Man gets 22 years in prison for attempting to murder noisy neighbors

A Incheon man will serve 22 years in prison for the attempted murder of three members of a neighboring family over noise complaints, after he dropped his appeal, according to legal professionals and news reports Thursday. The Incheon District Court ordered the man to serve 22 years in prison and to wear a GPS-equipped electronic monitoring anklet for 10 years in the first trial in May. The ruling was confirmed as he withdrew the appeal he filed with the Supreme Court earlier this year. Only iden

Jan. 12, 2023

Family sues carmaker after fatal crash, claiming unintended acceleration

On Dec. 6, a sport-utility vehicle driven by a 68-year-old woman suddenly raced about 600 meters forward for about 30 seconds before falling into an underpass in Gangneung. The driver’s 12-year-old grandson was killed, while the driver suffered severe injuries. This week, the family has filed a lawsuit against the car manufacturer, alleging that it was a sudden unintended acceleration due to vehicle defects. “To prevent similar accidents in the future, the car’s manufacturer

Jan. 12, 2023

Ex-Yonsei Univ. music professor indicted for leaking exam song

A former music professor of Yonsei University has been indicted with detention on charges of telling a prospective student what song will be on the school's music college admission exam, officials said Thursday. The former professor of the piano department allegedly gave illegal piano lessons to the student preparing for music college admission and leaked to the student a song to be on the performance test for the university's 2022 music college admissions. The alleged leakage came und

Jan. 12, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases dip to lowest Thursday tally in 11 weeks

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Thursday tally in 11 weeks, with rising imported cases putting health authorities on high alert. The country reported 43,953 new COVID-19 infections, including 135 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,698,043, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Thursday since Oct. 27, when the country reported 34,972 new cases. The country added 76 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death

Jan. 12, 2023

[Graphic News] Number of English-language kindergartens in Seoul rises to 311

Seoul has more than 310 English-language kindergartens known for their high cost, about twice as much as annual college tuition, a civic group said. The number of English-language kindergartens in the capital totaled 311 as of the end of last year, an increase of 17 from the previous year, according to the group named World Without Private Education Worries. Two southern Seoul wards of Gangnam and Seocho accounted for 86 of the total, with 54 located in adjacent Gangdong and Songpa wards. The av

Jan. 12, 2023

Hair curler bullying scene in ‘The Glory’ stirs memories of similar case from 2006

The school bullying scenes depicted in Netflix’s blood-soaking revenge drama “The Glory” have fanned memories of a horrific case of school violence that happened 17 years ago. The no-holds-barred depictions of abuse in the drama reminded many viewers of the incident dubbed “hair curler bullying” that took place at a girls’ middle school in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in May 2006. In the drama, Park Yeon-jin, the main bully in her senior year of high

Jan. 11, 2023

China lifts transit visa exemption for Koreans, Japanese

SEJONG -- China said Korean and Japanese nationals will be required to have transit visas when transiting through a Chinese airport as of Wednesday, extending its apparent retaliation against Seoul's quarantine mandate on travelers from China that requires them to submit a PCR test upon arrival. Citing "discriminatory entry restrictions" by Korea and Japan, China also said travelers from two countries will not be allowed to get visas at points of entry in China. The announcement w

Jan. 11, 2023

Mayors of Yongin, Austin discuss bilateral ties to develop cities of technology powerhouse

Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il met with Austin City Mayor Kirk Watson in Texas on Monday to discuss ways to bolster bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of semiconductors, with an aim to turn the city, home to Samsung Electronics chip plants, into the center of the global chip industry. After visiting the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Saturday, Lee flew to Austin, where Samsung has a chip plant. Lee first congratulated Watson, who won the mayoral election in December. Mayor Wat

Jan. 11, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases down to lowest Wednesday tally in 11 weeks

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Wednesday tally in 11 weeks, while imported cases remained high. The country reported 54,343 new COVID-19 infections, including 120 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,654,090, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Wednesday since Oct. 26, when the country reported 40,816 new cases. The country added 76 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,745. The number of c

Jan. 11, 2023

Hwaseong City, Korean American business group in Santa Clara Country sign MOU

Hwaseong City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun has signed an agreement with Santa Clara County Korean American Chamber of Commerce on Monday to support global entry of local startups operating in the Korean city, officials said Tuesday. Under the agreement, the two sides will hold a technology seminar and expo in the US as well as develop a network of companies and an entrepreneur leadership program. The agreement took place during Mayor Jeong’s visit to the Californian city. With Santa Clara Count

Jan. 10, 2023

[Newsmaker] South Korea’s most infamous serial killers

Recently, the possibility police discovered a new serial killer sent shock waves across South Korea. Lee Ki-young, who was arrested late last month for the murder of a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend, will undergo an extensive investigation into additional DNA found inside his home. Looking back, South Korea’s history of serial killers is still considered for its hateful brutality and aggression. Here are three of Korea’s most notorious serial killers: 1. Lee Choon-jae, the &l

Jan. 10, 2023

Marriage in 30s is new normal for S. Korea: data

The average marriage age for South Korean women was consistently in their 20s for decades, but statistics showed a shifting trend where women are now getting married in their 30s. According to Statistics Korea, the number of women married for the first time in their 30s surpassed women married in their 20s as of 2021. This is the first time in 31 years, since 1990 when the agency started to compile related data. In 2021, the total number of reported marriages was 193,000, and of this number, wom

Jan. 10, 2023

Seoul Metro files damages suit against disability advocacy group

Seoul Metro, operator of the Seoul subway system, filed a damages suit against a disability rights advocacy group for disrupting train operations through subway-riding protests. The Seoul city government said Tuesday the company filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on Friday against Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, the country’s largest disability rights group, seeking damages of 601.4 million won ($484,000) for train delays and other losses. The subway operat

Jan. 10, 2023

9,655 students apply to Soongsil University’s regular admissions

Soongsil University said Tuesday that it received a total of 9,655 students for this year’s regular admissions, which closed on Jan. 2. The university plans to build an entering class of 1,310 students among the pool of nearly 10,000 applicants, it added. Universities are divided into three categories in the country’s regular admission cycle -- Ga, Na, Da -- and prospective students can only apply to one group. Over 2,300 students applied for the university’s Ga category, where

Jan. 10, 2023

No more winter in southern Korea if carbon emissions continue

The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that winter will disappear in South Korea’s southern region unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Based on the high-carbon emission scenario of the 6th evaluation report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the KMA predicted climate change in 17 metropolitan cities; 220 cities and counties; and 3,500 towns and villages nationwide. The high-carbon emission scenario, also known as SSP5-8.5, is a scena

Jan. 10, 2023

Paju murder suspect's pets dodge euthanasia, find new homes

Murder suspect Lee Ki-young’s four pets have all been adopted, avoiding the alternative of euthanasia. All three cats and a dog left in Lee’s residence were sent to their new families, who had watched reports about the pets and applied for adoption, according to the Paju, Gyeonggi Province, city government and the Korea Animal Rescue and Management Association. The pets were rescued from Lee’s home in Paju on Dec. 29, three days after Lee was apprehended on suspicion of murderi

Jan. 10, 2023

Seoul prosecutors raid police in Halloween crowd disaster investigation

Seoul prosecutors on Tuesday raided police and municipal offices in an investigation into the Halloween tragedy in Itaewon, a neighborhood in the capital city’s central district of Yongsan. The searches took place at the headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Police, the district police and the office of Yongsan, prosecutors said. The prosecutors also searched the detention center where some of the key suspects are detained. Police on Nov. 1 set up an independent team to investigate the di

Jan. 10, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases down to lowest Tuesday tally in 10 weeks

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Tuesday tally in 10 weeks in a sign of a downturn in the virus' spread. The country reported 60,041 new COVID-19 infections, including 87 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,599,747, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Tuesday since Nov. 1, when the country reported 58,359 new cases. The country added 44 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,669. The num

Jan. 10, 2023

Govt. to extend after-school care for elementary school students to 8 p.m.

SEJONG -- The government plans to dramatically extend the after-school care and education program for elementary school students in an effort to help relieve the burden of child care for working parents, officials have said. Under the extension plan announced by the education ministry on Monday, after-school child care programs provided by elementary schools will be extended to the early morning hours from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m, and to 8 p.m., officials said. Currently, only about 30 percent of the el

Jan. 10, 2023

Hankyoreh reporter fired for borrowing money from key figure in development scandal

The Hankyoreh newspaper has decided to dismiss a senior reporter for borrowing money from a key culprit in a high-profile development scandal. The newspaper said Tuesday it decided to fire the reporter during a personnel committee meeting the previous day for violating a duty of integrity and fairness required for journalists, as well as the company's ethics code and work rules to avoid conflicts of interests with news sources. The reporter, whose identity was withheld, had borrowed a total

Jan. 10, 2023