The average budget for firefighters' meals has been found to be as low as 3,100 won ($2.33), sparking concerns over the quality and nutritional adequacy of their food. Data from the National Fire Agency, provided to Rep. Han Byung-do of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Friday, showed significant discrepancies in meal budgets across the country’s fire stations. In some areas, fire stations are left without the support of nutritionists, prompting further concerns about w

Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2024

A man in his 20s was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for assaulting his parents after he was refused an allowance, according to a court ruling Friday. The 25-year-old man was found guilty of robbery with violence and other charges by the Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Court. The defendant was arrested and indicted for attacking his parents at their home in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, last December. The man reportedly demanded 100,000 won ($75) from his parents and

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2024

South Korean police have caught scalpers in their 20s and 30s for using macro tools to illegally buy performance tickets for popular stars like Lim Young-woong and Byeon Woo-seok, then reselling them at premium prices. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Tuesday that they had apprehended seven individuals, identified as college students, job seekers and soldiers, who used automated macro programs from 2021 until August of this year to snatch highly sought-after tickets and resell them o

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2024

A man in his 20s was found to have made a false report claiming he was pickpocketed on the subway to delay repaying a debt, police said Sunday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said they referred the case to the prosecution on Sept. 8, charging the man with obstruction of justice. On June 27, the man called police and falsely reported that his bag had been slashed on the subway and 7 million won ($5,365) in cash had been stolen. However, police later discovered through surveillance footage t

Social Affairs Sept. 30, 2024

A doctor of traditional Korean medicine recently failed to overturn the suspension of his medical license for reusing disposable multineedles. The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by the doctor, who sought to reverse the Health Ministry’s decision to suspend his license, according to media reports Monday. The doctor had his license suspended for one month by the ministry after it was discovered that he had reused sterilized disposable multineedles on 11 patients betwe

Social Affairs Sept. 30, 2024

Suga of K-pop boy band BTS was fined 15 million won ($11,468) for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol. Judge Lee Yoo-seop of the Seoul Western District Court has imposed the fine on Friday in a summary judgement –- a legal decision made by a judge without a full trial, usually applied to cases deemed relatively minor allowing for a quicker resolution. The amount is identical to the penalty previously requested by prosecutors. Suga has the right to request a formal tr

K-pop Sept. 30, 2024

Two children’s smartwatch straps sold on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress were found to contain lead levels 121 times higher than the national safety limits, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The safety test results were released on 16 products, including smartwatch straps for children, pacifiers and pacifier clips sold on AliExpress and Temu. The city government revealed that two types of smartwatch straps sold on AliExpress exceeded the country’s lead safety le

Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2024

The suicide rate among individuals under 20 has spiked in recent years in South Korea, with mental health disorders and interpersonal conflicts cited as the main cause. The proportion of those under 20 who had to go to the emergency room after attempting suicide jumped from 35 percent out of a total of 21,545 people in 2019, to 43.3 percent out of 30,665 people in 2023, according to Health Ministry data provided to Rep. Park Hee-seung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. In partic

Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2024

A surrogate mother, an infertile couple and a broker, have been sent to prosecution for indictment over an illegal surrogacy arrangement involving a payment of 50 million won ($37,890) from 13 years ago. The Gwangju Bukbu Police said Thursday that the surrogate mother, who is in her 30s, the couple in their 50s, and the surrogacy broker were referred to the prosecution without detention. The four are accused of violating South Korea’s Child Welfare Act. According to police, the surrogate m

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

A man in his 50s was sentenced on Friday to one year and eight months in prison for breaking into elementary school classrooms and stealing cash and gift cards. The Daejeon District Court found the 56-year-old man guilty of theft, citing two separate incidents. The first occurred on April 17, when the man entered a classroom for first and second graders at an elementary school in Ulsan at approximately 2:15 p.m. He searched through lockers and wallets, stealing about 450,000 won ($340) in cash a

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

A South Korean appellate court upheld the four-year prison sentence Tuesday for a woman in her 50s for embezzling about 2.3 billion won ($1.73 million) over eight years from a funeral home. The 54-year-old employee was convicted in June for embezzlement and had appealed her original sentence, claiming it was excessively harsh. However, the Daejeon High Court rejected her appeal. The woman was accused of siphoning company funds while working as a bookkeeper at a funeral home in Asan, South Chungc

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

A pair of 35-year-old twin brothers were convicted after one impersonated the other to take an exam that is part of the official recruitment process for the Financial Supervisory Service. The younger brother who orchestrated the fraud received a prison sentence, while the older brother who took the test as his proxy was given a suspended sentence. Judge Kang Ji-yeop of Namyangju District Court on Monday sentenced the younger brother to one year in prison on charges of the obstruction of business

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

The South Korean government will look into ways to address issues regarding the national lottery, following the outcry over the relatively small jackpot and large numbers of first-place winners. The Korea Lottery Commission, under the Finance Ministry, announced Tuesday that it has posted a survey titled, “What are your thoughts on changing the first-place prize for the Lotto?” on the public forum run by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission. Questions in the survey inclu

Market Sept. 24, 2024

The meteorologist who correctly forecast summer heat waves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius this year, has now warned of extreme cold snaps sweeping the country in the upcoming winter. Kim Hae-dong, a professor of environmental engineering at Keimyung University, said in a radio interview with CBS on Monday that “this winter will be very cold, similar to the winter of 2021 and 2022 when the temperature fell below minus 18 degrees Celsius.” Kim added that as Korea enters winter, La Nina

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024

A 58-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend 16 years ago, after her remains were discovered during construction work. Geoje Police and the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said Monday they had arrested the man on suspicion of killing his live-in girlfriend in 2008. The man is accused of fatally striking the victim, who was in her 30s at the time, with a blunt object during an argument on Oct. 10 that year, at their residence in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. The sus

Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2024