The parent of an elementary school student recently filed a child abuse claim against her child's former teacher, a Seoul teachers' union said Thursday, after sending a threatening letter to the teacher regarding the teacher's daughter. The parent in question filed the complaint over alleged child abuse Wednesday, two days after being questioned by police for the threat letter sent last year, according to the Seoul branch of the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions. She claimed

Newsmaker July 20, 2024

A young woman under the delusion that the world and her father were fake was sentenced to 15 years in prison for murdering her father, a local court said Thursday. Ulsan District Court found the defendant in her 20s guilty of killing an ascendant, for which the Criminal Act stipulates a harsher punishment than for murder. She was also ordered to wear an electronic tracking anklet for 10 years after release. The court pointed out that killing one's parent is an extreme act against humanity

Social Affairs July 18, 2024

Recent government data showed Thursday that the number of involuntarily unemployed people in South Korea reached 1.24 million in June, marking a 16.9 percent increase from the same month last year. According to a report by Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the figure for June actually marked a substantial decrease compared to 1.89 million in January, and a slight increase from 1.23 million in May. But this year's monthly figures have risen considerably

Economy July 18, 2024

A 28-year-old firefighter is being hailed a hero after a video of him saving a woman who was hanging from the balcony of a high-rise building went viral. Firefighter Shin Gang-min saved a woman in her 30s who was hanging from the railing of a 13th-floor apartment unit in Wansan-gu, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province on Tuesday. The woman had climbed over in an attempt to take her own life, which the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters learned of after receiving a report at around 5:46 p.m. After the police s

Social Affairs July 18, 2024

The city government of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, said Thursday it is imposing a series of safety measures related to electric kick scooters in light of a recent accident that left one dead and another injured. According to the city, it will cooperate with the local police to clamp down on actions such as riding e-scooters without proper license, without safety helmets or with a passenger on the vehicle that is intended for one person. The new city regulations will also ban riding e-scooters ins

Social Affairs July 18, 2024

Two police officers managed to talk a teen out of jumping to his death from an apartment building, officials said Wednesday. According to Seoul Seocho Police Station, the officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul after receiving a report at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday that a 16-year-old boy was about to jump from the rooftop of an apartment building. He had climbed over the railing on the roof of the 24-story building and was found crouching on a ledge, appea

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

The government-affiliated horse racing authority recently deleted a YouTube video depicting its horses as anime-style woman, after complaints that the content was sexually-suggestive. Rep. Yi Byeong-jin of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea confirmed Tuesday that the Korea Racing Authority has deleted the video introducing its racehorses. The video featuring horses illustrated as anime-style women wearing skimpy outfits, is thought to be inspired by a mobile game that also depicted

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

A man in his 40s has confessed to a 2008 robbery and murder case in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, local police said Wednesday. The suspect told investigators that he had been the one who stabbed a supermarket owner on Dec. 9, 2008 in Siheung, 26 kilometers southwest of Seoul. "I stabbed him. I'm sorry," was what he said, according to Siheung Police Station. The suspect has not elaborated on his motive for the crime. Authorities have been questioning the suspect since apprehending

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

One of the alleged perpetrators in the notorious 2004 Miryang gang rape case recently posted a video apologizing to the victim, continuing controversy surrounding the 20-year-old case. Forty-four male high school students were accused of subjecting a middle school girl to months of sexual and physical assault. "I want to say I am so sorry to the victim, who would have been living in unimaginable pain since 2004. ... I know no apology would absolve me, but I sincerely would like to apologi

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

The South Korean police said Tuesday a man in his 50s is under investigation on suspicion of starting a fire at an apartment complex, leading to its evacuation and the injuries of eight residents. According to the Gyeongju Police Station, the suspect was allegedly arguing with his wife at home on the third floor of their 13-story apartment building in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province at 6:45 p.m. on Monday. In the heat of the argument, he set a blanket on fire, which spread to the entire ho

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

The three YouTubers accused of exploiting popular YouTuber Tzuyang issued an apology regarding the incident, as the victim plans to file criminal charges against them and the video-sharing platform disabled monetization for their channels. Gu Je Yeok, Caracula and Jeon Gukjin all issued some forms of apology Monday, while still denying that they had blackmailed Tzuyang. It was revealed last week in a recording of their discussion that the three were potentially involved in a blackmail of Tzuya

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

The state-run tax agency said it seized 28.6 billion won ($20.6 million) in unpaid taxes from local hagwon last year, over four times the amount collected the previous year. The additional taxes were collected after a series of nationwide tax evasion crackdowns on hagwon by the National Tax Service, according to NTS data submitted to Rep. Lim Gwang-hyeon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Last year, the figure hit 6.6 billion won, compared to 5.1 billion won in 2021 and 18.9 bil

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

A Busan court on Tuesday held a hearing for a teacher at a private academy who was accused of sexually harassing a 5-year-old girl in May, with the defendant saying he had been drunk at the time. The defendant, identified only as a US citizen in his 30s, told the Busan District Court that he drank seven bottles of soju before making the unwanted physical contact on the child during a class at a hagwon in Dongnae-gu, Busan, on May 22. His lawyer told the court that his client was admitting the

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

A stroke of luck saved a woman who had collapsed in a Seoul Metro station during busy rush hour, when a firefighter and paramedic happened to be nearby and came to her rescue, local media outlets reported Tuesday. The woman in her 20s collapsed at 8:02 a.m. inside Wangsimni Station in Seoul on Monday, according to local media outlet Edaily. Officials at the station had found and laid her on the floor, while she was showing signs of hyperventilation, when a man and a woman approached them. The

People July 16, 2024

The South Korean prosecutors said Monday it indicted a man in his 50s for causing a fatal traffic accident last month, despite the man consuming more alcohol after the accident to hide his drunk driving. Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office said it indicted the suspect on charges of drunk driving and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. The suspect is believed to have driven his Porsche vehicle into a compact car at around 12:45 a.m. on June 2

Social Affairs July 15, 2024