Schools in Seoul still face hazards including sex criminals in the vicinity, old and battered buildings, and asbestos, according to data presented by lawmakers, showing the nationwide concerns sparked by the deadly ferry tragedy in April have done little to boost efforts to secure student safety.Some 94 percent of 599 elementary schools in Seoul have at least one convicted sex criminal living within a 1-kilometer radius, Rep. Park Nam-choon of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy said Monday

Floor leaders from the ruling and opposition parties on Monday agreed to hold weekly meetings to discuss an array of outstanding government reform plans that the rival parties are expected to clash over at parliament’s extraordinary session this month. The meetings are an attempt to minimize partisan battles in the National Assembly, with hopes that legislators will pass proposed anticorruption bills, conduct the Sewol investigations and finalize government restructure plans before parliament’s

Prosecutors on Friday requested a preliminary arrest warrant for Yoo Byung-eon, the de facto owner of the Sewol, on the charges of embezzlement, negligence and tax evasion after he disobeyed the summons for questioning. Yoo and his family are suspected of illegally pocketing billions of won in company funds from several of their affiliates.The Incheon District Court said that it would review the prosecution’s request on Tuesday.Yoo’s eldest son Dae-gyun, is currently on the run from the prosecut

Coast Guard divers prepare to jump into waters off the country`s southwest coast on May 1 to search for the missing people from the sinking of the ferry Sewol. (Yonhap)The sunken ferry Sewol lacked features for holding cargo in place, investigators said Thursday.According to the investigation team, the Sewol was fitted with an insufficient number of cones ― structural features used to hold cargo containers in place ― and lacked turnbuckles. Due to the lack of turnbuckles, equipment used to hold

Businessman Kim Seok-ki and his wife and actress Yoon Suk-hwa have been included on the list of those who established paper companies in tax havens, a local journalists’ group said Thursday.The Korea Center for Investigative Journalism, a nonprofit organization also known as Newstapa, released five names ― three businessmen, a university president and an actress ― in its third announcement of the list of Koreans with offshore financial accounts allegedly to operate slush funds or evade taxes. Th

비영리 독립언론 뉴스타파와 국제탐사보도언론 인협회(ICIJ)가 30일 발표한 조세피난처 3차 명단에는 한국의 대표적인 금융인, 예술인, 기업인, 교육인이 두루 포함됐다.뉴스타파는 이날 김석기 전 중앙종금 사장, 김 전 사장의 부인 연극인 윤석화씨, 이수형 현 삼성전자 준법경영실 전무, 조원표 현 앤비아트제이 대표, 전성용 경동대학교 총장 등 5명이 영국령 버진아일랜드와 싱가포르 등에 페이퍼컴퍼니를 설립해 운영해온 사실을 확인했다고 공개했다. ◇ 김석기 전 중앙종금 사장•연극인 윤석화씨 부부 등이날 명단에서 눈에 띄는 인물은 김석기 전 중앙종금 사장이다. 그는 외환위기 이후 40대 초반에 한누리투자증권, 중앙종금 사장에 오르며 '금융계의 풍운아'로 불렸다. 그러나 주가조작 혐의로 검찰에 수배돼 2000년 8월부터 해외도피 중이다.그는 버진아일랜드에 있는 6개 회사에 이사•주주로 이름을 올렸다. 가장 오래된 것은 1990년 영국령 버진아일랜드에 세운 '프리미어 코퍼레이션'이란 유령회사다

한국탐사저널리즘센터는 월요일 조세피난처에 페이퍼컴퍼니를 설립한, 4개의 재벌기업과 관련, 7명의 한국인 2차 명단을 발표했다.재벌그룹의 전, 현직 임원 등 7명은 국세청의 유령회사를 통한 탈세 혐의 관련 정밀 조사를 받게 될 예정이다.공개된 2차 명단에는 최은영 한진해운 회장, 조용민 전 한진해운 홀딩스 대표를 포함해 황용득 한화역사 사장, 조민호 전 SK증권 대표이사 부회장과 부인, 이덕규 전 대우인터내셔널 이사, 유춘식 전 대우폴라드차 사장 등이 포함됐다.뉴스타파라고도 알려진 한국탐사저널리즘센터는 한진해운 최은영 회장과 조용민 전 대표가 2008년 버진아일랜드에 페이퍼컴퍼니를 설립했다고 말했으며, 최회장이 조세피난처의 지분 90퍼센트를 가지고 있으며 나머지를 2011년에 사임한 조 대표가 보유하고 있다.한진해운은 성명을 통해, 페이퍼컴퍼니 설립을 인정 했으나, 필요성이 없어 2011년 정리했다고 밝혔다.한화그룹과 국영기업 코레일이 합작해 만든 역사개발 전문 회사, 한화역사의 사장

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.The seven were found to be incumbent and former executives of chaebol, and are expected to be scrutinized by the National Tax Service for any signs of tax evasion or avoidance through those ghost companies.They are: Choi Eun-young, chairwoman and CEO of Hanjin Shipping; Cho Yo

The French Chamber of Commerce plans to discuss the impact of the eurozone crisis on the local economy at a seminar in Seoul on Wednesday.Guest speakers will be Yonsei-SERI EU Center director Park Young-ryeol, Le Figaro correspondent Sebastien Falletti, deputy bureau chief for Reuters Korea Yoo Choon-sik and Coface Services Korea general manager Ryu Jin-hak.The lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. at the Novotel Seoul Ambassador Gangnam hotel in Yeoksam-dong.The meeting will be held in English and