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Saturday, June 8, 2013

U.N. official says Korea law threatens rights defenders

Updated : 2013-06-07 20:59
Margaret Sekaggya. (Yonhap News)
U.N. special rapporteur on human rights Margaret Sekaggya said Friday that South Korea’s 65-year-old national security act posed a “seriously problematic” challenge to freedom of expression.

Sekaggya had just competed a 10-day fact-finding mission to South Korea which is more used to seeing human rights criticism directed at neighboring North Korea.

The South’s national security law was enacted in 1948 to protect the fledgling state from infiltration by the communist North.

It prohibited the printing, distribution and ownership of any material deemed “anti-state” and outlawed any organization advocating overthrow of the government.

“I have been acquainted with the national security act which, despite the fact that it has been amended on several occasions, still appears seriously problematic for the exercise of freedom of expression,” Sekaggya said.

Citing instances where the act had been invoked against human rights groups who have expressed criticism of government policies, she urged the government to clearly define the legal provisions in the law.

It should then be applied only “when is strictly necessary in order to avoid criminalization of activities undertaken in defense of human rights”, she told reporters in Seoul at the end of her mission.

Amnesty International, in a report last year, accused South Korea of systematically abusing the act in order to stifle debate and silence political opposition.

The report highlighted what it described as an emerging trend for invoking the law against individuals and groups that had no tangible pro-North Korea stance.

Sekaggya also expressed concern about the existence of defamation as a criminal offence that carries heavy fines and prison sentences in South Korea.

“The criminalization of defamation leads to a considerable reduction of the space to exercise the fundamental right to freedom of expression, which is a key right to claim other rights,” she said.

“This has a chilling effect and leads to self-censorship by certain human rights defenders,” she said.

Sekaggya also urged Seoul to ratify U.N. treaties on migrant workers, saying they faced discrimination and abuse in South Korea, with unpaid wages and difficulties in accessing social welfare. (AFP)

POSCO ranks 5th in global crude steel output in 2012

Updated : 2013-06-08 11:32
POSCO, South Korea's biggest steelmaker, became the world's fifth-largest crude steel producer in 2012, dropping by one notch from a year ago, data showed Saturday.

According to data by World Steel Association (WSA), India's ArcelorMittal retained its top ranking with 93.6 million tons of crude steel, followed by Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. with 47.9 million tons.

POSOCO's crude steel production came to 39.9 million tons last year, down from 39.1 million tons in 2011, it said.

POSCO's drop in ranking stemmed from a merger between Nippon Steel Corp. and Sumitomo Metal Corp in October 2012. The merged entity was renamed Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal. The merger boosted Nippon Steel' ranking in crude steel output to second from sixth, causing POSCO's ranking to drop by one notch.

Hyundai Steel Co., South Korea's No.2 steelmaker rose four notches to 16th in 2012 with 17.1 million tons, up from 16.3 million tons in 2011.


(Yonhap News)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

‘Son Heung-min may move to Bayer Leverkusen’

Son Heung-min, a striker for Hamburg SV and one of South Korea’s top soccer prospects, may move to Bayer Leverkusen, German media reported Wednesday.

According to Kicker Online, Son is close to reaching a deal with Leverkusen, the team on which Korean soccer star Cha Bum-kun used to play.

The website expected Son’s transfer fee to be about 10 million euros ($13 million).

Leverkusen’s spokesman Dirk Mesch told Goal.com that the club could not confirm this report. Son’s agent Thies Bliemeister was unavailable for comment.

The 21-year-old Son, whose contract with Hamburg expires after the 2013-14 season, had been attracting attention from various teams in Britain and Germany.

According to U.K. website Transfer Market, the player’s market value is estimated at 11.5 million pounds, and has been trending up since he debuted on the adult stage in 2010.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Girls’ Generation to embark on first world tour

The nine starlets of girl group Girls’ Generation are set to kick off their fifth concert tour and first world tour this weekend. 

Titled “Girls & Peace,” the tour will begin in Seoul with live performances on Saturday and Sunday at Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium. This weekend will also mark the first time in two years that the ladies are holding a dedicated concert for local fans. 
Girls’ Generation. (S.M. Entertainment)

Representatives of S.M. Entertainment have offered special global package deals exclusively for international fans wishing to attend one of the Seoul performances. The package deal includes hotel accommodation, concert tickets and souvenirs for the out-of-town concertgoers. 

Following in the footsteps of the group’s male counterparts and label mates Super Junior, who are currently wrapping up the remaining leg of their “Super Show 5” world tour, Girls’ Generation’s inaugural world tour will also take the group all across Asia, the Americas and Europe with specific dates and countries to be announced in the future. 

In April the girls wrapped up their most recent concert tour, “Girls’ Generation II ― Girls & Peace ― Japan 2nd Tour,” in which the group performed 20 shows in seven cities, attracting approximately 200,000 fans in total. 

Girls’ Generation made their comeback earlier this year with the release the group’s fourth full album “I Got a Boy.” The album was the first that Girls’ Generation had released in more than a year after third album, “The Boys,” released in October 2011. 

Although the girls had previously been best known for their cute and innocent image, they have taken on a group identity by showing off a more energetic vibe, along with heavier hip-hop and upbeat dance choreography with their latest release. 

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)

Apple faces import ban on some iPhones in wake of Samsung patent win

Apple Inc. faces a ban on imports of some older devices including the iPhone 4 after a U.S. trade agency said they infringed a patent owned by Samsung Electronics Co., its biggest competitor in the global smartphone market.

It is the first patent ruling against Apple in the U.S. that affects product sales. The order covers the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 3G sold for use on networks operated by AT&T Inc., T-Mobile U.S. Inc. and two regional carriers, General Communication Inc. in Alaska and CT Cube LP in Texas.

The U.S. International Trade Commission’s decision, in a notice posted on its website on Tuesday, is subject to review by President Barack Obama, who can overturn the import ban on public-policy grounds, which rarely happens.

Apple plans to appeal, saying it is disappointed with the commission’s overturning of its earlier ruling. But Apple stressed that the ITC‘s decision has no impact on the availability of Apple products in the United States.

Officials from Samsung, the world‘s largest smartphone maker, refused to comment on the ruling. The company released only a brief statement saying, “The ITC‘s decision made it clear that Apple has made an unauthorized use of Samsung’s patents.

“We will do our best to defend our intellectual property rights.”

Some experts in Korea raised the possibility that Samsung will likely launch similar patent attacks at Apple’s newer products including iPhone 5 and iPad 4.

In June 2011, Samsung Electronics filed a complaint with the U.S. government agency, claiming Apple products infringed on four of its technology patents, including those on data transmission and dialing method.

Even if the decision is finalized with U.S. presidential approval, it is likely to have a limited impact on Apple since Samsung‘s complaints do not address the latest products such as the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini.

The ruling marks the latest development in the patent row between Samsung Electronics and Apple, the world’s two biggest smartphone makers that have been fighting to protect their stakes in the lucrative smartphone sector.

In March of this year, the South Korean smartphone maker scored a victory on Apple‘s home turf as U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh scaled back a previous penalty order worth $1.05 billion.

Koh ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Apple $598.9 million, roughly $450 million less than the initial decision, citing calculation errors in a U.S. jury’s decision.

Meanwhile, the ITC is set to issue a final ruling on Apple‘s complaints against Samsung Electronics in August.



From news reports

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Former spy agency chief faces arrest, indictment


Samsung keeps mum over U.S. ruling against Apple


Samsung Electronics on Wednesday maintained its silence over a favorable ruling from the U.S. trade agency banning the sale of several iPhone and iPad models for infringing a Samsung patent.

The ruling was deemed as symbolic more than anything else, as if upheld, it would be an indication that some of Apple’s technology had been copied from its top rival, Samsung.

The Korean company is currently the world’s largest maker of smartphones in a recent reverse of rankings, with Apple next in line.

Samsung officials said they were not authorized to comment but did not appear to be displeased with the results.

“Samsung did score a point, but the last thing Samsung wants right now is to stir up anti-Samsung sentiment in the U.S., so it’s keeping a ‘keep mum or else’ kind of stance at Samsung headquarters,” said one industry expert who declined to be identified, referring to the delicacy of the issue.

She also agreed with the dominant opinion on the ruling, which is that it was largely a gesture and void of any real substance.

“The models are all outdated and sales for them are hardly stellar, so it would be difficult to see the ruling as anything more,” she said.

Also, given that Samsung has one of the most powerful legal teams in the industry and possibly the country, they most likely anticipated the ruling, industry watchers said.

This particular order by the U.S. International Trade Commission would block the sales of several older devices that work on AT&T Wireless’ network, including the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS and the iPad 2 3G.

However, sales of the latest iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad will not be affected.

Unless U.S. President Barack Obama issues a veto, the ruling will take effect in 60 days. Apple said it will appeal the decision to federal courts.

“We are disappointed that the commission has overturned an earlier ruling and we plan to appeal,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in a statement.

The legal battle between the world’s top two smartphone makers go back to 2011 when each company filed lawsuits at the ITC. The initiation, meanwhile, was by Apple, which was out to paint Samsung as a copycat of its iPhone and iPad designs.

Samsung had appeared to be in the hot seat after a U.S. court ruled that Samsung had infringed Apple’s designs and should pay for $1 billion in damages back in August last year.


By Kim Ji-hyun
(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)
Timeline of ITC’s ruling on Samsung-Apple patent dispute

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Samsung Electronics Co. in its patent disputes with Apple, saying the U.S. tech firm infringed on some of Samsung‘s patents in making smartphones and tablet computers.

With the decision, California-based Apple faced an order to prohibit importing wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, and tablet computers.


Samsung’s claims against Apple
June 28, 2011 – Samsung requests ban of import of Apple products.

Sept. 15, 2012 – ITC makes a preliminary ruling against Samsung.

Nov. 19, 2012 – ITC decides to review preliminary ruling.

Jan. 14, 2013 – ITC delays final ruling to Feb. 6.

Jan. 18, 2013 – ITC delays the plan to March 7.

March 7, 2013 – Ruling is delayed again to March 13.

March 13, 2013 – Ruling is delayed again to May 31.

May 10, 2013 – Some U.S. lawmakers send letter to ITC, hoping for careful consideration of import ban.

May 31, 2013 – ITC delays ruling to June 4.

June 4, 2013 – ITC says Apple infringed on Samsung’s patents.


Apple’s claims against Samsung

July 5, 2011 - Apple requests import ban of Samsung products.

Oct. 17, 2012 – ITC delays preliminary ruling to Oct. 25.

Oct. 24, 2012 – ITC makes preliminary ruling against Samsung.

Jan. 9, 2013 – ITC delays review to Jan. 23.

Jan. 23, 2013 – ITC decides to review two among four cases, remanding preliminary ruling on the other two cases.

March 28, 2013 – ITC decides to review the remand ruling.

Aug. 1, 2013 – ITC is scheduled to make a final ruling.

Son of Former Korean President Obtained Secret Offshore Company Amid Family’s Tax Evasion Scandal

Son of Former Korean President Obtained Secret Offshore Company Amid Family’s Tax Evasion Scandal

Former Korean President Chun Doo-hwan's eldest son, Chun Jae-kook (right), set up a secret company in the British Virgin Islands in 2004. Photo: Yonhap News Agency
‘Offshore Leaks’ records show oldest son of South Korea’s former president Chun Doo-hwan had British Virgin Islands company.
The eldest son of South Korea’s former President Chun Doo-hwan obtained an offshore company in the Caribbean in 2004 amid a tax evasion probe into his younger brother’s alleged involvement with their father’s bribery-fed slush fund.  
Prosecutors are aggressively seeking the ex-president’s hidden assets in the face of an approaching statute of limitations deadline for his unpaid fine of 167.2 billion won ($149.3 million).
Chun Jae-kook, the oldest child of the former military strongman, became a director and shareholder of a secret company in the British Virgin Islands with the help of a law firm and an offshore services provider in Singapore, according to records obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and reviewed by the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism (KCIJ), also known as Newstapa.
Chun Jae-kook, CEO of the country’s major publishing house, Sigongsa, did not respond directly to requests for comment for this story.
He released a statement saying that his offshore company had nothing to do with his father and that it was not created for evading taxes or concealing assets. He explained that his involvement in offshore came about as he moved the money he had for studying and living in the United States to Singapore when he returned to South Korea in 1989.
“I have never taken assets out of the country, and am currently holding no assets abroad,” he said.
Dictator’s Ill-gotten Wealth 
Chun Jae-kook’s 2004 acquisition of the offshore company came months after his younger brother, Chun Jae-yong, was arrested on charges of evading taxes on 16.7 billion won, money that the younger Chun said he inherited from his maternal grandfather. 
A court ruled that at least 7.3 billion won of the money came from his father’s slush fund.
Chun Doo-hwan ruled the country from 1980 to 1988 after seizing power through a military coup in 1979. He was convicted in 1997 of amassing a huge slush fund of hundreds of billions of won in bribes funneled to him by businessmen during his presidency.
The former president was also convicted of charges stemming from the 1979 mutiny and a bloody crackdown in the southern city of Gwangju in May 1980, in which hundreds of pro-democracy protesters were massacred by special forces.
Chun Doo-hwan was initially sentenced to death in 1996 for mutiny and treason for staging the 1979 coup but was later pardoned.
Chun Jae-kook, the eldest son, has faced suspicions that he, like his younger brother, may have been associated with the management of his father’s slush fund, but no evidence has been found linking him to the father’s concealed assets.
Unpaid fines
In 1997, the former president was ordered to repay 220 billion won of the ill-gotten gains he was found to have amassed while in office.  
He has paid only a quarter of the total. He still owes 167.2 billion won in outstanding fines.
Chun Doo-hwan told a court hearing in 2003 that he had only 290,000 won in savings, claiming that he was unable to pay the rest of the fine.
His children’s assets, meanwhile, are estimated to be some 200 billion won, and the father has come under fierce public criticism for a lavish lifestyle that includes trips to prestigious golf resorts. He also donated more than 1,000 million won to the Korea Military Academy, his alma mater. 
Prosecutors have come under increasing public pressure to track down Chun Doo-hwan’s wealth before the statute of limitations in his case expires in October. They recently launched a special task force to step up their investigation. The deadline in the case can be extended if prosecutors uncover traces of the hidden assets.
Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook encouraged the newly-established team to use “every possible means” to locate the ex-president’s illegally accumulated fortune.
Korean first familyA 1981 portrait of former President Chun Doo-hwan (front row, left) and family in the presidential Blue House. Chun Jae-kook is pictured in the back row, center.
Yoojung Lee is a reporter with the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Prosecution set to seek arrest warrant for ex-spy chief

Prosecutors said Monday they will decide sometime this week whether to seek an arrest warrant against a former intelligence chief accused of meddling in last year's presidential election.

Won Sei-hoon, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for about four years until early this year, is suspected of 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.

"A decision has to be made within this week as the statute of limitations for the violation of the Public Official Election Act expires June 19," said the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office probing the case.

Won is accused of violating the act and another law governing the status of NIS officials, which strictly prohibits them from intervening in domestic politics.

Won, who headed the NIS under former President Lee Myung-bak and was barred from leaving the country pending investigation, has twice undergone prosecution questioning in connection with the case.

The former intelligence chief was questioned over whether he had given orders to the agents or been briefed about the agents' alleged activities.

During the first round of questioning, Won reportedly denied the charges against him, claiming that there was nothing illegal about the agency's operations.

Many former NIS chiefs have ended their careers in disgrace. Kim Hyung-wook, who headed the agency in the 1970s, fled to the United States after he was estranged from former President Park Chung-hee, the father of President Park Geun-hye. A subsequent spy chief, Kim Jae-kyu, assassinated the elder Park and was later executed.

More recently, several intelligence chiefs in the 1980s and 1990s were convicted of corruption, maintaining slush funds and other crimes after they left office.
(Yonhap News)