An 8-vehicle pileup on Cheonan-Nonsan expressway resulted in 11 casualties including a couple’s death on Saturday. At 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, an express bus rammed into the vehicle in front of it at full speed, killing a couple in their 40s and injuring 9 others. The bus did not brake after the first crash. Vehicle destroyed in the Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway collision (Yonhap)The bus driver reportedly told the police that he does not recall the moment of the collision, and that the distance betwee

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2017

McDonald’s Korea halted sales of its bulgogi burgers on Saturday, after a group of customers showed symptoms of enteritis after having the burger at a branch in Jeonju, southwestern Korea.Seven grade school students and a teacher who ate bulgogi burgers on Aug. 25 reportedly suffered stomachaches and high fever.Bulgogi burger (McDonald's website)Following the incident, McDonald’s Korea said would temporarily take the iconic Korean burgers off the menu and cooperate with the Ministry of Food and

Industry Sept. 3, 2017

An elementary school named “Daebyun,” whose sound in Korean can make one think about “feces,” is changing its name to “Yongam,” the school said Thursday. The school had been named after the area of Gijang County in Busan where it is located. Most of the residents in this area are alumni of this elementary school. Yongam refers to the name of the village which had been used a century earlier.  A sign by Daebyun students reads, "We want to have a good school name" (Instagram @mey_moon)For decades

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2017

미모의 여성이 맑은 해변에서 물놀이를 즐기는 모습이 온라인 커뮤니티에 불을 지피고 있다. 　　바로 이 사진 속 여성의 머리 모양에 반전이 있었던 것. 얼핏 보면 머리를 올려 묶은 것 같지만 사실 곱슬머리인 다른 여성이 뒤쪽으로 지나가는 것이다.　 (사진=온라인 커뮤니티)　사진을 게재한 사람은 “나는 5초 걸렸다”며 이 사진의 이상한 점을 찾아보라고 말했다. 　　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

한국어판 Aug. 31, 2017

The head of the Korea Smokers’ Association made headlines Thursday -- for quitting smoking.Shin Min-hyung, the KSA chief and a smoker for 43 years, wrote on his Facebook on Aug. 4 that he is forgoing smoking due to health concerns. By Thursday, the post had attracted over 112 likes from Shin’s acquaintances. KSA chief Shin Min-hyung (Yonhap)“My body, coughing and phlegmy, is difficult to handle especially in this summer heat. I’m going to the public health center intending to quit smoking. My wi

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2017

The recent case of a female teacher charged for sex with her preteen student has triggered an online witch hunt for the suspect.Some female teachers have seen their personal information spread online against their will and without their knowledge. Police have stepped in to rein in the illegal activity, as other women have been falsely identified as the suspect accused of underage rape and molestation of the 12-year-old student. Those held responsible as sources of the malignant rumors can be cha

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2017

The first child of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is probably a son, according to the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee.Yonhap News Agency on Thursday quoted a source from the committee as saying that various circumstances highlight the probability that the first child of Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju is a son and that their third child is also rumored to be male. (Yonhap)The North Korean leader’s second child is thought to be a daughter. Information about the child became public after fo

North Korea Aug. 31, 2017

A shaman who was taken to court on charges of fraud was ruled not guilty by the Seoul Southern District Court on Wednesday. “Shamanism is, for the most part, aimed at gaining consolation and inner peace. Even if shamanistic rituals do not yield the promised outcome, it is difficult to hold the shaman accountable for the failure,” the court said.The shaman in the case had blamed the spirits of the victim’s aborted twin babies for her husband’s flagging business and suggested the victim appease th

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2017

배우 하지원이 11억 원대 민사소송에 휘말렸다.　　손배소 청구인은 화장품업체 골드마크사이다. 이 업체는 하지원을 상대로 브랜드 홍보활동 불이행으로 인한 피해액 8억6천만원과 제이더블유퀸 (현 해와달엔터테인먼트) 소속 당시 골드마크 측이 대행한 매니지먼트 수수료 3억원 등 11억6천만원을 청구하는 소송을 서울중앙지법에 제기했다. 　 하지원 (사진=연합뉴스)　골드마크 측은 “하지원이 골드마크의 주식 30%를 받고 골드마크에 자신의 성명, 초상, 음성을 제공해 브랜드를 홍보하기로 약속하는 내용의 공동사업약정을 맺었지만, 이를 위반하고 골드마크 홍보를 전면 중단하다가 지난해 7월 골드마크를 상대로 돌연 공동사업약정 취소 및 초상권 사용금지 소송을 제기했다”며 “골드마크는 지난 6월30일 하지원의 청구가 이유 없다는 법원 판결을 받아 승소했다”고 밝혔다.　　나아가 “하지원의 약속위반에 따른 손해를 산정한 결과 영업손실은 8억6천여만원, 영업손실에 따라 감소한 기업가치는 26억여 원에 달한다”

한국어판 Aug. 30, 2017

A 29-year-old man who attacked women for smoking was booked without detention in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, police said Wednesday. According to investigators, the man found three women aged around 23 years smoking in the residential area of Yongam-dong in the city at around midnight Tuesday.  (Yonhap)He allegedly tried to stop the women, insisting, “Women should not smoke.” When the women disagreed, the irate man struck them across the cheek and kicked them. He told police he became a

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2017

Impeached former president Park Geun-hye left the Seoul detention center on Wednesday to visit a hospital for her ailing back. This is the second time that Park left her incarceration for medical treatment outside of the detention center. In July, Park had MRI scans of her toe injuries. (Yonhap)Park is temporarily incarcerated at the Seoul detention center for the on-going trial to determine her involvement in the influence peddling scandal in connection with major corporations here including Sa

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2017

The prosecution on Tuesday asked the Incheon District Court to sentence two suspects in an 8-year-old child’s murder case to life and 20 years in prison, respectively.The prosecution sought a life sentence for the alleged instigator who directed the killer, while asking for a shorter 20 years’ prison term for the younger killer. 18-year-old Park (Yonhap)The instigator, an 18-year-old woman surnamed Park, was initially indicted as an accessory to murder. The charge was later stiffened as it was a

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2017

검찰은 29일 열린 결심공판에서 8살 초등생 유괴·살해 사건의 10대 공범에 무기징역을 구형했다.영어기사 읽기공범 A(18)양은 재수생으로, 올해 3월 인천에서 8살 여자 초등학생을 살해한 혐의를 받는 주범 B(17·고교 자퇴)양과 살인을 계획, 구체적인 지시를 통해 도운 혐의를 받고 있다.검찰은 애초 A양을 살인방조 및 사체유기 혐의로 재판에 넘겼다가 이달 초 살인으로 죄명을 변경했다. 공범 A양 (사진=연합뉴스)(kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

한국어판 Aug. 29, 2017

S. Korean military released footage of its ballistic missile drills, Tuesday, in response to North Korea firing missiles past neighboring Japanese territory earlier in the morning.The footage showed test launches of Korea’s newly developed and enhanced ballistic missiles with ranges of 800 kilometers and 500 kilometers, according to the Agency for Defense Development.  (Ministry of National Defense)ADD said it has improved the warheads on the ballistic missiles. The recent drills have been the f

Defense Aug. 29, 2017