EXO Luhan sues SM to end exclusive contract

Luhan, the Chinese member of K-pop boy band EXO, filed for the termination of his exclusive contract against S.M. Entertainment chief executive Lee Young-man and the star agency on Thursday.

Luhan submitted the legal documents to the Seoul Central District Court allegedly to partially nullify the exclusive contract that he had signed on entering the country’s largest entertainment agency by market capitalization.

Although the specific cause of the lawsuit was not publicly revealed, he is expected to wage a legal battle similar to that of former EXO leader Kris. Kris, too, sued S.M. on May 15 to end his exclusive contract, citing exploitation of basic human rights.

Luhan entrusted the case to Hankyul Law Group, the law firm that also represented Kris.

Later in the day, S.M. released an official statement, alleging that Luhan “has no reason to file a lawsuit as was the case with Kris.” It stated, “It is likely that, upon gaining immense popularity through (EXO), he is putting his own good ahead of the group activities and those who are engaged in the contract.”

The agency also claimed, “There seems to be an outside influence (over Luhan).

“We plan to take active cooperation with our global partners, including those of China, and the legal practitioners.”

Prior to the court filing, Luhan has been mostly absent from the entertainment scene, citing health issues. The singer also excused himself from EXO’s first exclusive concert in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 13 and 14, allegedly due to a headache.

In recent years, the abuse controversy involving K-pop stars and their agencies has gained public attention, with a series of legal actions by globally popular singers. The three former members of TVXQ, now JYJ, Hankyung of Super Junior and Kris of EXO have taken legal action against S.M. Entertainment.

Hankyung, a Chinese member of boy band Super Junior, sued S.M. in late 2009, claiming that his contract with the agency was unfair. In mid-2009, three former members of TVXQ -– Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu -– also filed an injunction to undo their exclusive contract with S.M.

The latest dispute of similar nature was brought up in another star label, Star Empire Entertainment Co., by ZE:A leader Moon Joon-young. Moon, however, revoked his manifesto after he had “an all-night candid talk with CEO Shin Ju-hak.”

These boy band members resented the common issues of the agencies’ maltreatment, hectic work schedules and unfair distribution of profit.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)

EXO Luhan and the legal information on his filing. (OSEN, Seoul Central District Court)

EXO Lay supports Luhan's decision to fight against S.M. agency
http://www.kpopherald.com/view.php?ud=201410101437590770408_2

Hankook Tire breaks ground on Tennessee plant

Hankook Tire CEO Suh Seung-hwa (fifth from left), Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (sixth from left) and other company and government officials attend the ground-breaking ceremony for the tire maker’s new plant in the U.S. state on Thursday.

Hankook Tire Co., the world’s seventh-largest tire maker by sales volume, said Friday that it has begun construction work on its first U.S.-based production facility in Tennessee.

The company, one of the fastest-growing tire manufacturers in the world, said the new plant, which is expected to start production in 2016, will have a capacity of 11 million units.

The tire maker is investing some $800 million in the 469-acre plant in Clarksville, estimated to create 1,800 new jobs for the community.

It said most of the products made will be sold in the North American market, giving the company the opportunity to strengthen its engagement with U.S.-based automakers.

The company added that output from its U.S. plant will push up annual global production to well over the 100 million mark. The company, which currently has plants in South Korea, China, Hungary and Indonesia, aims to produce 95 million tires this year.

“The plant will be a pivotal instrument to accommodate our growing business in the United States and to propel a well-balanced global production portfolio,” Suh Seung-hwa, vice chairman and CEO of Hankook Tire, said at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday. The ceremony was attended by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

The 73-year-old company has steadily increased its presence in the world’s largest economy. It set up its American regional headquarters in 1981 and built its Akron Technical Center in 1992. (Yonhap)

Kim’s Absence Risks Growing Unease Among North Korea Elite Ranks

Kim Jong Un hasn’t been seen in public for five weeks with his absence potentially unnerving the North Korean elite whose loyalty he needs to stay in power, and making an erratic regime even more unpredictable. 

North and South Korean forces exchanged fire yesterday across one of the world’s most-fortified borders for the second time in less than a week. The firefight came hours after Kim skipped an annual visit to a family mausoleum for the first time since coming to power in late 2011, further fueling speculation about his health and grip on power. 

“Kim’s health problem will ramp up feelings of insecurity among the North Korean leadership and make them react more nervously,” Cheong Seong Chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute near Seoul, said in an e-mail. “Should he remain secluded longer or have trouble performing his job, agitation within the leadership will inevitably follow while his control weakens and senior officials just pretend to follow him.” 

Kim hasn’t been seen since Sept. 3, when he attended a concert, and has appeared to walk with a limp in recent months. North Korea’s state television said on Sept. 25 that he was experiencing “discomfort.” While the elite who live in the capital Pyongyang with generous housing and food allowances may be seeking to decipher the euphemism, regular North Koreans could be more indifferent to Kim’s absence.

“They probably couldn’t care less if their leaders appear or not,” Ahn Chan Il, a North Korean defector who heads the Seoul-based World Institute for North Korea Studies, said by phone. “If he appears, it’s fine. If he doesn’t, it’s fine, too, as long as it doesn’t cause economic trouble for them. But it’s different for the elite, whose doubts will grow.”

Father’s Absence

Pressure may be building on Kim to make an appearance, Ahn said, as his absence has fanned debate about him being sidelined by gout or diabetes or being overthrown in a coup. It has added to concerns outside North Korea that the regime’s military chiefs may attempt some sort of provocation to unite the elite, Cheong at the Sejong Institute said. 

Kim’s late father, Kim Jong Il, disappeared for more than two months in 2008 after suffering what South Korea and the U.S. believed to be a stroke. In the following year North Korea fired a long-range rocket, left international disarmament talks and conducted its second underground nuclear test. 

South Korea yesterday damped speculation Kim Jong Un’s absence from public view signaled a power shift. 

“It appears Kim Jong Un is ruling normally,” Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong Cheol said at a briefing yesterday in Seoul. The ministry based its view on greetings Kim sent to President Park Geun Hye via a senior delegation that visited the South on Oct. 4 and the fact the North has been reporting on “matters related to Kim’s leadership.”

Warning Shots

Three days after that high-level visit, the two countries’ navies traded warning shots near their disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea. Today North Korea fired multiple rounds from what is believed to be a 14.5mm heavy machine gun across the border, prompting the South to return fire, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said. No damage was reported from either incident. 

Kim, who regularly appeared in state media overseeing everything from missile launches to grain harvests, missed a session of parliament on Sept. 25. South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Sept. 30 that he was hospitalized after surgery on both ankles to address an injury sustained during field supervisions in June. 

“The condition of the North Korean leader is the domestic affair of North Korea, and we don’t comment on that,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters yesterday in Beijing. “China and North Korea have maintained friendly exchanges at various levels.”

‘Still Recovering’

“Nothing yet indicates there’s a big problem with Kim Jong Un’s absolute power,” Kim Jung Bong, who served in South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and now teaches political science at Hanzhong University, said by phone. “He probably had ankle surgery, and if he doesn’t show up, that means he’s still recovering.” 

The U.S., South Korea and even China, which has been North Korea’s biggest benefactor, monitor military activity in the country for indications of political instability such as a coup or an assassination. U.S. and South Korean defense officials say they haven’t seen abnormal or noticeable changes by the Korean People’s Army to back such scenarios. 

Kim, believed to be about 30, is the subject of intense scrutiny because he exerts dynastic control over 1.2 million troops and a nuclear arms program. He has spent his time in power purging senior officials and installing loyalists to top positions.

Defector Network

“At least in the short term, no major problems will shake the stability of the North Korean regime,” Cheong from the Sejong Institute said. “On top of a monarchical political culture that justifies the third-generation succession, Kim Jong Un has replaced core officials with his confidants and removed anyone who’s not loyal to him since Kim Jong Il’s death.” 

Speculation over who is in control escalated last week when Hwang, the top political officer in the North’s military, and two other officials made a surprise visit to the South for talks that ended in a pledge to improve ties. South Korea’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl Jae said on KBS Television on Oct. 5 that Kim Yang Gon, the North’s top policymaker on ties with the South, told him during the visit there was “no problem at all” with the leader’s health. 

Most attempts at insight on North Korea are made by defectors or nongovernmental rights organizations that maintain contact with North Koreans through illegal mobile phones or USB drives that are smuggled across the Chinese border.

Famine, Currency

Their reports can be highly unreliable, said Kim from Hanzhong University. He cited a rumor last month that a coup led by North Korean military officer Jo Myong Rok toppled Kim. Jo has been dead since 2010. 

Still, defectors have broken some of the most important news about North Korea in recent decades, such as the great famine in the 1990s that killed an estimated 2 million people and the botched 2009 currency overhaul that sent the North Korean won plunging 96 percent. 

Should young Kim suffer a sudden death, the stakes are high because there is no clear path of succession. There’s been no mention in state media of the young Kim and his wife Ri having children. That raises the prospect of powerful figures in the military taking over and struggling to claim the divine right of leadership that the Kim dynasty has cultivated.

‘Golden Ring’

The young Kim consolidated his grip on power by purging senior officials, including the removal in July 2012 of Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong Ho, who guided him in the succession process. In December, Kim removed his uncle and de facto deputy, Jang Song Thaek, on charges of factionalism and graft, and then had him executed. 

“With all of the purges of hundreds of officials in the last several years, really there is no sense as to who the next leader would be if there is a sudden departure by Kim,” said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based policy research group. 

“No one knows who would get the golden ring of power.” (Bloomberg)

Samsung Chairman's eldest daughter files for divorce

The eldest daughter of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee is going through divorce proceedings, the company said Saturday.

Ending a 15-year marriage, Lee Bu-jin, 44, filed for divorce mediation with her 46-year-old husband, Im Woo-jae, at the Seongnam branch of Suwon District Court on Wednesday, according to the company. 

Meditation during divorce is a way of finding solutions to issues such as child custody and spousal support without a formal trial. When an agreement is not reached amicably, a divorce trial can take place. 

The younger Lee currently heads Hotel Shilla, the group's hotel unit, while Im serves as the vice-president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co.

Born in 1968, Im joined Samsung C&T in 1995 and met the younger Lee in May of that year while performing extension work. The two married in 1999 and have one son. (Yonhap)

Sankei reporter appears again before prosecutors over Park article

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/141002/sankei-reporter-appears-again-prosecutors-over-park-ar

The Seoul bureau chief of Japan's mass-circulation daily Sankei Shimbun appeared before prosecutors for a third time Thursday for questioning about a controversial article suspected of having defamed President Park Geun Hye.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office previously grilled Tatsuya Kato, 48, on Aug. 18 and 20. At the end of August the office was poised to mete out criminal punishment, but decided to postpone a decision. With Thursday's questioning, it is possible that the investigation has entered the final stage.

A conservative civic organization filed a defamation suit against the newspaper's bureau on Aug. 9 over the article, which was carried in the Aug. 3 online edition of the newspaper.

The article, which cited rumors in the stock brokerage industry and in a South Korean newspaper, suggested Park, who is single, was not at the presidential office during a seven-hour period on the day of a deadly ferry disaster in April, and may have been secretly meeting with a recently divorced former aide.

According to sources familiar with the case, the authorities were planning to have Kato indicted without arrest, but are now giving careful consideration to the backlash such an indictment could ignite, amid concerns raised by foreign media over threats to freedom of the press. As a result, prosecutors may grant a suspension of prosecution.

Kato was supposed to take up a new posting at the newspaper's Tokyo head office from Wednesday, but has been unable to leave South Korea due to a travel ban still in place.

==Kyodo

Prosecutors look into alleged salvage ship corruption

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Monday began a probe into possible military procurement corruption involving a faulty Navy salvage ship that failed to participate in the national rescue operation for the ferry Sewol that sank off the southwest coast in April.

Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office said its investigators searched the office of the Korean partner of an American company that supplied a sonar system for the ship and homes of relevant people to obtain documents and computer files related to the supply contract.

The military completed the construction of the first South Korea-built salvage ship Tongyeong with local shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding

Copyright Yonhap News Agency, 2014. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

PROTESTERS ASK SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT FOR TRUTH ABOUT SEWOL FERRY DISASTER

PROTESTERS ASK SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT FOR TRUTH ABOUT SEWOL FERRY DISASTER

Protestors stood behind a barricade on East 47th street in Manhattan as policemen beyond tried to regulate the crowd.

September 24, 2014

New York City- A group of 20 South Koreans waved yellow and black signs at Second Avenue and East 47th Street where a barricade blocked protestors from entering the area surrounding United Nations (UN) headquarters. They gathered this morning to protest their government’s controversial handling of the Sewol Ferry tragedy earlier this year. Four days prior, 300 protestors held pictures of the ferry victims outside the UN.

On Sunday, September 21st just outside the UN, each protestor held up a photo of one of the 304 victims of the ferry disaster.

On April 16, 2014, Sewol capsized just off the southwest coast of the Korean peninsula in an area known for tourism, after taking a sharp left turn for reasons still unknown. Ferry passengers were wrongly told to remain in the ship as it sank, and the crew, the coast guard, and the navy failed to make rescue efforts in time. The disaster killed 304 people, 250 of whom were school children. The ferry’s captain is on trial for homicide and the crew is being charged with negligence. Last week, one of the crewmembers admitted in-court to drinking beer as the ship sank, inciting more outrage.

The protests coincided with the visit of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who spoke this morning at the 69th UN General Assembly. One of the focal points of her speech was human rights violations in North Korea.

The activists picketing outside criticized the president for not concentrating more on unresolved political and social issues in South Korea. Emily Heo, a South Korean working in NY as a restaurant consultant, said, “Our president has lied to the public several times about this matter. She has blocked a full investigation after saying she would allow it. Now she’s here today talking about North Korea, but what about her own country?”

 September 24th, protestors held signs asking for truth, transparency and justice to the families of the victims.

Heo and her fellow protesters point to the lack of transparency in the way the South Korean government has dealt with the ferry company, which it owns in part, as a sign of corruption. Chin-Kon Kim, a NY-based writer from South Korea, said, “This kind of protest we are having here today is not allowed in South Korea. There is no freedom of speech. Pro-government groups are accusing us of being communists to silence our protests.”

Demonstrators in South Korea are taking on alternative, extreme strategies. Kim Young-Oh, the father of one of the Sewol ferry victims, held a 45-day hunger strike in protest.

President Geun-hye has expressed sympathy to the victims’ families, relating their emotions to those she felt after the assassination of her parents during her twenties. Her mother was killed by a bullet meant for her father, Park Chung-hee, president of South Korea from 1961 to 1979, when his intelligence chief murdered him. 

Last week, she declined a request from her political opposition that she should intervene in the debate over a proposed new judicial investigation of the ferry disaster. Her office should refrain, she said, to protect the independence of the courts.

 

A New York Times ad for the Sewol Truth campaign coincided with the protests. 

The grassroots organization Sewol Truth formed in order to continue the pressure on the government for a full, transparent investigation. The UN protest remained peaceful as the group handed out flyers about the Sewol Truth petition, which is now half way to its goal of 10 million supporters. Heo said, “We are just asking for basic rights in South Korea- justice, freedom of speech, and an end to censorship of the media.”