A pastor who embezzled 367 million won ($261,063) in church funds, including offerings made by church members, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to a court ruling on Thursday. The Seoul Northern District Court said it handed down the prison term last Thursday on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. The defendant, who served as head pastor at a church in Seoul, is accused of misappropriating church funds for personal expenses between 2010 and 2020. With the pocketed funds, t

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

Amid prolonged controversy over excessive fees and a lack of transparency in the wedding industry, the South Korean government said it has mandated changes to contract terms at 18 major wedding planning firms. The Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday said it identified six types of unfair clauses in service agreements across 18 wedding planning companies that received the most consumer complaints over three months. These companies offer package weddings -- popular bundles consisting of pre-wedding s

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

A Chinese game company that abruptly ended services in South Korea four years ago amid a controversy over its presentation of hanbok, has announced the launch of a sequel, stirring calls from an activist for the game to be banned here. Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, a self-styled promoter of Korean culture and history, on Wednesday called for the South Korean government to block the game “Infinity Nikki” from entering the

Culture Nov. 13, 2024

Police said Tuesday that a man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of secretly filming female students at a private academy, as well as other women in public spaces, to produce exploitative content. Gangwon Provincial Police said the suspect is accused of using smartphones to secretly film 17 female students under their uniform skirts 141 times from January 2020 to October, while he was working at a private cram school, or hagwon, in Gangwon Province. The man then created 1,810 pieces of s

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

Police have cracked down on an illegal gambling house disguised as a regular business office in Gangnam, southern Seoul, which reportedly wagered hundreds of billions of won in bets. Seoul Metropolitan Police’s International Crime Investigation Unit said Thursday that it has apprehended the 54-year-old ringleader, who allegedly ran gambling establishments across the Nonhyeon, Sinsa and Yeoksam neighborhoods from June 2023 to August 2024. The man has been charged with violating the Tourism

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2024

South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji, who won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics, announced she will be taking a break from competitive shooting to focus on her family, a decision reportedly affected by a surge of criticisms online after achieving stardom following the Paris Games. Kim’s agency Plfil said Wednesday that Kim had terminated her contract early with her team, Imsil County Office, as there are no upcoming competitions for the remainder of the year. “I would like to br

More Sports Nov. 8, 2024

South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld an eight-year prison term for a woman who killed her two newborn babies and hid their bodies in her refrigerator. The top court confirmed a lower court’s verdict that sentenced the mother, in her 30s, on charges of murder and concealing of a corpse on Oct. 8, according to media reports Friday. She was convicted of strangling a daughter and a son to death shortly after their birth in November 2018 and November 2019, respectively. Prosecutors said

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2024

Photos of a woman practicing yoga in green leggings in front of Gyeongbokgung in Seoul have stirred up debate online. The incident occurred when a woman, 37, from Hanoi, Vietnam shared photos on TikTok showing herself doing a yoga handstand pose in front of the stone wall surrounding Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), during a visit to Seoul, Sunday. The photos went viral on social media, drawing criticism for being "rude," "disgraceful" a

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2024

South Korea’s customs agency said Wednesday it has caught 13 dentists smuggling uncertified dental equipment into the country by purchasing it on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress. The dentists are accused of importing 11,349 pieces of equipment, worth approximately 140 million won ($100,000), that were allegedly used on patients, according to the Korea Customs Service at Seoul Regional Customs. The seized items included tools such as dental handpieces and burs for cavity treatment an

Social Affairs Nov. 7, 2024

A South Korean man in his 50s has been arrested in the Philippines for allegedly running an illegal internet TV service that broadcast Korean content for a profit, police said Wednesday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Police Agency coordinated with Interpol and the Philippine National Police to apprehend the suspect in August, who allegedly operated the illicit IPTV service for mostly Korean nationals in the Philippines. The suspect has been extradited to Korea. Pol

Social Affairs Nov. 6, 2024

Police have launched an investigation into a prominent doctor in Seoul’s Gangnam district for allegedly administering propofol and other controlled substances to patients without properly documenting it in charts. Seongdong Police Station said Tuesday it is investigating a man in his 50s on suspicion of violating multiple laws, including the Narcotics Control Act and the Medical Service Act. The doctor is accused of administering propofol and other narcotics to about 30 patients over hundr

Social Affairs Nov. 6, 2024

The average cash gift for weddings in South Korea has reached 90,000 won ($65), marking an increase of around 20 percent over the past three years, according to data released by Kakao Pay on Monday. Based on transaction data as of September, Kakao Pay, the online payment service of Korean tech giant Kakao Corp., found that the average wedding gift money has increased 23 percent from 73,000 won in 2021 to 90,000 won in September. The amount has steadily risen in between, from 80,000 won in 2022

Social Affairs Nov. 6, 2024

A 28-week pregnant woman from Daejeon had to travel 200 kilometers to Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, for an emergency delivery after nearby hospitals turned her down citing a lack of available facilities, authorities said Monday. The Daejeon Fire Department said it received a report that a woman's water broke at around 2:52 a.m. on Monday. Emergency paramedics arrived at her home and took her to a local hospital she regularly goes to, only to be told the facility could not handle an emerg

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2024

South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a 20-year prison sentence for a 15-year-old who killed his mother after she scolded him. The court ruled on Oct. 31 that there were no errors in the lower court’s verdict, dismissing the defendant’s claims that he was mentally ill, according to media reports Tuesday. The teenager was convicted of murdering his mother on October 1 last year, during the Chuseok holiday, at their residence in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. His mother was

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2024

A man in his 20s was booked without detention for allegedly abandoning hundreds of pet reptiles, resulting in many of them starving to death, according to police on Monday. Heungdeok Police Station in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province said it is investigating the man on suspicion of breaking the Animal Protection Act. The police said they received a report on October 11 from the landlord of an apartment in the city’s Bokdae-dong neighborhood. The landlord said he had been unable to cont

Social Affairs Nov. 4, 2024