School bullying case frustrated by lawyer's dishonesty: bereaved family

A legal fight that stretched over six years seeking damages for school bullying was thwarted as the plaintiff’s lawyer failed to attend three hearings, the victim’s bereaved family said Wednesday. The plaintiff, Lee Gi-cheol, said the lawsuit seeking damages from education officials, authorities and suspected bullies’ parents ended unfavorably on Nov. 24 due to her lawyer Kwon Kyeong-ae’s repeated absences, via her Facebook account. The South Korean Civil Procedure Act st

April 6, 2023

[From the Scene] From pansori to K-pop, Busan boasts culture, heritage

BUSAN -- Celebrating the visit of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation to Busan, the southeastern port city held a variety of cultural events including a "K-Culture Night" concert featuring Soprano Jo Su-mi and singer Rain. Held on Wednesday evening at the Busan Cinema Center, the concert was attended by thousands of people, despite chilly weather and rain. From classical music to K-pop performances by Oh My Girl, the show was designed to showcase the wide and dive

April 6, 2023

Gyeonggi Police investigate fatal bridge collapse

Police said Friday they have been questioning officials over Thursday's partial collapse of a bridge in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, that killed one person and heavily injured another to look into possible irregularities in the recent maintenance and safety inspections of the structure. At around 9:50 a.m. on Thursday, the pedestrian section of the bridge Jeongjagyo near Jeongja Station in Jeonga-dong, Bundang-gu, partially collapsed due to a yet unspecified cause. The accident killed a 39-

April 6, 2023

Court sides with medical school in revoking admission of ex-justice minister's daughter

BUSAN -- A regional court rejected a lawsuit that the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk filed to seek the cancellation of Pusan National University's decision to nullify her admission to its medical school over academic fraud. Last April, the state-run university in the southeastern port city retroactively canceled Cho Min's admission in 2015, after the Supreme Court convicted her mother of forging some of the academic credentials used in the daughter's application. The

April 6, 2023

KBO asks prosecutors to investigate ex-GM over bribery allegations

The South Korean baseball league said Thursday it has asked prosecutors to investigate a former club executive recently fired for improper contract negotiations. The Korea Baseball Organization said it wants local prosecutors to have a further look into allegations that former Kia Tigers general manager Jang Jung-suk had asked a player for a kickback during contract talks. Jang was fired by the Tigers on March 29 for allegedly asking free agent catcher Park Dong-won for cash in exchange for a lu

April 6, 2023

State compensation ordered for man incarcerated for leafleting against ex-President Chun

A court has ordered the state to pay 100 million won ($757,747) in compensation to a man incarcerated from 1980-81 for distributing leaflets criticizing then military ruler Chun Doo-hwan for his brutal crackdown on a democratization uprising, sources said Thursday. The Seoul Central District Court recently delivered the ruling in a compensation suit filed by Lee Woo-bong, 61, and his family members against the state. The court ordered compensation of 49 million won for Lee and the remainder for

April 6, 2023

[Photo News] BIE delegation enjoys 'K-Culture Night'

April 5, 2023

Police probe possible narcotics scheme targeting students

A woman in her 40s was arrested for offering high school students drug-infused drinks claiming that they would increase their ability to concentrate, sparking a wider police investigation. On Monday, the suspect, with three more accomplices, had approached students on the street in Seoul's Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, the country's premier district for private education, feigning a promotional event for a new drink. Contained in a bottle with a sign that reads, "Mega ADHD," the f

April 5, 2023

Fervor for World Expo continues

BUSAN -- Baek Kyung-ran, born and raised in Busan, has never seen the city in such a festive mood before, except perhaps for the time when the country was hosting the World Cup 21 years ago. "Things have definitely changed around here. I see so many banners related to promoting the Expo on public transportation and street lamps. I also saw cheerleaders and dance teams performing to promote the country’s bid to host the World Expo on the streets," she said in front of Busan Statio

April 5, 2023

Rookie civil servant takes own life after handling complaints

A recently hired civil servant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, killed himself after handling a complaint from a resident, officials said Wednesday. Local police are investigating the case of the 31-year-old victim, whose name was withheld. The person worked as a grade 9 civil servant at an administrative welfare center, the lowest grade in the smallest unit of the municipal government. The rookie staff member had only recently completed six months of probation. He was found dead at around noon on Tu

April 5, 2023

English listening test halts helicopters fighting forest fires

An English listening comprehension test taking place in middle schools halted helicopters deployed to fight forest fires in Hampyeong and Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, on Tuesday morning. The Jeonnam Fire Service Headquarters stopped helicopter operations from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30, including the 20 minutes when the radio-based listening comprehension test was carried out simultaneously in 29 schools in nearby areas affected by the forest fires. The forest fires started separately on Monday in

April 5, 2023

Backed by full legislative support, Busan gears up for Expo bid

A group of 18 lawmakers led by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Jae-ho proposed a resolution on March 15, earning a parliamentary nod Monday, to enable the "immediate" passage of a special bill designed for organized financial and policy support, recognizing Busan's World Expo bid as a key national agenda. The resolution also stipulates the National Assembly's active support to improve Busan's transportation infrastructure by increasing public access to the proposed W

April 5, 2023

1 killed, 1 hurt as Bundang bridge gives way

Part of a bridge in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, collapsed, killing one pedestrian and leaving another in critical condition, authorities said Wednesday. A part supporting the sidewalk of Jeongjagyo gave way at around 9:45 a.m Wednesday. The two, strangers to each other, were reportedly on the bridge at the time. Both fell into the stream below, about 5 meters below the bridge, according to reports. A woman in her 30s was taken to a hospital with cardiac arrest, but was later pronounced dead, wh

April 5, 2023

Flights canceled on Jeju Island due to strong winds

JEJU -- Scores of flights were grounded on the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday due to dangerous wind conditions. The weather authorities issued alerts for high winds and wind shear, which refers to sudden changes in wind direction and speed. As of 9 a.m., Jeju International Airport had reported the cancellation of 31 domestic flights to and from the airport. Of the 259 domestic and 14 international flights scheduled for the day, airlines canceled 167 in advance. In the morning, wind gusts

April 5, 2023

Actress Kim Sae-ron fined W20m for DUI

Actress Kim Sae-ron was sentenced to 20 million won ($15,000) in fines Wednesday for driving under the influence of alcohol last year. The Seoul Central District Court handed out the monetary penalty for Kim, 23, who crashed her car into a guardrail and trees lining the street while driving under the influence in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, on May 18. The crash into a transformer cut off electricity to 57 stores in the area for nearly three hours. Kim's blood alcohol level was measured

April 5, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases inch up amid growing mask-free activities

South Korea posted an uptick in new COVID-19 cases, as a rise in unmasked gatherings increased amid warmer weather, data showed Wednesday. The country reported 14,465 new COVID-19 infections, including 10 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,871,740, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The Wednesday tally was up from the 13,375 reported the previous day and the 13,127 reported a week ago, in a gradual increase of virus infections. The figure hit the highest

April 5, 2023

S. Korean police, FBI chiefs discuss tighter cooperation on cybercrime, antiterrorism

South Korea's police chief has met with the head of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and discussed ways to tighten cooperation to jointly deal with cybercrime, terrorism and other security matters, the police here said Wednesday. In the meeting held on Tuesday at the FBI headquarters in Washington, Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun of the National Police Agency and FIB Director Christopher Wray also discussed personnel exchanges and education cooperation to strengthen their forces, t

April 5, 2023

Man in critical condition after setting himself on fire at Gwanghwamun

A man is in critical condition after he set himself on fire at Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to authorities. The man, reportedly in his 50s, was taken to a hospital. He appears to have tried to burn himself to death in front of the statue of King Sejong, according to reports. The fire spread to a container but was extinguished minutes later by a person who first witnessed the scene, Jongno Fire Station told local media. The police are still investigating the i

April 5, 2023

[Herald Interview] Busan expo not just for tech, also for inclusive growth: mayor

BUSAN -- South Korea's southern port city of Busan is not only going to be an extravaganza for future technology, but also a stage to promote inclusive growth, catering to the aspirations of underdeveloped regions around the world, said the city mayor in an interview with The Korea Herald. "World Expos used to be exhibitions to showcase the newest technologies and products, and we are seeing more of those these days," said Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, who has been leading the city's bi

April 4, 2023

Users can now decline KakaoTalk group chat invites from non-friends

KakaoTalk, South Korea’s ubiquitous mobile messenger app, has finally let users decline unwanted group chat invites from people outside of their friend list, a much-anticipated move for those who have experienced stress or discomfort over exiting group chats. However, if the inviter is on a user's KakaoTalk friends list, the user will be automatically added into the group chat. The new feature, which was added as part of a KakaoTalk system update last week to version 10.1.5, requires

April 4, 2023