Two men, who were convicted of selling illegal abortion pills and helping two cases of infanticide, have been sentenced to three years in prison, according to the Daejeon District Court, Thursday. The court also banned the two men from getting child-related careers for three years. In January, 2020, the two men, who are in their 30s, sold illegal abortion pills online to a woman in her 20s. However, the woman gave birth in her bathroom after the abortion pills failed. She then asked the two m

A man in his 80s who is believed to have murdered his wife over suspicion of a possible relationship with another man has been arrested, police said Thursday. The case has been sent to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation. According to the Seoul Dongdaemun Police Station, the man is alleged to have murdered his wife on Jan. 12 at home. The man reportedly called his son and confessed to the crime. The son reported the case to police, and police arrested him at the scene.

The number of North Koreans who defected to South Korea dropped to double digits last year apparently due to the North's strict border restrictions against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an official here Thursday. A total of 63 North Koreans -- 40 men and 23 women -- settled in the South during the year, compared with 229 in 2020 and 1,047 in 2019, the unification ministry official told reporters on background. The decline seems attributable mainly to the North Korea-China border controls

South Korea will temporarily expand visa issuance for foreign children staying illegally in the country to better guarantee their right to education, the justice ministry said Thursday. Until now, undocumented foreign children eligible for visas have been middle and high school students, as well as high school graduates, who have been living in South Korea for at least 15 years after being born here. But from next month to March 2025, foreign children who have been living here for at least six

The government and opponents of vaccine pass measures both appealed the court ruling that suspended some parts of the vaccine measures, each claiming the ruling is insufficient.　 “In consideration that we are in a crisis now due to COVID-19 pandemic, the minister has directed an immediate appeal against the case for the Seoul Metropolitan Government,” the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday. “As a ministry of judicial affairs, we will actively respond to lawsuits related to

Govt. to nurture 40,000 professionals, 220 companies specialized in metaverse

Young ‘pro-anorexia’ followers share images of dangerously thin bodies, tips for fasting

DAEGU -- Two underage brothers were sentenced to prison terms of up to 12 years Thursday for killing their caretaker grandmother and assisting in the murder out of rage over her scolding. The Daegu District Court sentenced the 19-year-old elder brother to a prison term of minimum 7 years to maximum 12 years for murdering his grandmother at their home in Daegu in late August last year. He was also ordered to wear a GPS tracker for 10 years. Under the Juvenile Act, courts can give an unfixed ter

US Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed support for South Korea’s proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War, but stressed that the declaration on its own is “meaningless” if Pyongyang is reluctant to talk or makes no progress toward denuclearization. 　 “I commend the Biden and Moon administrations for taking steps to engage North Korea and urge North Korea to return to the negotiating table,” Meeks said in a statemen

A local court on Thursday dismissed an injunction request by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) to stop the sales of a book criticizing its presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. The Seoul Northern District Court rejected the DP's application to ban Seoul-based publisher JW Books from selling and distributing the controversial book titled "Goodbye, Lee Jae-myung," citing the people's right to know and freedom of expression. The 240-page book, authored by lawyer Jang Young-ha, details a

With South Korea fixated on COVID response, Seoul sees 82% drop in HIV testing in 2020

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol vowed Thursday to deregulate the virtual asset industry to further promote its growth. Yoon of the conservative People Power Party said the industry should be allowed to operate without regulations unless they have been explicitly prohibited. "To realize the unlimited potential of the virtual asset market, we must overhaul regulations that are far from reality and unreasonable," he said at a virtual asset forum at a Seoul hotel. &