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Labor umbrella organization head arrested for holding rallies despite COVID-19 ban

Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is taken by police near the organization's office in Seoul, Sept. 2. YonhapThe police on Thursday arrested the head of a labor umbrella organization over mass rallies held in violation of COVID-19 related regulations.Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was arrested at a KCTU office in Seoul on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, as well as traffic disruption.The early-morning arrest took place without a serious clash between the police and the usually militant union members, except for minor tussles before the police entered the building where the union's office is located. Yang was escorted out of the building by police at 6:29 a.m. and called on his colleagues to prepare for a massive rally next month before getting into a police car.Some of the union members shouted, "Free Chairman Lee!" In a statement, the union called the arrest, "a declaration of war (against the union) by the Moon Jae-in government"

Sep 2, 2021
Labor umbrella organization head arrested for holding rallies despite COVID-19 ban

Doctors arrested on 'ghost surgery' charges

Doctors and office workers at a hospital in Incheon present themselves to Incheon District Court for arrest warrant review, Aug. 31, following allegations of surrogate surgery. YonhapBy Yoon Ja-youngDoctors working for a spine surgery hospital in the western port city of Incheon have been arrested on charges of surrogate surgery, in which they allegedly made office workers without medical licenses take part in the operations.According to Incheon Metropolitan Police Station, three doctors, who are co-directors of a renowned hospital in the district specializing in spinal disc surgery, were arrested on Aug. 31, along with three staff of the hospital. The district court judge issued arrest warrants following a request by the prosecution, acknowledging concerns of them fleeing. The investigation began after a media report, which included around 10 hours' video footage of the operations in the hospital. The doctors reportedly had one of the employees make an incision in the back of a patient, and after around five minutes' work by the doctor, another employee sutured the wounds. The patie

Sep 1, 2021By Yoon Ja-young
Doctors arrested on 'ghost surgery' charges

Horrific crimes reignite debate over death penalty

Banners are hung in Daejeon, Wednesday, to urge a court to hand down a death penalty for a man who killed his 20-month-old stepdaughter in June. YonhapKorea has not executed criminals since 1997By Kang Seung-wooA series of atrocious crimes of late are once again sparking debate over capital punishment. South Korea is classified as “abolitionist in practice,” which means that the government retains the death penalty but has not actually executed a criminal in the past 10 years or longer. The last execution here took place Dec. 31, 1997, when 23 convicted of murder were hanged. However, the issue has been brought to the fore again following the homicide of a 20-month-old toddler by her stepfather in June and the murder of two women last month by a sex offender who removed his electronic monitoring anklet while on parole. The 29-year-old stepfather, identified as Yang, allegedly covered the baby girl with blankets because she would not stop crying and punched and stomped her to death. Furthermore, the parents hid the baby's body in an ice box in their bathroom.The crime has

Sep 1, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Horrific crimes reignite debate over death penalty

Biggest-ever drug smuggling attempt busted

gettyimagesbankSouth Korean prosecutors said Wednesday they have busted the nation's largest-ever drug trafficking attempt with an arrest of a man in his 30s in the southern port city of Busan.The Busan District Prosecutors Office said it has arrested and indicted a 34-year-old man on charges of smuggling over 400 kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico.The prosecution said the volume of methamphetamine seized from the suspect totaled 404.23 kg, the largest amount in the nation's history of drug smuggling.The seized drugs, which can be administered to 13.5 million people at the same time, is worth 1.3 trillion won ($1.12 billion) in terms of retail price.The man is accused of smuggling more than a total of 404.23 kg of the banned substance hidden in 20 helical gears imported from Mexico in December 2019 and in July last year in collusion with an accomplice.The prosecution said it had cooperated closely with the Korean Customs Service, the National Intelligence Service and overseas institutions in cracking down on the drug trafficking attempt and seized 404.23 kg of methamphetamine,

Sep 1, 2021
Biggest-ever drug smuggling attempt busted

Constitutional Court rejects petition by Korean 'war criminals' over dispute settlement

The justices of the Constitutional Court prepare to be seated at the courtroom in Jongro District, Seoul, Aug. 31. YonhapThe Constitutional Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a group of South Koreans who were forced to serve in the Japanese army during World War II and later punished as war criminals.The plaintiffs filed the appeal asking the court to confirm the government's violation of their basic rights by not redressing the plight they endured as convicted war criminals.The court rejected the case in a 5-4 vote, saying their suffering which largely came from the rulings in war tribunals are not subject to the 1965 agreement between Seoul and Japan on resolving colonial-era issues."It is difficult to see B/C-class war criminals convicted in war tribunals in the same light as the victims of crimes against humanity, such as sexual slavery or nuclear bombs," the court said.It also rejected the plaintiffs' claims the government did not fulfill its responsibility as a nation to work for its people, saying "The government has consistently requested Japan resolve the problem

Aug 31, 2021
Constitutional Court rejects petition by Korean 'war criminals' over dispute settlement

Vague rules expose women to dating violence in Korea

GettyimagesbankAssaults often put down to 'quarrel between lovers' By Bahk Eun-jiHwang Ye-jin, a 25-year-old woman, was violently assaulted at her residence in Seoul, July 25. The assailant was a 30-year-old man she had been romantically involved with. He allegedly attacked her because she had told others they were dating. Hwang suffered severe facial swelling, internal bleeding, broken ribs and damage to her lungs. She died three weeks later as a result of medical complications. Her mother made public the video footage of the assault, captured by a surveillance camera at the entrance of her daughter's home. In the footage, Hwang collapses on the floor after her attacker pummels her against a wall several times. Later, the video shows Hwang lying on the floor unconscious, and the attacker drags her bleeding into an elevator.The mother disclosed the video footage, the daughter's photo and name and posted a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for heavy punishment of the perpetrator, in hope of raising public awareness of dating violence and abuse against women as epitomized

Aug 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Vague rules expose women to dating violence in Korea

Electronic anklets fail to prevent crimes by sex offenders

gettyimagesbankJustice ministry vows to make anklets stronger, improve monitoring system By Lee Hyo-jin A series of crimes committed recently by ex-convicts who were obliged to wear an electronic anklet has prompted criticisms that the tracking device is ineffective in deterring perpetrators from reoffending. The government introduced the GPS-enabled electronic device in 2008 to keep a close watch on sex offenders after their release from prison. They are ordered to wear the tracking devices for a designated period of time, enabling probation officers to check their whereabouts in real time.However, a number of ex-convicts have committed crimes either while wearing or after removing the electronic trackers.Most recently, a man surnamed Kang, 56, was arrested, Sunday, for allegedly murdering two women and removing his electronic anklet. He cut off the device at his home in southern Seoul's Songpa District at around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 27, and fled. The police launched a manhunt, and Kang surrendered himself two days later and confessed to killing the two women. He told police that he ki

Aug 30, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Electronic anklets fail to prevent crimes by sex offenders

Suspect in murder, rape of baby girl sparks public outrage

gettyimagesbankPublic outrage has been boiling in South Korea over a man who allegedly abused and murdered a baby girl in June, with some people planning to stage rallies calling for the death penalty.The 29-year-old man, surnamed Yang, was recently indicted on charges of sexually assaulting and abusing the 20-month-old toddler to death at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 15. A little past midnight on that day, Yang, who was drunk at the time, allegedly covered the baby girl with bedclothes and punched and stomped on her, because she would not stop crying, until she died.Yang and his wife, surnamed Jeong, hid the victim's body in an ice box in their bathroom.He was also accused of raping the victim before the abuse, according to the prosecution. Exactly when the alleged rape occurred remained unclear.The man had told the police he was the baby's biological father, but a DNA test revealed he was not. His wife was confirmed as the girl's biological mother.Yang has been living with Jeong and her daughter since his release from prison over fraud, the pros

Aug 30, 2021
Suspect in murder, rape of baby girl sparks public outrage
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