The Cheongju District Court on Tuesday sentenced a married man, 31, to six months in jail for using threats to pressure a woman he was having an affair with into sending the suspect naked photos of herself.The suspect had a 10-month romantic relationship with the 19-year-old victim starting in January 2016. During that time, he forced her to send naked pictures to his mobile phone on multiple occasions. When the victim refused, the suspect threatened to release sexually intimate videos and photo

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2017

A small fire quickly spread through a sponge manufacturing factory in Jangnim-dong in western Busan on Tuesday at 1:50 p.m. Ten factory workers managed to escape the blaze, but the smoke created panic from local residents.  (Yonhap)The fire burned 728 square meters of the factory and was extinguished after 35 minutes. There are no apparent casualties from the fire. Busan Fire Department Safety Headquarters reported that following a weather forecast of high dryness in Busan and the accompanying p

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2017

Police are investigating a high school student in Busan, 17, for hitting his teacher in the face several times due to frustration regarding the teacher’s disciplinary action, local media outlets reported Thursday. Another teacher who witnessed the alleged physical assault immediately called police. The witness reported the suspect was seen hitting the 50-year-old teacher in the face several times Tuesday.  (Yonhap)Police reportedly received conflicting accounts on the exact number of hits inflic

Social Affairs Nov. 30, 2017

Bucheon Wonmi police officers arrested a male suspect Wednesday on charges of allegedly murdering his Korean-Chinese romantic partner of two years and then fleeing the scene with her credit card after a verbal fight at a motel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. The suspect, 49, is said to have reportedly strangled his 46-year-old Korean-Chinese girlfriend and ruthlessly killed the victim by sticking a knife into her neck and stomach area three times. The suspect was caught on security footage leavin

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2017

Choi Moon-soon, governor of Gangwon Province, unveiled critical plans for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in providing all pertinent information such as accommodation, food, transportation and cultural events be all easily accessible via the Olympics Information Call Center (without area code, 1330) during a press conference held on Monday. The Olympics Information Call Center will join hands with Korea Tourism Organization‘s calling number ’1330‘ and provide assistance in Korean,

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2017

Jeonnam Gwangyang police officers arrested a 47-year-old female suspect, surnamed Lee, on charges of theft by fraud, allegedly having deceived the victim by dressing up as a man, local media outlets reported Friday. Lee is said to have approached the 57-year-old female victim, surnamed Kim, in Incheon early on this year. Because Lee appeared to look much like a man, the suspect used this to her advantage when approaching Kim to lure her into a romantic relationship. Lee and Kim had been in a co-

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2017

A “Suneung” student residing in Gyeonggi Province, who was trapped in her room in her house due to a broken door knob, successfully made it to the college entrance exam on Thursday after being rescued by Anyang Fire Department. Worried that her daughter might miss the examination, the student‘s mom called the fire department at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, upon realizing that the door would not budge. Fire fighters soon arrived at the scene and broke the door knob to release the student, who reportedl

Social Affairs Nov. 23, 2017

Jeonnam Mokpo Korea Coast Guard on Tuesday dismissed a 30-year-old maritime police officer from the maritime investigative agency after he was accused of sexual assault. This is the highest level of disciplinary action for civil servants in Korea. Police arrested the suspect for allegedly attempting to rape a 16-year-old female and stealing her smartphone in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province on Oct. 24.  (Screen capture of YouTube)The victim, who worked at a cafe, reported to the police that the susp

Social Affairs Nov. 22, 2017

A 47-year-old man was booked without detention by the Busan Haeundae Police after he allegedly threw a shot glass at a Ferrari, Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday. According to police, the man had been drinking soju with a friend at an eel restaurant on Songjeong Beach in Haeundae, Busan, around 11:30 p.m. on June 16 when he heard the roar of a Ferrari’s engine. The suspect, who was drinking at an outdoor table, reportedly became annoyed at the loud music coming from the Ferrari. He threw the s

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2017

Police arrested two suspects for stealing a tablet PC that contained notes for the college entrance exam, or Suneung, local media reported Wednesday. On Monday morning, three days before the original day when Korea’s national college entrance exam was to be held, a senior high school student in Gangneung, surnamed Kang, called the police after realizing that his tablet PC had gone missing. The exam has since been delayed to next week due to an earthquake in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2017

The fifth annual Design Week in Daegu kicked off Thursday at Daegu Gyeongbuk Design Center and will run until Sunday, organizers said. Co-hosted by the Daegu Metropolitan Government and Daegu Gyeongbuk Design Center, Design Week in Daegu 2017 will proceed under the theme of “Innovation, Caring and Empathy through Design.” (Daegu Gyeongbuk Design Center)With Daegu as the key setting, this year’s event will showcase a “universal design” for everyone that can essentially be applied to five scenario

Arts & Design Nov. 16, 2017

With temperatures dropping nationwide, long padded jackets have become trendy among Korean middle and high school students, but parents are feeling the pinch from their expensive price tags. Such jackets are similar to those worn by sports players on the bench. A report said a housewife in Daegu surnamed Kim felt compelled to buy her daughter, who is in junior high, a long padded jacket that cost 500,000 won ($450). Kim initially hesitated over the price, but her daughter had insisted on having

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2017

Globally beloved Nutella has been around since 1963 when Italian brand Ferrero introduced the hazenult cocoa spread as an alternative to melting chocolate during World War II. A report by the European Food Safety Authority in May 2016 claimed that the processed palm oil may cause a potential health risk, but did not, however, ban consumers from consuming palm oil. Government and civic groups said that when processed oils are heated above 200 degrees Celsius, the cancer risk from palm oil may rea

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2017

Singer BoA and actor Joo Won recently put an end to their romantic relationship, with their respective agencies, S.M. Entertainment and Huayi Brothers, confirming the reports Monday. The two had first met in 2015 through acquaintances and became close, as they had similar interests. During the latter half of 2016, BoA and Joo Won’s relationship turned into a romantic one. They publicly acknowledged they were dating in January 2017.  (Yonhap)BoA has kept herself busy juggling jobs as a singer and

Television Nov. 13, 2017

Jeonnam Regional Police Agency on Monday arrested a group of suspects for allegedly performing illegal cosmetic procedures 353 times at a hair salon in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. Police found the 45-year-old owner of the hair salon, surnamed Lee, and her business partners guilty of violating the Special Measures Act on Health Crimes Control.  (Yonhap)The head of a medical device maker and a pharmaceutical firm employee were also arrested on charges of illegal distribution of medicine. Police

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2017