Justice Ministry to allow prosecution of stalking offenders without victims’ consent

The Ministry of Justice will amend the current anti-stalking law in order to enhance the system to protect victims, in response to a murder at Sindang Station in Seoul that took place Wednesday. The Justice Ministry announced Friday it will abolish a certain provision of the anti-stalking law that stipulates a perpetrator cannot be prosecuted without the agreement of the victim. The ministry analyzed that the provision hinders investigative agencies from offering protection in the early stages a

Sept. 16, 2022

Heavy rains forecast for southeast coast as Typhoon Nanmadol nears

Heavy rains may soak South Korea's southeast coast early next week under the influence of Typhoon Nanmadol, which is currently moving northwest from waters near Japan's Okinawa, the weather agency said Friday. With a central atmospheric pressure of 955 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 40 meters per second, this year's 14th typhoon was passing over waters 860 kilometers east-southeast of Okinawa at 9 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. After passing

Sept. 16, 2022

S. Korea approves homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for booster shots

South Korea on Friday authorized the use of SKYCovione, a homegrown COVID-19 vaccine developed by SK Bioscience Co., for booster shots against the coronavirus in addition to its use as primary inoculations. The decision was announced by Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il at the meeting of the government's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. Hospitals and clinics will be allowed to administer SKYCovione vaccines as third and fourth inoculations from Sept. 26. The stat

Sept. 16, 2022

Yoon vows to stamp out stalking crime after Sindang Station murder

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday that he has ordered the Ministry of Justice to work on the anti-stalking law in order to prevent a repeat of the murder of a subway station worker by a colleague who had stalked her for years. Saying that such crimes has no place in society, Yoon said he directed the Justice Ministry to take countermeasures. "The report of the stalking murder of a station employee at Sindang Station yesterday has gravely shocked the public," he said. "We have en

Sept. 16, 2022

S. Korea issues natl. flu advisory for 1st time since 2019

Health authorities on Friday issued an advisory over a possible seasonal influenza outbreak across the country, the first of its kind since 2019, amid growing concerns of a possible "twindemic" -- a simultaneous outbreak of COVID-19 and the flu -- this fall and winter. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the advisory was issued after the national influenza-like illness (ILI) case rate was tallied at 5.1 per 1,000 people from Sept. 4 to last Saturday. The advisor

Sept. 16, 2022

Men arrested after using minors in jewelry robberies

Two 20-year old men who recruited minors to rob jewelry stores, along with three others, have been taken into custody, the Daejeon Jungbu Police Station said Thursday. According to police, the two men organized the robberies and the teenagers carried out the theft. Those involved in the delivery of the jewelry and money were taken into custody, along with 11 people booked without physical detention. Two teenagers among the suspects are accused of breaking into a jewelry shop and stealing 67 item

Sept. 15, 2022

Soongsil University to train students of computing skills

Soongsil University has kicked off a new employment support program to train its students in computing skills. The university announced a program which allows students to learn a total of 52 computing skills needed these days to get a job, such as Python programming, big data analysis, Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop, illustration, financial accounting, AutoCAD and more. The school explained the computing skills are required as necessary abilities for various kinds of jobs. In line with the pande

Sept. 15, 2022

Woman was killed by ex-colleague at subway station. He was also her stalker.

A man has been arrested for killing a female subway attendant at Sindang Station at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, according to police on Thursday. The suspect, in his 30s, is a former colleague and stalker of the victim. He is alleged to have waited for nearly an hour at the station while wearing a sanitary cap and followed the victim into the ladies’ toilet before he killed her with a weapon. The woman, in her 20s, suffered a cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Th

Sept. 15, 2022

Mother of children found in suitcases caught in Ulsan

The woman thought to be the mother of two children found dead in a suitcase last month in New Zealand was apprehended in Ulsan early Thursday. Korean National Police Agency announced that the woman, who allegedly murdered her two children, was taken into custody in Ulsan. The woman was confirmed as a Korean-New Zealander who acquired New Zealand nationality after losing her Korean nationality. The woman is accused of killing her two children, seven and 10 years old at the time of death, in Auckl

Sept. 15, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases drop below 80,000 amid concern of possible 'twindemic'

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the 70,000 range Thursday amid a moderate declining trend, but health authorities remain concerned over a possible "twindemic" -- a simultaneous outbreak of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. The country reported 71,471 new COVID-19 infections, including 352 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,264,470, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's tally is a drop of over 20,000 from 93,981 the

Sept. 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] Hero dog’s death reignites debates on animal cruelty

Boksun was once hailed as a hero for helping save her owner while he was experiencing a stroke three years ago. Last month, she was found bleeding heavily at her home in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, having been brutally injured by an abuser. Her owner took her to a vet, but after learning about the hefty medical costs, gave up on saving her. She was later found dead inside a refrigerator of a dog meat restaurant. The tragic story of Boksun, made public by a local animal rights group, raise

Sept. 14, 2022

British music collective denounces Korean streaming platforms

PRS for Music, a British music copyright collective, has submitted a petition to police here denouncing Korean streaming media services' inappropriate use of music. PRS for Music is a collective founded in 1914 that oversees copyright issues for pop stars such as the Beatles, Elton John, Adele and more. Local media reports said PRS submitted a petition to the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station on Sept. 5 calling for authorities to penalize local streaming platforms for using music without proper

Sept. 14, 2022

Environment Ministry to push for multiuse parcel boxes in 2024

The Ministry of Environment plans to push for the use of multiuse parcel boxes from 2024 to protect the environment amid a rise in the number of delivery services. The ministry ran a pilot project on multiuse parcel boxes from October 2021 to August this year, joining hands with local retailers and courier service providers. The companies employed multiuse parcel boxes for deliveries, retrieving them from customers to clean and use them again. According to the ministry, the project showed multi

Sept. 14, 2022

Newly created Typhoon Nanmadol could head for S. Korea

Another typhoon could bear down on the Korean Peninsula, which was recently hit by the powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor, according to the state weather agency Wednesday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said a tropical depression has developed into a typhoon over waters 1,370 kilometers east-southeast of Japan’s Okinawa as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday. The newly developed typhoon, the 14th typhoon this year, has been named Nanmadol. Typhoon Nanmadol was less volatile, as of Wednesday, than Typ

Sept. 14, 2022

Job fair for international students to take place in October

A job fair for international students will take place next month in Seoul, providing opportunities for jobseekers to meet with recruiters from various companies. "2022 Job Fair for International Students," organized by KOTRA and the Education and Trade Ministries, will be held on Oct. 21-22 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Around one hundred companies, including South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific, will participate in the annual event, hoping to employ foreign students. Consul

Sept. 14, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases jump to over 90,000 after holiday

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to over 90,000 on Wednesday after the Chuseok fall harvest holiday that ended early this week amid worries over a spike in the virus infections. The country reported 93,981 new COVID-19 infections, including 314 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,193,038, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally jumped by nearly 37,000 from 57,309 a day earlier following the four-day holiday that ended Mon

Sept. 14, 2022

S. Korea dodges two typhoons, but a third could hit

South Korea will be safe from two typhoons that have formed to the south of the peninsula, but another typhoon could become active over the waters off of Japan's Okinawa and hit the country, the state weather agency said Tuesday. Typhoon Muifa, the 12th tropical storm this year, was moving northward over waters 260 kilometers east of Taipei at a speed of 8 kilometers per hour as of 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, The typhoon has a central pressure of 965

Sept. 13, 2022

National education committee yet to set sail

The launch of a national education committee is being stalled as related bodies dispute the right to recommend members. The committee, tasked with deliberating on long-term education policy, was initially scheduled to be launched in July. While the committee is to have 21 members, the National Assembly, entitled to recommend nine of the committee members, has so far selected only two nominees. The president has the right to name five. Education-related bodies can also recommend a total of two m

Sept. 13, 2022

[Newsmaker] Redevelopment boom is erasing Seoul's heritage

Earlier this year, a popular Pyongyang-style cold noodle restaurant in central Seoul closed down after 37 years. The closure of Eulji Myeonok came after a court ruled that a redevelopment project in the area should be allowed to go ahead following a yearslong legal battle, forcing the restaurant to leave the building it used to occupy. Founded by the daughter of Korean War refugees, the restaurant was loved by customers across generations. People waited in line on its last day for a final taste

Sept. 13, 2022

Special counsel indicts eight in suicide of sexually abused Air Force sergeant

The 100-day special counsel investigation into the sexual abuse of Air Force Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram came to a close on Tuesday, with eight officers indicted on new charges.　 Special counsel Ahn Mi-young told a news conference that the officers of the Air Force’s 20th fighter wing where Lee served appear to have sought to help the perpetrator rather than the victim, and that the military investigators did not actively work to bring justice. “Let this be a warning that when the arme

Sept. 13, 2022