Sex crime victims suffer outdated prejudices

One-third of South Koreans believed that a victim of sexual assault has some responsibility for the attack if the crime occurred while the victim was inebriated, a government survey showed Wednesday. According to the survey of 10,020 people aged 19 to 64, 32.1 percent of respondents said that if a victim was drunk when assaulted, the victim is partially responsible for being attacked. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family conducted a survey on public's perceptions of sex crimes over th

June 21, 2023

Ministry vows to combat false ads, irregularities in private education

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Wednesday the ministry will start receiving reports on irregularities in the private education industry as part of education reforms aimed at reducing the nation’s reliance on private schools and academies. The reports received by the Education Ministry will cover speculations over former test examiners providing private academies with insider information about the national college entrance exam, as well as cases of false advertising. Announcing a set of m

June 21, 2023

Half of women worry about sex crimes while using public bathroom: survey

More than half of Korean women worry about becoming victims of sexual violence when using taxis or public bathrooms, a study showed Wednesday. The study also shed light on the rising use of digital devices in sex crimes and the strong tendency to shift blame onto the victims from both men and women. The Gender Ministry published the 2022 Sexual Violence Safety Survey, a statistical survey conducted every three years. The survey was conducted on 10,020 respondents aged 19 to 64 nationwide. Of the

June 21, 2023

Driver acquitted of fatal crash as court acknowledges possibility of unintended acceleration

In a rare ruling, a local court has acknowledged the possibility of a vehicle defect in a 2020 car accident that killed a pedestrian, acquitting the driver of criminal charges. The Daejeon District Court on Tuesday found not guilty the 56-year-old driver who accidentally hit and killed a 60-year-old security guard on a university campus in Seoul on Dec. 29, 2020. Black box footage shows that the driver’s car, a local brand, exited an underground parking lot and made a right turn at a spe

June 21, 2023

Korean man arrested for sexually harassing women, robberies in Japan

A Korean national, identified only by his surname Kim, has been arrested for sexually harassing three females in Osaka, Japan, according to a Japanese broadcaster's report on Tuesday. The man allegedly committed a total of eight crimes over the course of one week that included robberies and sex crimes after arriving in Japan, prompting local police to launch further investigations. According to Yomiuri TV and local media sources, Kim was arrested in Osaka on suspicion of committing indecent

June 21, 2023

Seoul City to invest W1.7tr to grow startups

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday unveiled a 1.67 trillion-won ($1.29 billion) spending package to grow South Korean startups and nurture futuristic technology over the next eight years. Through the spending package, Seoul aims to foster at least 50 unicorns -- privately owned companies valued at over $1 billion -- with its focus on robots, financial technology, biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon told reporters that startups in Korea are increasingly c

June 21, 2023

Health Ministry to strip medical license of ex-justice minister's daughter

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that it has begun the process to revoke the medical license of Cho Min, the daughter of a former justice minister who stepped down from his post over accusations he and his wife fabricated academic documents to get her into medical school. The ministry held a hearing last week before undertaking procedures to revoke her license. She did not attend the hearing as instructed, the ministry added. The process of canceling her medical license is expec

June 21, 2023

Teenager arrested for attempting to open plane door mid-flight

INCHEON -- Police on Tuesday arrested a teenager who attempted to open an emergency door during a flight the previous day. The Incheon District Court in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, issued an arrest warrant for the 19-year-old, on charges of violations of the Aviation Security Act and the Narcotics Control Act. The suspect, whose identity was withheld, was taken into custody Monday by the Incheon International Airport Police Corps after unsuccessfully trying to open the emergenc

June 20, 2023

First on-campus Pride parade in Korea debuts in Sungkonghoe amid Seoul venue fiasco

Students from Sungkonghoe University in Guro-gu in western Seoul organized Korea's first college campus Pride parade on Tuesday. The celebration included the students advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, while also voicing disapproval of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's perceived discriminatory actions. The daylong Mini Queer Parade event commenced Tuesday with a press briefing in the morning and was due to culminate in an evening procession across the campus. Over 100 attendees were parti

June 20, 2023

[Local and Beyond] Gwangju, ceramic city in Gyeonggi, aims to become new center of classical music

GWANGJU, Gyeonggi Province -- Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, has long been a cultural hot spot. Having been famous for its ceramic production since the Joseon era, it has now set a new course in aiming to become the global center of classical music, the mayor says. “Gwangju will host the 2024 World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) Conference next year for the first time in Korea," said Bang Se-hwan in an interview with The Korea Herald. “In July last year, it c

June 20, 2023

Pastor faces discipline again for blessing LGBTQ people

Rev. Lee Dong-hwan, who was suspended from duties for two years by the Korean Methodist Church for blessing gay people at a queer festival, is facing trial again for “sympathizing with homosexuality.” Lee had been barred from preaching sermons, giving blessings and holding prayers on behalf of the Korean Methodist Church for sprinkling flower petals on LGBTQ Christians and others attending a queer festival in Incheon in August 2019. The KMC is affiliated with the US-based United Meth

June 20, 2023

Campaign for same-sex marriage legislation kicks off

Civic groups and activists on Tuesday launched a campaign calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage in South Korea. The groups, Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea and the Korean Network for Partnership and Marriage Rights of LGBT, held a press conference in Jung-gu, Seoul, to launch the “Marriage Equality Korea” campaign. The campaign will advocate for and promote the legalization of same-sex marriage in Korea, supported by group actions. Yi Ho-rim, an activist from So

June 20, 2023

South Korean digital ID cards could arrive as soon as next year

The Korean government said Tuesday that it could begin issuing digital identification cards as early as the second half of next year. Ministry of Public Administration and Security said the government's proposal to issue digital resident registration cards to be held on mobile phones was approved at the Cabinet meeting Tuesday. The proposal also require legislative approval. The digital ID cards can be saved on smartphones and will hold the same legal role as the current plastic identificat

June 20, 2023

Seoul introduces new urban design initiative

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday introduced a new urban design initiative to put the city's urban design on par with global standards and embolden its identity. The new initiative "Design Seoul 2.0" will focus on five pillars of empathy, tolerance, dedication, recovery and sustainability, according to the municipal government in a statement. Under the initiative, seven new publicly funded sightseeing spots will be designated before 2027. Beginning in 2024, designs for

June 20, 2023

Korea-themed cafe opens in Paris to promote Busan World Expo bid

A pop-up exhibition dubbed “Cafe de Busan” was launched in Paris ahead of the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, to support Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, according to the Busan Metropolitan Government on Tuesday. South Korea is vying with Rome, Italy; Odesa, Ukraine; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to host the Expo in its southeastern city of Busan. The two-day assembly, which began Tuesday with 179 BIE member countries attending, involves intense

June 20, 2023

'My daughter died twice': Mother breaks down as attorney who missed court appearances gets 1-year ban

High-profile attorney Kwon Gyeong-ae was given a one-year work suspension for neglecting her professional duty while representing a client whose daughter had died by suicide due to school violence. Kwon's client was Lee Gi-cheol, the mother of a student named Park Ju-won who took her own life in 2015 at the age of 16 as a result of school violence. Lee publicly lamented a decision by the Korean Bar Association Monday evening, saying the punishment was too light. "After all these transgressi

June 20, 2023

Mysterious US Korea Times ad about the power of women sets Twitter ablaze

A bold but cryptic full-page advertisement about the power of women in the US edition of the Korea Times has set Twitter abuzz as concerns about alarmingly low birth rates have persisted in Korea. The Korean-language daily -- the largest in the US, headquartered in Los Angeles with bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Toronto and Vancouver -- featured the print ad on June 14. The ad simply shows two sentences that read, “The

June 19, 2023

Female YouTuber dead after streaming suicide

A Korean female livestreamer died Monday, days after she attempted suicide during a YouTube broadcast. Im Ji-hyae, who went by the online handle BJ Imvely, passed away at the age of 37, according to a post uploaded to her Instagram account. She is survived by two daughters, her parents and two brothers. On June 11, Im returned from a live drinking session with a group of fellow streamers, which was also broadcast live. A brawl erupted between Im and another female livestreamer, which soon turned

June 19, 2023

Seoul to have new gondola lifts for Namsan tour

Seoul City said Monday that it would increase accessibility and restore the ecosystem of Namsan with a brand-new gondola connecting visitors from Myeong-dong the top of the mountain, along with leisure facilities. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will introduce 25 ten-seater gondolas that head to the top of the mountain, which can transport more than 1,000 people per hour. It is an eco-friendly transportation that does not create pollutants such as dust during operation. The construction of the

June 19, 2023

S. Korea to provide customized drug rehabilitation programs

The Korean government said Monday that it will help drug users willing to receive treatment and provide them with customized drug rehabilitation programs. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it has launched a pilot project named the "Judicial-Treatment-Rehabilitation Linkage Model," which is aimed at providing appropriate treatment programs to those who want to be rehabilitated and at preventing recidivism. The pilot project will be carried out by the Ministry of Health and Welfare

June 19, 2023