Articles by No Kyung-min
No Kyung-min
minmin@heraldcorp.com-
12 'mob-style' tattooists nabbed
Twelve unlicensed tattooists are facing charges for inking “mob-style” tattoos on over 2,000 individuals, many of them actual gangsters. According to investigators at Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, the tattooists conducted their illegal activities over a span of nine years, from October 2014 to February this year, primarily targeting individuals seeking Japanese-style "irezumi" tattoos that extensively cover the full trunk of the body. Mob-style tattoos are a p
Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2023
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Culprit behind gator scare in Yeongju may have been giant lizard
Sightings of an alligator, which had startled a rural village in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, may have been sightings of a giant lizard, local authorities said Friday. At around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, fire officials captured a 70-centimeter-long creature, identified as a savannah monitor lizard, on the premise of a factory in Hyucheon-dong in Yeongju. The species is native to Africa and can reach a maximum length of 1.3 meters, weighing up to 70 kilograms. The creature was captured more t
Social Affairs July 28, 2023
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Gongju’s lost mascot, Goma Bear, found 11 days after swept away in flood
Still smiling and waving a friendly hand, Gongju City's beloved mascot, Goma Bear, was found safe and sound Wednesday, 11 days after it was swept away by severe flooding, the Gongju city government said Thursday. The bear sculpture, originally stationed on the South Chungcheong Province city's Mireu Island in the Geum River, had gone missing on July 15, when the region experienced massive river flooding due to heavy downpours. Gongju received a total of 509.5 millimeters of rain betwee
Social Affairs July 27, 2023
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Pinkfong, creator of 'Baby Shark,' amasses 1 billion streams on Spotify
Pinkfong, the creator behind “Baby Shark” and other children’s songs which feature animated animal characters, has surpassed a combined 1 billion streams on Spotify, according to Pinkfong Co., the South Korean entertainment company. An official from the company said that this is the first time a South Korean animated production has achieved such a milestone. With a monthly listener count of 4.3 million, the company has been releasing a diverse range of children's songs sin
Performance July 27, 2023
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Why Koreans crave fried food on rainy days
On rainy days, Koreans like to eat crispy, battered dishes, called buchimgae or jeon. Enjoying the savory fritters is a cherished monsoon ritual for many Koreans, although people may have different reasons for doing so. For Kim, an office worker in his 30s, it is more of a tradition that was passed down to him from his parents’ generation. "My body knows when to eat jeon since my mom always cooked it for me when the rain fell," Kim said. "Furthermore, I believe media plays
Hashtag Korea July 26, 2023
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Korean workers feel the pinch, half not planning summer vacation
More than half of Korean workers currently have no plans for a summer vacation this year, with over 60 percent attributing finances as the reason for either postponing or not considering a summer trip, a survey showed Sunday. According to local civic group Workplace Abuse 119, which surveyed 1,000 Korean employees aged over 19, some 19.8 percent of respondents had no intentions of taking a summer vacation, while 36.3 percent remained undecided, resulting in a total of over 50 percent unlikely to
Social Affairs July 24, 2023
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Teaching profession loses allure amid rising abuse cases
Last month, a female elementary school teacher was attacked by a male sixth grader in her classroom, sustaining injuries that required three weeks of treatment at a hospital. The teacher was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition to transferring the boy to another school -- the heaviest possible punishment for elementary school students -- her school requested that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education press charges against him. An official from the Korean Federatio
Hashtag Korea July 21, 2023
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A wake-up call on landslide dangers in S. Korea
When torrential rain continues for days, hillside homes can be just as dangerous as riverside dwellings. This served as a painful lesson for South Korea, as several landslides caused casualties across the country. The record July downpour has left 50 people dead or missing nationwide as of 11 a.m. Tuesday. Of them, 21 fatalities and six missing cases were reported in North Gyeongsang Province, where landslides devastated several hillside villages. Twelve of the province’s casualties were c
Hashtag Korea July 18, 2023
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Man standing out of submerged car sunroof dubbed 'Sunroof Jwa'
The photo of a man standing out of the sunroof of a partially submerged car has gained considerable attention online, earning him the nickname, "Sunroof Jwa," with "jwa" being a Korean term denoting expertise in specific fields. The image of the vehicle, stranded in a deluged underpass, has also raised questions about how to escape submerged cars safely during the torrential rains that are currently inundating a significant portion of the country. In an online post shared Tue
Social Affairs July 14, 2023
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Taxi driver overcharging soldier triggers online outrage
A Korean soldier’s account of a taxi driver attempting to charge him triple the indicated fare has ignited fury online. According to an anonymous soldier who said he was serving in Inje, Gangwon Province, the taxi driver demanded 30,000 won ($23.70) despite the taximeter showing a fare of only 8,800 won. The driver justified the inflated charge by contending the fare would not even cover the cost of gas for driving such a short distance. When the soldier questioned the driver, the driver
Social Affairs July 14, 2023
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Former K-pop singer Steve Yoo wins 2nd visa case
Korean American former K-pop singer Yoo Seung-jun, also known as Steve Yoo, has won a visa case in an appellate court, overturning the initial denial of his visa and passport issuance, the Seoul high court said Thursday. Yoo had filed a lawsuit against the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles for refusing to grant him a visa to visit South Korea. This marked the second instance where Yoo has taken legal action in order to obtain a visa. The court said, “The ruling to deny the visa iss
Social Affairs July 13, 2023
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Hagwon owner given 20 years for sexually assaulting sisters over 11-year period
Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a 20-year sentence for a private cram school director for sexually assaulting two sisters from the age of nine over a span of 11 years. The court upheld the original ruling and rejected the appeal of the 60-year-old man, who was charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses. Between April 2010 and April 2021, the man sexually assaulted two sisters at different times who attended his after-school privat
Social Affairs July 13, 2023
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Bullied teen 'not allowed to speak freely' about bullying incident at school
A 15-year-old boy who was bullied has accused his school of not allowing him to speak freely about his experience, leaving him to transfer to another school. The boy, who was bullied for two months at a boarding high school in Gyeongsang Province this year, had wanted to share his experience at a weekly school meeting, but was asked to submit his speech in advance for review and adhere to certain restrictions, the boy's family was quoted as saying in local media reports Wednesday. Under t
Social Affairs July 12, 2023
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'Chaebol' con artist arrested for robbery, extortion
A man in his 20s was arrested for extorting money from two women after tricking them into thinking he was the heir of a "chaebol" family by using a high-end imported vehicle and luxury goods, said police Tuesday. "Chaebol" refers to family owned Korean conglomerates. According to the Busan Haeundae Police Station, the man, who is now facing charges of theft, robbery, extortion, and fraud, is suspected of imprisoning two women between June 9 and 16 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Prov
Social Affairs July 12, 2023
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Tip box ignites debate online over unnecessary tipping in Korea
A photo of a tip jar in a Korean cafe has ignited a fierce online debate, raising concerns about the possible spread of tipping culture in the country. A Twitter post on Sunday that read, "A type of culture we don't want to have in Korea: tipping," shared a picture of a glass jar labeled "Tip Box" and filled with South Korean bills. The tweet says that tipping in Korean culture is an unnecessary practice, because, in the author's understanding, the intention behin
Social Affairs July 11, 2023
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