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Man, woman detained for inflicting fatal abuse on live-in niece

GettyimagesbankA couple from Yongin, just south of Seoul, has been detained for allegedly having maltreated their live-in niece to death, police said Tuesday.The man and his wife, both in their 40s, are accused of having beaten their 10-year-old niece with a plastic broom and other objects and repeatedly throwing her into their home bathtub until she stopped breathing Monday.According to the Yongin Dongbu Police Station, the girl lost consciousness after being forcibly put in and out of bathtub several times Monday afternoon before being transported by paramedics to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead of secondary shock.Her death was reported to police as a child abuse case after doctors found bruises all over her body. The couple reportedly told police that they had inflicted physical punishment and water torture-style acts on the girl as discipline for not being obedient and potty trained.The girl was said to have lived with her mother's elder sister and her husband since late October or early November last year due to the mother's work life and other personal reasons.The gir

Feb 9, 2021
Man, woman detained for inflicting fatal abuse on live-in niece

Korea implements tougher rules on animal abuse, pet owners

GettyimagesbankSouth Korea said Tuesday it plans to implement revised rules on animal abuse this week that center on tougher punishment and more regulations on pet owners.Starting Friday, those who slaughter animals cruelly will face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of 30 million won (US$26,840), according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It compares with the previous ceiling of two years.Owners of fierce dogs are obligated to purchase insurance packages, and violators will be slapped with a fine of 3 million won. The move is aimed at helping victims of fierce dog-related incidents promptly receive compensation. The country categorizes Tosas, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, rottweilers and other related mixed breeds as fierce dogs.All owners need to use a leash that is no longer than 2 meters when taking their pets outside. This measure will come with a grace period of one year. All pets also need to wear name tags that include information of owners and contact numbers.Dogs that have worked fo

Feb 9, 2021
Korea implements tougher rules on animal abuse, pet owners

Indonesian gets suspended sentence for escaping quarantine facility by digging hole under fence

Quarantine officials guide foreign arrivals at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic in this July 12 file photo. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeAn Indonesian man has received a suspended jail term for fleeing from a COVID-19 self-isolation facility in Seoul by digging a hole under a fence and crawling through.The Seoul Central District Court said, Monday, it sentenced the 24-year-old man to an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years, for violating the Immigration Control Law.The man entered Korea Sept. 21 and was put in 14-day self-isolation at a hotel in central Seoul. The hotel was one of the government-run self-quarantine facilities used to stem the spread of COVID-19.The man fled from the facility Oct. 4, a day before his self-isolation period was supposed to end, by digging the hole in the hotel's flower garden with his bare hands.Police apprehended him three days later in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and he was put on trial. “He was a foreign arrival subject to self-isolation, but fled from the facility before his self-isola

Feb 8, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Indonesian gets suspended sentence for escaping quarantine facility by digging hole under fence

3 Filipinos given prison terms for trafficking illicit drugs into Korea

GettyimagesbankThree Filipinos have been given prison terms for trafficking illegal drugs into South Korea, a local court said Monday. The Changwon District Court, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, recently sentenced the three Philippine nationals to three to five years in prison for violating the Narcotics Control Act.The court also handed down prison terms ranging from one to 2 1/2 years, suspended for two to four years, to three other Filipinos on the same charge.The six were indicted for smuggling 175.9 million won (US$157,000) worth of narcotics, including methamphetamine and ecstasy, into the country on airplanes from March to August of last year. The drugs were then delivered to a supermarket near their residence and distributed to different regions, sometimes hidden in cigarette boxes. Some were found to have used the drugs themselves as well. "Drug trafficking can lead to a spread of illicit drug use here and have a profound negative impact on our society," the court said, delivering the ruling. (Yonhap)

Feb 8, 2021
3 Filipinos given prison terms for trafficking illicit drugs into Korea

Sri Lankan man gets 20 years in jail for trying to flee to North Korea after killing colleague

Soldiers on patrol along barbed-wire fences in the border region in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, in this 2012 photo. A Sri Lankan worker was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to flee to North Korea after killing a colleague here. Korea Times fileBy Kim RahnA high court has upheld a lower court ruling that handed a 20-year prison term to a Sri Lankan worker who attempted to flee to North Korea after killing a colleague here.On Sunday, the Gwangju High Court rejected the prosecution's request for a heavier punishment for the 27-year-old man, whose name was withheld, saying the prison term was appropriate for his charges of murder and violation of the Immigration Law.According to the court, the man and the victim, another worker from Sri Lanka, often argued while at the accommodations provided by their employer on Jin Island, South Jeolla Province. The victim sometimes beat the other man for not closing the door tightly, and the man bought a knife to defend himself during possible future altercations. On May 29 of last year, the victim again beat the man, who then wielded the kn

Feb 7, 2021By Kim Rahn
Sri Lankan man gets 20 years in jail for trying to flee to North Korea after killing colleague

Coast Guard seizes 105 billion won worth of cocaine from ship in Busan

The Coast Guard has seized 35 kilograms of cocaine from a container ship in the southern port city of Busan, officials said Saturday. Courtesy of Southern Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, YonhapThe Coast Guard has seized 35 kilograms of cocaine from a container ship in the southern port city of Busan, officials said Saturday. The drug has an estimated street value of 105 billion won (US$93.94 million), the authorities added. The packages were found on a Liberia-flagged ship, which departed from Colombia Dec. 15 and arrived at Busan New Port, Jan. 19. Their exteriors had a scorpion-shaped logo, which is usually used by Colombian drug cartels.The authorities tracked the 140,000-ton vessel after being tipped off that a large amount of cocaine was hidden in it. The cargo ship was a regular visitor to Busan and traveled from the South American country via the United States and the Panama Canal to South Korea and then on to China.The ship had Greek, Russian and Ukrainian crew members. They are being questioned over how the narcotics were smuggled and whether they were involved, the Coast

Feb 6, 2021
Coast Guard seizes 105 billion won worth of cocaine from ship in Busan

Ex-police officer sentenced to jail for raping Vietnamese woman

Gettyimagesbank By Lee Hyo-jin A restaurant owner, who had previously served 20 years as a police officer in Busan, has been sentenced to jail for raping a Vietnamese woman. Changwon District Court sentenced the 54-year-old man to four years in prison, Thursday, for raping the 20-year-old victim. The court also ordered him to undergo 40 hours of treatment for sex offenders and restricted him from getting jobs at child-related facilities for seven years. The man was convicted of raping the college student from Vietnam on her first day at work as a part-time worker at the restaurant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. The crime took place at around 11:20 p.m., Aug. 17, 2020.He committed the crime while drinking with her in the restaurant after working hours. The victim's friends reported the rape to police on the same night it happened. During the police investigation and trials, the accused admitted to having sex with the victim, but insisted that it was consens

Feb 5, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Ex-police officer sentenced to jail for raping Vietnamese woman

Court upholds sentence for importer who sold Chinese masks as South Korean made

A South Korean court on Friday upheld an earlier prison sentence of a face mask importer who faked Chinese imports as Korean products. GettyimagesbankAn appellate court on Friday upheld an earlier prison sentence of a face mask importer convicted for bringing over Chinese mask products and selling them as South Korean-made products during the height of the pandemic last year to make unfair profits.The Jeonju District Court's appellate division sentenced the person, 49, to 18 months in prison for importing some 1.08 million units of face masks made in China and retailing some 11,000 of the items online after falsely labeling them as South Korean-made goods in August of last year. The demand for protective face masks soared at the time as the country was gripped by the second wave of COVID-19, after cluster infections broke out following a mass anti-government rally held in central Seoul on the Liberation Day national holiday on Aug. 15.The court also upheld the six-month suspended prison sentences for two accomplices, convicting them of violating the Foreign Trade Act. "The nature of

Feb 5, 2021
Court upholds sentence for importer who sold Chinese masks as South Korean made

Mastermind of Telegram sexual abuse ring sentenced to additional 5 years in prison

Cho Ju-bin / Korea Times fileThe mastermind of an infamous Telegram sexual exploitation ring was sentenced to an additional five years in prison on Thursday for concealing profits from the crime for which had already been given a 40-year jail term last year.The Seoul Central District Court found Cho Ju-bin guilty of hiding some 108 million won (US$96,500) of criminal proceeds by receiving cryptocurrency for the sexually exploitative materials he sold on the pay-to-view chat rooms on Telegram.The 25-year-old was also convicted of distributing sexually exploitative materials of 18 women and seven girls on Telegram chat rooms in November 2019 and March 2020.With the five-year prison term given Thursday, Cho now has to stay behind bars for a total of 45 years. The court banned him from working with children, youths and disabled people for five years. He also has to complete 40 hours of sexual offender treatment and wear an electronic bracelet for five years.It said it imposed the harsh punishment as Cho had committed serious crimes that created a number of victims and showed no signs of

Feb 4, 2021
Mastermind of Telegram sexual abuse ring sentenced to additional 5 years in prison
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