A 74-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting his step-granddaughter multiple times, Suwon District Court said Monday. According to the court, the convict Park had inappropriately touched the victim four times and raped her two times between July 2004 and 2008.  This is a stock image. (123RF)The victim was 10 years old at the time of the first assault. Park reportedly told the victim he was giving her sexual education. The victim and her younger sibling came to li

Social Affairs July 25, 2016

A 49-year-old man, named Lee, has been taken into custody after he testified to strangling his girlfriend and stowing her body in his refrigerator, Uijeongbu District Court said.Lee said the victim, 33, “compared him with other men and sexually insulted him,” which led to a fight that escalated to murder.Police found the victim’s body on July 22 around 3 p.m. in the suspect’s refrigerator as they launched an investigation into her disappearance after her family reported that she was missing.The

Social Affairs July 25, 2016

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed pleasure at improved ties with South Korea since a landmark deal reached between Seoul and Tokyo late last year to resolve the sex slave issue.Kishida also said that communication has been smooth between the neighboring countries following North Korea's nuclear and missile tests earlier this year, saying that it indicates how much progress has been made.He made the remarks before starting bilateral talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byu

Foreign Affairs July 25, 2016

South Korea and Iran are set to begin discussions on boosting their bilateral cooperation in the fisheries sector that will include a joint fish farming venture, the Seoul government said Monday.The talks will be held in Iran from Thursday involving officials from South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and their Iranian counterparts.The talks will discuss follow-up measures for a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fisheries area signed in May during South Korean President

Foreign Affairs July 25, 2016

China blamed South Korea on Sunday for hurting their trust by pushing to deploy an advanced missile system on the Korean Peninsula despite its strong opposition. The remarks were made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before starting talks with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, on the sidelines of a regional security forum."The recent behavior from South Korea has undermined the foundation for our bilateral trust," Wang said through an interpreter, voicing his displeasure apparently

Foreign Affairs July 25, 2016

A 46-year-old man was arrested for the domestic abuse of his 77-year-old father which resulted in the father’s death two days after the violence, Gyeonggi Namyangju Police said Wednesday. Prior to his death, the victim had denied any assault by his son and refused to be hospitalized on the day he was reportedly beaten.  (Yonhap)According to the victim’s grandson, the victim had suffered beatings on July 9. He passed away two days later. The victim’s grandson, a high school student, told the poli

Social Affairs July 21, 2016

Two toddlers aged 30 months and 10 months remain hospitalized after their parents passed away in a car accident on July 11.The parents, surnamed Nam and Park (Korean women keep their maiden name after marriage), were buried two days after the accident on their third wedding anniversary on July 13.The family were traveling to the city of Gangneung on July11, when a heavy truck in the opposite direction suddenly collided into their Grandeur sedan in Najeon-ri, Bukpyeong-myeon, Jeongseon County at

Social Affairs July 21, 2016

A 39-year-old man was arrested for the unpremeditated murder of a drunken man, Cheongju Cheongwon Police said Thursday. The 44-year-old victim had reportedly passed out on the streets in Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, after midnight on July 14.  (Yonhap)The accused had allegedly tried to wake the victim. But as the drunken man fought back vehemently with punches, the accused returned a blow. The victim fell and hurt his head. He was taken to the hospital but died two days later. The police is investi

Social Affairs July 21, 2016

A U.S. man rescued a drowning Korean man from Busan’s Suyeonggang River on Wednesday.According to the Haeundae Police, the 27-year-old English tutor saw the 55-year-old man flailing in the river at around 9:45 p.m. Women were gathered at the Gwajeonggyo Bridge, from where the man had apparently jumped.  (Yonhap)The English teacher dived in after him, with a life buoy, and rescued the man after swimming some 100-meters.The police said the rescued man conceded the blankets offered by 911 to his re

Social Affairs July 21, 2016

The bus driver involved in a recent pileup on Yeongdong Expressway has admitted to dozing off on the road, said the police Wednesday. The Gangwon Pyeongchang Police are seeking an arrest warrant for the driver surnamed Bang. Bang had changed his statement twice. He initially gave false information that the accident occurred as he was changing lanes from the second lane to the first. However, recordings surfaced on social media showing that he had only driven on the first lane. Bang changed his s

Social Affairs July 21, 2016

Singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong will receive the first verdict for the case involving his alleged assault on his ex-girlfriend early next month.Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday concluded hearing from both parties’ legal agents. The court will announce the verdict at 2 p.m. on Aug. 20.  (Yonhap)Kim has been entangled in a number of civil and criminal suits with his ex-girlfriend. She claims that had Kim beaten her, resulting in the miscarriage of a child as she was supposedly pregnant at the

July 20, 2016

A 55-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend’s younger sister, Incheon Samsan Police said Wednesday. The police said the suspect confessed to murdering the victim because his ex-girlfriend would not return his calls or meet him. He chose the younger sister as his target because she lived by herself, unlike his ex-girlfriend who lives with her son. The suspect was caught on surveillance camera. (Yonhap)According to the police, the murder took place at around 5 p.m. on M

Social Affairs July 20, 2016

A substantial number of Korean high school students were found to spend their summer holidays studying in-doors, according to Toz Service Group on Wednesday.Conducted between July 2 and July 15 targeting 5,800 high school students using Toz Study Center, the survey showed 77 percent of the respondents (4,466) said their way of combating the summer heat was by hitting the books at an air-conditioned study center.(123RF)Toz provides customized, cafe-like space for group studies and office meetings

Social Affairs July 20, 2016