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☆ Seoul bus drivers strike over pay, snarling commute in South Korean capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A commuter bus drives along a road in the Jongno district of Seoul on Dec. 4, 2023. Bus drivers in the South Korean capital of Seoul went on strike on Thursday after last ditch efforts at negotiating a wage hike broke down, snarling the commute for the city of more than 9 million people and another million from the outskirts. With disruptions expected during rush hours, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said the subway will run for extended hours with additional trains put into service. The full scale strike by the city's bus drivers is the first in 12 years. The negotiations between the Seoul Bus Labor Union, which represents drivers serving 97% of bus operations, and their employers failed after the union demand for a 12.7% hike in hourly wages was dismissed as "excessive," Yonhap reported.

Persons: Yonhap Organizations: Bus, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Bus Labor Union Locations: Jongno, Seoul

☆ South Korea Halloween crush: 3 former police officers sentenced for destroying evidence
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Three former police officers were sentenced in a Seoul court on Wednesday for destroying evidence related to the deadly Halloween crowd crush in the city’s Itaewon neighborhood in 2022. They are the first officers to be convicted of crimes related to the crowd crush, in which nearly 160 people were killed. The court document said Park ordered his officers to delete police reports warning of crowd-related incidents and raising public safety concerns ahead of the Halloween celebrations in 2022 shortly after the Itaewon crowd crush occurred. One of the deleted police reports stated a need for measures to prevent male police officers from hitting on women during Halloween. Most of those killed in the October 29 crush were young adults and teenagers, who were among tens of thousands of partygoers who poured into Seoul’s Itaewon district to celebrate Halloween.

Persons: Sung, Kim Jin, Young, seok, Kim Kwang Organizations: South Korea CNN —, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul’s, Seoul police Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Seoul’s

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Seoul’s police chief has been indicted for negligence over the 2022 crowd crush that killed more than 150 people during Halloween festivities in the popular Itaewon neighborhood that left the nation reeling. South Korean police on Monday confirmed that Kim Kwang-ho, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), had been indicted in connection with the tragedy – the most senior police officer charged over the incident. Four police dispatches were sent out to Itaewon, which had hosted Halloween celebrations in Seoul for years. Rescue officials and police gather in the district of Itaewon in Seoul on October 30, 2022. “For me, Halloween and the Itaewon tragedy are (inextricably) linked,” she said.

Persons: South Korea CNN —, Kim Kwang, Kim, ”, Anthony Wallace, Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee, “ Organizations: South Korea CNN, South Korean, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, ” Reuters, South Koreans, Rescue, Getty, South, Seoul police, CNN Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Itaewon, AFP, South

☆ Seoul Police Chief Indicted Over Halloween Crush
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors have indicted the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, charging him with contributing through negligence to the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul in 2022 that killed nearly 160 people, according to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office. The indictment of Seoul police chief Kim Kwang-ho came more than a year after the crowd crush in October 2022, which killed 159 people on a Halloween weekend in the entertainment district of Itaewon in capital Seoul. Kim is the highest-ranking police official charged in connection with the crowd crush. In January last year, a special investigation team referred Kim and 22 other police, rescue and district office officials to the prosecution on charges related to the government's inadequate response to the stampede. (Reporting by Heekyong Yang; editing by Giles Elgood)

Persons: , Kim Kwang, Kim, Heekyong Yang, Giles Elgood Organizations: Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Seoul Western, Prosecutors Office Locations: SEOUL, Seoul, Itaewon

☆ South Korea Metro Workers Launch Strike; Disruption Limited
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hyonhee ShinSEOUL (Reuters) - More than 10,000 unionised South Korean metro workers launched a two-day strike on Thursday in protest against the subway operator's push for job cuts to stem snowballing debt, causing disruptions for some commuters in the greater Seoul area. The strike came hours after negotiations between Seoul Metro and its two major unions fell apart due to differences over the operator's plan to scale back its workforce by some 13%, or more than 2,200, by 2026. Seoul's metro operators have grappled for years with debt, partly from free rides for senior citizens, as Asia's fourth-largest economy faces a rapidly aging population and surging welfare costs. But city authorities warned of some delays in the evening, and pledged to mobilise emergency trains, buses and substitute workers. Lee called for efforts to curb the metro operator's debt, which topped 1.7 trillion won ($1.3 billion) last year.

Persons: Shin, Lee Jung, sik, Lee, 1,307.2600, Hyonhee Shin, Stephen Coates Organizations: Korean, Seoul Metro, Employment, Labour, Facebook Locations: Shin SEOUL, Seoul, Seoul's

☆ South Korea: Itaewon crush haunts survivors one year after Halloween crowd disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Hye Minyi can still vividly recall what happened in Itaewon, South Korea, on the night of October 29, 2022. Whether the disaster in Itaewon last year will put a dent in this growing popularity is yet to be seen. “We are extremely concerned that there could be a repeat of the Itaewon tragedy,” said Shibuya mayor Ken Hasebe. The Itaewon crowd crush was South Korea’s worst peacetime disaster since the sinking of a ferry in 2014 killed 304 people – among them 250 students and teachers from the Danwon State High School. Lee is certain of one thing, however – that she is “never going back to the area again.”“For me, Halloween and the Itaewon tragedy are (inextricably) linked,” she said.

Persons: CNN — Hye, Amy, Hye, ” Hye, ”, “, Anthony Wallace, expats, Ken Hasebe, Hasebe, ” Hasebe, overtourism, Yuya Shino, Critics, Jung Yeon, Yoon Suk, Kim Kun, Chung Sung, Lee, Kim Ho, Lee Sang Organizations: CNN, Getty, “, Reuters, Danwon State High School, South Korean, Seoul Metropolitan Government, South, City, Facebook, Interior, Safety Locations: Itaewon, South Korea, Seoul, AFP, Asia, Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, Shibuya, “, Tokyo's Shibuya, Guangzhou, China, South, Danwon, Yongsan

Government data shows 100 public school teachers in South Korea – mostly elementary school teachers – killed themselves from January 2018 to June 2023. Under the law, anybody who suspects a case of child abuse can report it to the authorities without needing to provide evidence. South Korean teachers holding signs that call for "truth," to commemorate the death of a teacher, in Seoul on September 4. Call for changeBut protesters and teachers say they won’t be satisfied until the child abuse law is amended. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among OECD nations, with that rate increasing among teenagers and young adults in their 20s, according to the country’s health ministry.

Persons: Chung Sung, Cho Hee, Cho, Jung Yeon, ”, –, Yoonjung Seo, Lee Joo, “, ” Lee, Yoon Suk Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Federation of Teachers ’, country’s Education Ministry, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Seoul Seoi Elementary School, Getty, Authorities, Teachers, South, Korean Teachers and Education Workers ’ Union, CNN, CNN Education, Reuters, OECD, Ministry of Education, Korean Federation of Teachers ’ Associations Locations: Seoul, South Korea, “, South

Seoul, South Korea CNN —As South Korea struggles to get young people interested in marriage and kids, authorities are trying a new tack: importing foreign workers to carry some of the household burden. The plan will expand the number of industries and companies eligible to employ foreign workers, as South Korea faces an aging population, shrinking workforce and labor shortages in various sectors. South Korea has long struggled with chronic labor shortages in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, Reuters reported. Some politicians have previously urged the government to import foreign workers to help alleviate the burdens on young couples and parents. Singapore’s migrant worker system is just as controversial for employing cheap foreign labor to sustain one of the world’s richest countries.

Persons: ”, They’ll, Seoul’s, –, Housekeepers, Indonesia – Organizations: South Korea CNN, Authorities, Reuters, Ministry, Employment, Labor, Hong Locations: Seoul, South Korea, South, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, birthrate, Korean, “, Philippines, Indonesia

☆ Translating Traditional Korean Movement to ‘a Language for Our Time’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Brian Seibert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Jung, a director-designer who has also worked in film and fashion, collaborated on “One Dance” with three choreographers. Hyejing Jeong, Seoul Metropolitan’s artistic director, is an expert in traditional Korean forms, while Sung Hoon Kim and Jaeduk Kim (who also composed the show’s music) come from contemporary dance. The show begins with a traditional version of il mu, juxtaposes that against a section of contemporary dance, and then finishes with a kind of synthesis, an updated il mu. Even the traditional version has been theatricalized, though. In “One Dance,” it is performed by 24 women whose individual mats, laid out like cards for Concentration, can rise on wires.

Persons: Jung, Hyejing Jeong, Sung Hoon Kim, Jaeduk Kim, There’s, Nightingale Locations: Seoul

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For years, South Korea’s biggest annual LGBTQ pride celebration has been held in the same grassy square in central Seoul, which fills up with performers and joyful participants decked out in rainbow costumes. Organizers for both the festival and the Christian concert applied to use the Seoul Plaza venue from June 30 to July 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said in a statement Thursday. The foundation is linked with the Christian broadcaster CTS, which has vocally opposed homosexuality and the pride festival, according to Reuters. The tension between South Korea’s LGBTQ community and their conservative, often Christian critics is clearly displayed at each pride festival, where both groups show up. At last year’s SQCF festival, opponents and religious groups gathered outside the venue, displaying protest messages on banners and shouting anti-LGBTQ slogans through loudspeakers.

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —South Korea says it will build an enormous facility to make computer chips in greater Seoul, with about $230 billion in investment from private companies. “We will build the world’s largest new ‘high-tech system semiconductor cluster’ in the Seoul Metropolitan area based on large-scale private investment of almost 300 trillion Korean won,” President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday. “In addition, we will grow the ‘semiconductor mega cluster’ to the world’s largest in connection with the existing memory semiconductor manufacturing complexes.”The Seoul Metropolitan area includes the capital Seoul, neighboring city of Incheon and surrounding Gyeonggi province. This is a developing story. More to come.

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —South Korea says it will build an enormous facility to make computer chips in the greater Seoul area, with about $230 billion in investment from memory chip giant Samsung Electronics. “We will build the world’s largest new ‘high-tech system semiconductor cluster’ in the Seoul Metropolitan area based on large-scale private investment of almost 300 trillion Korean won,” he said. An aerial view of Samsung Electronics' chip production plant at Pyeongtaek, South Korea on September 7, 2022. The vast majority of the world’s advanced microchips are made in just two places, Taiwan and South Korea. Taiwan’s industry is larger and more dominant, something South Korea is keen to challenge.

[1/5] Eldery people who use the free subway service to deliver parcels gather in Seoul, South Korea, February 8, 2023. "But honestly, I wouldn't be doing it if subway rides weren't free because there wouldn't be much left over for me." Free rides have been a perk enjoyed nationally by those 65 and older for four decades and are credited with keeping senior citizens active. In the greater Seoul area, where almost 3.7 million people are 65 or older, more than 233 million free rides were taken last year. Sixty percent of Koreans support raising the minimum age for senior citizen benefits including free subway rides to 70, according to a Gallup poll released last week.

☆ South Korean police seek manslaughter charges over deadly Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Police in South Korea are seeking charges of involuntary manslaughter and negligence against 23 officials, including law enforcement officers, for a lack of safety measures they said were responsible for a crowd surge last year that killed nearly 160 people. Despite anticipating a Halloween weekend crowd of more than 100,000, Seoul police had assigned 137 officers to the capital’s nightlife district Itaewon on the day of the crush. Those officers were focused on monitoring narcotics use and violent crimes, which experts say left few resources for pedestrian safety. Son Je-han, who headed the National Police Agency’s special investigation into the incident, said Friday his team will now send the case to prosecutors. However, Son said the special investigation team will close its investigations of the Interior and Safety Ministry, the National Police Agency, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, saying it was difficult to establish their direct responsibility.

☆ South Korean police blame fatal Halloween crush on lack of preparation, poor response
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of tributes at a memorial at the scene of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 29, 2022. REUTERS/Heo RanSEOUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) - South Korea's police on Friday said a lack of preparations and an inadequate response were the main causes of the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul last year, wrapping up a monthslong investigation into the tragedy that killed 159 people. "Misjudgement of the situation, delay in sharing information and lack of cooperation among related agencies accumulated to cause large casualties," Sohn told reporters. The investigation team has referred 23 people, including the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, to prosecutors. The bereaved families and opposition lawmakers have criticised the police investigation for failing to hold top officials accountable.

Yonhap via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - South Korea ordered striking truckers in the steel and petrochemical industries to return to work on Thursday, widening a back-to-work decree beyond the cement industry amid a prolonged nationwide strike that has disrupted supply chains. During opening remarks at a televised meeting of the country's cabinet, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told the members to issue the "start work" order. Tens of thousands striking truckers are demanding a minimum wage programme be permanent and broader. Last week, the government issued a "start work" order to force 2,500 striking drivers in the cement industry back on the road. The "start work" order last month was the first time the government had forced striking workers back on the job.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Two former police officers were arrested in South Korea on Monday, accused of destroying evidence relating to the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Seoul, according to authorities in the country. They allegedly ordered their subordinates to destroy an internal report about the risks stemming from a large crowd gathering in Itaewon during Halloween festivities. The two officers were already dismissed from their posts in November over their handling of the Itaewon incident. Both are under suspicion of professional negligence in relation to the crowd crush resulting in deaths and injuries. Video Ad Feedback CNN reporter returns to Itaewon's narrow alley one day after the Halloween disaster.

[1/3] Unionized truckers shout slogans during their rally as they kick off their strike in front of transport hub Uiwang, south of Seoul, South Korea November 24, 2022. Union officials told Reuters the gap between the two sides is too wide to reach a compromise. About 25,000 union drivers are striking over minimum wage rules. As of Tuesday, 21 petrol stations had run dry, the industry ministry said. Some 7,000 people rallied for the strike on Tuesday according to the transport ministry, saying the government's hard-line stance showed no real intention for dialogue.

SEOUL, South Korea — The first warning came around four hours before the crush turned deadly in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood as revelers celebrated Halloween. Emergency workers aid victims of the crush in the Itaewon district of Seoul on Sunday. Two women console each other near a memorial outside a subway station in Seoul, two days after the deadly Halloween surge. Yoon said police have launched an internal probe into the officers’ handling of the emergency calls and other issues, including the on-the-spot response to the crowd surge in Itaewon that night. Noting that screams were heard over the phone, the transcript of the call says: “We are going to be crushed to death here.

☆ South Korea's deadly Halloween crush was avoidable, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

District authorities for Yongsan, where Itaewon is located, discussed measures to prevent illegal drug use and the spread of COVID-19 during the Halloween weekend, according to a district press release. But there were only 137 police officers in Itaewon at the time, the city of Seoul said. Moon Hyeon-cheol, a professor at the Graduate School of Disaster Safety Management at Soongsil University, said this type of crush had the potential to happen in any populous city. "We need to take this tragedy and learn to prepare for the risk of disaster," he said. Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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