Quarrel over faulty investment leads to attempted murder

The Seoul High Court said recently it upheld a six-year prison term for a 67-year-old North Korean defector for the attempted murder of another defector over a faulty investment opportunity. A defendant was found guilty of attempted murder, after he stabbed the 70-year-old victim nine times and assaulted him with his fist at 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 14. The court turned down his claim of not intending to murder the victim, pointing out that he called the police after the crime and said he had "ju

Sept. 18, 2024

Man jailed for deepfake porn seeks state compensation after acquittal

A man whose conviction for making deepfake pornography of an acquaintance was overturned is now seeking state compensation for his legal fees, local media outlets reported Wednesday. The former university student surnamed Lee recently requested the Seoul High Court to compensate him for his losses from the conviction. Although he did actually make the images, he was cleared by the Supreme Court in April 2024, partly because the relevant legislation was not in place at the time of his actions. Le

Sept. 18, 2024

15% of unmarried people won't disclose assets to future spouses: survey

Some unmarried South Koreans do not plan on revealing their entire fortune to their soon-to-be spouses, a recent survey by a matchmaking firm showed Tuesday. According to the survey by Gayeon conducted on 250 unmarried men and 250 unmarried women between 25-39 years of age, 15 percent of respondents said they would not disclose 100 percent of their assets. The most popular reason (49.3 percent) was "even spouses need some secrets," followed by "I might need emergency funds only fo

Sept. 18, 2024

W624b spent on corporate cards for 'lavish entertainment' in S.Korea

South Korea’s high-end entertainment industry marked 624 billion won ($469 million) in sales with corporate credit cards last year, with over half spent in hostess clubs. The sales, supposedly generated for entertainment in business dealings, increased by 61 billion won from the previous year’s 563 billion won and accounted for 0.4 percent of total corporate credit card expenditure, according to the South Korean National Tax Service data submitted to Rep. Park Seong-hoon of the rulin

Sept. 18, 2024

S.Korea to mandate in-vehicle breathalyzers for repeat DUI offenders

In a bid to combat the persistent problem of drunk driving, South Korea is rolling out a new policy that will require repeat offenders to blow into a breathalyzer every time they start their car, authorities told local media on Tuesday. The policy, set to take effect on Oct. 25, applies to anyone caught driving under the influence more than twice in the past five years. Under the mandate, offenders will be responsible for installing the breathalyzer-like device -- referred to as the ignition int

Sept. 18, 2024

Immigration crackdown catches more delivery workers

The number of foreign nationals illegally working as delivery workers in South Korea has surged by 50 percent since the Ministry of Justice initiated a crackdown on illegal employment practices in the industry in 2023. According to the Justice Ministry, 171 cases of foreign nationals being illegally employed in food delivery services and parcel services were detected as of July 2024, up from 117 cases detected in the whole of 2023. If this trend continues, the ministry expects numbers to double

Sept. 18, 2024

High temperatures may worsen mental health conditions: study

Amid the prolonged summer in South Korea, research revealed Wednesday shows that rising temperatures can cause not just heat-related illnesses but also increase the risk of obtaining mental illnesses such as depression. According to joint research conducted by the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul National University and Pusan National University with 219,187 respondents of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Community Health Survey, for every increase in average annual t

Sept. 18, 2024

Lawmaker flags low detention rate in the child porn cases

Over the past three years and seven months, more than 4,000 individuals were apprehended for child pornography offenses, including production and distribution, yet only 261 of them were referred to prosecutors while in detention, according to the official data. Data released Wednesday by Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, based on information from the National Police Agency, highlighted the extent of child exploitation offenses and the relatively low rate of dete

Sept. 18, 2024

Disruptions in medical services continue during Chuseok

Disruptions in health care services continued nationwide during the five-day Chuseok holiday, as the medical standoff over the government’s medical school quota hike plan showed no signs of abating. While there is no official data to assess the scope and size of the disturbances, independent reports emerged of patients being denied admission to multiple emergency care units during the Saturday-Wednesday holiday. On Saturday, when the nation entered the crest of holiday cheer, a woman whose

Sept. 18, 2024

YouTuber receives backlash for choosing company of actress Lee Na-eun

Travel YouTuber Kwak Joon-bin, better known as KwakTube, touched a nerve with the public concerning bullying when he posted his latest video featuring Lee Na-eun, a singer-turned-actress who was accused of bullying her former bandmate in the now-disbanded K-pop group April. Kwak on Monday posted a video of his travels in Italy during which he met Lee. He told Lee about how he misunderstood her because of now-disproven allegations of school violence. Police launched an investigation into the al

Sept. 18, 2024

No dialogue without govt. change of attitude first: doctors

The medical community Friday said it will not be participating in any multilateral dialogue with political parties and the government, amid the ongoing standoff against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to hike the medical school admissions quota. Choi Anna, a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association, said, "We believe that it is premature to participate in the bipartisan consultative body at this point in time since there has been no change in the government's atti

Sept. 17, 2024

Seoul-bound traffic clogged on 4th day of Chuseok holiday

Seoul-bound traffic on major expressways is clogged on Tuesday, the fourth day of the extended Chuseok holiday, with traffic jams expected to be eased the following day, according to the expressway operator. This year's Chuseok, the Korean fall harvest celebration, falls on Tuesday, and the extended holiday runs from Saturday until Wednesday. As of 8 a.m., the estimated travel time from the southwestern city of Mokpo to Seoul was seven hours and 50 minutes, six hours and 30 minutes from the

Sept. 17, 2024

[Special] Ansan aims to become South Korea's multicultural hub, heart of immigration policy

Located southwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, Ansan is notable for its cultural diversity. As South Korea's first planned industrial city, it features large complexes like the Banwol National Industrial Complex, which offer numerous job opportunities and attract foreign workers. With 14 percent of its population originating from 118 countries, Ansan boasts the highest proportion of foreign residents in the country, contributing to a culturally diverse community, according to its Mayor Le

Sept. 17, 2024

Smoking tops in-flight illegal acts in past 5 years

Smoking accounted for more than 80 percent of in-flight illegal acts reported by South Korea's 10 carriers in the past five years, government data showed Tuesday. In the five years through July this year, 1,509, or 80.8 percent, out of 1,868 illegal acts were related to smoking onboard, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Under South Korean law, a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,500) will be imposed once in-flight smoking, including e-cigarettes, is f

Sept. 17, 2024

Half of all hit-and-runs resulting in death caused by drunk or unlicensed drivers: data

Nearly half of all fatal hit-and-run accidents in the past five years were caused by drunk or unlicensed drivers, National Police Agency data showed Tuesday. Out of 420 hit-and-run deaths from 2019-2023, 50.2 percent, or 211 people, were hit by drivers who were driving without a license or under the influence of alcohol, according to data submitted to Rep. Jo Eun-hui of the ruling People Power Party. During the same period, 30.5 percent of the 49,562 people injured from hit-and-run cases involve

Sept. 17, 2024

3 dead after fishing vessel capsizes near Gunsan

A 35-ton fishing vessel capsized off the coast near Gunsan, a southwestern port city in North Jeolla Province, resulting in the deaths of three people onboard, the Korea Coast Guard said Monday. The Coast Guard successfully rescued all eight people from the capsized vessel. However, three of them -- the Korean captain, the Korean chief engineer and an Indonesian sailor -- were transferred to hospitals but later pronounced dead. The remaining five survivors, which include three Vietnamese and two

Sept. 16, 2024

Chuseok still is a headache for couples

The conversation was one of the most jarring moments since her wedding in 2020, recalled Seong, a 35-year-old office worker, who said her exchange last week with her husband, five years older, left her perplexed at first, then indignant as she slowly digested what her husband had alluded to. “He said we should call his parents and ask for their understanding because we would not be staying at their home on Chuseok day, Tuesday, even though we’d be there from Saturday to Monday,&rdquo

Sept. 15, 2024

Students suffer sleep deprivation, fatigue, suicidal thoughts

More South Korean students are experiencing sleep deprivation, fatigue and suicidal thoughts as they spend more time on the internet, a new study showed, fanning concerns about youth mental health. The findings come despite the government’s five-year health promotion plan for students, which started in 2019 and appears to have fallen short of its objectives aimed at promoting mental health among students. A recent report released by the National Assembly Research Service shows that the per

Sept. 15, 2024

Heat wave watch issued for Seoul; latest on record

A heat wave watch was issued for all parts of Seoul on Sunday, the first time it was issued this late in the year, according to the weather authorities. A heat wave watch is issued when the highest sensible temperature is expected to reach 33 C or higher for two or more consecutive days or when major damage is anticipated from the heat. Other parts of the country, meanwhile, including Gongju and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, and Yongin and Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, were issued he

Sept. 15, 2024

Nearly 2,000 aging separated family members die in first 8 months of year: gov't data

Nearly 2,000 separated family members in South Korea died in the first eight months of this year without having an opportunity to reunite with their loved ones in North Korea after being separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, government data showed Sunday. A total of 1,961 applicants for government-arranged reunions for separated families died in the January-August period, raising the total number of such people to 96,352, according to the data from the unification ministry. As of end-August, arou

Sept. 15, 2024