Today on the Korea Times Podcast: Human Rights Watch issued a warning to the South Korean government over treatment of journalists following the Blue House filed lawsuits against several members of the press.
Host Steve Miller also provides the latest update on Heather Cho’s “nut rage” and how it might have her end up in court. Plus stories of murder and dismemberment in Suwon and how Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent victory could spell trouble for Korean businesses.
Human Rights Watch warns gov't on 'memogate'
The South Korean government should stop using criminal defamation laws to "silence the media," Human Rights Watch said Monday, referring to actions taken against six Segye Ilbo reporters and Japanese journalist Tatsuya Kato.
"The South Korean government should stop bringing criminal defamation charges against journalists for simply doing their jobs, and pledge to reform laws to end criminalization of defamation," said the organization's Asia deputy director Phil Robertson.
Cheong Wa Dae officials have filed lawsuits against reporters and staff members at the Segye Ilbo, after the newspaper broke a story about a presidential document that was leaked to the media.
Heather Cho likely to face trial
Former Korean Air Vice President Heather Cho is likely to face trial for violating the country's Aviation Safety Law, prosecutors said Monday.
She will be summoned for questioning Wednesday over allegations that she used abusive language and violence toward flight attendants and ordered a plane to return to the gate last week, angered by how macadamia nuts were served to her.
Aviation law bans any behavior that disturbs aircraft operations by either force or authority. Also, passengers are not allowed to yell or use violent language for safety reasons. Any violator could face up to 10 years in jail.
Korean Chinese at a loss
The arrest of Park Chun-bong, a Korean-Chinese murder suspect, is quickly eroding public sentiment toward Chinese people of Korean ethnicity.
Police arrested Park, Sunday, on suspicion of killing his live-in girlfriend and discarding her body parts after dismembering her. They discovered four plastic bags containing body parts of the girlfriend, identified as 48-year-old Kim, a Korean Chinese woman, near his house.
Park initially told investigators that he killed her accidentally during an argument by smashing her head into the wall. However, forensic scientists said Sunday an initial inspection showed that strangulation was the cause of death.
Abe's election victory deals blow to Korean exporters
South Korean carmakers, shipbuilders and other exporters will likely see their business environment deteriorate next year following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's election victory on Sunday.
Analysts say the latest election results in Japan will continue to weaken the value of yen against the dollar, the won and other currencies, making made-in-Korea products more expensive on global markets.
However, there is not much the Korean government can do about the yen's slide, they said, stressing that local businesses should double their efforts to hone core competence and strengthen non-price competitiveness.
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