A 29-year-old South Korean man was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in jail by an appellate court for attempted murder of his wife, whom he had tricked into marriage by lying about his wealth and educational background. Gwangju High Court found the defendant surnamed Choi guilty of attempted murder, but overturned the earlier ruling by a lower court that had sentenced him to five years and six months in prison. "The defendant’s history of mental illness, including depression, appear

Social Affairs March 12, 2024

South Korean prosecutors said Monday it has indicted a baseball coach at a local elementary school on charge of child abuse, after he made one of his student athletes run 100 laps around the school grounds as punishment. According to Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, the suspect in his 30s is suspected of physical and psychological abuse against a member of his team. He is accused of forcing the student do the laps in addition to 500 pushups within 90 minutes last year. The child's

Social Affairs March 12, 2024

When asked about their biggest regret from their marriages, divorced men cited a lack of self-control, while divorced women wished they had scolded their partner less, according to a survey by local matchmakers. Matchmaking services Only You and Bienarae jointly conducted the survey earlier this month on 518 men and women who have gone through a divorce. The leading answer for the question, "What do you regret most about how you treated your spouse from your first marriage?" 33.2 perc

Social Affairs March 12, 2024

South Korean police said Tuesday it has launched an investigation into last year's death of a sixth-grader, as the bereaved family of the girl claim that the girl left a note of school bullies that allegedly tormented her until her death. According to Yeonje Police Station, the family recently told officials that the victim, who was 12 at the time, had been bullied for a year leading up to her death in October last year. The family told local media outlets that her suicide note contained th

Social Affairs March 12, 2024

A South Korean citizen has been detained by Russian authorities on charge of espionage, Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported late Monday. If confirmed, it would mark the first time a South Korean has been pressed with spy charges by Russia. According to the Tass, the individual was transferred from Vladivostok, where he had been detained, to Moscow for further investigation. He was detained earlier this year on alleged charges of passing the "top secret" information of Rus

Foreign Affairs March 11, 2024

South Korean prosecutors on Monday asked the court to sentence Cho Doo-soon to one year in prison, after the convicted child rapist broke his curfew and stepped outside of his home after dark late last year. The prosecution said Cho violated a legal order not to leave his home after 9 p.m., and left his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province at around 9:05 p.m. on Dec. 4, where he allegedly wandered around the adjacently stationed police post. Officials also said Cho denied a police order to retu

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

South Korean court on Monday sentenced a 22-year-old man to two years in prison, suspended for two years, for starving himself in a bid to avoid mandatary military service. Gwangju District Court found the defendant guilty of violating the Military Service Act, which mandates all able-bodied male citizens to serve in the military for at least 18 months as of 2024. But men whose physical conditions are under certain standards can carry out alternate non-combat service for a similar period. Betwee

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

South Korean men's national soccer team head coach Hwang Sun-hong announced his 23-man squad Monday, which included Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in who fell from favor with the public for his recent scuffle with team captain Son Heung-min. The interim coach for the team acknowledged the public's concern over Lee, and said addressing the issue could provide a chance to strengthen team chemistry. "I've talked to both players, and resolving (such conflict) can bring (the team) close

Soccer March 11, 2024

More than 38 percent of over-65s were in relative poverty in 2022 a South Korean government report showed Monday. OECD data shows the country had the highest old-age poverty rate among all member states. The relative poverty rate for South Korea marked a 0.5 percent point increase from 37.6 percent before, according to the report jointly announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Statistics Korea. OECD defines relative poverty rate refers to the percentage of the population with income

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

South Korean media on Monday reported that police had apprehended a man in his 60s who allegedly attacked a woman after she refused his sexual advances. The police tracked down the man after receiving his license plate details from the victim, who read out the number from a bathroom window. According to local broadcaster MBN, the suspect met the victim at around 2 p.m. Sunday through a mutual acquaintance. After the two met and had a drink, the victim visited the suspect's home, where the s

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

The two samoyed dogs that were recently rescued from the middle of an expressway have been returned to their owner, animal rescue authorities said Monday, marking a happy ending to an incident that sparked concerns from animal lovers across the country over the weekend. Dangjin Animal Shelter, which had been looking after the dogs, told The Korea Herald that they were reclaimed by their owner living in Dangjin, Chungcheong Province, on Monday morning. The elderly owner had left her door open by

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

A South Korean court on Sunday said it has sentenced a 30-something man who had repeatedly assaulted his pregnant girlfriend with a one-year prison term. The defendant, whose identity was withheld by the authorities, has been accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend multiple times in Cheongju, 112 kilometers from Seoul, in August 2022, after accusing her of causing him to lose in a video game. He is also accused of hitting the victim in the face multiple times for secretly looking into hi

Social Affairs March 10, 2024

A recent think tank study showed that the suicide rate in South Korea tends to go up as the employment rate falls with the effect stronger among women and the younger population. The report by the state-run Korea Labor Institute analyzed the data of 16 major cities across the country between 2000 and 2021, comparing the suicide rates with both employment and unemployment rates. They found that suicide rates go down as employment rates go up, and rise proportionally to the unemployment rates. In

Social Affairs March 10, 2024

A store owner who took down a man on a rampage while wielding a knife is being heralded as a hero here, after reports of the incident made headlines Friday afternoon. According to Gangbuk Police Station, a man in his 50s attempted to start a fire in the streets of Suyu-dong, northern Seoul at around 1:25 p.m. on Friday. When a passerby tried to stop him, he swung a knife and inflicted a minor injury to the victim’s face. Sensing danger, Jo Yu-chan, a local fruit vendor who was near the sus

Social Affairs March 10, 2024

South Korean court said Sunday it has recently ruled against the compensation for the family of an 88-year-old woman who died shortly after being vaccinated for COVID-19, saying her death could not directly be linked to the vaccination. According to officials, the victim experienced severe chest pain an hour and 30 minutes after receiving the shot on April 23, 2021. She died two hours and 37 minutes after the vaccination. The bereaved family requested financial compensation from the government,

Social Affairs March 10, 2024