Latest Archives

"Blue-eyed Korean Culture"

Written by dvm Monday, 05 July 2010 01:33

Jeonju Traditional Culture Center opened July 2nd. Foreign students from Hannam University attended the cultural training program to experience traditional Korean culture. Courtesy, Jeonbuk ilbo.

Robbing the poor: welfare embezzlers caught

Written by syh Sunday, 04 July 2010 10:26

Gunsan Maritime police arrested a 'reverse Robin Hood', robbing the poor. A certain Mr. Gang and 5 others were caught skimming 316 million won from a Gunsan welfare fund. They spread out the scam by budget-bloating many legitimate building contracts, and other projects around the area since 2005. Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

106 students arrested in school violence crackdown:

Written by dvm Sunday, 04 July 2010 09:54

Schools have been reporting a surge in gangster-style violence cases involving assault and imprisonment, blackmail, intimidation, bullying and physical or mental, or inflicting property damage of older students upon younger. Jeonbuk Provincial police launched an investigation in May, and have since made 106 arrests. "We will continue our efforts," said a police spokesperson, "to ensure that our schools are free of violence and fear."
Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.
Students, are there bullies intimidating you at school? Teachers, do your students live in fear? Is bullying a major factor in their lives? Perhaps you could do an anonymous poll in your classrooms next semester. This is a very important issue, and we would like to know more. Send comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Fire destroys auto parts manufacturing plant

Written by syh Saturday, 03 July 2010 01:50

Iksan: 40 workers were quick to evacuate when their auto parts plant burst into flames for reasons yet unknown. 125 firefighters in 25 trucks took three hours to begin controlling the blaze. Firefighters estimate the damage at 300 million won. The cause is still under investigation. Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Is The Jeonju Hub displaying correctly?

Written by dvm Saturday, 03 July 2010 01:22

We frequently receive messages that The Jeonju Hub displays kinda wonky. Most often the right column (Events, Bulletin Board) shows up way down below the rest of the page, and some text cannot be made out. We have struggled with this a lot, and don't seem to be winning. We will keep at it until the mystery is solved. In the meantime, there is something you can do to fix it right now. This display problem happens on very old versions of Internet Explorer. If you update your browser, or switch to one of the better browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Opera, all will be well again. More.

Office worker vacation survey

Written by dvm Thursday, 01 July 2010 09:46

70% of Jeonju's office workers said yes to the survey asking if they will take a vacation.
Last year it was only 54.2%. The best place for holidays, according to the survey: 73% beach, 17.9% overseas travel. Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Teacher takes school to labor board--justly?

Written by dvm Thursday, 01 July 2010 09:31

A Jeonju academy teacher has filed a case against her employer for wrongful dismissal. However, according to witnesses, she told the school she will quit in the eleventh month of her one year contract, and she still wanted a flight home and a one year completion bonus. Plus, she demanded written assurance that the school would not replace her earlier than she wanted. When her demands were not met, the relationship deteriorated. On June 14, despite encouragements to keep working, she stopped coming to work--effectively quitting the same job twice. Now a school who has only paid fairly, on time, (and too much,) sits head-in-hands at the labor board dealing with their very first foreign teacher. Meanwhile there are at least 10 teachers in Jeonju who would kill to have that job. This teacher has waged an active smear campaign against any who disagree with her. (See The Jeonju Hub's first Viditorial.)

Busan rapist-killer sentenced to 20 years then death

Written by bbj Wednesday, 30 June 2010 09:26

Mr. GilTae Kim (33), who brutally raped then murdered a schoolgirl (13) in February, was sentenced to 20 years with a gps bracelet, then the death penalty. The judge stated, "Capital punishment is a terrible and unusual punishment for a civilized society; but this man must be forever isolated from us." The length of his jail term is not mentioned. The logistics, or rather the logic is rather baffling. The article reads that the electronic tracking bracelet would be applied if he gets out.  [Gets out!!?? Parole? ..then execution? "Ok, GilTae, you have been a good prisoner for 9 years, you can go now. Report to your parole officer every day, ok? You might want to stay away from schoolyards. Oh, and, uh, don't forget to drop by in 11 years so we can kill you." It appears the judge is trying to insure his ruling against forseeable death-penalty legislation changes. If the sentence gets commuted, or the death penalty overturned, the bracelet can as well. -Ed.] Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo. Read more here. Some protest his innocence.

Chonbuk National University Hospital scores perfect in dialysis

Written by bbj Tuesday, 29 June 2010 21:47

According to 'dialysis adequacy assessments' done by Korea's Health Insurance Review Agency, CNUH scored perfect scores across the board in hemodialysis procedures. The national average was about 89 points. Evaluations covered water purity, Hepatitis B client isolation procedures, accuracy and safety, doctor and nurse performance, client satisfaction and much more. Hospital administrator YoungGun Kim responded with delight and determination: "We Have been working hard to improve client satisfaction, and we will try harder." Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Burning anger

Written by bbj Monday, 28 June 2010 09:54

A 50 year-old Gochang farm equipment repair shop owner had his drivers' license revoked for a DUI. He was so angry that he lit his shop (actually owned by his wife) on fire. The fire destroyed 260 square metres of tools and farm equipmnet valued at around 27 million won. Now he has much bigger problems than his drivers' license. Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Riverstock 2010

Written by dvm Sunday, 27 June 2010 08:48

Riverstock went off successfully under overcast skies. Turnout was reduced somewhat due to threatening skies, but it didn't really rain. Those in attendance had a really good time. The daytime program included an art exhibit, and international food vendors. [I had one of Nate's tacos: superb! -Ed.] The evening production included a fashion show, a dance team, a belly dancer, and several music performances (one is the Hub's Feature Video right now).  Riverstock has great promise as a rapidly growing annual event. 

Riverstock sets up

Written by dvm Saturday, 26 June 2010 12:00

The threat of rain has not deterred organizers of Jeonju's first "Riverstock." Woodstock wasn't afraid of a little rain; neither is Jeonju's Riverstock. This is a multicultural festival, complete with art show, diverse foods, and live bands, taking place on the Samcheon river in Samcheondong, southwest Jeonju (see map).  Riverstock promises to be an event worth attending, and The Jeonju Hub promises to give coverage of this event. But there's nothing like the real thing, so check it out for yourself! Riverstock is on now, June 26, from 1:30 till late at night.

Jeonju police launch Car modifications and permits crackdown

Written by bbj Wednesday, 23 June 2010 09:45

From June 21 until October 31, Jeonju police will stage an intensive crackdown on vehicle modifications. This will cover anything from street rods to work trucks, high-intensity headlights, damaged or missing license plates. [Perhaps the crackdown will address missing mufflers on motorcycles? Broadcast speakers on political, religious, and vendor vehicles? -Ed.] Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Iksan man suspected of murdering lover hangs self

Written by bbj Wednesday, 23 June 2010 09:34

A 44 year-old man under investigation for the possible homicide of his girlfriend in MoHyeonDong, Iksan has escaped into the next life. The smell was reported to police by an area cardboard collector. Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

19yr-old ends argument with mom by jumping from 16th floor

Written by syh Saturday, 19 June 2010 11:05

HyojaDong, Jeonju, in an apartment not far from Hyoja Elementary: A 19-year-old young man was in a prolonged and bitter argument with his mother, neighbors say, before he screamed an angry farewell at her and left by the balcony window--on the 16th floor. He was impaled on a tree at the base of the building. Police had to remove the tree to take his body away. Incidentally, the following day, police had a moving lift up to said balcony for investigative purposes. On their lunch break, water from the clean-up below caused the lift's outrigger to sink in the mud. The extended lift slid over and off the building, crashing into the next building. No injuries were reported. (Witness source)

Said the spider to the fly...

Written by syh Wednesday, 16 June 2010 09:17

Men in their 40's find hot girls in online chat rooms. Some make quite a connection. Soon, they agree to meet in a Jeonju motel. When the mark enters the room, he is jumped, beaten, robbed, and, if he is married or a prominent business or churchman, he is extorted. In the most recent investigation, a man was robbed, confined and extorted for his bank balance while his car was taken and sold. Some of the accomplices were as young as fifteen years old. Two slightly different manifestations of this same scam have been reported here before.(1, 2) It  seems to be a fairly steady trend. It is not difficult to estimate that this happens much more than is reported. Just think of all the guys too ashamed to go to the police.
When questioned, he victim said, "It's really just the same as my relationships with women, only faster." [OK, he didn't really say that ^^. -Ed.]
Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.
Have you read the poem? 

Gimje grain mill blaze

Written by syh Tuesday, 15 June 2010 23:05

A major grain mill in Gimje, caught fire at midnight on the 15th. Grain dust is very flammable, even explosive. The fire department and staff initially guess that barley dust collected near an electric motor. The fire department controlled the fire after thirty minutes. Property damage has been estimated at 46 million won. There was no loss of life. Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Inside Jeonju

Written by dvm Tuesday, 15 June 2010 09:49

Looking for good eating and drinking in Jeonju? Introducing Inside Jeonju, a superb dining and nightlife guide for the Jeonju area. Local expats Andy Clay and Rob McGovern have put together a dynamic site that will appeal to any palate. They have even mapped out the city on a custom Google map. A very impressive undertaking.  If you are in Jeonju, and if you eat, you owe it to yourself to check out this great site.

Public servant-car-vandal's tragic end

Written by bbj Sunday, 13 June 2010 09:38

City worker, Mr. Woo, 46, was caught vandalizing the cars of his co-workers and employers at City Hall in February. Damages had reached 70 million won by the time they figured out who was doing it. He was charged by police, transferred, and had been receiving psychological treatment. On the 11th, at 8am, municipal employees found his car in the parking lot. He had rolled up his windows and lit a pile of barbeque briquettes in the car. 
Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.

Womens' center gives kinder puppet shows on sexual abuse prevention

Written by bbj Saturday, 12 June 2010 17:31

Jeonbuk ONE-STOP womens' shelter offers legal help, medical support, counselling, and now -- prevention puppet shows for kindergarten kids. They reenact suspicious situations and ask the kids, "What should I do?"  They teach the kids to make a big noise and fight and tell everyone when sexually inappropriate touching occurs, even with relatives. And of course, they cover "Don't take candy from strangers."  This 'ounce of prevention' is new to the area; and a very welcome sight.  Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.[Here's a related page worthy of reading, and thinking of how you could take a pro-active role in the safety of your children and students. -Ed.]