[Out of the Shadows] Gangnam student drugging incident rattles Korea

The Korea Herald is running a series of feature stories and interviews on the evolution and rise of drug crimes, insufficient support systems and young addicts’ stories in South Korea. This is the sixth installment. -- Ed. Free drinks were offered last week on the streets of Daechi-dong, a district in Seoul's Gangnam lined with thousands of after-school cram schools and known as South Korea's private education mecca. The drinks, introduced as a brain-boosting drink for concentr

April 10, 2023

Man indicted for smuggling meth, pistol, bullets from US

  The South Korean prosecution announced Monday the indictment of a Korean-born man for recently allegedly smuggling in a combined 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, a pistol, 50 live ammunition rounds and gas pistols from the US. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office suspects the 49-year-old secretly brought in the drugs valued at 800 million won ($606,000) in September last year with the purpose of distribution. The man also allegedly used 0.1 gram of meth at home in March this ye

April 10, 2023

Parkinson's disease more common than before, data shows

The number of Koreans diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is on the rise, despite the fact that public awareness of the disease remains low, data showed on Monday. According to the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 111,312 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2020, a 15 percent increase from 96,764 in 2016. “In the Korean population, the prevalence of Parkinson's disease has been steadily increasing due to the rapid increase in the elderly populati

April 10, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 10,000 for 2nd day

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 10,000 for the second straight day Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend. The country reported 4,005 new COVID-19 infections, including eight cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,918,060, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The Monday tally fell from 9,553 cases day earlier and 4,349 a week ago. Daily infections remained at more than 10,000 for the fifth consecutive day through Saturday as public gat

April 10, 2023

Police track down 2 China-based suspects behind drug scam ring targeting students

Police said Monday they are tracking down two individuals based in China for allegedly masterminding an extortion scam that involved handing over beverages laced with drugs to random high school students in Seoul. The two -- a South Korean national in his 20s surnamed Lee and a Chinese national in his 30s surnamed Park -- are accused of ordering a South Korean national surnamed Gil to make and supply methamphetamine-laced beverages, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. Four other individua

April 10, 2023

Half of single-person households in poverty: study

Half of the single-person households live in poverty, and 7 out of 10 older adults living alone are also poor, according to a study. As the number of single-person households continues to increase sharply, there is a pressing need for countermeasures to address this issue, the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs report published Sunday said. The 2022 Poverty Statistical Yearbook report revealed that in 2020, the relative poverty rate based on disposable income, which measures the percen

April 9, 2023

S. Korea records first locally transmitted mpox case

Health authorities in South Korea have confirmed the first locally acquired case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, on Sunday. To date, six people across the country have become infected with the virus, with cases traceable to overseas sources. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, a South Korean national tested positive for mpox on April 7, bringing the total number of infections to six. This individual had not traveled overseas in the past three months and had no kno

April 9, 2023

State should compensate for soldier’s death 54 years ago: Court

The court has ordered the state to provide compensation to the bereaved family of a soldier who committed suicide in the 1960s, after enduring intense training and harassment. This ruling comes 54 years after the soldier's death. According to legal sources on Sunday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that the state should pay a net total of some 19 million won ($14,400) per person to the three brothers of the deceased soldier, whose name remains unknown. The deceased was found dead in

April 9, 2023

Remains of independence fighter due home Monday

The remains of a Korean independence fighter who had been buried in New York are on their way home from the United States, the veterans ministry said Sunday. According to the ministry, the remains of Hwang Ki-hwan, who had been laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New York, are scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at 9 a.m. Monday. Veterans Minister Park Min-shik will receive the remains at the airport, the ministry said. Following a repatriation ceremony, the

April 9, 2023

S. Korea reports first locally transmitted case of monkeypox

Health authorities reported the nation's first locally transmitted case of monkeypox Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to six. The South Korean national, who has no recent overseas travel history, tested positive for the disease the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The person visited a hospital with a skin rash Monday and was reported to health authorities as a suspected monkeypox case Thursday. Unlike the previous five cases

April 8, 2023

Police arrest suspected mastermind behind abduction, murder of woman

Police on Saturday arrested a man suspected of being the mastermind behind last week's kidnapping and murder of a woman. The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, only identified by his surname Yoo, on the charge of murder for hire in the wee hours, saying he might flee or destroy evidence. The Suseo Police Station in Seoul also apprehended his wife on the same charge later in the morning. They are acquaintances of one of three previously arrested suspects i

April 8, 2023

Easter festivities return to Gwanghwamun; visitors advised of traffic restrictions

The 2023 Easter Parade is returning to Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Sunday for the first time in three years, prompting the city to enforce traffic control in the vicinity. Organized by the National Council of Churches in Korea, the parade will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by a concert from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors can enjoy a range of activities such as a stamp tour; calligraphy; old-fashioned children's games that used to be played in neighborhood alleys such as

April 7, 2023

Meth user arrested after falling into YouTuber’s trap

A man in his 40s was arrested by police Friday morning on charges of using and possessing methamphetamine after being reported by a YouTuber. The man is reported to have texted a woman on an anonymous chatting app proposing they have sex and take methamphetamine together, but the woman was a trap set by the YouTuber, who specializes in tracking downs. The YouTuber told police at around 2:30 a.m. that he saw a man in possession of drugs in Seoul’s Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu. Police were immediate

April 7, 2023

Wildfire victims get option to delay military service

Those affected by recent wildfires can postpone their military service, the Military Manpower Administration announced Friday. The option is open to residents of areas designated as special disaster zones due to the fires, and individuals who suffered losses or those with families affected by wildfires. The special disaster zones include Hongseong-gun, Geumsan-gun, Dangjin-si, Boryeong-si, and Buyeo-gun in South Chungcheong Province, Seo-gu in Daejeon, Okcheon-gun in North Chungcheong Province

April 7, 2023

Hailed by enthusiastic citizens, BIE delegation departs Busan

BUSAN -- The inspection team of the Bureau International des Expositions, the organizing body of the World Expo, departed Korea Friday as they ended their assessment of Busan as the proposed site for the 2030 World Expo. The eight-member delegation -- chaired by BIE Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht -- left Gimhae Airport in western Busan at around 8:30 a.m. to head to Incheon Airport. They then departed South Korea at around 11:30 a.m. to head back to Paris, where the

April 7, 2023

Police catch final suspect in drugged drinks case

The fourth and final suspect behind the narcotics scheme in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was arrested Thursday in Daegu, according to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The offender is currently being questioned for charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. On Wednesday, a woman in her 40s was arrested for offering high school students drug-infused drinks, claiming that they would increase their ability to concentrate. The incident happened in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, which is also the country’

April 7, 2023

Vomit plagues Seoul's subway trains

Every day, there have been an average of 13 reports of vomit being found in Seoul's subway stations and trains since 2020, with alcohol consumption being the primary cause, data showed Thursday. According to Seoul Metro on Thursday, 13,928 vomit-related complaints have been submitted to the company since 2020. According to the survey, the complaints were the most frequent on Fridays, followed by Saturdays, accounting for 18.8 percent and 16.2 percent of the total, respectively. When it come

April 7, 2023

High-profile lawyer goes AWOL, after losing school bullying case due to no-shows

High-profile lawyer Kwon Gyeong-ae, whose repeated failures to show up to hearings led to her losing a yearslong legal battle over a teen’s death from school bullying, appears to have gone into hiding after promising financial compensation for her blunders to the bereaved family. According to lawyer Yang Seung-cheol, currently representing the bereaved family, it has not been possible to contact 58-year-old Kwon since their phone conversation on Monday. He also said that Kwon gave a writte

April 7, 2023

Man to be rewarded for foiling apparent kidnapping attempt

Gwangju's Bukbu Police Station announced Thursday it would reward a man for thwarting a kidnapping attempt. The man, a 42-year old identified only by the surname Lee, will be rewarded with 1 million won ($760), for deterring a kidnapper from taking a 9-year-old girl. After witnessing a man approaching a young girl on April 2 at 5:15 p.m., Lee asked them what their relationship was. The man said that he was her uncle and hurriedly left the scene with the young girl. Lee, however, kept follow

April 7, 2023

Middle schoolers assault and rob classmate for gambling money

A group of middle school students in Sejong City has been accused of repeatedly assaulting and robbing a classmate to finance their online gambling. The gang reportedly stole amounts between 2,000 to 20,000 won from the victim on 20 occasions between December and the end of March. Two of the accused students sent threatening messages demanding money from the victim. The victim's parents claim their son was coerced into providing his bank account number, which the alleged bullies used to rec

April 7, 2023