South Korean actor Jeon Jong-seo's agency on Thursday denied recent accusations of school bullying against the star of the critically acclaimed film, "Burning," vowing to take legal action against what it said were groundless rumors. "We have checked with (Jeon) and her acquaintances and have found that the (rumors) in the online posts are not true at all. ... We will pursue legal action to protect the actor," Jeon's agency Endmark said in an official statement. J

Television April 4, 2024

A South Korean man and his wife lost an administrative case related to their refusal to pay inheritance tax on money given to them by the man's now-deceased brother, with the court overruling their claim that the money was in exchange for the financial help they provided him. According to officials, the Seoul Administrative court ruled against the plaintiffs, saying the state's tax authorities are justified in taxing 65 million won ($47,500) for the 260 million won the deceased transfe

Social Affairs April 1, 2024

The head of an adult products company in South Korea was recently arrested on charges related to the alleged sexual exploitation of employees at the company, according to local media outlets. JTBC reported Sunday that the suspect, surnamed Yang, had been detained by police after complaints were lodged against him for fraud, sexual misconduct and filming sexual content without consent. Police arrested the suspect as part of the ongoing investigation into these charges. Some of the claims made by

Social Affairs April 1, 2024

A South Korean shaman who charged two people over 100 million won ($74,000) combined for exorcisms has been cleared of fraud charges by a local court, which said the defendant's action was a "religious action of some type" that does not necessarily warrant a desired result. In March last year, the 50-year-old defendant surnamed Kim told a person surnamed Hong that Hong's illness was due to a ghost possession. Kim was paid around 79.3 million won to perform exorcism rituals ov

Social Affairs April 1, 2024

The percentage of South Korean students who are overweight or obese inched down in 2023 compared to the year before, but a growing percentage of students were categorized as heavy drinkers, a government report showed Thursday. Some 29.6 percent of elementary, middle and high school students across the country fell into the overweight or obese categories, according to the joint report by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This figure marked a slight dec

Newsmaker March 30, 2024

The Great Train Express commuter rail line connecting Seoul and surrounding cities will begin operating its first leg Saturday, with the eventual goal of bringing several cities in Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province within commuting range of the nation's capital. The first leg of the GTX-A will run between Suseo Station in southern Seoul and Dongtan Station in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. The 34.9-kilometer route will open when the 5:30 a.m. train en route to Dongta

Social Affairs March 29, 2024

South Korean authorities have found illegal spycams at polling stations across the country for the upcoming parliamentary election, with a local YouTuber under investigation on charges of installing some of them. Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon said Friday that the suspect in his 40s is believed to have installed the cameras inside nine polling stations in Incheon and the South Gyeongsang Province city of Yangsan. Police apprehended the suspect on Thursday, based on the surveillance footage a

Social Affairs March 29, 2024

South Korean police on Friday said it is investigating five people on the suspicion of abducting a man, who was rescued by police after jumping out of their car to escape. The suspects kidnapped the victim at around 1 a.m. on March 20 in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, according to Jungwon Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The leader of the kidnapping ring got acquainted with the victim, who possesses substantial wealth, and lured him out for a drink with the intent to abduct him. After

Social Affairs March 29, 2024

A crosswalk with devices for child safety has been implemented in front of an elementary school Nam-gu, Busan, in a bid to reduce traffic accidents involving children. The Nam-gu district office installed what it calls a "smart crosswalk" on the road in front of Yeonpo Elementary School, which had been infamous for frequent car accidents due to its narrow sidewalk and an adjacent downhill slope that led to cars speeding across it. The main feature of the crosswalk is a device that deac

Social Affairs March 29, 2024

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the assault and attempted murder of his former girlfriend, who broke up with him before the attack. The defendant in his 30s was found guilty of attempted murder, special bodily injury on another, special intimidation, stalking and intrusion upon habitation, and was also ordered to complete 40 hours in a stalking treatment program. The court dismissed the appeals made by the defendant, who cl

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

Local police on Thursday said it is investigating a South Korean man in his 50s on suspicion of murdering his wife, a Vietnam-born woman who had become a naturalized Korean following her marriage. The suspect is believed to have stabbed the victim to death while she was sleeping in their home in Yangsang, South Gyeongsang Province, at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Yangsan Police Station. The suspect then drove his car to the downtown area and turned himself in to the police at 7:43

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

The number of South Koreans who voluntarily subscribe to the National Pension Service continued on a downward trajectory last year, according to the NPS on Thursday. As of November of 2023, 858,829 of those subscribed to the state-run pension plans were categorized as voluntary subscribers. The National Pension Act mandates that anyone living in South Korea with a fixed income -- including foreign nationals -- between the age of 18 and 59 must be subscribed to the NPS, but a number of people cho

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

Chung Yong-jin, the recently appointed chairman of Shinsegae Group, had deleted nearly all of the posts from his Instagram page as of Thursday, fanning speculations that he may be quitting his stepping back from his activities on social media. Chung's page, which has some 843,000 followers, only has a few posts remaining that contain only photos and no text. The photos are of nature, of him reading or holding presentations or of him meeting famous people like former New York Yankees shortst

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

A South Korean man on trial for driving his wife to suicide by forcing her to film adult content and sex videos has denied accusations of illegally confining the victim, local court said Thursday. During the court hearing on Wednesday at Incheon District Court, the 37-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to the charges of distributing "obscene content" and intimidation against the victim, but said he did not hold her against her will. He did not elaborate on his claims. The defendant has

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

Unionized Seoul bus drivers on Thursday kicked off an indefinite strike, as 97.6 percent of the buses in the nation's capital ceased operations. With 7,210 of the 7,382 buses grounded, here are some of the Seoul buses that remain operational as of Thursday morning. All 'maeul' buses The strike involves the Seoul Bus Labor Union, which is affiliated with the Korea Automobile & Transport Workers' Federation. As such, drivers of "maeul" buses ("village&q

Social Affairs March 28, 2024