South Korea - The African Mirror

Jun

2021

Watchdog says ‘pervasive’ digital sex crime affecting life for S.Korean women, girls

JOSH SMITH DIGITAL sex crime is now so pervasive in South Korea that the fear of it is affecting the quality of life for women and girls, with many victims saying they had considered suicide or leaving the country, according to human rights watchdog. South Korea has become the global epicentre of spycam - the use of tiny, hidden cameras to film victims naked, urinating or having sex. Other cases have involved intimate photos being leaked without permission, or sex abuse such as rapes captured on camera and the videos shared online. Victims are often traumatized further and become "immersed…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

‘My romance, your adultery’

WORLD

HYONHEE SHIN SOUTH Koreans disillusioned with President Moon Jae-in's ruling Democratic Party had a single word to sum up their disgust with political leaders they perceive as hypocritical and inept. "Naeronambul" translates to "If I do it, it's a romance. If you do it, it's adultery." The taunt began ringing in Democrats' ears last year, and they heard it a lot while campaigning for mayoral elections in Seoul and Busan this week, contests they lost by embarrassing margins. Limited to one term in office, Moon enters his last year with a majority in parliament, but his government has made damaging…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

EXCLUSIVE-Hundreds of Thai workers found dying in South Korea with numbers rising

WORLD

NANCHANOK WONGSAMUTH and GRACE MOON THE deaths of hundreds of mainly undocumented Thai migrant workers in South Korea have been uncovered by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, prompting the United Nations to call for an inquiry into the fate of migrants known as "little ghosts". At least 522 Thais have died in South Korea since 2015 - 84% of whom were undocumented - found data from the Thai embassy in Seoul obtained via a freedom of information (FOI) request. Four in 10 deaths were recorded as due to unknown causes while others were health related, accidents and suicides. The number of…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Five South Koreans die after getting flu shots, sparking vaccine fears

WORLD

SANGMI CHA FIVE people have died after getting flu shots in South Korea in the past week, authorities said, raising concerns over the vaccine's safety just as the seasonal inoculation programme is expanded to head off potential COVID-19 complications. Authorities said there was no reason to believe the deaths were linked to the vaccine but an investigation, including post mortems, was underway. "It makes it hard for us to put out a categorical statement," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing on Wednesday about the deaths, which include a 17-year-old boy and a man in his 70s. Coming just…