'No pedophile in our town!' Protests thwart Child rapist's move

Convicted child rapist Cho Doo-soon recently gave up on moving to a new home in Seonbu-dong, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, after fierce protests from residents, according to local media reports citing Ansan residents. Cho and his wife recently signed a deal to rent a home in Seonbu-dong, but Cho's wife on Thursday was given back the 10 million won ($7,522) deposit along with a 1 million won cancellation fee. It was reported by local media that the couple plans to stay at his current residence i

Nov. 26, 2022

Chief of Yongsan Fire Station quizzed again over Itaewon crowd crush

A special police investigation team called in the chief of the Yongsan Fire Station for questioning on Saturday as part of its widening investigation into the bungled response to the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Choi Seong-beom, chief of the Yongsan Fire Station, appeared at the investigation team's office in Seoul's Mapo district earlier in the morning for his second interrogation in connection with the Oct. 29 incident that killed at least 158 people. He was firs

Nov. 26, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases in 50,000 range amid winter resurgence worries

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases came in the 50,000 range on Saturday for the third day in a row, continuing the recent mild resurgence on the back of the winter virus wave. The country reported 52,788 new COVID-19 infections, including 62 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,890,488, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's figure is down from 53,698 posted the previous day but increased by more than 2,000 compared with a week earlier,

Nov. 26, 2022

Two brothers found dead at home with parents unconscious

Two teenage brothers have been found dead with their parents unconscious at their home in Incheon, police said Saturday. A teacher of the school of one of the children found the family at 11:41 a.m. Friday and reported to the police, according to the Incheon Seobu Police Station in the city, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul. The police believe no foul play was involved. When fire workers arrived, all of them were lying in one room where signs of suicide were found, the police said. The brothers

Nov. 26, 2022

'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-su indicted for alleged sexual misconduct

"Squid Game" actor O Yeong-su has been indicted on charges of sexual misconduct, judicial officials said Friday. The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office indicted the 78-year-old O without detention Thursday over an allegation that he inappropriately touched the body of a woman in mid-2017, the officials said. The case dates back to December last year, when the alleged victim filed a complaint against O with police. Police then closed the case without filing any cha

Nov. 25, 2022

Forcing soldiers to attend religious events unconstitutional, court rules

The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for the Army to force enlisted soldiers to participate in religious events at the Army Training Center. Following the ruling, the Army said they will guarantee the basic rights of individual soldiers. "Forcing people to attend religious events held at religious facilities limits soldiers' freedom of not having faith and not attending religious ceremonies," the Constitutional Court said in the ruling. The court

Nov. 25, 2022

Assembly passed bill to protect minors from parents’ debt

A revised bill to prevent minors from taking the burden of their deceased parents’ debts was passed at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday. If parents die, the inheritor has to choose between three choices – “absolute acceptance,” to inherit both debt and property, “qualified acceptance,” to pay off the parent's debt only within the scope of the inherited property, or “renunciation,” which is to give up both the inherited pr

Nov. 25, 2022

Seoul's Yeouido suffers traffic disruptions due to street protest

Transport disruptions are expected in Seoul's Yeouido district until the late afternoon on Friday due to a protest that has gathered some 50,000 people. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, transportation disruptions are expected on the main road that connects Mapo Bridge and Seoul Bridge in the Yeouido area as a union representing irregular workers at schools held a street protest, occupying part of the road. On Friday, the union of irregular workers at schools went

Nov. 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] [Reporter’s Notebook] With boosted safety measures after Itaewon, World Cup screening proceeds without problems

After South Korea’s first match of the World Cup on Thursday, I overheard a policeman saying to his colleague over the radio that the public screening event at Gwanghwamun Plaza, central Seoul “wrapped up superbly.” There were no fights, no mess left by drunkards, and no fighting with the officials from the government, police and hosting group over being told what to do. There was some scattered trash in the streets, but most had been picked up by the roughly 23,000 people who

Nov. 25, 2022

Emergency monitoring officers quizzed over Itaewon crowd crush

Police brought in two emergency monitoring officers for questioning Friday as part of their widening investigation into the bungled response to the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Former senior emergency monitoring officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), Ryu Mi-jin, appeared before a special investigation team in western Seoul as a suspect. She has been booked on a dereliction-of-duty charge. Ryu is under suspicion of failing to promptly understand the situation

Nov. 25, 2022

COVID-19 restrictions, financial problems lead students to overstay visas

A significant number of foreign students who come to Korea to study stay in the country after their visa expires, a report showed. The Education Ministry deemed the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason why. According to a monthly report released by the Korea Immigration Service, the number of foreign students staying in Korea with a D-2 student visa, which guarantees a three-year stay, was 137,779 as of October. This is 19,881 students more than the year before. Those staying in Korea with a D-4

Nov. 24, 2022

Shinan islands enjoy purple patch

Once a quiet, declining rural area, the islands of Banwoldo and Bakjido in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, have emerged as tourist attraction after coloring themselves purple. Inspired by the wild balloon flowers that grow across the islands, the county decided to turn the two islands into "Purple Island" to invite tourists from the rest of the country and beyond. Before the development began around 2018, there were only 136 residents in Banwoldo and Bakjido, and the region was s

Nov. 24, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit nearly 60,000

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit almost 60,000 on Thursday, rising from a week earlier, as the looming winter virus wave adds to worries over yet another spike in transmissions. The country reported 59,089 new COVID-19 infections, including 55 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,784,142, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's count is down from 70,324 cases the previous day but up by about 3,600 compared with a week ago. Fifty-nine more

Nov. 24, 2022

Tension grows as labor groups launch protests nationwide

Unionized workers from various sectors including transport, education to medical are set to stage strikes nationwide this week to demand the government stop privatizing state-run companies and raise wages, fueling concerns that it would cause public inconveniences and supply disruptions. Tension racheted up as the government and the ruling party countered labor groups' strike plans on Wednesday, denouncing them as "selfish profit-seeking plans" which threaten the safety of the sta

Nov. 23, 2022

[Contribution] Toward global pivotal state for carbon neutrality, green growth

By Han Wha-jin The “loss and damage” funding was at the center of tense negotiations of the UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. It was no surprise that new funding arrangements for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate were placed high on the agenda of the climate conference hosted in Africa. The continent contributes less than 3 percent of global emissions, and yet the region remains most vulnerable to the worst climate

Nov. 23, 2022

The last straw? Korea extends restrictions on single-use items

From Thursday, the government will expand its ban on single-use merchandise with a yearlong grace period, adding plastic bags, straws, stir sticks and more to its list of restricted items. Single-use plastic bags will be banned from retail stores including convenience stores and bakeries. The ban, previously applicable to large stores with a floor space of 3,000 square meters or more and supermarkets with a 165 square meters of floor space or more, will be expanded to more retail stores. Though

Nov. 23, 2022

[World Cup] 600 police to be deployed for World Cup screening

The National Police Agency said Wednesday it will dispatch around 600 personnel to a mass street cheering event for the South Korean men's soccer team's first game at the FIFA World Cup being played in Qatar on Thursday. A total of eight squads of riot police and 41 additional police officers will be deployed to maintain order at Gwanghwamun Square, located in Jongno, central Seoul, where fans plan to gather. The Seoul municipal government decided Tuesday evening to allow the Red Devil

Nov. 23, 2022

Police find infant’s body in kimchi container, book parents

Police are investigating the parents of a dead infant found in a plastic container at a home in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. According to Pocheon police on Wednesday, the couple are believed to have hid the death of their 15-month-old daughter for three years since she died. The container that they used to keep the body was just 35 centimeters long, 24 centimeters wide and 17 centimeters tall, police said. Police said the mother, 34, is suspected of having left the infant to die at the couple

Nov. 23, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 70,000 for second day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 70,000 for the second straight day Wednesday, fanning concerns over a new virus wave this winter. The country reported 70,324 new COVID-19 infections, including 69 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,725,053, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's tally is a 2,549 drop from a day earlier, but more than 3,700 higher than the same day last week. The KDCA has said daily caseloads will likely contin

Nov. 23, 2022

Man nabbed for threatening to set fire to parliamentary building

A man in his 50s has been arrested on charges of threatening to burn down a parliamentary building under the influence of alcohol, police said Wednesday. The 57-year-old suspect, surnamed Kim, allegedly made a call to the police's 112 emergency hotline at 9:32 p.m. Tuesday, threatening to set fire to the National Assembly building located in Seoul's Yeouido district, they said. After tracking down Kim's location, police arrested him at around 11:15 p.m. as he was getting out of hi

Nov. 23, 2022