tournament win as a professional, the 25-year-old from Akron, Ohio, will need to see off around five others still in with a winning chance.
At the top of that list are Frittelli and Lombard, two rising stars of South African golf, who both shot third rounds of 1-under 71.
"We're very good friends but we haven't had an opportunity to play together a lot," said Lombard, whose third-round highlight was a chip in for a birdie on the tough par-three 16th.
Lombard, 20, led the field after the opening round on five-under and said he was surprised his current score was good enough to put him in front. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
HANOI - Lin Wen-tang took a two-shot lead from a chasing pack headed by Sergio Garcia after the third round at Vietnam's Ho Tram Open, recovering from a horrible start to finish 13-under for the tournament.
The Taiwanese 41-year-old dropped a shot on the second then stumbled to a double bogey on the fourth hole, but he steadied his game to grab six birdies and finish the round in 68.
It puts him two shots ahead of Spain's Garcia, the top ranked player in the USD1.5 million event, and Shaun Norris of South Africa, who will pair up with Lin on the final day.
World number 12 Garcia started out early to finish his weather delayed second round in 68.
He endured a wobbly start to the third round with a double bogey on the par five sixth, but got himself back into contention with some clean putting, notching up five birdies.
Only a bogey on the 18th kept the gap to Lin at two shots as he finished on 68 for the round and 11-under overall. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
LOS ANGELES, California - The Arizona Diamondbacks have landed one of the most coveted free agents on the market by agreeing to a contract with star pitcher Zack Greinke, US media reported on Friday.
The blockbuster deal is reported to be for six years and worth USD206.5 million, according to ESPN.com and others.
If the deal becomes official it would be a considerable raise for Greinke, who had opted out of a six-year, US147-million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after his third season in the City of Angels.
Greinke's contract would average USD34.4 million per year, surpassing the seven-year, USD217-million deal (USD31 million average per year) that David Price signed this week with the Boston Red Sox.
The 32-year-old Greinke led Major League Baseball with a 1.66 ERA this past season as he posted a 19-3 record, and, along with left-hander Clayton Kershaw, helped the Dodgers to their third-straight National League West championship. (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
PARIS - Dutch teenager Max Verstappen topped an incredible Formula One rookie season by taking all three International Motoring Federation (FIA) awards at a special ceremony in Paris, Agence France-Presse reported.
The 18-year-old stole the limelight from three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and world rally champion Sébastien Ogier during the ceremony at the famous Lido theater on the Champs-Elysées on Friday night.
Verstappen took the 'Personality of the Year', 'Rookie of the Year' and 'Action of the Year' awards, the first time anyone has claimed more than one in the same season.
"I am amazed and very happy to have won three awards this evening at such an important event, and at the end of only my first year in Formula 1," said Verstappen.
He won the online vote for 'Action of the Year' for his daring move around the outside of Sauber's Felipe Nasr at the Blanchimont corner during the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix.
It was the second consecutive Action of the Year win for Verstappen, who won the 2014 award while in Formula 3.
"It's nice to win the Action of the Year for the second time, because I really enjoy overtaking on track," he said.
"It's a great honour to win the Rookie of the Year award, as it's voted for by the Drivers' Commission and I have to say, getting two fourth place finishes in my first F1 season is more than I expected.
"Personality of the Year? I'm not sure why I won that, but it's nice to know the media like me!" (AFP)
A KVH SatNews service.
Stoke 2-0 Man City
Southampton 1-1 Aston Villa
Swansea 0-3 Leicester
Watford 2-0 Norwich
Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland
West Brom 1-1 Tottenham
Man United 0-0 West Ham
Chelsea 0-1 BournemouthBUNDESLIGA
Gladbach 3-1 Munich
Hamburg 1-3 Mainz
Cologne 0-1 Augsburg
Berlin 2-1 Leverkusen
Ingolstadt 1-1 Hoffenheim
Wolfsburg 1-2 DortmundLA LIGA
Real Madrid 4-1 Getafe
Granada 0-2 Atlético Madrid
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
Coruña 1-1 Sevilla
Real Betis 1-1 Celta de VigoSERIE A
Torino 1-1 Roma
Internazionale 1-0 GenoaBASKETBALL
Wonju 78-55 Goyang
Ulsan 74-63 Busan
Changwon 79-78 SK KnightsWKBL
Winnus 57-64 BlueminxVOLLEYBALL
Suwon 2-3 CheonanWomen
Suwon 3-0 Hwaseong
A KVH SatNews service.
Min Max Condition
Seoul -3c - 5c Cloudy
Gangneung 2c - 8c Cloudy
Daejeon -3c - 7c Cloudy
Busan 2c - 10c Sunny
Gwangju -2c - 8c Cloudy
Jeju 6c - 10c Cloudy
A KVH SatNews service.
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