South Korean police are mulling deployment vehicles equipped with decibel meters at protests in order to determine whether or not the rallies exceed the legally permitted noise level, local media reported Friday. According to local newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the National Police Agency's plan is to convert one of its trucks to fit a noise-measuring device to be used at protests this year, and to acquire another one of these vehicles by next year. The NPA is currently requesting an extra budget t

Social Affairs June 2, 2023

Organizers of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival said late Thursday that they are still looking for places in Seoul to hold this year’s event, after the Seoul city government refused its initial request to use its usual venue, Seoul Plaza at City Hall. The organizing committee said that it submitted applications with the Seoul Police Station, Seoul Namdaemun Police Station and Jongno Police Station in Seoul to hold the 17-day annual festival for the LGBT community from July 1 in the nation&r

Social Affairs June 2, 2023

Earlier last month, a drunk woman in her 40s was arrested for assaulting and injuring a police officer who tried to apprehend her. The officer in question was reportedly unable to use physical force when arresting the suspect, out of fear that she might file sexual harassment charges against him. Each year, thousands of police officers are attacked while conducting law enforcement. According to the National Police Agency, 5,825 of the 7,001 cases in 2021 involving the obstruction of performance

Social Affairs June 2, 2023

An overwhelming majority of those who fall victim to "romance scams," in which a scammer manipulates the victim by abusing his or her affection and trust, in South Korea are women or under 40, a recent study by scholars at Seoul-based Korea University showed. An analysis of crime reports filed to the National Police Agency between January and June of last year showed that 71.4 percent of victims in a total 280 crimes categorized as romance scams were female, according to the “Cur

Social Affairs May 29, 2023

Kakao is not just the name of the mobile messenger that almost all South Koreans use. It is a Korean substitute for the US’ Uber or Southeast Asia’s Grab. KakaoT, operated by the messenger app company, is by far the most widely used app to hail a taxi, although there are smaller competitors. One of the advantages of using the apps, especially for tourists, is that they significantly reduce the likelihood of being overcharged or taken advantage of by drivers. These apps track the rout

Hashtag Korea May 28, 2023

An elementary school teacher who was alleged to have been convicted of the sexual assault of a middle school student 13 years ago has been removed from his post, Gyeonggi Province’s Office of Education said Thursday. Officials said the decision was made Wednesday, but that the teacher in question has been on a leave of absence since an anonymous online post pinpointed him as one of the 16 high school students who assaulted the underage girl in 2010. The principal of the school -- located i

Social Affairs May 25, 2023

Gyeonggi Province’s Office of Education said Tuesday that a person accused of being convicted of the sexual assault of a vulnerable middle school student 13 years ago later worked as a teacher at an elementary school, confirming a recent online revelation that sparked public outrage. The office said the person, however, is currently not working at the school. It refused to give more details, citing the protection of personal information. An anonymous claim was made last Saturday on an onli

Social Affairs May 24, 2023

After weeks of massive protests, the South Korean public finally got what it demanded. In late June of 1987, the junta hoisted a white flag and proposed a constitutional reform for direct presidential elections. “Roh proposes direct election of next president under new Constitution,” reads the front-page story of The Korea Herald's June 30, 1987, edition, signaling the dawn of a new era for a nation that had been under dictatorship for decades. Roh in the headline is the late fo

Hashtag Korea May 24, 2023

A man accused of physically abusing a disabled woman in her 80s while living at her home against her will is being held for questioning, local police said Tuesday. According to Yangpyeong Police Station, the 65-year-old suspect is believed to have lived with the victim at her home in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for over 10 years. He pretended to neighbors that he was her husband and told a local community center that he was her nephew when registering his residence at the victim’s hou

Social Affairs May 23, 2023

Seoul wouldn’t be famous for its lively nightlife scene if getting back home after a night out were a major challenge. Recognizing the need of a public that is socially active at night, South Korea’s public transport operates at least until around midnight, although one is strongly advised to check on the last vehicle reaching the desired destination from the point of departure. Most major metropolitan areas have buses that operate well after midnight, but Seoul even has regularly di

Hashtag Korea May 23, 2023

Police on Thursday said it found some 40 opium poppy plants that seemingly have grown spontaneously at an apartment complex in Ulsan, 299 kilometers southwest of Seoul. According to Ulsan Nambu Police Station, officials received a report from a resident of an unnamed apartment complex that flower which look like the poppies are growing in the flower bed. Officers dispatched to the scene confirmed that the flowers were indeed opium poppies used to produce opium, not the common poppies which they

Social Affairs May 19, 2023

The Supreme Court has confirmed a 30-year prison term for a couple who abused and starved the woman's 2-year-old to death, upholding a lower court ruling on the case, local media reported Friday. The 22-year-old woman and her spouse, 29, were accused of neglecting the child and her 17-month-old brother from October of 2021 to March 2022, during which they did not provide sufficient nutrition to the children. The girl died in March 2022 due to severe malnutrition and brain hemorrhage. During

Social Affairs May 19, 2023

Soccer player Son Jun-ho, who has been detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of bribery, denies the accusations against him, media here reported Friday, quoting the South Korean midfielder’s agent. Son, 31-year-old midfielder playing for Chinese Super League’s Shandong Taishan, was taken into custody by public security authorities in China’s northeast Liaoning province last Friday on suspicion of accepting bribes. The details of the charges have not been unveiled as of n

Soccer May 19, 2023

Actor Choi Eun-hee and filmmaker Shin Sang-ok gave new meaning to the word “dramatic” when they made a daring escape to the US Embassy in Vienna on March 13, 1986. The couple's story is more extraordinary than any of the films they made, blending genres of romance, spy thriller and political documentary. “Choi Eun-hee, Shin Sang-ok flee to West after 8 years of NK shackles” reads the front page of The Korea Herald in its March 19, 1986 edition, telling the story of t

Hashtag Korea May 17, 2023

A 5-year-old with acute respiratory symptoms had died on the Children's Day weekend, earlier this month, after five hospitals refused to admit him, local media reported Tuesday. According to the reports, the boy was rushed to the emergency room of a hospital in Seoul when his body temperature began to spike and he begin having breathing issues at night on May 6, Saturday. But the hospital said it was unable to admit him, citing lack of available beds. The boy was turned back by four other h

Social Affairs May 17, 2023