The police are investigating the online sexual exploitation of minors through chat rooms similar to those used in the "Nth Room" and “Baksa Room” incidents that caused public outrage two years ago. According to police Tuesday, the cybercrime investigation unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating a suspect on charges of violating of the law on protection of children against sex offenses. The police believe that the suspect coerced several minors to take

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2022

Three foreign workers accused of smuggling drugs to Korea from Southeast Asia have been arrested, amid statistics that seem to show narcotic crimes on the rise. Busan Regional Customs said that it referred three foreign workers in their 30s to prosecutors on charges of smuggling the drugs, Wednesday. Two of them are suspected of smuggling a synthetic drug known as spice by hiding it inside packaged snacks from October to November last year, and the other is suspected of smuggling 100 pills of MD

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2022

The Defense Ministry promised more active communication with local residents regarding normalizing the THAAD anti-missile base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Col. Moon Hong-sik, deputy spokesperson of the Defense Ministry, said in a regular briefing, "We will sufficiently and actively communicate with local residents. Not only the Defense Ministry, but also the government should make effort to soothe the problem.” He stressed the importance of the Terminal High Altitu

Defense Aug. 30, 2022

New Zealand police have requested the South Korean police agency’s cooperation in tracking down a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases. According to reports, two bodies were found in suitcases bought by a resident of Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 11. Local police conducted an autopsy and confirmed that the victims were two children between the age of five and 10, with relatives living in New Zealand and family in Asia. The bodies were place

Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2022

The age from which juvenile offenders can be tried under the Criminal Act has been an issue of contention in Korea for some time, with high-profile violent crimes committed by juveniles regularly making headlines. With a new administration, the issue has reemerged as a major topic of debate, with some calling for a lowering the age bar for certain punishments, while others say harsher sentences will bring more problems than solutions. Rekindled debate On June 8, Justice Minister Han Dong-h

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2022

Prosecutors investigating the case of the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in November 2019 raided the Presidential Archives on Friday. The prosecution is investigating allegations that the Moon Jae-in government ordered the early termination of an investigation into two North Korean fishermen and forcibly returned them to North Korea despite their intention to defect. At the time, the government said the two had murdered 16 people and attempted to enter the South to avoid prosecuti

Politics Aug. 19, 2022

The Ministry of Security and Public Administration’s newly launched police bureau is facing further controversy, as allegations mount that its first chief, Kim Sun-ho, began his career by informing on his former labor activist colleagues. Kim attended a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Thursday and denied allegations of having been a spy, claiming the reason he had quit working for a labor activist group in his 20s was becaus

Politics Aug. 19, 2022

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his “audacious initiative,” saying the road map he has offered is the “height of foolishness.” The “audacious initiative” refers to plans for engaging North Korea and providing aid in return for steps toward denuclearization, as revealed by Yoon in his Liberation Day speech on Monday. Through a statement released via the North’s official Korean

North Korea Aug. 19, 2022

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it was considering converting Jamsu Bridge on the Han river into a pedestrian-only route. As part of the plan, the government plans to run a pilot program, restricting traffic on the bridge from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every Sunday from Aug. 28 to Oct. 30. Also from noon to 9 p.m. on the day of traffic control, events such as street performances and outdoor movie screenings will be held on the bridge. Events and traffic control will not tak

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2022

Prosecutors on Wednesday searched the Korea Coast Guard in the expanding probe into allegations surrounding the 2020 killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korean soldiers. 　 Officials from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors‘ Office searched the Coast Guard building in Incheon, and secured related documents from the Coast Guard’s security department, which first investigated the case. Electronic documents and messenger data from other departments has been also secured.

Politics Aug. 17, 2022

Police are reviewing strengthening support measures for stalking cases, including increasing the supply of smartwatches and directing greater manpower. According to the National Police Agency on Tuesday, 14,271 cases of stalking incidents were reported to the police from January through June this year. The figure is about 4.1 times higher than the 3,494 reports received during the same period last year. Illegal filming reports also increased to 3,240, a spike of over 50 percent from 2,140 case

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2022

South Korean prosecutors searched the houses of Park Jie-won, Suh Hoon and Suh Wook in an investigation into allegations surrounding the death of a South Korean civil servant. 　Park served as the head of the National Intelligence Service, Suh Wook was the defense minister, and Suh Hoon was the head of the presidential National Security Council at the time of the civil servant’s death in 2020. The civil servant, 47-year old Lee Dae-jun, was killed by North Korean soldiers on Sept. 22, 202

Politics Aug. 16, 2022

North Korea used Liberation Day, the day that marks liberation from Japan’s occupation, to highlight the importance of loyalty to the ruling Kim family. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s state-run newspaper, wrote in an editorial published Monday, “All of the people and the soldiers of the People‘s Army should be true revolutionaries who accept the ideas and leadership of Kim Jong-un as their actions in any adversity.” Describing the independence fighters who resi

North Korea Aug. 15, 2022

The section of the Olympic-daero between Gayang Bridge and Dongjak Bridge has been closed off from Thursday 3 p.m. due to heavy rain. The outflow of the Paldang Dam increased due to torrential rains in Seoul and the upper regions of the Han River, and the water level of the Han River rose, said the official from the Seoul city government and requested nearby vehicles to make a detour. The same section was also closed off once on Tuesday night.

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2022

Rep. Kim Sung-won of ruling People Power Party is facing criticism over his remarks wishing for rain at a flood recovery volunteer work site. “I hope it rains for nicer photos,” Kim was caught saying by a television camera, at a recovery site in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Kim was taking part in volunteer work along with the party’s lawmakers including interim committee chair Rep. Joo Ho-young and floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong. Kim made the comment while waiting to help with th

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2022