Police launched an investigation on Tuesday into a “group home” for disabled people in North Chungcheong Province in response to allegations that it has been infringing the residents’ human rights.　According to Boeun-gun, the seven residents were cramped in a small room and living under poor conditions. Their rooms did not have wallpaper, and some were reported to have had their heads shaved and have injuries on their hands and heads. (Yonhap)Authorities will investigate the conditions the resid

Social Affairs Nov. 6, 2018

Yonsei University spoke with The Korea Herald on Monday, denying widespread rumors that Angelina Jolie’s son was on the list of applicants for any of its 2019 programs.  The actress visited Korea Nov. 2-4 as a special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to express her support for Yemeni refugees in Korea. During her stay here, she took time out for a campus tour of Yonsei University with her two sons, Maddox and Pax. (AP)The tour sparked rumors that Maddox, 17, had applied

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2018

Despite the strength of the #MeToo movement in universities and schools across Korea, none of the related bills proposed in the National Assembly have passed the legislature yet.Sixteen bills related to sexual abuse in education have been submitted to the National Assembly since July 2017. The bills include increasing the punishment of sexual offenders, re-organizing each university’s disciplinary committee to increase the effectiveness of disciplinary measures, and preventing university boards

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2018

Former Bota Bio executive and husband of veteran actress Kyun Mi-ri was sentenced to four years in prison for manipulating stocks and raking in billions in illicit gains. Judge Sim Hyeong-sup of the Seoul Southern District Court handed down a four-year sentence and a fine of 2.5 billion won ($2.2 million) for the convict, identified only by the surname Lee, for violating laws related to capital markets and financial investment. Lee was found guilty of gaining approximately 2.3 billion won throug

Market Nov. 2, 2018

The recent cold weather is forecast to ease up on Friday after a chilly morning.Temperatures will show a daytime low of 1 to 9 C early in the day, but sunlight will help temperatures to bounce back to the average for early November.  (Yonhap)Seoul will reach a daily high of 17 degrees Celsius, Busan 19 C, Gangneung 18 C, Daejeon 17 C, Gwangju 18 C and Daegu 18 C. High pressure coming in from China will bring clear skies and dry air for the time being. The Korean Meteorological Administration, ho

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2018

A group of lawmakers and civic group members held a press conference Thursday to urge the National Assembly to pass an amendment to lower the voting age from the current 19 to 18.Civic group Youth Act and Reps. Park Joo-min, Wee Seong-gon, and Park Kwang-on of the Democratic Party of Korea gathered at the National Assembly to release a joint statement. They aim to pass the amendment in the recent Special Committee on Political Reform.(Youth Act Facebook)The statement included consent of 373 civi

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2018

A man was arrested in Gwangju on Tuesday and is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly running a woman over with his car in retaliation for rejecting him, police said.  (Yonhap)According to the Haenam Police Station, the 47-year-old man hit the woman with his Equus car in an alley in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, before fleeing the scene. Police say the two had met a few times and that the man became furious when the woman asked him to stop calling her. A subsequent argument allegedly

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2018

A lawmaker is promising stronger measures to prevent illicit activities online, citing data showing that five government organizations had requested the blocking of over 27,000 websites and social media accounts from public view. Drug offenses, document forgery and distribution of obscene material were the most frequent reasons.  (Yonhap)Based on data from the Korea Communications Standards Commission for the period from January through August, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the Korea National

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2018

YG Entertainment’s new headquarters building, which is under construction in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, is generating complaints from residents living in a nearby building, who say it is blocking their sunlight. The nine-story YG building is about 50 meters away from and two to four floors higher than nearby residential buildings. Residents claimed the building is blocking the sunlight for the apartment complex in question, but Mapo-gu District Office said the new building does not violate regulation

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2018

Cold weather will be seen nationwide Sunday, with heavy rain in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. 　Due to the cold air passing through the country, some regions may see thunder and hail. The Korea Meteorological Administration advised people to be aware of traffic safety on the slippery road. (Yonhap)A big temperature drop will be seen in the areas where rain will fall. The temperature will be 3 to 7 degrees Celsius lower than the average for the time of year, with Seoul reaching a daily high of 1

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2018

Police rescued 18 mistreated dogs and cats from the home of a mentally ill animal owner who is said to have abused and killed numerous animals over a long period.On Tuesday, police and Cheongju Livestock Division officials were dispatched to a home in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, in response to an animal abuse complaint. A Maltese dog and a cat were found dead in a nearby gutter during the site inspection. A total of 16 dogs and two cats were found alive in the house in improper living conditions.  (Y

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2018

K-pop girl group Gugudan will hold its first individual concert in December, its agency confirmed Wednesday. “The ‘gu9udan 1st concert PLAY’ concert will take place at the Ewha University Auditorium on Dec. 1-2,” Jellyfish Entertainment said via Gugudan’s fan community site. The agency added the concert will showcase the group’s many charms in a new fashion. (Jellyfish Entertainment)Gugudan plans to perform tracks from the group’s four albums, “Act. 1 The Little Mermaid,” “Act. 2 Narcissus,” “Ac

Performance Oct. 24, 2018

Based on data from Korea Post, postal workers paid a total of about 25 million won ($22,000) for dealing with delivery errors, a lawmaker said Monday. According to the data acquired by Party for Democracy and Peace Rep. Kim Kyung-jin from Korea Post, there were more than 700 instances of wrong delivery in 2017, each costing approximately 30,000 won to 40,000 won each to be re-sent. (Yonhap)Most delivery errors occur when postal workers mistype the recipient information or when mail center employ

Social Affairs Oct. 22, 2018

Korea’s first crossover anime and game festival, Anime X Game Festival 2018, will be held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, from Nov. 3-4　Fans will have a chance to meet top-rated Japanese voice actors such as Ayako Kawasumi (whose roles include Nodame in “Nodame Cantabile”) and Hiroki Takahashi at their live talk sessions. Singer ASCA & halca will also perform. (Screenshot from Youtube)Booths with character goods and comic books as well as collaboration cafes are also open.Early bird tick

Culture Oct. 19, 2018

Friday will mostly be sunny with clear skies throughout the nation, except in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and Jeju Island, which are expected to remain cloudy. (Yonhap)Fog lingering from Thursday’s light rainfall will be seen in the morning, but soon reveal clear skies, the Korean Meteorological Administration said. Despite the sunny weather, the KMA advised people to pay attention to the wide gap between the high and low temperatures. Temperatures are to stay in a range of 7-12 degrees Celsius

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2018