Online sex crime ring mastermind to serve 42 years in prison

Cho Ju-bin, the South Korean mastermind of an online sex blackmail ring, had his sentence of 42 years in prison affirmed Thursday. The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the Seoul High Court’s ruling in June on Cho, 25, who was indicted early last year on 14 charges, including operating a criminal organization, violating laws made to protect minors from sexual abuse, blackmail and committing fraud. Cho will be banned from employment at institutions or firms that serve children, adolesce

Oct. 14, 2021

Spy agency partners with university for counterespionage, security education program

South Korea's state intelligence agency said Thursday it has agreed to cooperate with a local university to support education programs in the counterespionage and security fields in a bid to help train skilled manpower. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Myongji University, which has campuses in Seoul and Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to that effect. The university plans to create a Master's and Doctorate defense and security progra

Oct. 14, 2021

New cases near 2,000 amid rising vaccination rate

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases neared the 2,000s on Thursday, but the daily caseload dropped from a week ago as the country ramped up its vaccination rate in a move to prepare for a gradual return to normal life. The country added 1,940 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,924 local infections, raising the total caseload to 337,679, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload rose 356 from Wednesday but was down 485 from 2,425 a week earlier.

Oct. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Is fluent Korean a must for at-home COVID-19 care? Not necessarily

South Korea is expanding at-home care in a bid to return closer to normal in about a month’s time, by the second week of November at the latest, according to public health officials.  The key to safe home care is whether remote monitoring can be done efficiently, which raises concerns for patients who may not speak Korean fluently. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare earlier this week, patients staying at home need to report any changes in symptoms and other important

Oct. 13, 2021

7 in 10 workers unaware of newly revised workplace anti-bullying law: survey

Many South Korean workers are unaware of the newly revised labor law that will take effect later this week to better prevent workplace bullying, a survey showed Wednesday. The survey by a pro-labor civic group Gabjil 119 found that over 70 percent of office workers do not know about the revision of the so-called workplace anti-bullying act set to go into effect Thursday. The survey was conducted on 1,000 office workers from Sept. 7-14. Under the amendment, bullies can be fined up to 10 mil

Oct. 13, 2021

Death of student apprentice stirs controversy

The case of a high school senior who drowned while participating in a student apprenticeship program has sparked an outrage, as safety rules were found to be loosely followed and eventually led to the student’s death. A student surnamed Hong died in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on Oct. 6 while taking part in his school’s apprenticeship program that started on Sept. 27. The school signed a contract with a yacht business in the area that allowed Hong to gain work experience at the co

Oct. 13, 2021

S. Korea begins mapping out route back to normalcy

South Korea is positively considering a “vaccine pass” system to incentivize people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as officials look to start the normalization process next month. The system would entail providing benefits and exemptions to virus rules for those who have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations. The discussion has gained steam as officials believe such a system could boost the nationwide vaccination program and increase the likelihood of successful normalization.

Oct. 13, 2021

New cases stay in 1,000s for 5th day on increased tests

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 1,000s for the fifth straight day Wednesday as more people took virus tests after an extended weekend. The country added 1,584 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,571 local infections, raising the total caseload to 335,742, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Health authorities had predicted that newly confirmed cases would rise after the extended weekend that ended Monday, a substitute holiday for Hangeul Day

Oct. 13, 2021

Lee denies allegations, Moon calls for probe

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, on Tuesday denied allegations surrounding a housing development project and said he would use the parliamentary audit to clarify the issue. Lee has been embroiled in controversy over a corruption scandal surrounding his reelection as mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province in 2014.  The main opposition People Power Party has accused Lee of giving preferential treatment to asset management company Hwache

Oct. 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] Stalker, murderer of three sentenced to life in prison

A South Korean man who murdered three women in the same family was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, with the court concluding that the crime had been premeditated and planned in advance. The Seoul Northern District Court passed the sentence against Kim Tae-hyun, 25. He was indicted in April and later convicted of murder, theft, harassment, breaking and entering, and misusing communications networks. Kim was arrested at the victims’ home in Nowon-gu, northeastern Seoul, in March, days

Oct. 12, 2021

Rapper NO:EL arrested over allegedly assaulting police officer, refusing breathalyzer

Rapper NO:EL was arrested Tuesday on charges of driving without a license, refusing to take a breathalyzer test and headbutting a police officer last month. Police took the 21-year-old, whose real name is Chang Yong-jun, into custody after the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for him, saying that investigations have found the allegations to be likely true and there is a flight risk. The incident took place on the night of Sept. 18 when Chang caused a fender bender while driv

Oct. 12, 2021

South Korea seeks to live with pandemic

South Korea is seeking to live with the pandemic by relaxing its social distancing rules and launching an expert committee for a return to normalcy. “If the situation in October is managed stably, the recovery that the people desire can be accelerated. And the pain of small-business owners and self-employed people can be relieved a little more,” said Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday. Kim said increasing the vaccination rate is the most important thing for a step-by-step r

Oct. 12, 2021

Number of employment insurance subscribers in service sector surpasses 10m for 1st time in 26 years

The number of state employment insurance subscribers in the service sector topped 10 million last month for the first time since the insurance scheme was introduced 26 years ago, government data showed Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, more than 10 million service sector workers were subscribed to the state insurance plan last month, up 270,000 from September 2020, the first time the service industry achieved the milestone since the country adopted the plan in 1995. By

Oct. 12, 2021

60% sexual violence support center heads are non-experts: lawmaker

Over 60 percent of sex crime support centers are headed by those with no expertise in the field, the main opposition People Power Party’s Rep. Kim Byong-wook said, citing Ministry of Education data. Of the 304 universities operating a support center for sexual violence, the lawmaker’s office on Tuesday said 185 were found to be led by people who did not major in subjects related to sexual damage consultation. According to the data, the largest number of universities’ suppor

Oct. 12, 2021

Moon says S. Koreans at 'last gateway' to return to normal

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that the country is about to enter the "last gateway" to a return to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic. Moon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, referring to Wednesday's planned launch of a new government-civilian committee handling the transition from COVID-19 to everyday life. "We have done well until now, and if we hang on a little longer, we will be able to enter the stage of returning to normal as planned, in li

Oct. 12, 2021

Top court orders govt. to pay DSME W31b in dispute over salvage ship delivery

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to pay Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) 31 billion won ($25.8 million) in connection with a protracted legal dispute surrounding a project to build the country's first indigenous military salvage vessel. Tuesday's ruling confirmed two lower court rulings in favor of the shipbuilder, which was seeking government compensation after the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) refused to accept the 3,500-ton Navy sa

Oct. 12, 2021

Man given life sentence for murdering online friend he stalked, family members

A Seoul court on Tuesday sentenced a young man to life imprisonment for brutally killing an online game mate he stalked and her family members, in a case that raised awareness about stalking crimes The Seoul Northern District Court delivered the sentence to Kim Tae-hyun, 25, indicted on five criminal charges, including murder, housebreaking and theft. Kim was arrested at the victims' home on March 25, with self-inflicted injuries, two days after killing the three women there. He had been stalk

Oct. 12, 2021

PM calls on more foreign residents to get vaccinated amid resurgence concerns

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday called on foreign residents to actively participate in the country's vaccination program amid virus resurgence concerns. Kim stressed that South Korea does not discriminate against foreigners when it comes to the virus fight and that health authorities are willing to help foreigners get vaccinated. "Although cases from foreign residents in South Korea have been rising recently, their vaccination rate is relatively low," Kim said during a Central D

Oct. 12, 2021

New infections remain in 1,000s for 4th day on fewer tests over extended weekend

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases hovered around the 1,000s for a fourth straight day on Tuesday due to fewer tests over an extended weekend. The country added 1,347 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,334 local infections, raising the total caseload to 334,163, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily number of COVID-19 cases has stayed in the quadruple digits since July 7. Health authorities are worried about a possible surge in confirmed cases as more c

Oct. 12, 2021

Korea’s blueprint for post-vaccine normal begins to take shape

South Korea’s plans to get back to a normal life are beginning to take shape, with about less than a month left until the vaccine goal is projected to be cleared. As of 4 p.m. Monday, more than 40 million people, or 77 percent of the nation’s population, had received their first vaccination against COVID-19, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s update. Some 30 million, or 59 percent, had received two full doses or a one-dose Johnson & Johnson va

Oct. 11, 2021