South Korea - The Korea Times

Activist-turned-lawmaker indicted for embezzling 'comfort women' funds of more than $84,000

Rep. Youn Mee-hyang / Korea Times fileA lawmaker, who formerly headed a major civic group supporting women forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan, has been accused of embezzling the organization's funds 217 times, mostly for personal purposes, such as paying at "galbi" or rib restaurants, an opposition lawmaker said Tuesday.Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, who led the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan until her election in 2020, spent over 100 million won (US$84,300) of the organization's funds for personal use from January 2011 until March 2020, Rep. Jun Joo-hyae of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing a copy of the indictment she received from the justice ministry.Youn made the transactions via debit card or bank transfers in amounts ranging from 1,500 won to 8.5 million won, according to the indictment.In March 2015, Youn spent 260,000 won at a galbi restaurant, while in July of that year she spent 26,900 won at a pastry store and 90,000 won at a foot massage salon.Other items included 52,000 won spent at a "samgy

Oct 5, 2021

Activist-turned-lawmaker indicted for embezzling 'comfort women' funds of more than $84,000

Seoul mayor grilled by prosecutors over allegations of election law violation

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks to a reporter at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul, Oct. 2, before being questioned by prosecutors about allegations he violated the Election Law. Yonhap Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was summoned by prosecutors Saturday for questioning about allegations he spread false information during his mayoral by-election campaign in April.Oh arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office around 10 a.m. before being grilled as a suspect about his remarks on a scandal-plagued development project called Pi-City in southern Seoul."I'm very sorry to the people for being investigated like this. I'll make statements confidently and wait for the results," Oh told reporters before entering the office.Oh, affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party, won a landslide victory against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's candidate in the April 7 mayoral by-election. Oh had previously served as mayor of Seoul from

Oct 2, 2021

Seoul mayor grilled by prosecutors over allegations of election law violation

Court allows small-scale holiday rallies amid COVID-19 concerns

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions scuffle with police during a rally in Seoul, Sept. 30, ahead of its nationwide strike scheduled for Oct. 20. YonhapA Seoul court on Friday conditionally approved demonstrations planned for this weekend, suspending the Seoul municipal government's ban on the events amid COVID-19 concerns.The Seoul Administrative Court allowed Lee Dong-wook, a doctor and a vocal critic of the government's antivirus measures, to hold rallies in Seoul on the condition they involve up to 50 people and be held between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. from Saturday through Monday.Lee, who served as the chief of the Gyeonggi Province Medical Association, initially planned to hold two rounds of rallies in central Seoul between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the three-day holiday, along with around 100 and 300 participants, respectively. The Seoul metropolitan government banned them, citing concerns over virus transmission, and he filed an administrative lawsuit and injunction against the decision with the court."The complete ban on outdoor rallies in Seoul, regardless of their

Oct 1, 2021

Court allows small-scale holiday rallies amid COVID-19 concerns

Prosecutors arrest key suspect in Seongnam land development scandal

Former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp. Yoo Dong-gyu / YonhapA key figure in the snowballing land development scandal in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, was arrested Friday for questioning over allegations that Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party's leading presidential contender, gave business favors to certain developers.Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., was apprehended by prosecutors at a hospital Friday morning and was taken to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office. He was asked to appear before prosecutors by 10 a.m. but requested that his appearance be delayed by several hours due to his alleged health problems, judicial officials said.Yoo, reported by some media as having a close relationship with Lee, is said to have been deeply involved in a controversial land development project in Seongnam's Daejang district launched in 2015, when the governor was serving as the city's mayor.In recent weeks, Lee has come under growing scrutiny over accusations he gave business favors to Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Managem

Oct 1, 2021

Prosecutors arrest key suspect in Seongnam land development scandal

Juvenile sex offenses increase: report

gettyimagesbankSouth Korean teenagers committed fewer physical assault crimes but more sex offenses and fraud last year, a judicial report showed Wednesday. According to the 2021 juridical yearbook published by the National Court Administration, the total number of juvenile protection cases was 38,590 in 2020, up 2,014, or 5.5 percent, from a year ago.Of them, theft accounted for the biggest share at 13,845 cases, followed by fraud at 4,160, assault at 1,710 and infliction of bodily harm at 1,077. The figures for assault and bodily harm cases last year dropped by 15.3 percent and 18.3 percent, respectively, from 2019. It was the first time in six years the assault tally dropped since 2014, when it was at 922. The bodily harm figure fell for the third consecutive year from 1,465 cases in 2017. But the number of fraud cases jumped by 465, or 12.6 percent, on-year, rising for the third straight year. The increase seems to be attributable to a climb in online scams involving games items. Juvenile sex offenses, including crimes against children and the production and distribution of sexua

Sep 29, 2021

Media workers' groups urge parties to renounce vote on disputed media bill

Members of major media workers' groups hold a press conference in Seoul to call for the establishment of a body to build social consensus on a disputed media bill, Sept. 1. YonhapFive groups of media workers urged political parties Sunday to renounce a possible parliamentary vote this week on a bill accused of hurting press freedom, stressing the need to form a consultative body to build social consensus on the issue.The groups, including the Journalists Association of Korea, issued a joint statement, as the ruling Democratic Party hopes for the bill to be passed Monday, following talks with the main opposition People Power Party.The legislation, titled the Press Arbitration Act, calls for punitive damages of up to five times more than usual if a media outlet is found guilty of running false or manipulated news reports. Critics warn the bill could be used to silence critical media."If political circles answer the proposal to explore prudent, reasonable alternatives through a social consensus organization, journalists currently in the profession will actively join the efforts to impro

Sep 26, 2021

Media workers' groups urge parties to renounce vote on disputed media bill

Man indicted for killing two women

Murder suspect Kang Yoon-seong / Korea Times fileThe prosecution on Friday indicted a 56-year-old man on charges of killing two women while he was under a location monitoring program for sexual offenses.The suspect named Kang Yoon-seong turned himself in to the police in southern Seoul on Aug. 29 and confessed to murdering two acquaintances for money issues.According to investigators, he killed one woman while wearing an electronic ankle bracelet and slew the other while on the run after cutting off the device.The Seoul Dongbu District Prosecutors Office indicted Kang on seven counts, including murder, fraud, robbery and tampering with the anklet. Kang, with 14 previous criminal convictions, was released from prison in May after serving 15 years for sexual assault. Considered at high risk for recidivism, he wore the anklet, which tracks the wearer's whereabouts and sends signals to the authorities if they leave specified areas. Prosecution said he killed the first victim at his home on the morning of Aug. 26 after she refused to lend him money. He used her credit card to buy four mob

Sep 24, 2021

Child sexual offenses rise amid weak punishments: report

gettyimagesbankThe number of convicted child sexual abusers has been growing steadily over the past few years in South Korea amid lenient penalties against such crimes, a judicial report showed Friday.According to the Supreme Court report submitted to Rep. Lee Tahney of the ruling Democratic Party, a total of 1,675 people have been found guilty of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses by district courts from 2016 to June this year.By year, 111 were convicted in 2016, 104 in 2017, 118 in 2018 and 182 in 2019. In 2020, the number more than doubled to 440. The number had also surged this year to 720 as of June. Among the total convicts, however, only about 26 percent were imprisoned. The rest of them were delivered lighter penalties, including suspended sentences and fines, or were granted suspension of sentence.The proportion of child molesters who received prison sentences rose from 18 percent in 2016 to 27.9 percent in 2017 but sank back to 19.5 percent the following year. The rate jumped to 39.8 percent both in 2019 and 2020, but plunged to 1

Sep 24, 2021

Child sexual offenses rise amid weak punishments: report

Defector caught trying to return to North Korea

Soldiers inspect cars on the Gyodong Bridge, which connects Ganghwa Island and Gyodong Island, which is right below the western sea border with North Korea in this July 2020 file photo. Korea Times filePolice said Thursday that they have launched a probe into a female North Korean defector for seeking to cross the inter-Korean border to return to North Korea.The woman, who is in her 60s, was taken into custody by the police near Tongil Bridge in the western border city of Paju around 3:40 a.m. on Sept. 13 after telling a military solider on duty that she wanted to return to North Korea.It remains unclear why she sought to return to the communist homeland.Tongil Bridge is the gate to the customs, immigration and quarantine office at Dorasan Station in Paju that is heavily guarded by the South Korean military.The police said the case is currently under investigation, adding that the woman has not been booked yet for the violation of the national security law.In 2017, a female North Korean defector appeared in a North Korean propaganda video, claiming she returned to North Korea after s

Sep 23, 2021

Defector caught trying to return to North Korea

Ex-spy chief sentenced to 9 years in prison in retrial of political meddling case

Former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon / Korea Times fileAn appeals court on Friday sentenced Won Sei-hoon, South Korea's former intelligence chief, to nine years in prison in a retrial of a political meddling case.The Seoul High Court sentenced Won, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from 2009-13 under former President Lee Myung-bak, to nine years in prison for causing losses to the state coffers, violating the law on governing the status of the NIS and abuse of power.The court also suspended his civil and political rights for seven years.The sentence was increased from a seven-year prison term and a five-year qualification suspension delivered by the same court last year, as the acquittal of part of his power abuse charges was reversed.The appellate court previously convicted him of inflicting losses on state coffers by siphoning off about 11 billion won (US$9.3 million) of NIS funds to hire civilians to distort cyberspace opinions and frame liberal groups as pro-North Korean activists in a bid to help previous conservative governments.He was also f

Sep 17, 2021

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