Ewha students demand ex-leader statue down By Bahk Eun-ji   A statue of Kim Hwal-lan, a former president of Ewha Womans University, is covered with post-it notes stating demands from students to remove it from the school campus because of her involvement in pro-Japanese activities. / Yonhap A group of students attending Ewha Womans University are calling for the removal of a statue of Kim Hwal-lan (1899-1970), a former president of the university, from the school campus for her pro-Japanese activities. More than 300 students covered the 3-meter statue from head to toe with post-it notes Thursday demanding the removal of the statue. A 24-year-old student, who asked only to be identified by her surname Kim, started the campaign through Ewhaian, an Internet community at the university. “The statue has been controversial for a long time, and some students have brought up the issue. However, as far as I know, no one brought up the issue openly, which should be addressed,” Kim said. Kim said she wanted to carry out the campaign peacefully rather than waging a violent protest with paint or egg throwing at the statue. Kim Hwal-lan, also known by her English name of Helen Kim, was a female pioneer who was the first Korean woman to earn a doctorate. She established the national YWCA Korea in 1922, and assumed the presidency of Ewha Woman’s College in 1939. However, she was involved in pro-Japanese activities during the occupation of the country, and changed her name to a Japanese one in 1941. She is known to have encouraged students to support Japan during World War II through her writings and lectures. The statue was erected in the 1970s. “I’m not proud of her statue at all, considering her pro-Japanese activities. In fact it’s shameful to have the statue on our campus. I participated in the event to remove the statue because the school administration should know what we think of the statue,” said Chang, a 25-year-old student at the school. eunji.bk@koreatimes.co.kr,

Turkey arrests anti-government protesters

At least 60 people detained as Istanbul protest spreads to Ankara and Izmir, with tear gas sprayed and many injured.

Last Modified: 31 May 2013 23:38

 

 

 

Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of people protesting in the fiercest anti-government demonstrations the country has witnessed in years, with riot police firing tear gas on demonstrators in Istanbul and Ankara.

At least 60 people were detained on Friday as they protested in Istanbul at a rally which began over the demolition of a park, but which turned into a broader protest against what they see as an increasingly authoritarian government.

"The protesters are saying that this is not about trees anymore," said Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Istanbul.

Several thousand people had attended the Istanbul protest, and there is "an assortment of tear gas cannisters everywhere" in the city's main Taksim Square, she said.

More than 100 people were injured, some left lying on the ground unconscious, while two people were hospitalised with injuries to the head, an AFP photographer witnessed.

In the most severe case, a Turkish national of Palestinian origin had to undergo brain surgery after fractures to her skull, but she was doing well in intensive care, according to Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu.
He said in televised remarks that an investigation was underway and people had been detained for "provoking violence."

The demonstrators had occupied the Gezi park since May 28 to prevent bulldozers from completing the demolition, part of the government's redevelopment plan for central Taksim Square.
In a victory for the protesters later on Friday, an Istanbul court ordered the temporary suspension of the project to uproot the trees.

But the protest spread to the capital Ankara, where about 5,000 people gathered in a park, and with police there firing tear gas to disperse crowds trying to reach the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party.

The demonstrators, mostly young supporters of the opposition Republican People's Party, had planned to protest against new laws restricting the sale of alcohol and chanted: "Everywhere is resistance, Everywhere is Taksim."

The rallies also spread to two locations in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir.

Several protesters in Istanbul were injured when a wall they climbed collapsed during a police chase, and a prominent journalist was hospitalised after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister, the private Dogan news agency reported.
Rageh said many protesters complained that the police were using water cannon and firing teargas indiscriminately.

"We saw a lot of tourists running to different directions. People are trying to take refuge at coffee shops and the homes around the area. Police have been firing tear gas in different directions," she said.
"Certainly the predominant complaint here is that police are firing teargas indiscriminately.
"But they are also coming under attack from protesters. You can see them with rocks and there are injuries here. People are very angry."

'Authoritarian' government

Many of the protesters are angry at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government, which some Turks argue has been displaying increasingly authoritarian and uncompromising tendencies in its third successive term in office.

Last week, the government enacted a law restricting the sale and advertising of alcohol which has alarmed secular Turks who fear an encroachment on more liberal lifestyles.
Earlier this week, the government went ahead with a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a disputed third bridge across the Bosphorus Strait which some say will destroy the few remaining green areas of the city.

It also named the bridge after a controversial Ottoman sultan believed to have ordered a massacre of a minority Shia Muslim group, instead of choosing a more unifying figure.
Gezi Park protestors held a large poster with a caricature depicting Erdogan as an Ottoman sultan with a caption that read: "The people won't yield to you."

Erdogan dismissed the protesters' demands for the park's protection, saying the government would go ahead with renovation plans "no matter what they do".
The forestry minister said more trees would be planted than those uprooted at Gezi and has defended the government's environmental record.

Friday's dawn raid was the latest in a series of aggressive crackdown on protests. Human rights activists accuse Turkish police of using inordinate force to break up protests.
On Friday, demonstrators affected by the gas sought shelter at a luxury hotel at Taksim and were tended by guests.

Police removed tents and demonstrators' other belongings and mounted barricades around the park.

Ryu Hyun-jin hurls two-hitter in win over Angels

Published : 2013-05-29 14:18
Updated : 2013-05-29 16:41

Ryu Hyun-jin (Yonhap News)

South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw his first complete game shutout in his Major League Baseball (MLB) career on Tuesday.

At Dodger Stadium, Ryu gave up only two hits and struck out seven as the Dodgers (22-28) blanked the Los Angeles Angels (23-29) 3-0. He didn't walk a batter.

Ryu improved to 6-2 in his first big league season and lowered his ERA to 2.89. He has struck out 67 and walked 22 in 71 2/3 innings.

Ryu only allowed a single to Howie Kendrick in the second and a double to Chris Iannetta in the eighth. Between those two hits, the South Korean lefty retired 19 batters in a row.

Ryu threw 113 pitches, the second-highest total for him in 2013, and 79 of them went for strikes.

Ryu's six victories lead all rookies in the MLB this year.

The Dodgers went up 2-0 on a two-run home run by Luis Cruz.

A.J. Ellis drove in the third run for the Dodgers in the sixth, and that was more than enough help for Ryu on this day.

Ryu has made 11 starts this year and pitched six or more innings in 10 of them.

Ryu had struggled with the command of his fastball in previous outings but was in complete control with all of his pitches on Tuesday. He reached 153 kilometers per hour (95 miles per hour) with his fastball and effectively mixed in a changeup that traveled just about 120 km/h. He threw around 150 km/h in the eighth and ninth innings, too.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ryu matched his season high with the average velocity of 147 km/h, and his changeup speed was a season-low 123 km/h. In Ryu's 10 previous starts, the average differential between the two pitches had been just about 16 km/h.

The Angels had eight right-handed batters to start the game against Ryu, but the pitcher pounded the outside corner against them and kept them off balance. The Angels didn't help themselves, swinging early in the count and grounding out weakly when they tried to pull outside pitches.

At the post-game press conference, Ryu said he didn't expect to record his first career shutout this early in the season and added his goal is to keep throwing scoreless innings.

"I always feel much more comfortable at home in LA than on the road," he said. "I was feeling great today, right from the warm-up."

Ryu said he was most pleased about not issuing any walks in the victory.

"After the seventh inning, I thought about going for the complete game shutout," he said. "I hadn't thrown that many pitches up to that point. It feels good to have accomplished the feat with such great teammates."

The Dodgers were one of the largest spenders in the offseason, shelling out big bucks to acquire Ryu and former Cy Young Award winner Zach Greinke, and yet they've been a major disappointment this season. Despite the shutout victory Tuesday, the Dodgers are still last in the National League West at 22-28.

Ryu and the team's No. 1 starter, Clayton Kershaw, have won half of those games together. Ryu said, though, he tries not to put too much pressure on himself.

"I just try to do my best and throw six or seven innings every time out," Ryu said. "I just hope that the team wins whenever I start."

For the Angels, former MVP Josh Hamilton missed the game with back spasms. Their big hitters, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo, were a combined 0-for-10 with one strikeout. Ryu later said shutting down these three hitters was the key to his success on Tuesday.

Ryu had a brief scare in the fourth inning when he took Trumbo's line drive off his left foot. He received some treatment in between innings and finished the game, and yet he limped into the interview room with his foot wrapped up. Ryu said, though, he didn't think he sustained any bone injury.

Ryu is the third South Korean native to throw a complete game shutout in the big leagues. Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean to pitch in the majors, had three shutouts in his 17-year big league career, two for the Dodgers and one for the San Diego Padres. Kim Sun-woo, who pitched in six big league seasons, had one shutout for the Colorado Rockies in 2005. 

Ryu had pitched the previous seven years for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the top South Korean league. He had been one of the KBO's most dominant pitchers before signing a six-year, US$36 million contract with the Dodgers last December.

Ryu is the first South Korean to jump directly from the KBO to the big leagues. (Yonhap News)

Lee wins 1st LPGA Tour event in short week

Lee wins 1st LPGA Tour event in short week

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Published : 2013-05-27 09:35
Updated : 2013-05-27 09:35

South Korean golfer Lee Il-hee (AP-Yonhap News)

A week like no other on the LPGA Tour ended in a most appropriate manner Sunday when Il-hee Lee won for the first time.

Lee made a clutch par putt on the second-to-last hole in a raging wind to keep a one-shot lead, and then she drilled a fairway metal out of light rough and onto the par-5 18th green to set up a two-putt birdie. That gave her a 5-under 42 for a two-shot win over Irene Cho in the Bahamas LPGA Classic.

It was only fitting that she finished in a downpour. Flooding earlier in the week left so much of the Ocean Club course under water that the tour's best option was to shorten the course to 12 holes and play three rounds to reach the 36 holes required for an official event.

The most sensible routing was a strange one. Every player started on No. 10 and then jumped from one side to the next. The course dried enough that the par-5 18th was used for the first time all week, and the fourth hole _ which had been converted from a par 5 to a par 3 _ was eliminated.

Lee birdied her opening three holes Sunday to quickly catch Paola Moreno at 9 under, and she added a birdie on the 14th to take the outright lead.

Cho, who teed off two hours before Lee, got into the mix by holing a 9-iron into the wind from 118 yards on the par-5 11th hole _ the fifth hole her round _ and birdied three of the last five holes for a 7-under 40. The 7 under matched the low score of the week.

Anna Nordqvist had a 2-under 45 to finish alone in third. Cristie Kerr, coming off a win in Kingsmill two weeks ago, was in position for so much of the day and couldn't make a putt, the strength of her game. She even laid flat on her stomach for a 7-foot attempt on her ninth hole, only for it to bump off line. Kerr had to settle for a 46 and a five-way tie for fourth that included Paula Creamer (45) and Mika Miyazato (45).

Lee, who tied for third at Kingsmill for her best finish this year, set modest goals when she arrived at the course and saw flags rippling hard in a wind that only grew stronger.

“I was thinking 4 under for the day,” she said. “I saw the wind blowing super hard and I changed my goal _ maybe even par. And then I birdied the first hole, the second hole, the third hole. And then, maybe this is the day.”

It certainly was. She played bogey-free in a wind that was far stronger than what Cho faced, and Lee was all smiles as she walked off the green. She carried a small Bohemian flag.

Lee finished at 11-under 126 and won $195,000.

Cho's eagle from the 11th fairway was but a small part of her exciting round. Two holes later, her shot drifted onto the sandy beach and she figured she might as well try to play it.

“It was in the beach, and there was some water around it,” Cho said. “And I was like, `Shoot, I'm going to pull out a little Bill Haas and just try to get this up and over.' I got it out perfect.”

She saved par, just like Haas did in a playoff at the Tour Championship in 2011 that led him to win the FedEx Cup.

As hard as the wind was blowing over the final hour, and as the sky began to darken, it looked as though Cho's score of a 9-under 128 might be enough to win. Lee was simply flawless.

She looked to be in trouble on the par-4 eighth along the ocean _ the 11th hole in the rotation _ when her approach rolled back to the fringe and her lengthy birdie putt stopped about 5 feet short. The par putt was true, and Lee lightly pumped her fist as she walked off the green with a one-shot lead.

The 18th was playing downwind, and her second shot tumbled onto the green to lock up her first LPGA Tour win.

“I can't believe it right now,” Lee said. It feels amazing. Awesome.”

Lee has come a long way since her rookie year in 2010, when she earned her card at Q-school and spoke “zero English.” She decided to stay in private housing to help learn the language. And after a short interview before the trophy presentation, she smiled and said, “I think I did OK right now.” (AP)

Ex-spy chief grilled again over political intervention

Ex-spy chief grilled again over political intervention

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- The former chief of the nation's main intelligence agency was questioned by prosecutors again over suspicions that he directed spy agents to influence public opinion ahead of last year's presidential election, according to officials Tuesday.

Won Sei-hoon, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for about four years until early this year, is under suspicion of intervening in domestic politics by ordering agents to post a slew of politically sensitive comments on the Internet in order to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling party candidate prior to the Dec. 19 election.

Police agency under fire for covering up NIS scandal

Published : 2013-05-27 20:01
Updated : 2013-05-27 20:01

Seoul’s police agency is under fire for trying to conceal evidence related to its alleged attempt to whitewash a probe into national intelligence officials.

Prosecutors believe the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber crime unit deliberately erased investigation data of the National Intelligence Service’s illegal interference in the presidential election last December.

According to the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, a head of the cyber unit, whose name was undisclosed, is currently under investigation over the use of anti-recovery software called “mooO.”

The program is designed to erase all recoverable data on computers. The official reportedly used it to format hard drives used for investigating the NIS case, the prosecutors said.

The announcement came after the prosecutors raided last week the Seoul Metropolitan Police as part of a widening probe into the NIS’ alleged politicking in the presidential election. 

Although the SMPA is denying the allegations, the prosecution is looking into whether the NIS had any influence on the investigation.

“A computer where the data had been deleted did not contain any investigative records regarding the National Intelligence Service,” an SMPA official said, denying the prosecution’s accusations.

The cyber unit acquired the data from the Suseo Police Station during its investigation against the NIS officials last December to April.

An initial police investigation before the December election found no wrongdoing, but now police say at least two agents, including a 28-year-old employee surnamed Kim, conducted smear campaigns by making more than 100 posts using 16 IDs on websites to vilify then the opposition election candidates.

Rep. Shin Kyung-min of the Democratic Party blamed on Monday the ruling Saenuri Party’s reluctance for the sluggish progress of the prosecutor’s investigation.

“The rumor of NIS’ enforcement is becoming to be true. The ruling party should not remain silent about the issue,” he told a local radio station.

Lee Jeong-mi, spokeswoman of the minor opposition Progressive Justice Party, urged prosecutors to reveal high-rank officials linked into the case and punish them.

The prosecutor’s investigation captured headlines last month, when they summoned NIS former director Won Sei-hoon, and raided its Seoul headquarters. 

The prosecutors also summoned recently Kim Yong-pan, the former chief of the SMPA.

Reports suggest that Won, who has been banned from leaving the country since the investigation began, could be summoned again for further questioning. 

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)

Seoul police agency denies wrongdoing in spy agency scandal probe

The Seoul police agency on Monday denied allegations that it had destroyed evidence and hampered a probe into the national spy agency's alleged attempt to influence public opinion ahead of last year's presidential election.

Prosecutors on Sunday said that a mid-ranking official of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), whose identity has been withheld, had allegedly permanently deleted data on a computer hard disk ahead of a prosecution raid into the agency's headquarters.

A team of prosecutors and investigators raided the cyber crime unit of the SMPA in central Seoul a week ago, seizing computer hard drives and relevant documents to verify claims that the agency had pressured a police investigation team not to delve too deeply into the spy agency's alleged wrongdoing.

"A computer where the data had been deleted did not contain any investigative records regarding the National Intelligence Service (NIS)," an SMPA official said, denying the prosecution's claims, 

That mid-ranking official claimed that he had deleted the data at his own discretion without any order from higher-ups.

The SMPA, however, said that official has been transferred to another department within the agency as his behavior could have created misunderstandings.

The prosecution probe came after a police officer, who had looked into the alleged wrongdoing by the NIS, claimed that she could not fully investigate the case because of pressure from her superiors at the SMPA.

The NIS is suspected to have mobilized some of its agents to illegally post a slew of politically sensitive comments against the then main opposition candidate on the Internet to sway public opinion ahead of December's presidential vote.

A former SMPA chief was questioned by the prosecution on Saturday. It was the second time that Kim Yong-pan, who had headed the SMPA for about two years until early this year, has undergone questioning in connection with the case. (Yonhap News)

Additional 7 Koreans holding tax haven accounts exposed

The Korea Center for Investigative Journalism unveiled on Monday its second batch of seven Koreans, connected to four notable conglomerates in the country, holding offshore accounts via paper companies set up in tax havens.

Those seven had been found to be incumbent and former executives of chaebol, who are expected to be scrutinized by the National Tax Service for any signs and traces of tax evasion or avoidance through those ghost companies.

They are: Choi Eun-young, chairwoman and CEO of Hanjin Shipping, and Cho Yong-min, former CEO of Hanjin Shipping; Hwang Yong-deug, CEO of Hanwha Station Development; Cho Min-ho, former CEO of SK Securities and his wife; Lee Deog-kyu, former director of Daewoo International; and Yoo Choon-sik, president of Daewoo Motor Poland.

The KCIJ, also known as Newstapa, said that Hanjin Shipping chairwoman Choi and Cho created a paper company in the British Virgin Islands in 2008. Choi owns a 90 percent stake in the tax haven firm, while the rest is held by Cho, who resigned as the company’s CEO in 2011.

Hanjin Shipping admitted via a statement that they created the paper company on their own but liquidated it in 2011 after seeing that it was an unnecessary asset.

CEO Hwang of Hanwha Station Development, a joint venture between Hanwha Group and state-run KORAIL that builds railroad stations, was found to purchase apartments in Hawaii and sell them to Hanwha Japan through an account established in the Cook Islands in 1996.

Hanwha Group told Newstapa that those transactions were purely for Hwang’s personal reasons, and that they had nothing to do with the group, while Hwang claimed he has no knowledge of making such transactions via a paper company. 

Hanwha Group later retracted its previous statement and told the independent news organization that Hanwha Japan created the paper company.

Cho Min-ho, former CEO of SK Securities, created a paper company in the Virgin Islands in 1996, and his wife, surnamed Kim, acquired it from her husband in 2003, the center said.

Lee Deog-kyu, a former executive of Daewoo International, an energy and trading subsidiary of steel giant POSCO, created an account via a ghost company in the Virgin Islands in 2005.

Lee told Newstapa that his position at the company allowed him to make an independent decision to set up a paper company on behalf of Daewoo International. However, the trading giant denied Lee’s claims, saying that the company has no connection to the establishment of the tax haven account.

Yoo Choon-sik, a former president of Daewoo Motor Poland, also created an account with seven others, who were not disclosed, in the Virgin Islands in 2007. He told the non-profit news organization that he deposited $60,000 into the account for venture investments.

Last week, the center, in collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, disclosed its first batch of tax haven account-holders who were executives and their family members affiliated with OCI, Korean Air and Hyosung Group.

It said 245 Koreans operated tax haven paper companies.