The chief of a military think tank in South Korea has sparked controversy after suggesting that conscripting women into the military could boost marriage and fertility rates. Kim Hyung-chul, president of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, a nonprofit public interest foundation under the Ministry of National Defense, talked about whether women should go to the military in an interview on the local YouTube channel, “Pen and Mike” on Sept. 23. “We have reached a point whe

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2024

A hunter in his 40s was shot and killed after being mistaken for a boar by another hunter in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, police said Monday. According to Yeoncheon Police, at 11:35 p.m. on Sunday, a man, who is also in his 40s, fired a rifle at what he thought was a wild boar. But the bullet struck the head of a fellow hunter, who was assisting as a spotter at the time. The victim was critically injured and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The two were part of a three-man huntin

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

Over the past five years, 20 minors have earned more than 100 million won ($74,119) a year as CEOs in South Korea, including a child under the age of five, government data showed Monday, highlighting concerns over possible inheritance tax loopholes. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service submitted to Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the main opposition Democratic Party Korea, there are 360 business owners that are under the age of 19 as of August 2024. The data covers only those registe

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

One person was killed and three others were injured in a multi-vehicle collision caused by a driver going the wrong way on the Gyeongin Expressway early Monday morning. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police and Incheon Fire Department, the crash occurred at 5:20 a.m. at the Bupyeong Interchange in Incheon, when a Chinese woman in her 40s drove her compact car onto the exit ramp in the wrong direction and collided with a van while attempting to merge onto the main highway. The collision ca

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2024

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