In the wake of #MeToo in South Korea, an elderly man has garnered criticism for directing sexually oriented questions toward a young YouTube creator as she was filming a live video. YouTuber YulKong on Sunday night uploaded a two-minute video, titled, “Is this sexual harassment?” In the video, she is approached by an elderly man who asks to be filmed. The creator goes along with his unexpected request, even complimenting him on his “good looks.” A still image screen-captured from YulKong’s YouTu

Social Affairs Oct. 22, 2018

After students’ calls for action against trespassing on campus by people to commit sexual acts, Dongduk Women’s University officials announced measures Sunday to prevent recurrences.From November, non-registered members of the public will not be able to enter campus grounds, including food delivery men and taxi drivers. School identification card readers will also be installed in front of all campus buildings, according to school authorities. Initially, the school had rejected students’ demands

Social Affairs Oct. 22, 2018

Members of teenage K-pop boy band The East Light have suffered years of physical and verbal abuse and threats from a music director, the group’s leader Lee Seok-cheol told a press conference Friday. Lee, the 18-year-old band’s leader and drummer, fought back tears as he described abuse dating back to 2015. In a media report released Thursday, Lee had accused Media Line Entertainment Chairman Kim Chang-hwan of turning a blind eye to the abuse meted out to The East Light members by the resident pr

Performance Oct. 21, 2018

Incheon District Court on Thursday ordered a 47-year-old man to serve a one-year prison term for assaulting an employee at a convenience store and a civil servant in two separate incidents. The assailant was indicted on charges of “special violence, interference with business and obstruction of official duties,” according to authorities.  (Yonhap)On July 20, the man assaulted a part-time convenience store employee in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 2:40 p.m. after the worker reportedly refused t

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2018

Incheon prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a 10-year prison term for the owner of an after-school institute if he is found guilty in a rape case involving a 10-year-old girl he met via a mobile chatting app. Citing the nature of violence against a minor, prosecutors demanded the 34-year-old defendant, surnamed Lee, wear an ankle monitor for the next 20 years and be added on the registry of sex offenders against minors.  (Yonhap)Lee is accused of sexually assaulting the child after making her drin

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2018

A website promoting the services of an “infidelity private investigator” has stirred controversy in South Korea about the disclosure of personal information. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station, the site operator, a 36-year-old app developer surnamed Lee, was arrested Monday for allegedly violating Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act. He is accused of illegally obtaining personal data for unfaithful men and disclosing details to their romantic partners. He is currently under invest

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2018

A male passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight from Incheon to Chicago died of a heart attack last Thursday around two to three hours after takeoff, Chicago’s Korean-language media outlet reported Tuesday. The captain reported a medical emergency on board after the man, 76, experienced heart attack symptoms and collapsed. Flight attendants made an announcement and found a physician, who performed CPR in an attempt to save the sick man, but he was pronounced dead. Authorities say the deceased man

International Oct. 17, 2018

A former supervisor at the Hanssem furniture company who was indicted on charges of raping a new recruit last year denied the allegations Tuesday during a preliminary hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. The male defendant, surnamed Park, said he had had consensual sex with the woman but denied forcing her to have sex, according to court records. “The plaintiff did not refuse the sexual contact (at the time),” the defendant said.  (Yonhap)Last November, the female employee made her alleg

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2018

Police are investigating the death of a 24-year-old disabled person who was found engulfed in flames Monday in an open field in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. According to authorities, a passerby called dispatch around 7:30 p.m. Monday to report a “person on fire” near an open field in Heungduk-gu, northwestern Cheongju.  (Yonhap)Police and fire investigators said the subject was declared dead at the scene. The victim was identified as a 24-year-old athlete with an intellectual disability

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2018

The Daegu District Court on Friday sentenced a 26-year-old woman to 12 years in prison for killing her infant child by neglect and getting rid of the body.According to court records, the woman left her husband due to a conflict in August 2016. She later met a man through an online game, and the two reportedly moved into a studio in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Her child was born shortly after, in July 2017. The baby’s father was arrested while the woman was pregnant, and he was still in ja

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2018

A 52-year-old man suspected of theft and rape in multiple cases in Gwangju and Daejeon has been arrested after a 15-year search, in light of new DNA evidence. The man surnamed Kim is accused of breaking and entering into seven homes of women living alone, stealing their expensive goods and sexually assaulting them from July 2003 to November 2006. During police questioning, Kim reportedly admitted to sexually assaulting three more victims in Daejeon. (Yonhap)He is being accused of burglary and ra

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2018

In a rare case where trial proceedings are opened to the public, shining a spotlight on the treatment of vulnerable victims, YouTuber Yang Ye-won on Wednesday attended the trial of a 45-year-old photographer surnamed Choi who has been indicted on charges of taking explicit photos of Yang and leaking them to the public. It was his second court date.At the previous session, held Sept. 5, Yang’s attorney had asked the Seoul Western District Court for Wednesday’s hearing to be made public, citing Ch

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2018

The Suwon District Court on Wednesday ordered a hospital to pay 1 billion won ($882,000) in damages to the family of a woman who reportedly lapsed into a coma after receiving an injection of the wrong drug five years ago. According to court records, the woman, now 47, visited the hospital in Gyeonggi Province for a medical exam in June 2013. After undergoing a gastroscopy while sedated, the patient was in recovery when a nurse injected her with Vecaron. Vecaron is a neuromuscular blocker used to

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2018

A father and son, surnamed Nam, died early Wednesday in a fire at their traditional hanok house in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, fire authorities said. The fire broke out around 3:55 a.m. Wednesday and burned through 50 square meters of the house, according to news reports.  (Yonhap)An 80-year-old woman, the wife of one victim and the mother of the other, was the only survivor. Her son, 54, jumped back into the burning house to save her sick 84-year-old husband, but the two could not escape

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2018

Former Bongousse Rice Burger CEO Oh Seh-rin has sparked controversy after he reportedly sold the company to popular Korean fried chicken chain NeNe Chicken without giving prior notice to franchise owners. NeNe Chicken recently acquired the burger franchise and replaced Oh with the current CEO Hyun Cheol-ho last month, a company official said Wednesday. With less than $100, Oh reportedly started out as a street food vendor in front of Dongwon High School and Dongwoo Girls’ High School in Suwon, G

Industry Oct. 3, 2018