Ansan Danwon Police Station said Monday eight people had been booked for alleged offences outside the residence of child rapist Cho Doo-soon in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, following his release on the weekend. One of those under investigation, a 17-year-old, was booked for allegedly attempting to break into Cho’s residence by climbing a wall, and another is under investigation for allegedly assaulting police officers. A man in his 50s was booked for allegedly interfering in the teenager&rs

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2020

Local authorities are on alert with the scheduled release of infamous child rapist Cho Doo-soon less than 24 hours away, as they seek to protect nearby residents and prevent possible acts of revenge against him. Cho, 68, will be released Saturday morning after serving 12 years in prison for brutally assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 2008. It is not known which correctional center he will be released from, but he will be set free between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Upon release, Cho will be tracked at all

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2020

A local court issued an arrest warrant for former high-ranking prosecutor Yun Gap-geun for his involvement in a financial fraud scandal involving Lime Asset Management. The Seoul Southern District Court on Friday morning issued the warrant for Yun, chief of the main opposition People Power Party’s North Chungcheong Province office, who had served as head of the Daegu High Prosecutors Office until 2017. The court said the arrest warrant was issued to prevent Yun from fleeing or destroying

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2020

President Moon Jae-in officially announced South Korea‘s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 in his address to the nation on Thursday. Moon said going carbon neutral cannot not be delayed any further as Korea looks to overcome the climate crisis and aim for a sustainable future, according to the presidential office. By promising carbon neutrality, Korea will raise new, promising industries, activate a circular economy and help form a low-carbon ecosystem for the business sector,

Politics Dec. 10, 2020

Local cram schools are planning to take legal action against the government, saying they have been treated unfairly in being forced to close their doors under stricter social distancing schemes. Directors for a number of cram schools in the capital region, which includes Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, are preparing to file a lawsuit against the government for forcing after-school study institutes to halt operations amid Level 2.5 social distancing. The cram school directors are in searc

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2020

South Korea will extend its state employment insurance program to artists starting Thursday as the first step toward expanding coverage to all workers by 2025. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday that artists under work contracts who earn monthly income of at least 500,000 won ($460) will be eligible for coverage under the amended Employment Insurance Act. The amendment excludes artists with monthly income under 500,000 won to prevent those working as artists for reasons other

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2020

Korean authorities are on alert as the highly contagious bird flu quickly spreads across South Korea amid bird migration season. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Tuesday that a H5N8 strain of highly pathogenic bird flu was found at a chicken egg farm in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, late Monday. Officials began culling 193,000 chickens at the farm and 7,000 ducks at a nearby farm as a preventative measure. Gyeonggi Province imposed a standstill order for all poultry farms

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2020

Infamous child rapist Cho Doo-soon is set to be released Saturday, with controversy lingering as to whether he should be released and what the country should do to protect potential victims. Cho, who brutally assaulted an 8-year-old girl in 2008, will be released from prison Dec. 12 after 12 years in prison. It is not known which correctional facility he will be released from on that date, but he will be set free between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Upon release, Cho will be tracked at all times via a GP

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2020

A local court on Friday began reviewing whether to issue arrest warrants for three high-ranking Energy Ministry officials suspected of destroying documents about the controversial closure of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Court on Friday afternoon started an arrest warrant hearing for the three officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This followed a request from the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday. The officials are under investig

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2020

Fear is growing among college hopefuls after Thursday’s national college entrance exam, as the coronavirus situation could hinder their chances of gaining admission to the colleges of their choice. Starting this weekend, a number of universities are kicking off written exams and interviews for early admissions. Universities are looking to recruit 77 percent of their new students for next year by Dec. 27. Konkuk University will have a written exam Saturday, followed by Sogang University,

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2020

Tens of thousands of college hopefuls sat the national college entrance exam Thursday, which could determine not only which universities they will attend, but many aspects of their future. The relentless resurgence of the COVID-19 outbreak brought changes to this year’s College Scholastic Aptitude Test, better known as the Suneung here, but some things have stayed the same. The usual scenes of crowds cheering in front of testing centers were nowhere to be seen Thursday morning, with st

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2020

Police were investigating Wednesday the cause behind a fire at an apartment in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, that left four people dead and seven injured a day earlier. Forensic officials conducted an on-site inspection of the apartment unit on the eighth floor of a 12-story building. It was under renovation and workers were replacing window frames when the blaze began, the Gunpo Police Station said. Authorities suspect flammable materials, such as urethane foam, may have caught fire and started

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2020

Tens of thousands of college hopefuls in South Korea will take the annual national college entrance exam Thursday, so important that many here describe it as one of the most pivotal moments in life. The College Scholastic Aptitude Test, or the Suneung, will begin at 8:40 a.m. at over 1,300 testing sites across the country, and will last until 5:40 p.m. Some 493,433 college hopefuls are to sit the marathon test. Coming amid a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, this year’s Suneung is argu

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2020

As the second semester nears its end, a debate is being rekindled on campuses – should final exams be held in-person or online? While most universities leave the matter up to lecturers to decide, who appear to favor physical attendance to prevent cheating, students fear the risk of infection, as young people have been pointed to as potential silent spreaders of the virus. As the nation undergoes a third wave of coronavirus infections, the number of college students diagnosed with COVID

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2020

Police are investigating the death of an infant found inside a freezer at an apartment unit in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The mother, 43, has been arrested on charges including child abuse and abandonment of a corpse, investigators in Yeosu said Tuesday. 　 It is suspected that the dead baby, a boy, was about 2 months old when he died and had been kept in the freezer since. He appeared to be the twin brother of the woman’s daughter, who is now 2 years old. Police say they were seeking

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2020