Police arrest operators of app that shared 4.6m phone numbers of sex buyers

Operators of a mobile application on which brothels share the personal information of their customers, including phone numbers, were arrested by police, officials said Friday. They are accused of violating of the law on personal information protection and the law on punishment of prostitution. According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, some 6,400 sex work establishments shared information about sex buyers, including some 4.6 million phone numbers, their past records of visiting other

June 23, 2023

Seoul sets course for river buses on the Han

A new river bus service along the Han River is poised to set sail as the city's latest public transportation and tourism offering, potentially starting in late 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday. The city’s administrative body has slated a preliminary evaluation for the second half of this year. Among the focal points of this assessment are dock accessibility and economic viability, which the city is actively seeking to navigate. With an objective of launching the riv

June 23, 2023

3 Thais convicted for illegal gambling

Three Thai nationals involved in the operation of illegal gambling sites while illegally staying in South Korea have been convicted, the Gwangju District Court ruled Friday. The court gave two defendants suspended sentences of 1 1/2 years in prison term and a suspended sentence of four months in prison term to the third. They were convicted of creating online gambling spaces in Thai and handling money for use in gambling. The criminals were tasked with collecting and distributing money in Gwangs

June 23, 2023

Child abuse cases revealed amid probe into absent students

Twenty students were found to have fallen victim to child abuse, a pangovernmental investigation into thousands of students who missed classes for more than seven days without prior notice on Friday. Four cases have already been sent to the prosecution, and investigations are being underway for the other 16 cases, the officials said. They were among a total of 6,871 cases of students who did not attend school for more than seven days in March, according to the Ministry of Education, which conduc

June 23, 2023

Foreign students to get more rights to work

The Justice Ministry announced Friday plans to allow foreign students to work as interns within their field of study during their vacation. The Justice Ministry said the move, to take effect from July 3, is designed to help foreign students pursue careers in Korea. Additionally, foreign students' maximum weekly working hours during term time will increase to 25 hours, from 20 hours. Currently, students are only allowed to get part-time jobs for up to 20-35 hours, depending on which type o

June 23, 2023

Man burns neighbor to death after losing money in game

A 61-year-old man burned his neighbor to death after losing money in a game, the Gwangju District Court heard Thursday in the case's first hearing. The unnamed man is suspected of killing the victim -- also in his 60s -- with criminal intent, the court heard. The accused had a life insurance policy that designated him as the recipient in case the victim died. The suspect collected 8 million won ($6,148) in insurance money after the incident. The two men were neighbors and had been acquainte

June 23, 2023

S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea's military has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, about 13 years after their discovery near the inter-Korean border, the defense ministry said Friday. The ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification confirmed the remains belonged to Pfc. Kim Hyeon-taek, after conducting a DNA analysis using a sample from his daughter. KIA stands for "killed in action." The agency first discovered part of his remains in Cheorwo

June 23, 2023

No sign of foul play found in S. Korean tourist's death in Paris

No sign of foul play has been found in the death of a South Korean tourist who recently died at a subway station in the suburbs of Paris, embassy officials said Thursday. The 36-year-old man, who was traveling alone in France, is presumed to have died at the Villejuif-Louis Aragon station of the Paris Metro on June 12 (local time). Police suspect he may have died by an electric shock while attempting to cross the railroad tracks. The South Korean Embassy in Paris said it has examined the circums

June 22, 2023

Election commission uncovers 21 cases of suspected nepotism

The National Election Commission said Thursday a recent inspection has revealed 21 instances of suspected nepotism involving the hiring of officials' families and relatives. The election oversight body has conducted an internal probe encompassing almost all officials and employees after allegations arose last month that several agency positions had been secured by the children of former and current senior officials through their undue influence. "Through an investigation conducted on a

June 22, 2023

BOK puts brakes on Gyeongju's iconic coin-shaped street snack

The historic city of Gyeongju may soon lose one of its most iconic street snacks, the 10-won waffle, as the South Korea’s central bank takes issue with its design resembling a real coin. The Bank of Korea on Thursday said it will put the brakes on the sale of the waffles designed after national coins that have become popular street snacks in some tourist destinations. The central bank has recently urged a warning to local producers of the coin-shaped snack to stop applying the design of go

June 22, 2023

Police, FTC join crackdown on hagwon irregularities

The Education Ministry said Thursday it has teamed up the police and the market watchdog, the Fair Trade Commission, to identify irregularities in operations of, hagwon, or private academies and institutions nationwide for next two weeks. The ministry started receiving reports on hagwon that provide one-on-one classes, run false advertisements, promote excessive spending on private education, and charge separately for textbooks. The reports can be filed on the Education Ministry's website u

June 22, 2023

Alleged infanticide cases revealed as Korea looks into unreported babies

An alleged infanticide committed by a Suwon woman in her 30s, who was found to have kept two infant bodies in a freezer at her apartment, was caught while the government was investigating the cases of more than 2,000 babies who were logged born in hospitals, but whose births remain unregistered by their parents for years, according to the state audit agency on Thursday. The Board of Audit and Inspection said it has been looking into these cases since March and has asked local governments and the

June 22, 2023

1 in 10 teens exposed to narcotic painkillers: study

One out of 10 teenagers said they have used fentanyl patches, a form of narcotic painkiller, a study showed Thursday. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family published the results of the biennial survey about harmful environments for youth, which was conducted with the participation of 17,140 students from the fourth grade of elementary school to middle and high schoolers. For the first time this year, questions on the use of narcotic drugs were added, though only for middle and high school s

June 22, 2023

Monsoon season to start Sunday nationwide

The monsoon season is likely to begin nationwide on Sunday, the weather agency predicted, Thursday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, clear days are expected to continue through Saturday due to the influence of what is called a migrating anticyclone, or the circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure. As the North Pacific High moves northward starting Sunday, a stationary front crossing northern Taiwan and the southern coast of Japan is forecast

June 22, 2023

Korea's age system set to change, but some exceptions remain

The Korean age system is set to change at the end of June, but some aspects of the old system will remain, the Ministry of Government Legislation said in a press release Wednesday. While age standards across Korea will soon be calculated in the same way as most places around the world -- from the time of birth -- there are still some exceptions to the new rule. Notably, age restrictions on the buying of alcohol and tobacco will continue to use the old formula. In this system, age is calculated b

June 22, 2023

In-flight disturbances sharply up in 2023: data

In-flight disturbances and other illegal acts on board have risen significantly this year as more people have gone on overseas trips since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, government data showed Thursday. According to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 159 such cases were reported between January and April, compared with 85 cases in the same period in 2021 and 264 cases throughout all of 2022. The data was released by Rep. Kim Su-hong of the main opposition De

June 22, 2023

[Newsmaker] 82-year-old Seoul Paik Hospital to permanently close its doors

A final decision has been reached to permanently close the 82-year-old Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, hospital officials announced Wednesday. Located near Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul’s Jung-gu district, the general hospital -- which had opened as the nation’s first surgical hospital in 1941 -- has been suffering from mounting losses. While the exact closure date is yet to be decided, Seoul Paik will “now proceed with necessary preparations in the following weeks, such a

June 21, 2023

Stalkers to be punished without victims' consent

Offenders accused of stalking or harassment will now face punishment, even without the need for victims' to consent to it, in a bill unanimously passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday. The bill, approved by the parliament, eliminates any possibility for stalking and harassment offenders to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with the victim, a practice that has often left victims vulnerable to coercion or retaliation. All 246 lawmakers present in the plenary session voted for the bill. Th

June 21, 2023

Woman arrested on suspicion of murdering her two newborns

A woman has been taken into custody on suspicion of murdering her two newborn children, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police revealed Wednesday. According to the police, a woman in her 30s was taken into custody in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, after the bodies of two babies were found in her fridge. The children were born in November 2018, and November 2019, but were killed immediately and their bodies stored in the fridge, according to reports. The suspect is said to have told the police that she kill

June 21, 2023

Singer who faked cancer found dead

A singer who raised donations by faking cancer was found dead in an apparent suicide, police said Wednesday. The deceased, 33-year-old Choi Sung-bong, was the semifinalist in tvN's 2011 singing competition program "Korea's Got Talent." Police and emergency officials found him dead at his home in Gangnam-gu around 9:41 a.m. on Tuesday. Officers arrived at the scene after receiving a report that he may have attempted suicide. Prior to his death, Choi posted on his YouTube chann

June 21, 2023