Former Liberty Korea Party presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo has returned to Seoul on Sunday, apparently with an eye on the now-opposition party’s leadership race. Dubbed as “Hong Trump” for his outspoken rhetoric and hardline conservative remarks, Hong took 24 percent of the vote in the May 9 presidential election, finishing second after President Moon Jae-in.  (Yonhap)Since the election, the conservative hardliner has stayed in the US for 23 days, during which he did not hide his intention

Social Affairs June 4, 2017

The number of elderly drivers who died in traffic accidents has doubled over the past decade, government data shows. In 2016, 496 drivers between the ages of 70 and 89 died in road accidents, doubling from the 2007 tally of 246, the Road Traffic Authority said Sunday.  (123rf)Of the 496, 393 were in their 70s and the other 103 were in their 80s. The deaths of 70-something drivers marked an increases of 81.9 percent compared to 2007. “The increase (in elderly drivers’ traffic deaths) can be attri

Social Affairs June 4, 2017

South Korea’s prosecution on Thursday summoned Chung Yoo-ra again for questioning. Chung is the daughter of Choi Soon-sil who is at the center of a political corruption scandal that led to the impeachment and arrest of former President Park Geun-hyeAt 9 a.m., the 21-year-old was escorted to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. She was arrested on her way back to South Korea a day earlier, following her extradition from Denmark.Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of former President Park Geun-h

Social Affairs June 1, 2017

The Seoul city government Tuesday forcibly removed a camp of former President Park Geun-hye’s supporters outside City Hall. The site, which is frequented by foreign tourists, has been occupied for 129 days by those protesting against Park’s impeachment.Seoul city officials remove the tents set up by supporters of former President Park Geun-hye at Seoul Plaza on Tuesday. The tents, installed on Jan. 21, have been occupying the plaza illegally for more than three months. (Yonhap)The Seoul Metropol

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

Former President Park Geun-hye’s aloof attitude during her trial is drawing attention. On Monday, while attending the third hearing of her trial, the impeached leader was seen dozing off for about 20 minutes. The 65-year-old impeached leader, who looked visibly tired throughout the day, was seen falling asleep near the end of the hearing, which lasted nearly 12 hours. Former President Park Geun-hye (Yonhap)At that time, witness questioning was underway on Park’s role in the alleged money-for-fav

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

More than 60 percent of domestic violence offenders in South Korea are parents of the victims, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission data shows. The data also showed that the most common form of abuse was locking up their children. Among 1,036 people involved in a total of 961 domestic violence cases reported, 63.8 percent were carried out by parents who cooperated in their abusive behavior toward their children, according to the ACRC.(123RF)The watchdog said the number of husbands who ind

Social Affairs May 28, 2017

When Jeong Nam-gyu was first arrested for housebreaking and attempted murder in 2006, few imagined that the diminutive, 37-year-old man would turn out to be the perpetrator of a string of murders that shook the country for years. The man, showing no remorse, signs of being intimidated or fear for his own fate, confessed to killing two boys in 2004 and more. His cool-headed confession made investigators shudder. It was then that criminal profiler Kwon Il-yong was brought in.  Kwon Il-yong (Park H

Social Affairs May 26, 2017

When Jeong Nam-kyu was first arrested for housebreaking and attempted murder in 2006, few imagined that the diminuitive, 37-year-old man would turn out to have been the perpetrator of a string of murders that shook the country for years. The man, showing no remorse, signs of being intimidated or fear for his own fate, confessed to killing two boys in 2004 and more. His cool-headed confession made investigators shudder. It was then that criminal profiler Kwon Il-yong was brought in.  Former crimi

Social Affairs May 26, 2017

Incidents of scarlet fever are on a sharp rise here, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. According to the KCDC, 11,911 suspected cases were reported in 2016. The figure is an increase of more than 112-fold from 2010, when 106 cases were reported.(Courtesy of H Plus Yangji Hospital)So far this year, at least 9,179 cases, about 80 percent of last year’s figure, have been reported to the KCDC. Symptoms of the illness, caused by group A streptococcal infection, inclu

Social Affairs May 24, 2017

Former President Park Geun-hye is to make her first court appearance on Tuesday, since being indicted on a total of 18 charges mid-April. She is obliged to show up at the Seoul Central District Court at 2 p.m. in southern Seoul for the first hearing of the high-profile case. The court held two preliminary hearings earlier, but she was not obliged to attend. Park, who was ejected from power in March with less than a year left in her five-year term, is accused of abuse of power, government secret

Social Affairs May 21, 2017

The obesity rate for South Korean adults (aged 15 and over) came in at 5.3 percent, one of the lowest among 35 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the latest data shows.According to the OECD’s Obesity Update 2017, published last week, the county’s overall estimated obesity rate is the second lowest, following Japan which recorded 3.7 percent. (photo credit: 123rf)But the rate here is expected to increase, the data predicts, marking 6 percent in 2020 and 9

Social Affairs May 21, 2017

Two high-ranking officials of the Justice Ministry and the prosecution offered to resign Thursday, a day after President Moon Jae-in ordered an internal investigation into allegations that they gave money to subordinates who investigated the corruption scandal of former President Park Geun-hye. The resignations of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office head Lee Yeong-ryeol and Justice Ministry senior official Ahn Tae-geun, however, will not be considered until the audit is complete, a Cheong

Social Affairs May 18, 2017

The independent counsel that investigated the scandal surrounding former President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday requested her as a witness in the trial of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.The Counsel’s investigation team, which indicted Lee and 29 others in connection with the scandal, said Park should take the stand in order to shed light on links between the two.This file photo shows former President Park Geun-hye entering the Seoul Central District Court on March 30, 2017, to atte

Social Affairs May 17, 2017

The South Korean search team looking into the salvaged Sewol ferry found a total of 13 human bone fragments from the wreck of the ferry Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, nine fragments were found inside a passenger cabin on the third deck of the ferry, while four others were later recovered from mud collected from the third and fourth deck. A search team checks the wreck of the Sewol ferry in the port of Mokpo, 410 km south of Seoul. (Yonhap)The National Forensic Servic

Social Affairs May 16, 2017

Four in 10 North Koreans are considered “food-insecure,” according to a report from Radio Free Asia on Tuesday, a nonprofit international broadcaster. It cited Food Security Information Network‘s “Global Report on Food Crises 2017,” released in March.By the United Nations agency’s report, 4.4 million, or 17 percent, of the isolated country’s 25.3 million population were suffering from food insecurity in 2016, requiring massive levels of assistance due to food shortage.(Yonhap)Around 5.6 million

North Korea May 16, 2017