Woman sentenced for abandoning dead newborn in shopping mall toilet

The Busan District Court on Friday has sentenced a woman in her 20s who left her dead newborn in a shopping mall restroom in October of last year to six years in prison. The mother is accused of giving birth in the bathroom of her home on Oct. 4 last year and not making any attempts to save the baby from falling into the toilet water, with the newborn suffocating as a consequence. Prosecutors believe there were no actions taken such as the mother to save her child. The following day, the woman d

Oct. 27, 2023

Soldier arrested after threatening pedestrians with knife in Paju, 1 injured

A soldier in his 20s was arrested by police on Friday morning after threatening pedestrians with the knife he had in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. According to police officials, the soldier got out of an armored vehicle at around 8:50 a.m. on Thursday and threatened passersby and other vehicles nearby. Eyewitnesses who were at the site stated that he was carrying a military knife and threatened a driver on the other side of the road to surrender their car keys, according to Yonhap News Agency. The so

Oct. 27, 2023

Argentinian politician's old tweet mocking BTS angers fans

An Argentinian vice presidential candidate’s old X post in which she said the name of boyband BTS sounded like “a sexually transmitted disease” has recently gone viral, angering the septet’s fans worldwide. Far-right politician Victoria Villarruel on Feb. 11, 2020, made the comment in response to another X (formerly Twitter) user who said the band's name sounds like the name of a health insurance company. The 48-year-old politician's comments at the time were me

Oct. 27, 2023

Bungeoppang price doubled this winter

As the wind gets chillier and coats get thicker, the smell of baked “bungeoppang” -- a fish-shaped pastry -- filling the streets is a warm welcome for many South Koreans. However, the price of this popular winter snack has been rising steadily over the years, as the cost of its ingredients grow. While three pieces of bungeoppang could be enjoyed for 1,000 won in 2021, this year the price has doubled, Street vendors are selling three at an average of 2,000 won. The winter bestseller i

Oct. 27, 2023

S. Korea goes all-out to contain nationwide spread of lumpy skin disease

South Korea has expedited the vaccination campaign for cattle and intensified quarantine measures to curb the spread of lumpy skin disease amid deepening woes over its major dent to the beef industry. Since the first ever outbreak of the viral infection last week, the country has so far confirmed 47 LSD cases nationwide, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Nine additional cases were reported the previous day alone, and the authorities are carrying out an in-depth in

Oct. 27, 2023

Constitutional Court rules same-sex soldier acts violate code

South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld the military criminal code that punishes same-sex sexual activities between soldiers, even if it took place outside of military property and was consensual, saying that the military needs to maintain discipline and combat power. In a 5-4 decision, the highest court upheld the constitutionality of Article 92-6 of the Military Criminal Act, which stipulates that “anal sex and other indecent acts” between military personnel can

Oct. 26, 2023

Paradise Group denies ties with ex-fiance of fencing medalist

Local casino and resort conglomerate Paradise Group on Thursday officially denied any relations with Jeon Cheong-jo, a con artist whose lie-riddled engagement with the former Olympic silver medalist Nam Hyun-hee has been making headlines here. The former athlete had broken off her engagement with Jeon on Wednesday, hours after which Jeon was arrested by police on accusations of stalking Nam. It was also revealed by police on Thursday that Jeon had a woman's resident registration number, alt

Oct. 26, 2023

Health insurance coverage set to require foreigners to stay over 6 months

Starting next year, foreigners must reside for at least six months in South Korea to receive health insurance coverage as dependents of the actual subscribers. A revision to the Health Insurance Act, which stipulates that foreigners must "stay in Korea for at least six months" to be registered as dependents of a worker living in Korea, received approval from a parliamentary subcommittee on Sept. 21 and is currently under review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Direct family

Oct. 26, 2023

Police to crack down on impersonating officers during Halloween

Halloween partygoers wearing police costumes could face criminal punishment, police warned Thursday, saying that it could be seen as impersonating an officer. The National Police Agency added that an intensive crackdown on individuals wearing or selling police costumes would occur from this weekend until Nov. 5. “We will monitor whether police uniforms are sold online and crack down on any transactions found. We will also regulate those selling equipment of police under the counter,”

Oct. 26, 2023

Association of International Ministries to hold prayer service for Itaewon crowd crush victims on Sunday

The Association of International Ministries, a network of English-speaking churches and ministries in the greater Seoul area, said Thursday it would hold a special memorial service Sunday to commemorate the victims of last year's deadly Itaewon crowd crush On Oct. 29 last year, crowds packed into an alley in Itaewon, Seoul, from three directions, forming a crush that claimed the lives of 159 people. “To those who are grieving, we grieve with you and long to pray with you and support y

Oct. 26, 2023

Olympic medalist ‘tricked’ by fiance-turned-stalker

Former Olympic medalist Nam Hyun-hee said Thursday that she had been deceived by Jeon Cheong-jo, who was engaged to the 42-year-old fencer before being revealed as a con artist. Nam, who became the first South Korean woman to win a fencing Olympic medal by winning silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said in a media interview that she learned Wednesday that her boyfriend had swindled money from her acquaintances. She said Jeon instigated everything in their relationship, including their marriage

Oct. 26, 2023

One week into first outbreak, S. Korea's lumpy skin disease cases rise to 38

Confirmed cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cattle rose to 38 in South Korea on Thursday one week after the country reported its first-ever outbreak of the viral infection, the agriculture ministry said. The country confirmed nine additional LSD cases in cattle across the country the previous day alone, and an in-depth investigation is underway into seven suspected cases, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Following the nationwide outbreak, health authorities ha

Oct. 26, 2023

[Graphic News] Senior citizens make up 18.4% of population

People aged 65 and older took up 18.4 percent of South Korea’s population this year, reflecting the rapidly aging demographic of Asia’s No. 4 economy, data showed. The number of older adults stood at 9.5 million out of the country’s 51.5 million population this year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. South Korea is set to become a “superaged society” in 2025, in which the age group takes up 20 percent of the population. The number is expected to continue

Oct. 26, 2023

4-meter deep sinkhole injures 1 in central Seoul

A sinkhole opened up in Seoul's financial district of Yeouido on Wednesday morning, resulting in minor injuries to a nearby pedestrian, South Korean authorities said Wednesday. A 4-meter-deep, 5-meter-wide sinkhole was found on a traffic island between IFC Mall and Parc 1 Tower in Yeouido, western Seoul at around 11 a.m., according to firefighters and ward officials. While there were no casualties reported, one male pedestrian in his 30s was taken to the hospital with abrasions on his left

Oct. 25, 2023

S. Korea goes all out to contain lumpy skin disease

South Korea's central and local governments, along with livestock farmers nationwide, are making concerted efforts to curb the spread of lumpy skin disease, a highly contagious viral infection impacting cattle. South Korea's agriculture ministry has confirmed a total of 29 cases of the disease as of 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday since the first case was reported last Friday. In an attempt to contain the outbreak, around 1,000 cattle from farms where lumpy skin disease-infected cattle were bred have bee

Oct. 25, 2023

Sero the famed runaway Zebra loses mate

Earlier in March, citizens in Seoul witnessed the surreal sight of a distraught zebra wandering around the streets of the capital. A heartbreaking story later came to light that the two-year-old zebra, named Sero, had been suffering immensely after losing both his parents within two years. In another blow for Sero, the Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo announced on Tuesday the death of Coco, Sero's only partner since June 2022, due to complications related to her pregnancy. She was 17 mo

Oct. 25, 2023

Former Olympic hero battles rumors surrounding her groom-to-be

A series of rumors and accusations surrounding retired fencer Nam Hyun-hee's impending marriage has surfaced recently, with the former Olympic medalist and her groom-to-be vowing legal action against what they say are groundless accusations. Nam said Monday that she will marry a man named Jeon Cheong-jo, who was initially reported to be a businessman from a wealthy family. But in the two days since her announcement, the 42-year-old former athlete has been plagued by an array of allegations

Oct. 25, 2023

Suspect arrested over cannabis business cards found in Seoul colleges

Students at several colleges in and around Seoul found themselves embroiled in intrigue when they stumbled upon mysterious business cards scattered across campuses last week, sparking a flurry of concern across the country. These cards, written in English and predominantly found near the schools' art departments, curiously touted "totally legal" liquid cannabis, promising "inspiration … more than fifty times high." Each card's backside featured a QR code shap

Oct. 25, 2023

[News Focus] A year after Halloween crowd crush, legislation remains stalled

In the aftermath of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, in October 2022, lawmakers here have raced to introduce new bills to prevent a recurrence of the disaster. A slew of problems surfaced in the wake of the unprecedented human crush that killed 159 people in the heart of South Korea's capital. For example, Korea had no legal basis to assign responsibility for safety during a large gathering that does not have a specific host. Moreover, there was no automated external defibrillator in th

Oct. 25, 2023

Koreans taking unproven growth medicines: report

The effects or safety of the substances sold in South Korea as “growth medicine” have not been verified through proper clinical testing, a report by a main opposition lawmaker claimed Wednesday. There are 24 different drugs that are being marketed as helping boost growth in Korea, according to Rep. Kim Young-joo of the Democratic Party. An analysis of the data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the National Health Insurance Service, and the Health Insurance Review & Asses

Oct. 25, 2023