NAN Archive

Loading

NAN Archive

Tag South Korea

  • Feb, Wed, 2020
Foreign

S. Korea seeks entry ban on foreigners to be released from quarantined cruise ship

 

Noh Hong-in, an official of the central disaster management headquarters, speaks during a news conference at the government complex in Sejong, 130 kilometers south of Seoul, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Yonhap).

Foreigner
Seoul, Feb. 19, 2020 (Yonhap/NAN) South Korea will bar foreigners to be released from a quarantined cruise ship off Japan, from entering the country, a senior Seoul official said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Japanese authorities are scheduled to end the vessel’s quarantine over the coronavirus.

Speaking at a news conference, Noh Hong-in, an official of the central disaster management headquarters, also said that South Koreans who had been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, and would be put under self-quarantine at their homes should they decide to fly to Korea.

“South Korea has asked Japan to provide the list of passengers,’’ Noh said.

Earlier in the day, a South Korean presidential plane arrived back in Seoul carrying six Korean nationals and a Japanese spouse who were aboard the ship.

The Korean evacuees were among 14 South Koreans on the ship — nine passengers and five crew members.

The cruise ship in question has been in quarantine since it reported the first group of COVID-19 infections on Feb. 5.

The number of confirmed cases has swelled to more than 500 out of some 3,700 aboard.

Amid growing fears over the person-to-person transmission of the virus particularly in provincial regions, Seoul has been stepping up quarantine efforts.

South Korea added 15 more confirmed cases to its daily tally, bringing the total infections to 46. (Yonhap/NAN)

ACO/YEE

=======

Edited by Abiodun Oluleye/Emmanuel Yashim

  • Feb, Wed, 2020
Foreign

Appeals court raises prison term for ex-President Lee Myung-bak, bail revoked

 

Court

Seoul, Feb. 19, 2020 (Yonhap/NAN)  An appellate court on Wednesday delivered a heavier prison term of 17 years to former President Lee Myung-bak on bribery and embezzlement charges, bringing him back into custody after he was released on bail.

The prison term is higher than the 15 years of imprisonment that a lower court handed down in October 2018 to Lee who ruled the country from 2008-2013.

He was ordered to pay a fine of 13 billion won (US$10.9 million) and forfeit 5.78 billion won.

The conviction brought Lee back into custody after he was released on bail on health concerns in March 2019.

The 78-year-old Lee was charged with bribery and embezzlement in connection with his brother’s auto parts company DAS, becoming the fourth ex-South Korean leader to be criminally convicted.

A lower court found that Lee was the de facto owner of DAS and that he used his presidential power to benefit the firm and himself, including accepting bribes from Samsung Electronics Co. in the form of retaining fees for DAS.

“The defendant ignored the duty and responsibility (that were imposed on the president) and made wrongdoings, such as accepting bribes from public servants or a private company,’’ said the Seoul High Court, the appellate court.

In January, the prosecution demanded the appeals court hand down a 23-year prison term for Lee.

Prosecutors condemned Lee for not repenting for his wrongdoings and blaming others to avoid responsibility.

The appellate court found that Lee embezzled 25.2 billion won from DAS and accepted bribes of 9.4 billion won, including 8.9 billion won from Samsung.

These amounts were higher than the embezzlement of 24.6 billion won and bribes worth 8.5 billion won that a lower court recognised.

Throughout his political career, Lee was dogged by suspicions over whether he is the real owner of DAS.

Lee has flatly denied the allegations, repeating his claim that he is not the owner of DAS. (Yonhap/NAN)

HS/YEE

======

Edited by Halima Sheji/Emmanuel Yashim

 

Sport

North, South Korea eye joint march, teams for Tokyo 2020

North, South Korea eye joint march, teams for Tokyo 2020

Lausanne (Switzerland), Feb. 15, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) North Korea and South Korea want a joint march at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the president of the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.

The two countries have requested to have some unified teams in different sports.

South and North Korean sports and government officials met with the IOC in Lausanne, amid initial planning for a joint bid for the 2032 Olympics.

They are said to be buoyed by the role the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics played in easing tensions between the two countries.

The two nations had marched together at the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang for the first time since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

They had also fielded a unified women’s ice hockey team.

“We are taking note that both are very much interested in having some joined actions in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with a joined march and some unified teams in different sports,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.

The IOC said the two countries had officially requested to enter joint teams in the qualifying process for four sports.

The sports are: women’s basketball, women’s hockey, the judo mixed team event and some men’s and women’s rowing teams.

Among the points of discussion at the Lausanne meeting was also a potential 2032 Summer Olympics joint bid by North and South Korea, and Bach praised them for proceeding with it.

“We think this is a great symbol of the Olympic spirit. It is a great symbol again of the unifying power of the Olympic Games,” Bach said.

“Sport will continue to build bridges and demonstrate the unifying power of the Olympic Games.

“Therefore, we warmly welcome the historic initiative of the two Koreas to put forward a joint Korean candidature for the Olympic Games 2032,” he added.

Relations between the nations greatly improved last year, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in meeting his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un at three different summits.

North Korea has for years pursued nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions but the neighbours moved to thaw relations in 2018.

“South Korea greatly hopes to jointly host the Olympic Games 2032 with North Korea, and will work to successfully bid for the Games together,” Do Jong-hwan, South Korean sports and culture minister said.

North Korean Olympic Committee chief and sports minister Kim Il-guk confirmed Pyongyang’s Olympic aspirations.

“The leaders of the two Koreas agreed that they intended to host the Olympic Games in 2032.

“I am very moved and excited by the prospect of bidding together with South Korea,” he said.

“We agree with the concepts put forward by South Korea, and ask for the support of President Bach and the IOC to jointly host the Olympic Games in Seoul and Pyongyang.”

The IOC usually awards the Olympics seven years in advance. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/SN

======

Edited by Silas Nwoha

 

Sport

North, South Korea agree to pursue joint 2032 Olympic Games bid

Olympics Games mascot

Olympics
Seoul, Sept. 19, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) The two Koreans have agreed to pursue a bid to co-host the 2032 Olympic Games, they said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

The decision was made following a summit between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in.

The statement also said they had agreed to “participate jointly” at international competitions including the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The idea of a joint bid to host the Summer Games in 2032 was floated last week by Seoul’s Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan.

Do said that co-hosting the Games would build on the success of this year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where North Korea’s participation helped ease tensions on the peninsula. (Reuters/NAN)
KIA/IS
=======

Sport

South Korean league games to kick off after sunset due to heatwave

Heatwave

Seoul, Aug. 3, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Record-breaking temperatures that have caused 30 deaths in South Korea have forced the country’s top-flight football league to delay kick-offs until after sunset for the first time this weekend.

Temperatures hit 39.6°C (103.28°F) in the capital Seoul on Wednesday, their highest since weather authorities began monitoring in 1907.

Lee Jong-kwoun, a K League public relations official, told Reuters on Friday that it had been monitoring temperatures for the past week and after discussions with the clubs agreed to push back kick-off times.

“We don’t have a specific temperature guideline, but with the heatwave continuing for more than a week, we made the decision for the sake of the players’ health and for the safety and convenience of spectators,” Lee said by telephone.

It was the first time the K League had ever had to delay matches to beat the heat, Lee added.

He said that it was unlikely games would be cancelled and that there were already special measures in place that allowed referees to give players water breaks in extreme heat.

Earlier in the week, the Korea Baseball Organisation said it was considering a request from players to reschedule games due to the heatwave, which is expected to continue well into August.

South Korean health officials have said the temperatures have caused 30 deaths and left 2,549 people needing treatment for heat-related illnesses.

Neighbouring Japan is also in the grip of scorching temperatures, which is giving rise to concerns about athlete safety when Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics in two years’ time.

Earlier this year, experts warned of the risks of heat-stroke at the Games, with conditions reaching levels at which sporting activities would normally be halted in the country. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/MO/MZA

========

Edited by Omolade Michael/Maharazu Ahmed

Sport

2 Koreas court peace in first basketball friendly in years

2 Koreas court peace in first basketball friendly in years

Friendly

Seoul, July 4, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) North and South Korea joined forces for their first basketball friendly in 15 years on Wednesday, amid a warming of relations since the Winter Olympics in the South.

This is coming as the two Koreas are easing tensions over the North’s nuclear and missile programmes.

Women athletes from the traditional foes put political differences aside to form two joint North-South teams, “Peace” and “Prosperity,” in the friendly in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

Even the packed crowd shouted and waved balloons in what turned out to be a thriller – Prosperity won 103 to 102.

Two men’s teams played later in the day.

“I am proud that sport has stood at the forefront of opening this great path to reconciliation, peace and prosperity between us,” North Korean Vice-Minister of Sports, Won Kil U, told the South Koreans.

The South Koreans will return on Friday after two more games on Thursday, this time with teams divided by country – but no flags being shown.

North Korean leader and basketball fan, Kim Jong Un, was not spotted in the crowd on Wednesday.

However, the chairman of the North’s National Sports Guidance Committee, Choe Hwi, sat next to the South’s Unification Minister, Cho Myong-gyon.

Prosperity and Peace teams formed with a mixture of North and South Korean women players arrive at a gym in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 4, 2018. Korea Pool/Yonhap via REUTERS

Kim had suggested the friendlies to South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, in April, when the two held their first summit at the border village of Panmunjom straddling the two Koreas.

It was the fourth time the two sides, technically still at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, have played together, the last match taking place in 2003.

Kim has in the past invited former U.S. NBA players to Pyongyang to play with North Korean players. He also struck up a friendship with former U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman.

Rodman, a basketball Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champ, has travelled to North Korea multiple times.

His visits often prompted ridicule and criticism from some U.S. politicians and activists that they served as fodder for North Korean propaganda.

Relations between the two Koreas have been warming since North Korea sent athletes and a high-ranking delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in February.

The action followed a year of tension and bellicose rhetoric from both sides over North Korea’s weapons programmes.

Last month, Kim held a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a meeting that would have been unthinkable just weeks earlier.

Trump said on Tuesday that talks with North Korea were “going well” as U.S. officials seek to reach an agreement with Pyongyang over a denuclearisation plan.

This will not be the two Koreas’ last opportunity to play sport together.

They have agreed to march together under a unified peninsula flag at the Aug. 18 Asian Games ceremony in Indonesia and field combined teams in some events. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/ERO/SA

Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Salif Atojoko

=============================

 

Sport

Germany’s Hummels fit but Rudy doubtful for South Korea clash

Germany’s Hummels fit but Rudy doubtful for South Korea clash
Fitness
By Kayode Adebiyi
Vatutinki (Russia), June 25, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Germany’s central defender, Mats Hummels, has recovered from a neck injury and will be fit for the country’s last World Cup Group F game against South Korea on Wednesday.
However, midfielder Sebastian Rudy is doubtful, assistant coach, Marcus Sorg, said on Monday.
Hummels, who missed their last-gasp 2-1 victory over Sweden, returned to training on Monday and Rudy broke his nose in that game and underwent minor surgery on Sunday.
“Sebi (Rudy) was operated on for the broken nose. He will undergo further checks this afternoon and we will see.
“We must be prepared that he will not be likely to play,” Sorg told reporters.
Rudy started against Sweden after muscling his way past out-of-form World Cup winner Sami Khedira.
Sorg said team doctors would also look into the possibility of him playing with a face mask for the game in Kazan.
“If there is the possibility of playing with a mask, without risk to his health, then it is something that could be considered,” he said.
Marco Reus, a German midfielder, said the world champions must win their final group game by at least two goals to ensure a spot in the second round after their shock 1-0 opening loss to Mexico.
“We hope this (victory against Sweden) was the ignition that will give us confidence and allow us to play more freely, use our chances better.
“We know that some past world champions have not survived the group stage at the World Cup yet.
“But we will do everything so that it does not happen to us.
“It will be a very difficult game and there will be a lot of counter-attacks from South Korea our next opponents as they also have a tight defence.
“We have to do our duty. We have to win against the Koreans and not just by 1-0,” Reus said. (Reuters/NAN)
KIA/OMO/SA
Edited by Martins Odeh/Salif Atojoko
===========================

Sport

Unified Korea hockey team not just window-dressing, IOC president says

NAN-S-20
Team
PyeongChang (South Korea), Feb. 7, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) A unified women’s ice hockey team from North and South Korea at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is not just political window-dressing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach says.

The two Koreas, still technically at war since a 1953 armistice, have resumed talks after a year-long standoff between North Korea and the U.S.

An exchange of threats between the heads of state elevated tensions and prompted the North’s continued missile and nuclear tests.

The North, however, has agreed with South Korea to send 22 athletes and a 230-strong cheering squad to the Winter Games starting on Friday.

Twelve of those athletes will compete as part of a unified women’s ice hockey team in what is the strongest gesture of Olympic cooperation between the two countries in years.

“I really believe in the Olympic spirit,” Bach told reporters on Wednesday when asked whether the joint Korea team was a PR move or if there was political substance.

“These athletes and many million other people, they will believe in this gesture and the athletes are going to show it,” said Bach, adding he knew the feeling of division having competed as a fencer at the 1976 Summer Olympics for what was then West Germany.

The two nations will also be marching together at Friday’s opening ceremony for the first time at the Games since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Bach said the members of the unified team were getting along well and had jointly also celebrated the birthday of one of the players.

“The team is coming together,” he said. “Everything is coming together and hopefully it will stay together and everybody will respect this Olympic truce resolution (of the United Nations) and show here that these Games should be beyond political tensions.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister — Kim Yo Jong — will make her debut on the world stage at the opening ceremony.

She will become the first member of the Kim family to cross the border to the South.

The Games run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25.(Reuters/NAN)
KIA/OLAL
========

(Edited by Olawale Alabi)