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EXCLUSIVE 32,000 undocumented foreigners left Korea under amnesty program in 2022

Jeju International Airport is crowded with foreign nationals preparing to leave Korea under a special amnesty program, in this March 8, 2020, file photo. More than 32,000 undocumented foreign nationals living here returned to their countries under the program in 2022, an official told The Korea Times. Yonhap Justice ministry plans to crack down on illegal immigrants as pandemic rules easeBy Jung Min-hoMore than 32,000 undocumented foreign nationals living in Korea left the country last year under a special amnesty program. Speaking to The Korea Times recently, an official at the Ministry of Justice said 32,026 undocumented foreign residents ― about eight percent of the estimated 410,000 undocumented foreigners living here ― returned to their countries throughout the year.The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the ministry's law enforcement operations to reduce the number of undocumented residents over the past three years. In an effort to keep the number at a manageabl

Jan 13, 2023By Jung Min-ho
[EXCLUSIVE] 32,000 undocumented foreigners left Korea under amnesty program in 2022

78 people nabbed in massive house rental scam

A real estate consultant surnamed Shin accused of a massive housing rental scam leaves the Seoul Central District Court after a court hearing, Jan. 12. NewsisPolice said Friday they have arrested 78 people in a massive housing rental scam that caused a combined unpaid sum of 8 billion won ($6.5 million) in deposits belonging to dozens of tenants.An investigation came as the tenants were unable to reclaim their housing deposits after their landlord ― referred to as a "villa king" by local press for owning hundreds of properties ― died before paying his tenants back.Among the suspects are a real estate consultant surnamed Shin who allegedly masterminded the purchase of 628 properties in Seoul and the surrounding area between July 2017 and September 2020 under the names of the deceased villa king and another king, surnamed Kim, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA).All of the properties were small-sized residential buildings that are more commonly known as villas in Korea and are usually three to five stories high and cheaper than apartment complexes.The SMPA said the

Jan 13, 2023
78 people nabbed in massive house rental scam

Drug safety ministry raided over suspicions related to process of approving coronavirus medicine

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province / Courtesy of MFDSProsecutors raided the drug safety ministry Thursday over possible illegal activities in clinical trials during the approval process for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, officials said.The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office sent investigators to nine locations, including the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, to seize data related to its probe.The raid was carried out in connection to a government project to provide support for the development of homegrown COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, according to the officials in the pharmaceutical industry. Through the project under the Korea Drug Development Fund, the government offered support to 14 local pharmaceutical companies from September 2020 to November last year.During the period, only two of the companies ― Celltrion and SK Bioscience ― succeeded in their development. (Yonhap)

Jan 12, 2023
Drug safety ministry raided over suspicions related to process of approving coronavirus medicine

Ex-Ssangbangwool chief said to return home this week after arrest in Thailand

Former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Seong-tae / Korea Times fileAn underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand earlier this week in connection with the prosecutors' ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's corruption allegations is willing to voluntarily return home later this week at the earliest, judicial and other officials said Thursday.Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok on Tuesday evening, roughly eight months after he fled the country amid several high-profile corruption investigations.Kim has been long sought after by prosecutors as a key suspect in a number of high-profile corruption investigations, including alleged payment of Lee's attorney expenses by proxy, suspected embezzlement of company funds and alleged transfer of cash to North Korea.Kim's extradition was previously expected to take a long time, as he reportedly denied illegal stay soon after arrest and was expected to start a litigation to delay his deportation.Contrary to the expectations, however, Kim ha

Jan 12, 2023
Ex-Ssangbangwool chief said to return home this week after arrest in Thailand

Appellate court upholds 25-year imprisonment for man in brutal murder

A 42-year-old children's gym owner arrested on the charge of murdering an employee is transferred to prosecutors in Seoul, in this Jan. 7, 2022 file photo. YonhapAn appellate court on Thursday upheld 25-year imprisonment for a 42-year-old man charged with brutally killing one of his employees by inserting a 70-centimeter rod into the victim's rectum.The Seoul High Court approved a district court's earlier sentence for the man, only identified by his surname Han, for murdering the employee at a children's gym in Seoul with the plastic stick, which ruptured his organs and caused his death in December 2021.Han struck the victim in his 20s with the rod at the facility he owns in northwestern Seoul dozens of times before killing him.An autopsy showed a perforation in the anterior wall of the victim's rectum and further ruptures in organs, including the heart and the liver. (Yonhap)

Jan 12, 2023
Appellate court upholds 25-year imprisonment for man in brutal murder

22-year prison sentence for man convicted of homicide attempt over noise dispute

This November 2021 file photo shows police escorting a man accused of attempting to kill neighbors over a noise dispute in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul. NewsisA 22-year prison sentence has been finalized for a man who was convicted of attempting to murder his neighbors over a noise dispute, court officials said Thursday.The man, identified by his surname Lee, withdrew an appeal to the Supreme Court on Jan. 3, they said.In November, an appeals court sentenced him to 22 years in prison for trying to kill all three members of a neighboring family in an apartment building in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul. He was also ordered to wear an electric monitoring anklet for 10 years.On Nov, 15, 2021, the man stormed into the family's home downstairs and went on a stabbing spree. He had been in an inter-floor noise dispute with them since he moved in about three months earlier. The mother was stabbed in the neck and was left seriously incapacitated. The husband and their daughter sustained wounds to the face and hands.The case drew national attention for a bungled police response.

Jan 12, 2023
22-year prison sentence for man convicted of homicide attempt over noise dispute

Ex-Ssangbangwool chief arrested in Thailand while fleeing corruption allegations

Kim Seong-tae / Korea Times fileThe former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, who had fled the country in the wake of several high-profile corruption investigations, has been arrested in Thailand, according to legal sources Tuesday.According to the sources, Kim Seong-tae, the former chairman, was apprehended by local police at a golf club Tuesday evening, roughly eight months after he departed for Singapore ahead of a raid by the prosecution in late May.Prosecutors suspect Kim is a key figure in a number of high-profile corruption investigations surrounding the group, including those involving alleged transfer of cash remittances to North Korea and the purported payment for attorney expenses of Lee Jae-myung, the head of the main opposition Democratic Party. Most of the allegations under probe occurred during Kim's tenure as group chairman, according to sources. (Yonhap)

Jan 11, 2023
Ex-Ssangbangwool chief arrested in Thailand while fleeing corruption allegations

Prosecution demands death penalty for man charged with killing woman in subway station restroom

Jeon Joo-hwan, a 31-year-old stalking murder suspect and Seoul Metro employee, is escorted by police officers from Namdaemun Police Station to prosecutors in Seoul in this Sept. 21, 2022 file photo. YonhapThe prosecution on Tuesday demanded the death penalty for a former subway worker charged with killing a female colleague he had stalked in a public restroom at a subway station.The suspect, Jeon Joo-hwan, was indicted for stabbing the victim to death in the ladies' room at Sindang Station in Seoul on Sept. 14. He was charged with revenge killing.During a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, the prosecution demanded the capital punishment, citing he is considered at high risk for recidivism.The prosecution also requested the court order Jeon to wear an electronic tracking device for 30 years. The killing took place one day before a court was set to sentence him on charges of stalking her. The two had known each other since entering Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul's subway system, in October 2021.Jeon told police he committed the murder out of resentment toward her after pr

Jan 10, 2023
Prosecution demands death penalty for man charged with killing woman in subway station restroom

Investigation into North Korean spy ring expands

Lawmakers enter the office of the National Intelligence Service in Seoul, in this Oct. 26, 2022, file photo. According to civic groups and other sources on Tuesday, NIS officials and police have been investigating allegations that some liberal activists, including party officials, helped promote anti-government activities after taking orders from North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. NewsisParty officials, activists suspected of carrying out orders from PyongyangBy Jung Min-hoWhen South Korea's largest labor umbrella group called for an end to the alliance with the U.S. and conscription during weekend rallies before Aug. 15 National Liberation Day last year, some observers questioned what those demands have to do with improving workers' rights.The National Intelligence Service (NIS) and police now suspect that the messages chanted in the Seoul streets might have come directly from Pyongyang and that it was orchestrated by regime sympathizers engaged in espionage activities here at its behest.According to civic groups and other sources on Tuesday, NIS officials and police have been inv

Jan 10, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Investigation into North Korean spy ring expands

Supreme Court confirms 40-year sentence for man in stalking murder case

Kim Byung-chan, a 35-year-old stalking murder suspect, is taken by police officers at Namdaemun Police Station to prosecutors in Seoul over allegations he killed his ex-girlfriend with a knife at her studio apartment in central Seoul last week in this Nov. 29, 2021 file photo. YonhapThe Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 40-year prison sentence for a 37-year-old man convicted of stalking and brutally murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2021 after the couple broke up.Kim Byung-chan stabbed his ex-girlfriend in her 30s multiple times at her studio apartment in central Seoul in November 2021. He had stalked her since their breakup in the second half of 2020.At the time of her death, the victim was under police protection after filing four complaints against Kim. A restraining order against him was also in place.A district court handed Kim a 35-year prison term, but the Seoul High Court increased his sentence by five years, saying the defendant was not seriously remorseful. (Yonhap)

Jan 10, 2023
Supreme Court confirms 40-year sentence for man in stalking murder case
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