While a woman was attempting to take her own life by jumping into the Han River in Seoul, a man stole her bag and fled the scene on a bicycle. Amid the chaotic chase that ensued, another man on a motorcycle chased the suspect down to assist the police in catching him. The Seoul police said recently that Mapo Police Station has awarded a man surnamed Lee a certificate of appreciation for his assistance in stopping the suspect from getting away on Aug. 18, after the suspect stole the bag of a woma

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2024

A South Korean court said it has sentenced a woman to a 12-year jail term for killing her boyfriend after being subject to years of physical abuse. The Gunsan Branch of the Jeonju District Court found the 42-year-old defendant guilty of setting fire to a home in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on May 11, resulting in the victim's death. The investigation found that she had been physically abused by the victim repeatedly during their five-year relationship. Allegedly, on the day of the crime

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2024

The National Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency announced Sunday that it has begun a strengthened crackdown on drugs at facilities in entertainment districts such as nightclubs, which will continue until end of the year. Multiple police units have been mobilized to assist existing drug investigation personnel, according to the agency. The Narcotics Investigation Unit will focus on investigating drug distribution activities in entertainment districts. The Mobile Det

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2024

This year marked the longest streak of tropical nights in South Korea's recorded history, with regions across the country averaging 20.2 tropical nights so far, the state-run weather agency said Sunday. The total number of tropical nights this year surpassed 16.8 in 1994 and 16.7 in 2018 -- years that are infamous among residents for being among the hottest years, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. An average of 11.3 tropical nights was recorded in the month of August, ma

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2024

Some 57.5 percent of major corporations in South Korea have either not set up plans to recruit new employees in the second half of this year or do not plan to hire at all, a survey showed Thursday. In a recent survey of the top 500 companies by sales, 40 percent said they do not yet have plans to hire college graduates while 17.5 percent said they are not looking for recruits. The poll was conducted on Aug. 5-19 by local pollster Research and Research, under the commission of the Federation of

Economy Aug. 31, 2024

Koo Ho-in, the older brother of deceased K-pop star Goo Hara, celebrated the news of the National Assembly on Wednesday passing a law revision that would prevent parents who neglected child-rearing duties from collecting their child's wealth. "It (the bill) finally passed thanks to all the attention (from the public). I thank you all in this time of difficulty," Koo wrote on his Instagram page late Thursday. He shared the news that the long-pending bill had finally been passed,

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2024

A coach for the national jump rope team was sentenced to five years in jail for his yearlong sexual exploitation of a teenage athlete, in a ruling Wednesday by a local court. The Uijeongbu District Court found the 28-year-old defendant guilty of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses, specifically Article 7 that prohibits sex with a juvenile by a deceptive scheme. He was also banned from working at facilities for juveniles or people with disabilities for

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2024

A 71-year-old man who dedicated a large part of his life to searching for his missing daughter has died, a civic group said Wednesday. Song Gil-yong, whose daughter, Song Hye-hee, went missing in 1999, died Monday in a car accident, according to the local group dedicated to finding missing people here. The head of the group, Na Ju-bong, said in a media interview that Song had been suffering from deteriorating health, even showing signs of dementia in recent years. Na described Song as "a

People Aug. 28, 2024

A 71-year-old woman has been reunited with her daughter with the help of the police, 40 years after she ran away from home due to the domestic violence of her husband. Daejeon police on July 29 were investigating the woman related to an argument that had occurred between her and a customer in the small corner store she had been managing, according to the Jungbu Police Station in Daejeon. Investigators found that she had been registered as deceased for decades, after going missing in 1984. Back

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

A former chief of a local police station has apologized for an illegal police investigation that occurred over half a century ago into fishers were then wrongly convicted of being spies for North Korea. Lee Eun-sil, the recently retired chief of Goseong Police Station in Gangwon Province, visited the fishers and offered her apology, according to the victims' group based in the province. This was among her last actions as police chief, and marked the first time an incumbent head of an inve

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

Seoul police recently helped a lost child of foreign nationality locate her parents, according to its official YouTube channel. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday posted a video of the child's rescue, as part of the ongoing effort to promote its activities. A child was wandering near a police precinct station affiliated with the Gwangjin Police Station in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on an unspecified date in August. The station's officers invited her in, but the crying child did not sp

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

Some 93 percent of the parents of children and teens living in Sejong say they do not need any electric kick scooter sharing systems in the city, a survey showed Tuesday. Kim Hyo-sook, city council member of South Korea's youngest city in terms of average age, commissioned the survey from the Sejong City Office of Education of 4,325 parents in the area whose children are currently in kindergarten, elementary, middle or high school. A total of 4,025 said they do not need shared kick scoote

Social Affairs Aug. 27, 2024

A recent report showed that artificial intelligence technology is a go-to tool in the workplace for an overwhelming majority of young adults in South Korea, who favor AI at a far greater rate than their counterparts in other countries. Samsung Electronics released "The 2024 AI-Preneur Effect" looking into how Gen Z is using cutting-edge technology to boost their careers, and it showed 80 percent of young people in Korea are dependent on AI as a go-to resource. Following the Koreans wer

Technology Aug. 27, 2024

About half of the South Korean population seems to be suffering from long-term repressed anger issues, with nearly 1 in 10 being severe cases, a local study revealed Tuesday indicated. You Myoung-soon, a professor in Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health, conducted a study on the social and psychological well-being of Korean nationals, based on the survey her team conducted of 1,024 adults June 12-14. The team asked the respondents to rank their level of pent-up ang

Social Affairs Aug. 27, 2024

After stirring controversy by removing models of the Dokdo islets from three of Seoul subway stations over the past few months, Seoul Metro said Tuesday that it has decided to install TVs in the stations that will play promotional videos of the South Korean islets. According to the subway operator which is owned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the videos will be played at the wall-mounted TVs that will be installed at Jamsil Station, Anguk Station and Gwanghwamun Station by early September

Social Affairs Aug. 27, 2024