Prosecutors demand death penalty for rape-murder suspect

Prosecutors on Monday demanded the death penalty for a 30-year-old suspect behind the attempted rape and killing of a woman on a hiking trail in southern Seoul. Choi Yun-jong was indicted on charges of fatally beating, throttling and attempting to rape the victim he randomly picked on a hillside hiking trail in the Sillim neighborhood on Aug. 17. In the final hearing at Seoul Central District Court, prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Choi, arguing that he poses a high risk to society if

Dec. 11, 2023

New chief justice sworn in, vows to tackle trial delays

Cho Hee-dae was sworn in Monday as the new chief justice of the Supreme Court, ending over two months of a leadership vacuum at the country's top court. During his inauguration ceremony held at the Supreme Court in southern Seoul, the newly appointed chief justice vowed to address the pending issues facing the top court, including trial delays. "The court has aggravated public pain by not abiding by the people's right to a speedy trial," Cho said. He vowed to resolve the prob

Dec. 11, 2023

Doctors start voting on whether to strike over medical school quota

The Korean Medical Association, South Korea's largest group of medical doctors, began collecting votes on Monday on whether they should launch a general strike against the government’s plan to expand the medical school enrollment quota. The organization will collect votes until Dec. 17, and announced that doctors will stage a mass rally on the same day near Gwanghwamun in central Seoul. The majority of the association's membership consists of doctors running their own clinics. Ahead of suc

Dec. 11, 2023

Amid fewer marriages, S. Korean newlyweds have more debt than ever

With fewer couples getting married each year here, the amount of combined debt of recently married couples recorded an all-time high, a report showed Monday. According to a report on those recently married by Statistics Korea, the median amount of combined debt for these households in South Korea in 2022 was 164 million won ($124,000), marking both an all-time high and jump of 7.3 percent from the year before. It also showed that 89 percent of such couples overall are in debt. The report concern

Dec. 11, 2023

City of Seoul's app adds payment, tax refund service

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday the expansion of services on the city’s travel app, TripPass, to allow international tourists to easily access various services, such as personal identification and mobile payments. With TripPass, tourists can issue mobile passports for use in stores that require identity verification or for tax refund services. TripPass was developed by Lordsystem, which introduced the first mobile passport service in South Korea through a competition

Dec. 11, 2023

Police to wrap up drug investigation into G-Dragon

The National Police Agency said Monday the drug investigation into G-Dragon was nearing the end, with no clear evidence of wrongdoing by the K-pop star discovered so far. "We've conducted an objective verification process (of G-Dragon's allegations) and summoned six people for testimonies. The investigation is more or less in its final stage," Woo Jong-soo, the head of the National Office of Investigation at the NPA told reporters in the regular press briefing. "We will

Dec. 11, 2023

Divorced men fear freeloaders, women scared to meet a 'man-child'

Male divorcees' biggest fear in finding a new spouse is meeting someone who is a freeloader, while female divorcees said they are afraid to meet someone who needs to be taken care of all the time, a survey showed Monday. Only-You, a local matchmaking company exclusively for divorcees, conducted a survey on 516 people wishing to get married on the issue of "what makes you hesitant toward remarriage." For men, the No. 1 reason was that the potential spouse "may have a tendency

Dec. 11, 2023

Jongno street vendors close up shop after pricing controversy

A group of street vendors on Jongno 3-ga Pocha Street have decided to temporarily close up shop following controversy over the vendors' supposedly overpriced dishes, according to local media outlets on Monday. According to the Korea Democratic Street Vendors Confederation, an umbrella group of street vendors in South Korea, around 60 street eateries, called "pojangmacha," have conducted an overhaul of their shops late last month. The group said it was in reflection of the rec

Dec. 11, 2023

Korea increases monitoring personnel for stalkers

South Korea’s Justice Ministry is set to increase the number of personnel in charge of monitoring stalkers. As the revision of the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes takes effect next month, individuals convicted of stalking will be required to wear electronic ankle monitors. To manage and supervise this system, the Justice Ministry and probation offices will add 21 people to their staff. According to the revision, if a stalker approaches the victim within a specified distance, the v

Dec. 11, 2023

Dismissals in Korea

Human resources are crucial for sustaining a business, yet occasionally, intense pressure arises to restructure the workforce due to management challenges or economic fluctuations. Law firm Law-Win outlines essential, general and broad knowledge about the termination of employment relationships that you need to know. Q: How is a termination of employment conducted in Korea? According to the Labor Standards Act in Korea, there is a general/typical dismissal (hereinafter “dismissal”)

Dec. 11, 2023

[Graphic News] Youth population in S. Korea to halve in 30 years

The number of young South Koreans is forecast to halve in 30 years amid a rapid aging trend and a record low birthrate, the statistics agency said. The number of people aged 19-34 came to 10.21 million in 2020, and the figure is forecast to tumble to 5.21 million in 2050, according to the analysis by Statistics Korea. The proportion of the young population out of the country’s total came to 20.4 percent in 2020, but it is expected to fall to 11 percent in 2050, it added. The number of youn

Dec. 11, 2023

LGBTQ+ groups vow support for pastor expelled after blessing gay people

LGBTQ+ rights groups have launched a fundraiser for the Rev. Lee Dong-hwan, who was expelled from the Korean Methodist Church for blessing gay people at a queer festival, the groups said in a statement Sunday. Groups including the South Korean Coalition for Anti-Discrimination Legislation and Rainbow Jesus -- a group consisting of Christians in the LGBTQ+ community -- vowed to support Lee "all the way." The groups are conducting a fundraiser for the fees required for the judicial proce

Dec. 10, 2023

15% of Korean workers beaten or cursed at in workplace: survey

A survey released Sunday by a civic group showed that 15.3 percent of South Korean workers have been subject to direct physical or verbal abuse at work, highligthing the ongoing issue of workplace harassment. Nongovernmental organization Workplace Gapjil 119 conducted a survey on 1,000 employed individuals across the country, asking if they have been subject to abuse. About 14.8 percent of office workers; 17.2 percent of those in manual labor; and 15.2 percent of those in service industries said

Dec. 10, 2023

Russian asylum applicant caught growing cannabis at home

A Russian national currently seeking refugee status in South Korea has been arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis at his home, the Korea Coast Guard said Sunday. The man in his 20s is accused of growing the plants at his home at a residential-commercial complex in Ulsan. He is also alleged to have smoked the home-grown marijuana multiple times. The drug unit of the Coast Guard had received a tip-off that the suspect was involved in a drug crime, and had managed to catch him in the act on Nov

Dec. 10, 2023

1 out of 7 teenagers thought of suicide: data

The rate of South Korean teenagers who had thought of suicide recently has been on the rise, with some 1 in 7 students now having considered taking their own lives. Of some 50,000 middle and high school students asked across the nation in 2022, 14.3 percent have thought of suicide over the past 12 months, according to a survey released by the Korea Center for Disease and Prevention Agency on Sunday. First conducted in 2005, the rate had exceeded the 20 percent mark in its first three years, but

Dec. 10, 2023

Tales of hard work, dashed dreams and disillusionment

In her teens and early 20s, Park Jung-mi (not her real name) viewed herself as an achiever, even if she wasn't one of the highest fliers. In high school, she studied until late into the night on a near-daily basis, aiming for admission to a prestigious university. After successfully getting into one of the top 10 universities here, she maintained her commitment to hard work and self-discipline, graduating with an average GPA above 4 out of 4.5. But from then on, life has been disappointing.

Dec. 10, 2023

Secret life of pets? Increase in fires caused by pets left home alone

On Dec. 4, a fire broke out at a home in a residential-commercial complex in Jungnang-gu, eastern Seoul, killing a poodle that was home alone at the time. Fire authorities provisionally concluded that the fire was caused by the dog, who is thought to have inadvertently turned on the electric stove. The incident was the second fire in a week thought to be caused by a pet left home alone. The first fire was reportedly caused by a cat that accidentally turned on an electric stove in Geumcheon-gu,

Dec. 10, 2023

Man fined W2m for throwing his dog from second floor

A South Korean man in his 30s was fined 2 million won ($1,500) for throwing a pomeranian out of the second floor of a building, local court said Sunday. The dog in question survived the fall, but sustained severe injuries to its spine and nervous system, including paralysis of its hind legs. The Seoul Northern District Court recently handed the sentence to the defendant for violating the Animal Protection Act, which states that those inflicting pain on an animal without just cause shall be punis

Dec. 10, 2023

1,000 retired couples receive W3m in combined pension

The National Pension Service said Friday that 1,035 retired couples across South Korea are receiving 3 million won ($2,300) or more through their combined pension plans, marking the first time the number of such couples has exceeded 1,000. The figure is significant as it means those in retirement are making close to what a couple would make on average while working. According to a Statistics Korea December 2022 report, the average nationwide income per person was 22.2 million won, roughly 1.85 m

Dec. 9, 2023

Government asks young couples why they refuse to have children

Young South Korean couples without children cited intense competition among students and financial issues as why they decide to go childless, in a meeting with government officials held Thursday evening. The Ministry of Health and Welfare hosted six young couples who do not plan to have children at the meeting hosted in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, in a bid to acquire ideas for policies that will help tackle the issue of the faltering birth rate in South Korea. Several of the participants raised c

Dec. 9, 2023