Articles by Park Jun-hee
Park Jun-hee
junheee@heraldcorp.com-
Smuggler jailed for 8 years over W180m of chocolate-coated meth
An appeals court on Monday upheld an eight-year prison term for a smuggler who attempted to bring chocolate-covered methamphetamine pills into South Korea. The Gwangju High Court dismissed the appeal filed by the smuggler, a Thai national whose identity has been withheld, convicting for breaching the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The gender of the convicted was not known. The customs office at Incheon International Airport discovered the 10,123 pills of yaba -- a mix of me
Social Affairs May 29, 2023
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Pregnancy increases among women in 40s
As South Korea’s fertility rates are waning, the number of women giving birth in their 40s has starkly increased over the last decade, data showed Monday. According to data received by Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total number of birth cases declined from 424,717 in 2013 to 244,580 in 2022, down 180,137 births in 10 years. In the same period, however, the country saw a rise in the number of women giving birth in their 40
Social Affairs May 29, 2023
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Lawmaker again questions minimum wage for foreign domestic workers
Amid the ongoing debate whether South Korea should implement a system to introduce domestic workers of foreign nationality, Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the minor opposition party, Transition Korea, on Thursday repeated his idea that care providers from overseas should be paid below Korea‘s statutory minimum wage. During a radio interview with MBC on Thursday, Cho, the sole elected lawmaker of the party, said paying low wages would reduce families‘ financial burden and claimed it would help
Politics May 25, 2023
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Seoul city plans more gardens, green walkways
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it would inject 280 billion won ($212 million) to create new outdoor gardens in the capital city to reduce fine dust levels, lower average daily temperatures and increase citizens' access to nature. Unveiling "Garden City Seoul," Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the city’s new initiative would pave the way for Seoulites to live a greener and healthier life, pointing out that nearly 60 percent of people in the capital reside in apartment
Social Affairs May 24, 2023
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Yoo Ah-in awaits fate as he appears in court for arrest warrant hearing
South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in attended a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday as the court determines whether to issue him with a formal arrest warrant following allegations of illegal drug use. The hearing comes two days after prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sick, out of concerns that Yoo might destroy evidence or flee the country. The veteran actor appeared at the hearing at 11 a.m. after the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency filed
Social Affairs May 24, 2023
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Ex-airmen probed for making sexual comments against female superiors
South Korea’s military and police have launched an investigation into former Air Force soldiers for allegedly sexually harassing and insulting their female superiors. The country’s Air Force said late Monday that six former airmen -- whose identities have been withheld -- who were stationed at the unit’s combat squadron in Wonju, Gangwon Province, are accused of sexually harassing higher-up female officers by posting their names and pictures in documents that were being used fo
Social Affairs May 23, 2023
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Police officer arrested for having sex with minor
An incumbent police officer has been arrested for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court said Sunday it had issued an arrest warrant for the police officer under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on charges of rape against a middle school student. The court added that the warrant was issued against the suspect to prevent the officer from fleeing. The police officer was summoned on Thursday on accusations of requesting inappropriat
Social Affairs May 22, 2023
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Seoul offers same-day luggage delivery service
Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul’s subway service, said Monday that it started offering a same-day luggage delivery service, dubbed “T-Luggage,” between Incheon and Gimpo International Airports and subway stations to enhance travel convenience for passengers. Under the service, travelers can leave their luggage at the subway station in the morning and claim it at the airport after work, which would streamline the overall travel process. Foreign travelers can leave their bagga
Social Affairs May 22, 2023
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White ants found in Seoul identified as drywood termites
A white ant species found in downtown Seoul has been identified as an "exotic species" that feeds on dry wood and causes significant damage to wooden structures around the world, South Korea's Ministry of Environment said Friday. The ministry weighed in after an online post on Wednesday claimed that a rare white ant species had been discovered at a residence in Seoul. The National Institute of Biological Resources and the National Institute of Ecology was unable to confirm the ant
Social Affairs May 19, 2023
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32-year-old man gets life sentence for double homicide
Lee Ki-young, 32, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, last year. The Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court, northwest of Seoul, on Friday also ordered Lee to wear a GPS-equipped electronic monitoring anklet for 30 years. The court said in its ruling that Lee had “meticulously planned the murder and subsequent crimes” and “continued with the planned murder without any hesitation and gained
Social Affairs May 19, 2023
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[LUPUS & KCR 2023] Four-day lupus congress kicks off to discuss how to ‘end war' against the disease
The 15th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, the 43rd Korean College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting & 17th International Symposium kicked off Wednesday evening, shedding light on how greater social awareness and new drugs can end the “war” against lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. This year’s event is held under the theme, “Stairway to the End of the War" to prepare the ground for putting an end to the disease. The first edition
Technology May 18, 2023
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International lupus congress calls for greater social awareness, new drugs
New drugs and greater social awareness would help bring about an end to the "war" against lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, according to lupus specialists speaking at a press conference Wednesday held at Coex, southern Seoul, ahead of Lupus & KCR 2023. The 15th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and The 43rd Korean College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting & 17th International Symposium are being held concurrently at Coex from Wednesday through Sa
Technology May 17, 2023
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Itaewon tragedy marks 200th day
The bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster in October last year marked the 200th day of the tragedy on Tuesday, holding a rally at the memorial in front of Seoul City Hall. Despite the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s request to the bereaved families to voluntarily remove the memorial altar, they have refused to comply, demanding the truth about the deadly incident. The mother of the late actor Lee Ji-han, who died at the age of 24 on the night of the Halloween festival, said she would f
Social Affairs May 16, 2023
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Seoul renews support program for multi-child families to boost birth rate
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that the city government will expand the pool of beneficiaries for a new program designed to support multi-child families by lowering the bar for “multi-child” family from the current three to two children. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the new child benefit scheme would beef up support for families with more than one child, explaining that it would alleviate the economic burden of households and improve child care services. To encourage m
Social Affairs May 16, 2023
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NHRC recommends prison grant individual cell to LGBTQ prisoner
The National Human Rights Commission issued a recommendation to a prison warden to come up with new measures to respond to an LGBTQ prisoner’s request to be given an individual cell. Dismissing the request violates human rights of pursuing happiness, the commission said. The commission refused to provide details on the prisoner's gender or the way in which they were LGBTQ, citing confidentiality. According to the human rights watchdog, the inmate asked for an individual cell in 2021,
Social Affairs May 15, 2023
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