South Korea - The Korea Times

Rallies in Seoul to be restricted from blocking entire roads

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a moment of silence in front of the National Assembly in Seoul in this Dec. 29, 2022, photo. Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwanRallies taking up all lanes of roads will be banned in Seoul, the city's police agency said Monday.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said rallies in the city from now on will be permitted only if they leave open a minimum number of lanes for the passage of emergency vehicles and public buses. The police agency said it will “secure the lanes by all means.” Street rallies often take up entire roads, occupying all lanes, in both directions, forcing the police to block traffic access. Rally organizers must submit to the police their rally schedule. The downtown area around Gwanghwamun Square and City Hall, as well as the areas near the National Assembly and the Supreme Court often see large-scale street rallies especially during weekends, prompting police to keep the rally routes clear of traffic and causing traffic jams in adjacent roads.Hundreds of thousands of protesters pack Gwanghwamun Squ

Mar 13, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Rallies in Seoul to be restricted from blocking entire roads

137 people indicted in military draft evasion probe

Ravi, member of K-pop boy group VIXX / Courtesy of GROOVL1NA total of 108 men have been indicted on charges of intentionally avoiding mandatory military service by posing as epilepsy patients, prosecutors said Monday.The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office also indicted two brokers ― surnamed Koo and Kim ― and 20 others for allegedly helping them.Among the alleged dodgers are rapper Ravi, whose real name is Kim Won-sik, professional athletes in the fields of volleyball and football, and an actor, prosecutors said.Koo and Kim are under suspicion of providing tailored advice to their clients on ways to fake symptoms of epilepsy that would eventually disqualify them from their duties, they said.The military dodgers allegedly faked various symptoms of epilepsy during hospital visits and later submitted fabricated certificates to authorities, prosecutors said.After being deemed unfit to serve as soldiers due to health issues, they were either exempted from the duty or served as social service agents as an alternative form of service.In the process, Koo and Kim pocketed 1.38 billion

Mar 13, 2023

137 people indicted in military draft evasion probe

Court suspends penalty on police superintendent who led meeting against interior ministry's police bureau

This file photo shows Ryu Sam-young, a senior police superintendent on whom the police struck a three-month suspension for organizing a controversial meeting of over 50 senior police officers in July, 2022. YonhapThe Seoul Administrative Court on Friday halted the suspension slapped on a police superintendent for organizing a police meeting against the interior ministry's plan to establish a police oversight bureau last year.Ryu Sam-young was suspended from his job for three months from Dec. 13 for leading a meeting of about 50 senior police officers nationwide in July in a show of protest against the planned establishment of the police bureau within the interior ministry. The bureau, which oversees overall police organization, set sail the following month, despite fierce opposition from the police. He then filed for a lawsuit seeking the revocation of disciplinary action by the National Police Agency and a separate petition to temporarily halt the efficacy of the measure until a court decision is made, claiming he has no reason to be disciplined. On Friday, the court said there was

Mar 10, 2023

Court suspends penalty on police superintendent who led meeting against interior ministry's police bureau

Hankook Tire chairman attends court hearing on his arrest warrant

Cho Hyun-bum, chairman of Hankook Tire & Technology, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul to attend his arrest warrant hearing, March 8. YonhapThe chief of tire giant Hankook Tire Technology attended a court hearing Wednesday on an arrest warrant requested earlier this week for him on charges of illicit inter-affiliate trading, embezzlement and breach of trust.Hankook Tire Chairman Cho Hyun-bum, appearing for the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court shortly after 3 p.m., remained tight-lipped in the face of reporters' questions.The 51-year-old Cho is accused of having caused losses to MKT, the predecessor of Hankook Precision Works, by forcing the Hankook Tire affiliate to lend around 13 billion won ($9.84 million) to Hyundai Motor's parts supplier Leehan between 2020 and 2021 despite the borrower's unsound financial conditions.Cho is suspected of having carried out the lending due to his personal acquaintance with Leehan's chief executive, Park Ji-hoon.The chairman is also accused of using his company's funds for personal use during the same perio

Mar 8, 2023

Hankook Tire chairman attends court hearing on his arrest warrant

Stepmother, father indicted over fatal abuse of son

This photo shows a stepmother who was indicted on charges of child abuse homicide and habitual child abuse, respectively, Feb. 16. NewsisA stepmother and a father were indicted Tuesday on charges of child abuse homicide and habitual child abuse, respectively, in connection with the recent death of their 12-year-old son, prosecutors said.The child, a fifth grader, died at a hospital about a month ago after being found unconscious with what appeared to be bruises all over his body at their home in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul.The Incheon District Prosecutors Office said the 43-year-old stepmother and her 40-year-old husband, the biological father of the victim child, were referred to trial after being put under pretrial detention three days after the child's death on Feb. 7.The stepmother is accused of physically abusing the child 22 times since May last year by, for instance, poking him in the thighs with a pencil or tying him to a chair blindfolded with a curtain string. Due to the prolonged abuse by his stepmother, the child lost eight kilograms in one year, prosecutors said

Mar 7, 2023

Stepmother, father indicted over fatal abuse of son

Why is school bullying worsening in Korea despite prevention steps?

School bullying in Korea has never disappeared. Although there are local school violence prevention committees run by education offices, victims and bullies do not trust the organizations and often take their decisions to court. While legal disputes rage on for months, the bullying continues. GettyimagesbankBullying prevention committees need major overhaul to root out violenceBy Ko Dong-hwanIn the Korean Netflix series, “The Glory,” an elementary school teacher seeks vengeance against her former bullies who had targeted her when she was young. The thriller, which achieved phenomenal ratings thanks to its vengeful heroine played by hallyu star Song Hye-kyo, is expected to release its second season in March.Part of its popularity is derived from the catharsis Song brings by getting revenge for what she had to endure, such as having her bare skin seared by a hair straightener and being scratched in the chest with a safety pin.The sadistic torture portrayed in the series is based on a true story from a girls' middle school in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in 2006. Bu

Mar 7, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Why is school bullying worsening in Korea despite prevention steps?

81 sex offenders found to have been working at child-related facilities last year

gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Ministry of Gender Equality and Family caught 81 sex offenders for having held jobs where they were in contact with children last year, despite court-ordered employment restrictions, the ministry said Thursday. Under the country's existing law governing the protection of children, ex-convicts who received employment restriction orders after being found guilty of sex crimes are prohibited from working at children-related places for a maximum of 10 years.The law also calls on employers of these workplaces to do a background check before hiring any employees. Violators face up to 5 million won ($3,800) in fines. The ministry inspected relevant workplaces across the country from March to December last year, checking the criminal records of about 3.41 million people. Among them, 81 were found to have received employment restriction orders by courts for their sex crimes. “Of the 81, 43 had already been dismissed,” a ministry official said.The number of sex offenders caught increased by 14 from a year earlier. By type of workplace, 24 ex-convicts

Mar 2, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

81 sex offenders found to have been working at child-related facilities last year

Military service for foreign-born men ahead of citizenship renunciation constitutional: court

Constitutional Court of Korea/ Korea Times fileThe Constitutional Court has upheld the constitutionality of the law requiring military service for men born to Korean parents temporarily staying overseas before they can renounce their Korean citizenship.According to legal sources Wednesday, all eight Constitutional Court judges rejected a 23-year-old man's petition questioning the constitutionality of the Nationality Act forcing conscription on people in his situation.The man was born to Korean parents in the United States while they were studying there. He held dual Korean and U.S. citizenships, and his application to renounce his South Korean nationality in 2018 was rejected.Under the Nationality Act, a man born in a foreign country to Korean parents with no intention to obtain permanent residency in that country must first fulfill his military duty before being allowed to renounce his Korean citizenship.The man argued that the definition of intention to obtain permanent residency status was ambiguous. However, the Constitutional Court ruled that the particular clause in the Nationa

Mar 1, 2023

Military service for foreign-born men ahead of citizenship renunciation constitutional: court

4 ex-ministerial officials indicted over alleged involvement in NK deportation case

File photos of, from left, former national security adviser Chung Eui-yong; Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff; Suh Hoon, former chief of the National Intelligence Service; and former unification minister Kim Yeon-chul. YonhapFour ministerial-level figures of the previous Moon Jae-in government were indicted Tuesday over their alleged involvement in the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019, prosecution officials said.The four are former national security adviser and foreign minister Chung Eui-yong; Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff; Suh Hoon, former chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS); and former unification minister Kim Yeon-chul.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted them without detention on charges, including abuse of authority under the NIS law, in connection with the controversial deportation case, the officials said.In November 2019, the Moon government sent back the fishermen captured near the eastern inter-Korean sea border, saying the North Koreans confessed to killing 16 fellow crew members.Th

Feb 28, 2023

4 ex-ministerial officials indicted over alleged involvement in NK deportation case

Mandating patients to clean hospital violates human rights: court

gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeA local hospital infringed on patients' rights to receive treatment when it ordered patients recovering from alcoholism to clean the facilities, although the hospital claimed such an order was for rehabilitation purposes, according to a court.According to legal sources, Monday, the Seoul Administrative Court handed down the ruling against the four plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit, Dec. 15, asking the court to revoke a decision made by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in 2020. In May 2020, one of the inpatients of the hospital filed a complaint with the NHRCK, accusing the hospital of having ordered the inpatients to clean the facilities and prohibited them from having mobile phones.In August of that year, the NHRCK concluded that the hospital had violated their right to good medical care, advising it to stop imposing labor on them and allow them to have mobile phones. This decision led the four hospital officials to file their lawsuit. During the trial, one of the plaintiffs claimed, “The cleaning order was for rehabilitation purpo

Feb 27, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

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