Internet celebrity under fire for inappropriate comments after drunk driving accident

A South Korean internet celebrity is being pelted with criticism over causing a drunk driving accident and then joking that she may as well have "killed" the victim. The YouTube streamer in her 20s is being investigated for drunk driving, according to the officials at the Incheon Bupyeong Police Station. She is accused of ramming her car into another at around 12:40 a.m. last Friday in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Her blood alcohol level tested at

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Hot weather has leaves turning later

Unseasonably warm weather with day highs of around 20 degrees Celsius has delayed the autumn foliage peak, leaving large parts of Korea’s major foliage hotspots green as of Wednesday. Of the 21 hotspots the Korea Meteorological Administration monitored, seven -- including Naejangsan in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, famous for its maple leaves -- had not reached their foliage peak Wednesday. The KMA announces the “peak” when 80 percent of the place is covered with autumn foli

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

City rents home near infamous child rapist

Judicial and police officers will keep a close eye on notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon's new home from literally across the street, as the city government of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, said Wednesday that it had rented a unit near his residence. Cho, who was released four years ago after serving 12 years in prison for raping an 8-year-old girl, relocated to a multiunit home in Wa-dong, Danwon-gu in the same city last month. This sparked concerns over child safety in the area, despite the

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Average cash gift at weddings hits 90,000 won

The average cash gift for weddings in South Korea has reached 90,000 won ($65), marking an increase of around 20 percent over the past three years, according to data released by Kakao Pay on Monday. Based on transaction data as of September, Kakao Pay, the online payment service of Korean tech giant Kakao Corp., found that the average wedding gift money has increased 23 percent from 73,000 won in 2021 to 90,000 won in September. The amount has steadily risen in between, from 80,000 won in 2022

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Season's first frost seen in Seoul, Daejeon

The season's first frost was observed in Seoul, Daejeon and other parts of the country on Wednesday, up to 16 days later than previous years, the state weather agency said. The first frost was observed in Seoul and Suwon, south of the capital, nine days later than in the average year but two days earlier than last year, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The central cities of Daejeon and Cheongju also witnessed the first frost this fall, 16 days later and two days earlier than la

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Ukraine's Zelenskyy confirms first combat engagement with N. Korean troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the Ukrainian military's first combat engagement with North Korean troops, saying it opened a new chapter of instability in the world. Zelenskyy, in a video address posted on the Ukrainian president's official website Tuesday, said, "The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world." "I want to thank everyone in the world who reacted to the deployment of North Korean soldiers in

Foreign AffairsNov. 6, 2024

[Graphic News] Cancer leads causes of death in S. Korea

Cancer remained the leading cause of death among South Koreans last year, according to data from Statistics Korea. A total of 352,511 deaths were recorded in 2023, a decrease of 5.5 percent from the previous year, marking a decline after three years of increases. The decline in the total number of deaths is partly attributed to the country’s COVID-19 measures. However, excluding deaths due to COVID-19, the overall number of fatalities actually increased. COVID-19, which was the third lea

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Russia says N. Korea's missile tests were 'legitimate' defensive measures: TASS

MOSCOW (Yonhap) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Tuesday that North Korea's missile tests were "legitimate" defensive measures in response to what he described as the United States' "provocations," Russia's state-run news agency reported. Rudenko reiterated the stance of Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, who has defended North Korea's ballistic missile activities, which are prohibited under UN Security

North KoreaNov. 5, 2024

Yoon touts defense cooperation between S. Korea, Saudi Arabia

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday the defense industry cooperation between South Korea and Saudi Arabia will play a pivotal role in advancing the two countries' relations in a broad range of fields. Yoon called the oil-rich country a "key partner" for South Korea's economy and energy security during a meeting with Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi minister of the National Guard, at the presidential office. "The defense collaboration between the two countries would no

DefenseNov. 5, 2024

Rights commission rules abuse of foreign seasonal workers as human trafficking

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled Tuesday that numerous types of illegal abuse inflicted on a group of seasonal workers from the Philippines last year amount to human trafficking. It was the first time the commission recognized abuse against seasonal workers of foreign nationality as human trafficking. Pointing to loopholes in the system as well as insufficient government management and supervision as causes, the commission identified illegal abuse practices including: wage exp

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Drunk driver arrested for fatal collision with cyclist

A man suspected of causing a fatal car accident while driving under the influence was arrested Tuesday morning. Officers from Seongnam Sujeong Police Station took the man into custody for allegedly hitting a man in his 30s who was riding an electric bicycle in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam city in Gyeonggi Province at around 4:10 a.m. The driver reportedly fled the scene without attempting to assist the victim. The victim sustained a critical injury and died despite receiving medical treatment at a nea

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Man kills friend's wife in attempted theft of 100,000 won

An elderly man who tried to steal a small amount of money from an old friend ended up killing the friend's wife, according to the police in South Jeolla Province on Tuesday. Yeosu Police Station is currently investigating the suspect, a man in his 60s, on suspicion of murdering a woman in her 70s at around 11 p.m. on Sunday. The victim was found stabbed in the chest inside her home, and died in the early hours of Monday despite receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital. The suspect

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Pregnant woman forced to travel 200 kilometers to give birth

A 28-week pregnant woman from Daejeon had to travel 200 kilometers to Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, for an emergency delivery after nearby hospitals turned her down citing a lack of available facilities, authorities said Monday. The Daejeon Fire Department said it received a report that a woman's water broke at around 2:52 a.m. on Monday. Emergency paramedics arrived at her home and took her to a local hospital she regularly goes to, only to be told the facility could not handle an emerg

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Amid turbulence, Yoon to address nation in news conference Thursday

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a news conference on Thursday at 10 a.m., as the South Korean leader approaches the halfway point of his five-year term on Nov. 10, watchful of challenges at home and abroad. Yoon's news conference comes at a turbulent time due both to heightened external uncertainties -- as the US begins counting ballots from Wednesday here that will determine its next president as well as control of the US Congress -- as well as scandals here involving him and his wife. T

PoliticsNov. 5, 2024

Alert issued after scrub typhus surge

A surge in cases of scrub typhus at the end of October has prompted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to advise caution to avoid contact with mites. There were 312 cases of scrub typhus between Oct. 24 and 30, a fivefold increase from 57 two weeks earlier according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The disease is caused by bacteria carried by the larvae of chiggers, also known as harvest mites, which suck fluids from animals including humans. The bacteria can caus

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Seoul eyes expanding foreign caregiver pilot program

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated on Tuesday that it wants to expand its current foreign caregivers pilot program -- now a little over two months in -- to include more caregivers from Southeast Asian countries other than the Philippines. Since September, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been running a six-month foreign caregiver pilot program with the Labor Ministry, with an aim to provide selected households based in Seoul with affordable chi

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Harris, Trump face off as North Korea tests US on Election Day

On the day of the US presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, North Korea fired a salvo of ballistic missiles on Tuesday in an apparent message to Washington -- a continuation of its unrelenting saber-rattling, which included the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Escalating tensions further, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, released a forceful English-language statement on US Elec

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2024

Draft sentencing guidelines envision tougher penalties for animal abuse crimes

A draft of new sentencing guidelines unveiled on Monday calls for tougher penalties for severe and repeated cases of animal cruelty, a move widely seen as a push to end a long era of leniency in the judicial treatment of such offenses. The guidelines, drafted at a meeting of the Supreme Court’s sentencing commission on Friday, are the top court’s first formal framework for animal abuse crimes, a court spokesperson told local media. The move comes as public concern over animal cruelty

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

[Out of the Shadows] Seoul room clubs offer drugs to compete for clientele

Room salons -- private bars that hire women to entertain guests -- are often accused of abusing their closed-door nature to provide illegal prostitution services. But recently they have been turning to drugs to compete for customers. The main substances used here are ketamine and ecstasy, according to people close to the matter and the police. “The term ‘candy,’ for example, is slang for ecstasy, and its main consumers are visitors of nightlife facilities and those working in e

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024

K-water begins hydroelectric dam construction in Solomon Islands

The construction of a hydroelectric dam has begun as a part of the Solomon Islands’ first-ever large-scale renewable energy project, according to the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) on Tuesday. According to K-water, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday in the capital city of Honiara in the Solomon Islands to mark the start of K-water’s project to build a hydroelectric dam on the islands’ Tina River. The ceremony was attended by more than 500 individuals, inc

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2024