Late Monday, the prosecution raided one of Seoul’s district offices as part of its investigation into the leak of personal information of the former prosecution chief’s alleged love child. Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office seized several surveillance cameras at the Seocho-gu Office to identify a staffer who contacted a spy agency official surnamed Song and reportedly divulged the child’s information via phone at the office, officials said. The prosecution confirmed the phone records ahe

Social Affairs Jan. 14, 2014

Seoul City will expel dozens of overcharging international taxis and take measures to crack down on similar cabs in the city, officials said Monday. The city said it would weed out 52 international taxis that have ripped off in-city passengers by secretly pressing the 25 percent intercity surcharge button when traveling only within the capital.International taxis are allowed two options: surcharging 20 percent for having foreign passengers or adding a 25 percent surcharge for heading outer-city.

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2014

Two men were arrested for allegedly smuggling and selling a large amount of methamphetamine, prosecutors said Sunday. Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office said that it arrested two men surnamed Jung and Yoo on charges of smuggling 7 kilograms of methamphetamine worth 23 billion won ($22 million) from China and selling to Korean brokers from July 2012 for more than a year. It also indicted a 43-year-old man surnamed Oh without detention for assisting the illegal act. The prosecution put three broke

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2014

A large-scale candlelight rally was held in central Seoul on Saturday, with participants protesting the spy agency’s alleged meddling in the 2012 presidential election. About 300 civic groups gathered in Seoul Plaza and called for the government to introduce a special prosecutor to investigate the National Intelligence Service’s role in the election and to sack the spy agency’s chief Nam Jae-joon and Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. A group consisting of liberals who fought against the military r

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2014

The number of medical malpractice lawsuits surged to hit a fresh high last year, with more patients winning the cases, data showed Sunday. According to the Supreme Court, about 1,100 lawsuits relating to medical malpractice were filed in 2013, the highest figure since 2002.The number of plaintiffs winning cases against doctors and hospitals also increased to 289, exceeding 30 percent of all cases for two consecutive years.Fewer plaintiffs gave up in the middle of legal fights than before. Only 4

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2014

Three people were killed and a dozen wounded by a series of car collisions on the highway in South Gyeongsang Province, police said Sunday. Car accidents involving chain collisions took place early Sunday at two spots on Gyeongbu Expressway near Daegu, killing three family members and injuring at least 13. Some of the victims were in critical condition. Five vehicles collided on the southbound track when a 1-ton truck rear-ended a 2.5-ton cargo truck that was changing lanes. A two-car collision

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2014

The number of subway crimes sharply increased last year, led by sexual crimes and thefts, despite the South Korean government’s efforts to prevent them, police data showed Tuesday. According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, a total of 412 crimes occurred in the Gyeonggi Province on the subway last year, which is nearly double the number in 2012. Sex crimes accounted for the most with 147 cases, followed by 105 thefts. Other crimes included physical violence with 56 cases and taking lost

Social Affairs Jan. 7, 2014

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand the operation of low-floor buses to provide better transportation accessibility for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with children, officials said Friday.A low-floor bus has no steps by the doors, allowing easier access for disabled passengers and those with children. The city currently has 2,225 low-floor buses, accounting for 30 percent of the total. The city plans to increase this proportion to 55 percent by 2017. The city also plans to opera

Social Affairs Jan. 3, 2014

Seoul City is likely to continue its budget deficit for the free child care program this year, despite the increase in subsidies from the central government.The city said Thursday that 60 billion won ($57 million) more was still needed to pay for the child care services, according to the new national budget plan. The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the national budget plan, which increased the public subsidy for child care provision from 20 percent of the cost to 35 percent for Seoul and f

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2014

Only the street name-based address system should be used in official documents starting this year, replacing land lot number-based addresses which were used for nearly a century, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said. The new address system, which is based on the names of streets and designated building numbers, was initially floated as an alternative system in 1997 in order to simplify the address system and make it more consistent. In recent years, however, policymakers strug

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2014

The National Assembly has passed a bill to toughen the punishment for child abuse after a series of cases touched off a spate of public anger last year. Those who beat children to death will be sentenced to a minimum five years up to life imprisonment. Courts are no longer allowed to give probation to the offenders in question. The prosecution must file a loss of parental right to courts for habitual offenders or for those who commit serious child abuse crimes. The tougher punishment came after

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2014

The prosecution has indicted two former managers of KB Kookmin Bank’s Tokyo branch for extending illegal loans worth 400 billion won ($379 million), officials said Sunday. The prosecutors are further investigating whether the two suspects, identified by the surnames Lee and Ahn, received kickbacks from the borrowers and used them to create a slush fund at home. They were arrested earlier this month on charges of breach of trust. Lee, former branch chief, and Ahn, former deputy chief, were found

Social Affairs Dec. 29, 2013