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Number of male victims of digital sex crimes doubles

gettyimagesbankThe number of male victims of digital sex crimes compiled by a state support agency doubled last year from the previous year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Monday.The Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center extended assistance to 1,843 male victims in 2021, marking a near twofold increase from 926 in the previous year, the ministry said.The spike in the number of male victims of digital sex crimes is attributed to the rising prevalence of illegal photographing and filming, the ministry said.The center, established in 2018 by the Korean Women's Human Rights Promotion Agency under the ministry, provided a total of 6,952 victims with about 188,000 cases of support, including consultation, assistance in having videos and photos deleted, post-deletion monitoring and legal and medical assistance, last year.The number of victims and support service cases increased 39.8 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively, from the previous year, the ministry said, attributing the increases to the operation of a 24-hour consultation system and the advancement of the del

Apr 4, 2022
Number of male victims of digital sex crimes doubles

Man gets 23 years in prison for killing girlfriend after breakup

Cho Hyun-jin / Courtesy of Chungnam Provincial PoliceA court on Monday sentenced a man to 23 years in prison for killing his girlfriend following their breakup.Cho Hyun-jin, 27, was arrested in January after he stabbed his girlfriend several times in the bathroom of her home in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, while her mother was at home. She later died while being treated at a hospital.A district court in the central city of Daejeon sentenced him to 23-year imprisonment and five-year probation. The prosecution had demanded life imprisonment. During police interrogation, Cho said he committed the crime because the victim told him she wanted to break up.Police later disclosed his identity because of the heinousness of the crime. (Yonhap)

Apr 4, 2022
Man gets 23 years in prison for killing girlfriend after breakup

Gyeonggi gov't building raided over ex-governor wife's alleged embezzlement of public money

Reporters and Gyeonggi officials stand outside the provincial government office in Suwon, April 4. Police on Monday raided the Gyeonggi provincial government building as part of an investigation into allegations that the wife of former ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung misused local government credit cards when Lee was governor. YonhapPolice on Monday raided the Gyeonggi provincial government building as part of an investigation into allegations that the wife of former ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung misused local government credit cards when Lee was governor.Kim Hye-kyung, Lee's wife, came under fire weeks ahead of the March 9 presidential election following revelations that she used credit cards of the Gyeonggi government for personal shopping and eating. Lee was Gyeonggi governor from 2018-2021.Investigators from the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency searched a number of offices at the provincial government, including the general administration bureau and the inspections office, for evidence in connection with the allegations.Kim issued an a

Apr 4, 2022
Gyeonggi gov't building raided over ex-governor wife's alleged embezzlement of public money

Punishment of tattooing by non-medical professionals legal: Constitutional Court

Justices sit at the Constitutional Court room in Seoul, Dec. 23. YonhapThe Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that it is not against the highest law to punish non-medical workers practicing tattooing.In a 5-4 decision, the court dismissed a constitutional petition by a group of tattooists against the Medical Service Act that outlaws tattooing by people with no medical license.Under the law, violators can face up to two years in prison or 10 million won ($8,300) in fines.The court said tattooing involves risks of health-related side effects from the use of needles and dyestuff, and the current law provided safeguards to ensure the safety of recipients. It also said the decision on whether to introduce a new license program for medically unlicensed tattooists was up to the legislature.Currently, several bills on qualifying tattooists without medical licenses remain pending at the National Assembly's health committee, mostly proposed on the grounds that tattoos are generally sought for artistic or cosmetic purposes, not medical ones. (Yonhap)

Mar 31, 2022
Punishment of tattooing by non-medical professionals legal: Constitutional Court

Top court strikes down not guilty verdict for Navy captain charged with raping female subordinate

The Supreme Court / Yonhap The Supreme Court struck down Thursday not guilty verdict for a Navy captain charged with raping a subordinate female officer, sending the case back to the military high court for a rehearing.In the first trial, the captain was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping the female lieutenant junior grade, but the military appeals court found him innocent on grounds there was no evidence of violence or other threats involved in the alleged rape.According to court records, the victim underwent an abortion after being repeatedly sexually harassed and raped by another superior, a lieutenant commander, after she was assigned to the unit in 2010. She reported her situation to the captain, but he misused his authority and also allegedly raped her.The lieutenant commander was sentenced to 10 years in prison in his trial, but the military appeals court also acquitted him. The Supreme Court plans to deliver a verdict on the lieutenant commander l

Mar 31, 2022
Top court strikes down not guilty verdict for Navy captain charged with raping female subordinate

Suspended jail term finalized for ex-Busan vice mayor in bribery case

Ex-Busan vice mayor Yoo Jae-soo enters the court, Seoul, March 31. Yonhap The Supreme Court finalized Thursday a suspended prison sentence for a former vice Busan mayor accused of taking bribes from businessmen during his earlier stint at a financial watchdog.Yoo Jae-soo, who served as vice Busan mayor for economy from 2018-2019, was indicted in 2019 for taking cash and goods worth nearly 50 million won ($41,322) in bribes from four people, including heads of financial firms, between 2010 and 2018 while serving at the Financial Services Commission.A regional court had earlier sentenced him to one-and-a-half years in prison, suspended for three years, along with a fine of 90 million won, but an appellate court later commuted the sentence to a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, and a fine of 50 million won.The regional court convicted Yoo of taking 42 million won in bribes, but the appeals court reduced the amount of bribery to 20 million won. The appellat

Mar 31, 2022
Suspended jail term finalized for ex-Busan vice mayor in bribery case

Supreme Court panel raises sentencing guidelines for child abuse

The Supreme Court building in southern Seoul / Korea Times file A Supreme Court panel has raised the sentencing guidelines for child abuse, recommending at least 20 years to life imprisonment for those convicted of murder by abuse, sources said Tuesday.The non-binding guidelines, which were revised during a meeting of the Supreme Court's Sentencing Commission, Monday, also call for up to 22-and-a half years in prison for those convicted of child abuse resulting in death, according to the sources.The new guidelines will go into effect in June.Under the current guidelines, child abuse resulting in death is punishable by a prison term of four to seven years, extendable by up to 10 years depending on the seriousness of the crime. Sentencing guidelines for murder by child abuse were laid out for the first time after the offence was newly codified following the National Assembly's revision of the child abuse crime act last year. "There was a need to take into account peop

Mar 29, 2022
Supreme Court panel raises sentencing guidelines for child abuse

Prosecutors worldwide call for protection of journalists

Participants pose during an international training course for prosecutors held at Siracusa International Institute in Sicily, Italy, Feb. 14 to 18. The event was co-organized by the International Association of Prosecutors and UNESCO. Courtesy of International Association of ProsecutorsBy Lee Hyo-jin Violent crimes against journalists worldwide are on the rise but many of the cases are being closed without any judicial action, according to the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), which has vowed to strengthen efforts to ensure the safety of journalists. Established in 1995, the IAP is the only global non-governmental organization of prosecutors committed to expanding and strengthening mutual cooperation in criminal investigations amid the rapid growth of transnational crimes. The association currently has over 350,000 members from 177 countries.“Violent crimes on journalists have surged over the past decade to a very concerning level. Korea is considered a relatively safe area, while journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in regions of conflict suc

Mar 29, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Prosecutors worldwide call for protection of journalists

Prosecutors search Samsung Electronics over suspected unfair biz practice

Samsung Group's corporate flag flies in front of its headquarters building in Seoul / Yonhap Prosecutors searched offices of Samsung Electronics and a Samsung food service subsidiary Monday over suspicions of unfair business practices involving in-house cafeteria services, according to officials.Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office searched the headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Suwon and Samsung Welstory in Bundang, both south of Seoul, for materials related to business deals for meal services for employees.Monday's searches came after the country's antitrust regulator slapped a combined fine of 234.9 billion won ($191.6 million) on five key Samsung affiliates, including Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display, in June last year for giving unfair business favors to Welstory by illegitimately channeling their in-house cafeteria service deals to the company.The state agency has since filed complaints with the prosecution against Samsun

Mar 28, 2022
Prosecutors search Samsung Electronics over suspected unfair biz practice

Seoul city to provide protection equipment to stalking victims

gettyimagesbank Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide a set of self-protection equipment to stalking victims or those exposed to potential risks to prevent such crimes from happening, officials said Thursday.Each set will include a mobile application that allows monitoring of the entrance of the user's house, a home surveillance camera to check the inside of the house from outside, and either a door opening sensor or a whistle. The city government will first provide the equipment to individuals under police protection in the city and those who have filed a stalking report to police. One-person households and stores can also apply for the set through the websites of their ward offices from May. Men who suffered housebreaking damage while living alone are also eligible for the support. "We hope the protection gear will help victims of stalking crimes and single-member households relieve anxiety amid the consistent occurrence of stalking crimes," Kim Seon-soon, a

Mar 24, 2022
Seoul city to provide protection equipment to stalking victims
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