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Police launch 1st forensic entomology lab to better harness insect science in criminal probes

The Korea Forensic Entomology Lab inside the Korean Police Investigation Academy in Asan, about 87 kilometers south of Seoul is seen in images provided by the National Police Agency. YonhapKorea's first forensic entomology lab opened Tuesday to better harness insect science in criminal investigations, police said. The Korea Forensic Entomology Lab began operations at the Korean Police Investigation Academy in Asan, about 87 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the police. Forensic entomology is the study of the application of insect science in criminal investigations, increasingly being used in determining the time of a victim's death in criminal cases.Based on knowledge about the different life cycles of each insect, the study analyzes the presence and growth of insects in cadavers to pin down the timing of death, often providing more accurate results on cadavers in later stages of decomposition than via the traditional examination of purple spots, stiffness or the contents of the stomach. The technique has emerged as key in criminal investigations, but has only been sporadically

May 17, 2022
Police launch 1st forensic entomology lab to better harness insect science in criminal probes

Korean volunteer fighter in Ukraine doesn't regret his action despite facing imprisonment at home

Rhee Keun, a Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber / Courtesy of JTBCA Korean volunteer fighter in Ukraine has told a local news outlet he is likely to be arrested on returning home but does not regret what he said was an inevitable action to support people suffering from an unjust invasion.Rhee Keun, a Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber, traveled to Ukraine in March in violation of a government ban and has been fighting against invading Russian forces."In Korea, it is illegal to go to Ukraine, so when I return, I will likely be arrested at the airport for participating in the war," he said in an interview with weekly magazine Novoye Vremya, published Saturday. "There is a risk of being imprisoned, but I believe I made the right decision," he added.Rhee is being treated at a military hospital after having been injured recently during combat in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv, he said.The former Korean Navy Underwater Demolition Team military instructor rose to fame after portraying a training instructor on his YouTube show "Fake Men." He later appeared on various entertainment shows on major TV networks.

May 17, 2022
Korean volunteer fighter in Ukraine doesn't regret his action despite facing imprisonment at home

Crypto investor probed over allegedly visiting house of Terraform's CEO

A crypto investor accused of ringing the doorbell of the house of Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, enters Seongdong Police Station in Seoul, May 16. YonhapA crypto investor accused of ringing the doorbell of the house of Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, underwent police questioning in Seoul, Monday.The suspect, whose identity has been withheld, allegedly entered the apartment complex in eastern Seoul last week and then rang the doorbell, looking for Kwon, while his wife was at home. Kwon is at the center of a massive collapse of the Terra cryptocurrency and its digital coin counterpart, Luna. A month after reaching a record high of $119, the price of Luna now trades at near zero, while that of Terra trades at around 14 cents."I have lost about 2 to 3 billion won ($2.3 million)," the suspect told reporters after undergoing questioning at Seongdong Police Station, urging Kwon to take responsibility for the recent meltdown.The suspect, who operates an online broadcasting channel, claims there are people who have taken their own lives due to the plunge of the

May 16, 2022
Crypto investor probed over allegedly visiting house of Terraform's CEO

Seoul making moves to rein in increasing subway crimes

In this photo from 2016, at Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Metro Line 5, a stairway mural encourages subway patrons to report secret filming to police. Newsis By Ko Dong-hwanSeoul Metro has started upgrading subway stations and increasing monitoring inside the stations to prevent crimes in the facilities that have been rising in recent years.The authority started increasing hours for patrols in subway stations, installing more safety mirrors, designating more safety zones within stations and installing more security cameras in subway carriages. Safety mirrors are large concave mirrors installed around escalators where perverts have been reported secretly filming upskirt videos. The authority in 2020 tested and proved the mirrors' effectiveness by installing eight at Jamsil Station on lines 2 and 8 and Garak Market Station on Line 8 for three months. During the period, no sexual offenses involving secret filming were reported there. As of March this year, 60 safety mir

May 16, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Seoul making moves to rein in increasing subway crimes

Independent lawmaker loses Assembly seat for election law violations

Independent lawmaker Lee Sang-jik / YonhapIndependent lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was stripped of his National Assembly seat Thursday after the Supreme Court upheld a suspended prison sentence imposed on him by lower courts for election law violations.The top court confirmed district and appellate courts' sentence of a suspended prison sentence of 16 months for Lee, who was formerly affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), on several counts of Public Official Election Act violations.Lee was charged with offering traditional liquor and books worth 26 million won ($21,711) as gifts to 377 voters in his constituency in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, on three occasions in 2019. He was also accused of sending text messages to party members in an attempt to influence the party primaries for the 2020 National Assembly elections in his favor.A lawmaker loses their seat if they are given a confirmed prison term or a fine of more than 1 million won for violating election and political funding laws.The 59-year-old Lee, also known as the founder of Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet,

May 12, 2022
Independent lawmaker loses Assembly seat for election law violations

Ex-chef fined for washing radishes and feet together with same brush

The Seoul Central District Court / Korea Times fileA former chef, who was caught washing radishes and his feet together with the same scrubbing brush at a pork restaurant in southern Seoul last year, has been fined 10 million won ($7,850), court officials said Tuesday.The Seoul Central District Court gave the monetary penalty to the 53-year-old, identified only by his surname Kim, after finding him guilty of violating the Food Sanitation Act, the officials said.Kim was indicted after a video of him dipping radishes and his feet in a basin of water and washing them together with the same scrubbing brush at the braised pork dish restaurant went viral on social media last July, triggering a wave of outrage across the country.The court also imposed a fine of 8 million won on the owner of the restaurant, located in Bangbae District, after he was indicted on charges of violating the storage standards for frozen pork feet and using sauce that had passed its expiration date.Prosecutors demanded an eight-month prison sentence and a fine of 5 million won, respectively, for the former chef and

May 10, 2022
Ex-chef fined for washing radishes and feet together with same brush

Man nabbed for posting bomb threat against Yoon's inauguration ceremony

Final touches are under way in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, May 9, one day ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony. YonhapThe National Police Agency (NPA) said a man his late 20s was apprehended Tuesday on charges of uploading an online post talking about a bomb attack at the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol.The suspect, whose identity has been withheld, allegedly wrote the post on a popular community website, Bobaedream, Monday night, seeking an accomplice to detonate a grenade at the ceremony, the National Police Agency said.He was detained at an unidentified location in the central North Chungcheong Province and was being transferred to Seoul for questioning, officials said.In the post, the suspect also mentioned Yun Bong-gil, a national independence fighter who killed high-ranking Japanese officials by setting off a bomb during Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.The post, with more than 60 comments, has been deleted, according to the NPA.The case has been assigned to the Seocho Police Station for formal investigation. (Yonhap)

May 10, 2022
Man nabbed for posting bomb threat against Yoon's inauguration ceremony

Bank employee lost half of embezzled money in futures option trading: police

A Woori Bank employee suspected of embezzling more than 60 billion won ($47 million) is taken to Seoul Central District Public Prosecutor's Office, May 6. YonhapA Woori Bank employee who was arrested last month on charges of embezzling 61.4 billion won ($48.2 million) was found to have lost more than half of the stolen money through investments in high-risk stock derivative products, police said Monday.The employee, identified only by his family name Jeon, was arrested April 30 on charges of embezzling the huge amount from the nation's fourth-largest commercial bank between October 2012 and June 2018. His younger brother, who is not a bank employee, and a former employee of a Woori Bank affiliate have also been arrested as co-conspirators.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the bank employee lost 31.8 billion won after investing it in futures option products."It has been confirmed that some of the embezzled money was remitted overseas. An investigation is also ongoing into the suspicion that part of the stolen money was used to buy real estate owned by Jeon or his fami

May 9, 2022
Bank employee lost half of embezzled money in futures option trading: police

Daughter of ex-president's confidant sues high-profile liberals for defamation

Chung Yoo-ra, center, sobs, after arriving at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno District, May 5, to sue four high-profile personalities for defamation. Attorney Kang Yong-seok, left, and Kim Sae-ui, a rightwing YouTuber, are with Chung to assist her while speaking to journalists. NewsisFormer justice minister Cho Kuk, two high-profile liberal journalists among the accused By Ko Dong-hwanChung Yoo-ra, the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's confidante who is in jail for her involvement in the 2016 corruption scandal that led to Park's impeachment, filed a complaint on Wednesday against high-profile politicians and journalists for defamation.Years ago, Chung had received favorable treatment at schools thanks to her mother's influence, being accepted into the prestigious Ewha Womans University, and received good grades despite not attending classes or taking exams. According to a court decision in 2018, Samsung Group was found to have offered 3.6 billion won ($2.84 million) in bribes to Chung's mother, Choi Soon-sil, at the request of the former president, to purch

May 5, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Daughter of ex-president's confidant sues high-profile liberals for defamation

Woman, boyfriend indicted for murder in drowning death of husband

Murder suspects Lee Eun-hye, left, and Cho Hyun-soo are escorted to a vehicle parked at Goyang Police Station in Goyang, April 16. YonhapProsecutors on Wednesday indicted a woman and her male accomplice on charges of murder for causing the drowning death of her husband in 2019 for a hefty insurance payout, officials said. Lee Eun-hae, 31, and her extramarital lover, Cho Hyun-soo, 30, allegedly prodded Lee's then 39-year-old husband to jump into a deep mountain stream in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, on June 30, 2019, even though he was unable to swim, and letting him drown.The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office probing the case said the two have been charged with murder, attempted murder and attempted insurance fraud.Prosecutors suspect the duo committed the crime for 800 million won ($650,000) in an insurance payout.Additionally, Lee and Cho are accused of attempting to kill the husband by poisoning him with puffer fish toxin in February 2019 and trying to drown him at a fishing place in May of that year, according to prosecutors. Both of them have been detained since a d

May 4, 2022
Woman, boyfriend indicted for murder in drowning death of husband
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