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'Karaoke in prison for therapy, not for entertainment'

An inmate uses a karaoke machine installed in Jeonju Prison located in North Jeolla Province, Wednesday. / Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jinIn response to rising public criticism on karaoke and game machines being installed in prisons for inmates, a correctional facility in Jeonju said Friday that they were used for therapy not entertainment. On Wednesday, the Jeonju Correctional Institution in North Jeolla Province announced that it had installed three karaoke machines and two “whack a mole” game machines in the prison.The correctional facility explained that they will help inmates to relieve stress as other rehabilitation programs such as religious activities had been suspended due to the prolonged COVD-19 pandemic. The prisoners are allowed to use the karaoke machine free of charge if they sign up in advance. Those sentenced to death or who are suffering from a psychiatric problem will be given more opportunity to use them. The machines cost approximately 50 million won ($44

Oct 30, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
'Karaoke in prison for therapy, not for entertainment'

Man gets suspended prison sentence for breaching self-quarantine rule

A man who returned from the United States and was living in Seoul's Songpa District leaves the Seoul Eastern District Court in April 2020 after violating the country's self-quarantine regulations two times on the same day to visit a restaurant and a public bathhouse. YonhapA quarantine violator was given a suspended prison sentence by a Seoul court Friday after being convicted of illegally leaving his designated self-isolation accommodation several times before testing positive for the coronavirus.The Seoul Western District Court sentenced the violator, identified only as a 29-year-old, to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for breaching the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and ordered him to complete 120 hours of community service.In late May, the accused was ordered by the health authorities to self-quarantine at his residence until June 9, after a COVID-19 case occurred at a building where he worked.But he was accused of leaving his home four times without permission between June 5-8 to visit a nearby supermarket and travel to different places, including s

Oct 30, 2020
Man gets suspended prison sentence for breaching self-quarantine rule

Supreme Court upholds 17-year prison sentence for former President Lee

Local journalists gather outside former President Lee Myung-bak's residence in Seoul after the Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday. /YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongThe Supreme Court upheld Thursday an appeals court ruling that sentenced former President Lee Myung-bak to 17 years in prison for embezzlement and bribery, bringing his two-year court battle to a close.Lee Myung-bakThe highest court also confirmed a fine of 13 million won ($11.4 million) and a forfeit of 5.78 billion won ($5.1 million) handed down to him by the appeals court in February. A statement from the judges read, “We do not find any fault in the lower court's ruling,” Thursday.The former president was indicted in 2018 on 16 counts, including embezzlement linked to an auto parts company, DAS, and receiving bribes from Samsung Electronics through the company. A district court found him guilty of embezzling 34.9 billion won of DAS funds and taking 8.5 billion won in bribes and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.But, the appeals court handed down a sentence of 17 years in prison after discovering additional bribes an

Oct 29, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Supreme Court upholds 17-year prison sentence for former President Lee

Bodyfriend indicted for false advertising

By Lee Hyo-jin Bodyfriend, a massage chair brand promoted by BTS, has been indicted for false advertising, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Bodyfriend, a massage chair brand promoted by BTS, has been indicted for false advertising, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. / Courtesy of BodyfriendThe prosecutors' office announced Wednesday the indictment of the corporation and its CEO Park Sang-hyun, 45, on suspicion of violating the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertisement. The firm is suspected of promoting its HighKey massage chair using exaggerated claims and false information from January to August 2019. HighKey is a high-end massage recliner for adolescents, priced at 4.6 million won ($4,050) on its website. Since its launch in January 2019, the chair was widely advertised through portal websites, newspapers and magazines.The description in the ads read that the chair stimulates teenagers' growth through its “brain massage” function. The ad also claimed that the chair improves their cognition skills and enhances their mem

Oct 29, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Bodyfriend indicted for false advertising

Supreme Court confirms 17-year prison term for ex-President Lee Myung-bak

Former President Lee Myung-bak / YonhapThe Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 17-year prison sentence handed down by an appeals court for former President Lee Myung-bak on embezzlement and bribery charges.In February, the 78-year-old was sentenced to 17 years in prison, a fine of 13 billion won (US$10.9 million) and a forfeit of 5.7 billion won in a high-profile corruption case.The former president, who governed the country from 2008-2013, was charged in April 2018 with 16 counts of criminal allegations, including embezzlement in connection with the auto parts company DAS and receiving bribes.In October that year, a district court found him guilty or partly guilty of seven accounts, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, making him the fourth ex-South Korean leader to be criminally convicted. It also concluded that Lee was the de facto owner of DAS, an allegation Lee has consistently denied.The Seoul High Court in February handed down a longer prison term of 17 years due to the increased amount of graft that Lee was found guilty of. The court ruled that Lee embezzled 25.2 billion w

Oct 29, 2020
Supreme Court confirms 17-year prison term for ex-President Lee Myung-bak

Why is it so hard to revoke medical licenses of misbehaving doctors?

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin In September 2019, a gynecology trainee doctor at a general hospital in Seoul was accused of sexually assaulting an anesthetized patient. He groped the patient before and during surgery and verbally harassed several nurses. The hospital initially suspended him from duty for three months, but following public criticism, his training was canceled. However, his medical license remained untouched.In 2018, a doctor at a private hospital was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for raping and illegally filming a 20-year-old assistant nurse. But he was able to return to his job as his license was not revoked. Recent data shows that in Korea it is almost impossible to revoke doctors' licenses for their alleged crimes and criminal convictions.Between 2010 and 2018, none of the 848 doctors who were arrested on sex crime charges or the 37 apprehended on suspicion of murder had their licenses canceled, according to the National Police Agency. Meanwhile, reissuing revoked licenses seems to be relatively easy. Disqualified physicians may reapply f

Oct 26, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Why is it so hard to revoke medical licenses of misbehaving doctors?

Plastic surgeon booked in death of Hong Kong fashion empire heiress

Korea Times fileSouth Korean police investigating the death of a Hong Kong fashion empire heiress during plastic surgery in Seoul early this year said Thursday the operating surgeon has been found at fault for the medical accident and her death.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) said it booked the Seoul doctor, whose identity was withheld, without detention on charges of professional negligence in the death of 35-year-old Hong Kong citizen Bonnie Evita Law and violating the foreign patient attraction and narcotics control laws. It sent the case to the prosecution with an opinion of indictment.The late Law was a granddaughter of the founder of Bossini International Holdings Ltd., a famous Hong Kong fashion company. She visited a southern Seoul plastic surgery clinic on Jan. 28 to receive liposuction, a fat-removal surgery, in celebration of her birthday. She was reportedly introduced to the hospital through an illegal Korean broker.During the procedure, her oxygen saturation level dropped to a dangerous level. She was transferred to a nearby hospital but died later that day,

Oct 22, 2020
Plastic surgeon booked in death of Hong Kong fashion empire heiress

Prosecutors demand life sentence for mastermind of high-profile sex abuse ring

Cho Ju-bin / Korea Times fileProsecutors on Thursday demanded a life sentence for the mastermind of one of the nation's largest online sex trafficking rings, saying his victims have made tearful pleas for that he be sternly punished.Prosecutors also asked the court to order Cho Ju-bin, a 24-year-old indicted for blackmailing women and girls into providing sexual videos and photos to a pay-to-view Telegram chat room, to wear an electronic monitoring device for 45 years during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court.Prosecutors sought prison sentences of 10 to 15 years for four of Cho's accomplices and a 10-year imprisonment for a 16-year-old accomplice and asked the court to ban them from working with children and youths and at welfare facilities for the disabled and wear electronic bracelets.Cho's victims have submitted written petitions to the court through their lawyers, saying their damage will never be forgotten and Cho and his accomplices must be strongly punished. One of the victims said in a petition that Cho and his co-conspirators are evil and deserve imprisonment for

Oct 22, 2020
Prosecutors demand life sentence for mastermind of high-profile sex abuse ring

Indian man faces deportation after sexually harassing teenager

Incheon District Court / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin An Indian man in his 20s is facing deportation after he was found guilty of sexually harassing a teenage girl and overstaying his visa, according to a local court, Monday.The Incheon District Court sentenced the 28-year-old man to one year in prison suspended for two years, in consideration of health issues connected to the man's HIV positive status. He was found to be in violation of both the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse and the Immigration Control Act. The court additionally issued him a three year ban on employment at child-related facilities. “The judge found that the accused is suffering from severe health issues due to HIV, and therefore should be given the chance to return to India to reunite with his family and receive proper medical treatment,” a court official told The Korea Times.Despite the judge's seemingly humanitarian sentiment toward the sex offender, the official added that the man has been transferred to the Immigration Office for deportation procedures. The man

Oct 20, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Indian man faces deportation after sexually harassing teenager

Woman repents for offering to sell newborn baby online: police

This captured image shows a newborn baby put up for adoption on Danggeun Market, an online marketplace for secondhand items.A Jeju Island woman, who recently caused a stir in Korean society after offering to sell her newborn baby for 200,000 won (US$175) in a mobile secondhand marketplace, has deeply repented for her wrongdoing, police said Monday.Jeju's provincial police agency, investigating the unprecedented case, said it has conducted a preliminary questioning of the single woman in her 20s and concluded that she appears to have uploaded the controversial post out of her physical and emotional difficulties after giving birth to the baby following an unwanted pregnancy.The woman has sincerely expressed remorse, police said, noting she had immediately deleted her online post after realizing her behavior was wrong.The case started Friday, when the woman uploaded two photos of her newborn baby on the cyber marketplace, saying a 36-week-old baby is available for adoption for the price of 200,000 won.The shocking post immediately went viral on local online communities, prompting police

Oct 19, 2020
Woman repents for offering to sell newborn baby online: police
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