Former KBS newsroom chief reveals Blue House control of reporting

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Published on Sunday, 25 May 2014 16:28
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Posted on : May.17,2014 12:45 KST

 

 

 

 
Former KBS newsroom chief Kim Si-gon leaves a press conference at the broadcaster’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido neighborhood where he resigned over comments he made regarding the Sewol ferry sinking, May 9. (by Kim Bong-kyu, staff photographer)

 

Crisis at broadcaster resulting in resignations and suspicions that government is dictating coverage to suit its political ends

By Kim Hyo-sil and Lee Jung-gook, staff reporters

 

With former KBS newsroom chief Kim Si-gon, blowing the cover on the Blue House’s control of broadcasters

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Coast Guard officers apply for early retirement

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Published on Sunday, 25 May 2014 05:22
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Coast Guard officers apply for early retirement

By Chung Hyun-chae
 
The Korea Time
 
An increasing number of Coast Guard officers have submitted applications for early retirement since the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol.
This trend is triggering suggestions that public criticism of the Coast Guard for its poor initial response to the ferry disaster is hurting their self-esteem.
The government's plan to dismantle the agency is also prompting more officers to quit.
According to the agency, a total of 44 officers applied for early retirement as of May this year. This is compared with 47 for the whole of last year.
The

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Korean Register cleared of blame over Sewol tragedy

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Published on Friday, 23 May 2014 19:39
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Preliminary report by authorities focuses on overloading, navigation and crew training
The Korean Register of Shipping (KR) classification society, which certified the ill-fated passenger ferry Sewol, looks as if it has been cleared of being a factor in the tragedy following the completion of a preliminary report that has prompted a series of safety reforms.
The South Korean coastguard and prosecutor’s preliminary report into the accident, which claimed 300 lives, has focused on the overloading of the vessel leading to stability problems, navigation by an inexperienced officer and lack of safety training of the crew as the immediate cause.
The vessel went into a severe list during a manoeuvre on 16 April, before sinking.
The report has also highlighted delays by emergency response teams as a

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Real reform must start with ending “parachute appointments”

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Published on Thursday, 22 May 2014 06:18
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Posted on : May.21,2014 16:30

 

 

In her May 19 address to the public on the Sewol ferry sinking, President Park Geun-hye announced her plans to root out the so-called “government mafia.” She singled the group out as the rotten link in collusion between the public and private sectors - winking at each other’s behavior and looking the other way, while risking the public’s lives. But she did not say one word about the practice that has helped this “mafia” to flourish, namely the “parachute appointments” by which friends and supporters are unfairly installed in high places. Under the

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