Tag: Germany

I wonder how much of news story the search for Chung Yoo-ra is in Germany?  I scanned through various English language German news sites and could find no articles describing the search for Chung.  It seems as long as the search for Chung does not become a major national news story in Germany she should be able to hide out pretty effectively from the Korean media searching for her:

As Korean prosecutors search for Chung Yoo-ra to question her over how much she benefited from the corruption scandal involving her mother Choi Soon-sil and President Park Geun-hye, it was reported that Chung had abandoned more than 10 pets at her German home before fleeing.

Chung reportedly stayed at a luxury hotel in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe, some 140 kilometers south of Frankfurt, from late November until early December. She did not have her 10 large dogs and a cat with her, according to TV Chosun.

“It appears that she abandoned her pets because carrying them will make her more noticeable to public eyes while on the run,” the report said, after reporters visited the hotel’s most expensive suite that Chung paid 300,000 won ($248) a day for. [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

I have never heard of an military arms rooms getting broken into.  Considering the security that goes with an arms room I think this has to be an inside job by someone who had access to the arms room.  Has any ROK Heads ever heard of an arms room getting broken into?:

Special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating the theft of guns and other military equipment from a base arms room in Stuttgart, military officials said.

“Several semi-automatic pistols, one small-caliber automatic rifle and a shotgun were among the items taken,” said Chris Grey, a CID spokesman.

The Army did not identify all the items stolen or the unit targeted, citing the active investigation. A possible breach of the base fence is also part of the ongoing probe.

“We are looking at all possibilities as the investigation continues, but at this point in the investigation it does not appear that an outside entity stole the firearms and equipment or breached the fence line, but we have not completely ruled it out,” Grey said.  [Stars & Stripes]

I would think the first person to ask what happened would be the unit armorer who has the code to enter into the arms room.  For example did he give the code out to someone else that wasn’t authorized to open the arms room?

Could you imagine what would happen to the US military if it soldiers were limited to a 41 hour work week?  Imagine what the over time bill would like after a year long deployment:

The German military, once the most feared fighting force in Europe, is being forced to lay down its weapons by restrictive new overtime limits.

German soldiers taking part in a four-week Nato exercise in Norway earlier this year had to leave after just 12 days because they had gone over their overtime limits, it has emerged.

Troops have complained to a parliamentary watchdog that they are being forced to spend entire days doing nothing under the new rules.  (…..)

Under the latest reforms, in force since January, the military working week has been reduced to 41 hours and troops can no longer be paid for working overtime.

Instead they must be compensated with alternate time off.

Mr Bertels, an MP appointed to oversee the armed forces, said the new rules had forced training camps to close at 4.30pm and left soldiers stranded on base.  [The Telegraph via reader tip]

You can read more at the link.

Here is a good safety tip for those who plan to conduct a exorcism any time soon, make sure the person you plan to exorcise has the ability to breathe:

A 41-year-old Korean woman was found dead in a guest room of a hotel in Frankfurt last week, the victim of a supposed exorcism performed by her own family members.

German prosecutors said on Thursday five Koreans, including the dead woman’s teenage son, were arrested at the scene for suspected murder.

Police found the woman’s body tied to a bed in a guest room at the Frankfurt Hotel InterContinental on Dec. 5.

She had been beaten repeatedly on her chest and stomach over a two-hour period and finally suffocated to death, according to prosecutors.

The accused were mostly relatives of the victim. They included her 15-year-old son, a 44-year-old relative and her 21-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter, and an unrelated boy aged 15.

The family members had allegedly been trying to drive a demon from the woman, believing her to be possessed.

Her mouth had been gagged with a towel to stifle screams and a cloth-covered coat hanger was pushed down her throat.

The woman died from suffocation as a result of massive chest compression, as well as trauma to her neck, according to prosecutors.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

As I was browsing through the Stars & Stripes archives I found this interesting nugget that the first German to gain Korean citizenship, Fritz Hohmann did so in 1967 in Yeosu of all places:

December 2, 1967 edition of the Stars & Stripes

I wonder if Mr. Hohmann decided to stay in Korea or not over the long term?  Considering that he received citizenship and changed his name to Yongbu Homan it seems he was committed to living his life out in South Korea. I hope everything worked out for the best for him.