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299 caught drunk driving on 1st day of 'Living with COVID-19' scheme: police

gettyimagesbankA total of 299 people were caught drunk driving on the first night after business hour restrictions were lifted and gathering size limits were raised Monday under the government's "living with COVID-19" scheme, police said.Of them, 89 were caught with blood alcohol levels high enough to have their license suspended and another 200 with levels warranting license revocation, according to the National Police Agency. The remaining 10 were caught for refusing to take a breathalyzer test.South Korea began the first of three stages to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions on Monday, as more than 70 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.Under the first phase, operation hour curfews on cafes and restaurants have been fully lifted, while ceilings on private gatherings have been raised to a maximum of 10 people in the greater Seoul area and 12 in other regions.Police said they will conduct crackdowns on drunk driving from this month to January of next year as gatherings involving alcohol are expected to increase in the year-end season in line with measures to

Nov 2, 2021
299 caught drunk driving on 1st day of 'Living with COVID-19' scheme: police

Gov't acknowledges rights violation at detention center for undocumented immigrants

A Moroccan man is detained ― on his stomach with his feet and hands tied behind his back and with his head bound in protective head gear ― in solitary confinement at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province, in this video footage taken in June. The Ministry of Justice acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at the detention center. Courtesy of Duroo Association for Public Interest LawThe justice ministry acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at a detention center for undocumented immigrants in June after an investigation into allegations that an inmate suffered torture-like treatment.The investigation came after the inmate from Morocco in his 30s filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog, claiming he was maltreated while being detained in June at an immigration processing center in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul.He accused officials at the center of tying his four limbs on his back in what is known here as a shrimp's posture and putting him in a solitary cell. CCTV footage showed he was kept in

Nov 1, 2021
Gov't acknowledges rights violation at detention center for undocumented immigrants

Prosecutors seek arrest warrants for 3 key figures in Seongnam development scandal

Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's presidential nominee and former mayor of Seongnam / YonhapProsecutors sought arrest warrants Monday for three key figures in an urban development scandal on charges of breach of trust and bribery in connection with a lucrative project in Seongnam, south of Seoul. Prosecutors have been looking into suspicions over how a previously unheard-of asset management company, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped astronomical profits from a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong district in Seongnam into an apartment complex.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sought the warrants for Kim Man-bae and Nam Wook, private partners of the project, who are alleged to have colluded with Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., to set the terms of the public bidding in the project to allow Hwacheon Daeyu to become the preferred bidder.Prosecutors believe that Hwacheon Daeyu reaped profits of 65.1 billion won (US$55.3 million) from the alleged collusion and caused damage to Seongnam Development Corp.I

Nov 1, 2021
Prosecutors seek arrest warrants for 3 key figures in Seongnam development scandal

Restaurateur misuses customer information from visitor register

A handwritten visitor log to track COVID-19 cases is shown at a restaurant in western Seoul in this April 5 photo. Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwonBy Lee Hae-rinA restaurant owner in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, is being investigated by prosecutors for allegedly contacting a female customer after obtaining her phone number from the visitor register, a mandatory log the government requires store owners to compile to track COVID-19 cases.The Asan police said, Monday, they had referred the case to prosecutors, asking them to indict the restaurant owner, whose name was withheld, for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.The victim visited the restaurant with her two children in July. She filled in the handwritten visitor log because there was no QR code scanner for digital check-ins. After the visit, she received a message from an unknown number that read, “I want to be good friends with you,” according to the police.To help health officials track the spread of coronavirus infections, all businesses here, including restaurants, are obligated to document ev

Nov 1, 2021By Lee Hae-rin
Restaurateur misuses customer information from visitor register

1,289 caught breaching virus rules at Halloween celebrations

A local district health official in protective gear disinfects shop fronts as a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul, Oct. 29. AP-YonhapA total of 1,289 people in violation of anti-COVID-19 rules were caught in the past three days at Halloween parties and private gatherings across the country, police said Monday. The National Police Agency said 630 people were discovered violating antivirus protocols, food sanitation rules and music-related regulations Saturday, followed by 400 on Sunday and 259 on Friday.According to police, Seoul's Itaewon district, well-known for its bars and other nightlife establishments, was the most popular area among Halloween partygoers, visited by some 170,000 people over the Friday-Sunday period, according to the police. A restaurant in Gangnam, another popular nightlife district in southern Seoul, was busted for illegally turning the place into an unregistered nightclub. More than 230 people at the restaurant were caught.In the southern coastal city of Busan, police and local authorities also discovered 195 people breaching antivirus rules in 23 ca

Nov 1, 2021
1,289 caught breaching virus rules at Halloween celebrations

Police to crack down on drunk driving with 'return to normalcy'

A police officer from Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency conducts a sobriety test on a driver in this Nov. 26, 2020 file photo. The police announced, Sunday, it will crack down on drunk driving through carrying out driver checks for three months starting Monday, as more drinking is expected during the year-end season, especially with the government easing social distancing measures in its “Living with COVID-19” scheme. Korea Times photo by Yoon Joo-youngBy Lee Hae-rinPolice will crack down on drunk driving during the year-end season, as more gatherings and drinking sessions are expected, especially with the nation's eased social distancing measures in its “Living with COVID-19” plan. The National Police Agency said, Sunday, it will carry out sobriety tests on drivers in entertainment districts across the country for three months, starting Monday. The locations and times of the police checks will change often to prevent drivers from sharing information on the specific times and locations of the tests, it said.“The upcoming checks are in response t

Oct 31, 2021By Lee Hae-rin
Police to crack down on drunk driving with 'return to normalcy'

Teachers call for harsh punishment for principal installing spycam in faculty restroom

By Bahk Eun-jiTeachers' groups are calling for a thorough investigation and heavy punishment for an elementary school principal who was arrested for allegedly installing a hidden camera in a restroom for female faculty members. Members of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations and its Gyeonggi Province branch issued a joint statement, Friday, calling for strong punishment of the principal to discourage others from committing such voyeuristic sex crimes.A spycam installed in a tissue box was found recently in a restroom for female teachers at an elementary school in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. The principal of the school who installed the camera was arrested, Saturday. Courtesy of Gyeonggi teachers' union“We were truly shocked that the most non-education-related incident that should never happen in a school, which was done by a school head,” they said in a statement. They said the principal shamed and embarrassed all educators nationwide. “Teachers who violate teaching ethics, such as committing sex-related crimes, must be permanently excluded from teaching j

Oct 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Teachers call for harsh punishment for principal installing spycam in faculty restroom

School principal arrested for allegedly installing hidden camera in women's bathroom

This March file photo shows police officers using devices to check for hidden cameras in a public bathroom at a subway station in Gyeonggi Province. YonhapAn elementary school principal in Anyang was placed under emergency arrest Friday for allegedly installing a hidden camera inside a bathroom of the school's female faculty.The Anyang Dongan Police Station said it was questioning the 57-year-old principal, who is alleged to have placed a 2-4 centimeter-long camera near a toilet inside the women's bathroom at his school in the city 23 kilometers south of Seoul.A teacher reportedly discovered the camera and reported it to school authorities. Police officials who arrived at the school after receiving a report learned that the principal was actually the one who placed the camera.The principal reportedly admitted to installing the camera but insisted that he had no sexual intention. Police said they were conducting a digital forensic analysis of the camera.The Gyeonggi Province's education office said it relieved the principal of his duties and launched a probe into the incident. The off

Oct 29, 2021
School principal arrested for allegedly installing hidden camera in women's bathroom

Constitutional Court rejects first-ever impeachment of judge

Lim Seong-geun, former judget at the Busan High Court / YonhapThe Constitutional Court on Thursday rejected the National Assembly's first-ever impeachment of a judge, saying there is no point in deliberating the case because the now-retired judge cannot be sacked.The court made the decision in a 5-3 vote to dismiss the February impeachment of Lim Seong-geun, a former judge at the Busan High Court, on charges of meddling in politically sensitive trials chaired by other judges during the previous administration.The National Assembly voted on Feb. 4 to impeach Lim for allegedly meddling in several sensitive cases in the past, most notably a libel case filed by the former Park Geun-hye government against a Japanese journalist in 2015.It marked the first time that a sitting judge was impeached in South Korea. Lim's duties were immediately suspended, but he retired later that month as his term expired.Lim had previously been indicted on the same charges that he meddled in several trials presided over by other judges between 2015 and 2016 while serving at the Seoul Central District Court, i

Oct 28, 2021
Constitutional Court rejects first-ever impeachment of judge

Police to prohibit late night questionings under rights panel recommendation

gettyimagesbankPolice will ban late night questionings and minimize the use of handcuffs and ropes in an effort to improve human rights of detainees, officials said Tuesday.The measures are among the recommendations that a civic human rights panel made to police as part of a program that the National Police Agency (NPA) launched in 2018 to study ways to improve rights conditions throughout the police institution. In announcing the results of the program, police said they have decided to prohibit in principle late night questionings of suspects. Late night examinations will be allowed as exceptions only when the subjects request it.Police have also revised regulations on handcuff and rope use on detainees and suspects.Handcuffs are to be used only when detainees pose risks of flight, suicide, self-harm or threats to others during transportation to either courts, prosecutors offices and hospitals. Ropes can be used together only when the risks are high.NPA Commissioner-General Kim Chang-yong said the rights conditions within the police institution have "enhanced remarkably" thanks to t

Oct 26, 2021
Police to prohibit late night questionings under rights panel recommendation
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