◆ January News of the 3rd week
Nepal plane crashes with 72 people on board, including two Koreans
A plane carrying 72 passengers, including two Koreans, crashed in Pokhara, central Nepal, killing 68 people on the 15th (local time).
According to foreign media such as Reuters, an ATR72 aircraft belonging to Yeti Airlines, which was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara at around 10:30 am on the same day, crashed. Yeti Airlines said there were four crew members and 68 passengers on board.
A spokesman for Nepal Yeti Airlines said there were 15 foreigners on board the flight. A spokesman said there were two Koreans, one Australian, one French, one Argentine, five Indians, four Russians and one Irishman on board.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately launched a task force for the protection of Korean nationals living abroad, and dispatched staff from the Nepalese Embassy to the plane crash site. The government intends to take the necessary support measures as soon as the survival of the two Koreans on board the crashed plane is confirmed.
Police, National Intelligence Service, Search and Seizure of the Confederation of Korean Trade Unions
On the 18th, the National Intelligence Service and the police launched a search and seizure in about 10 places including the headquarters of the Confederation of Korean Trade Unions in Seoul, Gwangju and Jeju.
The NIS is said to have captured circumstances that are contrary to the National Security Law, including four people, including an executive at the KCTU headquarters, a member of the KCTU health and medical union, the Gwangju branch of Kia Motors, and a representative of the Jeju Peace Shelter , an activist involved in the Sewol ferry disaster, in contact with North Korean agents.
It is believed to have contravened Article 8 of the National Security Law, which states that if you contact members of an anti-state organization through meetings or correspondence, you will be punished.
The NIS said it had internalized their contacts with North Korean workers for several years, and plans to investigate what kind of conversations they had with the workers and whether they had received specific orders. In response, the labor community, including the Confederation of Korean Trade Unions, protests that the investigation will be a planned public security plan, and will launch a strong fight.
檢, Kim Seong-tae arrest investigation all out…detect money flow
Former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Seong-tae, who was returned to Korea after eight months of absconding abroad, was arrested by the prosecution on the 20th.
Suwon District Court Judge Kim Gyeong-rok who was in charge of warrants issued an arrest warrant for Kim on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, theft, breach of trust, offering bribes, violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, and destroying evidence. Judge Kim explained the reason for the announcement, saying, “Criminal charges have been clarified and there is a risk of destroying evidence and escaping.”
Neither former Chairman Kim nor the prosecution attended the warrant review that was to be held that day. In accordance with Article 96-13 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure, if the suspect does not appear due to reasons such as refusal to attend or illness, interrogation procedures can proceed without the suspect.
Kim’s charges include ▲ breach of trust and theft worth KRW 450 billion ▲ violation of the Capital Markets Act, including false disclosure of convertible bonds worth KRW 20 billion ▲ suspected payment of USD 6.4 million to North Korea ▲ bribery of KRW 300 million to former vice governor of Gyeonggi-do Lee Hwa-yeong ▲ PC to executives and employees Trainers to destroy evidence as replacement ▲ Suspicion of paying attorney fees for Democratic Party of Korea CEO Lee Jae-myung.
Meanwhile, on the 10th of this month, after being arrested on a golf course in Pathum Thani, Thailand, former Chairman Kim announced his intention to return home on the 12th, two days after he was arrested, and returned to Korea at 8:20 am on the 17th.
Big ‘Guryong Village’ fire, extinguished in 5 hours … 60 houses were lost
On the morning of the 20th, the day before the Lunar New Year holiday, a large fire in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul was extinguished within five hours. That day, 60 houses were destroyed by fire, and at one point, around 500 residents were evacuated.
According to the Fire Ministry, the fire that broke out in District 4 of Guryong Village (about 478 Yangjae-daero) around 6:27 am that day was completely extinguished at 11:46 am. About 60 houses made of vinyl plywood in the form of temporary buildings were burnt by the flames which lasted for more than five hours. Immediately after the fire, around 500 residents of the 4th to 6th areas of the village were moved. No human casualties occurred.
The fire left 62 victims in 44 homes. Those who gathered at Guryong Middle School to escape the fire will stay temporarily in four hotels in the Gangnam area.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Security has decided to provide 500 million won in special subsidy tax to repair the damage. It is used to dispose of fire debris, install access control facilities such as security fences, and assist disaster victims.
President Seok-Yeol Yoon wraps up his first visit in the new year… What are the achievements and limitations?
President Yoon Seok-yeol returned home on the 21st after completing his first foreign trip this year.
During this visit, President Yoon showed a move to focus on the ‘economy’ by engaging in ‘sales diplomacy’, and expressed his thoughts, saying, “I put the economy at the center of all schedules and run with our businessmen.”
In the United Arab Emirates, which led an economic delegation consisting of 101 companies, 48 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed, including attracting investment of 30 billion dollars (about 37 trillion won) and strengthening cooperation between the two country In Switzerland, which he visited following the United Arab Emirates, he attended the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) (Davos Forum) and delivered a special speech.
However, during his visit to the United Arab Emirates, in the ‘Ark Unit’, he said, “The most threatening country in the United Arab Emirates is Iran,” drawing a backlash from Iran. In response, the President’s office explained that President Yoon’s statement that “the UAE is the smallest and most threatening country to Iran” was intended to encourage troops, but Iran protested and it appears that it is spreading into a conflict between countries.
Whether the large-scale investment promises made during the visit will actually be fulfilled is still up to President Yoon.
First Lunar New Year holidays without distance
According to the quarantine authorities on the 21st, this Lunar New Year holiday, like last year’s Chuseok, is a holiday without social distancing. There are no restrictions other than wearing a mask inside. This is the first Lunar New Year holiday without social distancing since the spread of Corona 19.
During the Lunar New Year holidays last year, social distancing was enforced and the number of private gatherings was limited to six. There was a strong atmosphere to refrain from visiting hometowns due to concerns about the spread of Corona 19 and restrictions on the number of people.
During this Lunar New Year holiday, there are almost no restrictions other than wearing masks inside, so it is not much different from the daily scenes of the Lunar New Year before Corona 19. There is also face-to-face contact with residents of facilities such as nursing hospitals is possible.
Face-to-face contact was also restricted during Chuseok last year, but from October 4 last year, restrictions on visits to facilities susceptible to infection were lifted, making face-to-face visits possible this Lunar New Year. However, visitors must receive a negative test with a self-diagnosis kit before visiting the facility, and only those who have completed the 3rd and 4th vaccine or additional vaccinations during the winter can go out.
eastsea@newyddion1.kr
