my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Law & Crime

Seven people injured in Busan accident; man under probe for driving under influence of drugs

Police officers investigate the scene of the car accident in Busan, Monday. The man responsible for the accident is being investigated for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs. YonhapA seven-vehicle collision that turned Busan's tourist district of Haeundae into a mess earlier this week was caused by a driver under the influence of drugs, police said Tuesday.The pileup occurred in this southern port city's Haeundae Ward at 5:43 p.m. Monday, when a Porsche sedan driven by a man in his 40s collided from behind into a Grandeur sedan and a motorcycle before causing a chain reaction of collisions involving four more vehicles waiting for a traffic signal.Seven people were seriously or lightly injured in the collision, police said.The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said it has determined drug-induced hallucination by the Porsche driver as the cause of the pileup after he allegedly confessed to inhaling cannabis inside his car just before the accident.The driver is accused of driving the Porsche at a speed of at least 140 kilometers per hour at the time of the accident, as the ca

Sep 16, 2020
Seven people injured in Busan accident; man under probe for driving under influence of drugs

Child porn makers could face over 29 years in prison

Korea's Supreme CourtBy Kim Se-jeongThe independent Sentencing Commission under the Supreme Court proposed new guidelines Tuesday that will allow judges to hand down prison terms of up to 29 years and three months for those found guilty of creating sexually exploitative content.The guidelines proposed by the commission will become official in December if agreed to after a review by all of its members. The proposal will also allow judges to sentence those who sell sexual content online to up to 27 years in prison, and those who are charged with distributing content and recruiting minors for content creation to up to 18 years. Those who buy the content could also receive jail time of up to six years and nine months. This is the latest development in a drive to impose appropriate sentencing on sex criminals after two recent cases in which those found guilty were given lenient sentences enraged the public, who vented their anger at judges who have been traditionally lenient on sex crimes.Earlier this year, Cho Ju-bin, who ran a sexual blackmail ring called the “Nth Room,” was

Sep 15, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Child porn makers could face over 29 years in prison

Ansan residents nervous about release of notorious child rapist

Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam speaks to child rapist Cho Doo-soon at Cheongsong Correction Center in this Mar. 16, 2010 file photo. Cho, sentenced to 12 years in prison after violently raping an 8-year-old girl in 2008 in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is set to be released this December. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin Residents of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, are unnerved by notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon who said he plans to return to the city in December after his upcoming release from prison, according to city officials Tuesday.Cho, 68, said he plans to go back to his wife in Ansan, according to the Ministry of Justice. His 12-year prison term ends on Dec. 13.Ansan citizens reacted to the news with fear and anger. The city office has received over 3,600 related phone calls urging the mayor to ban Cho's return, asking for his address and the number of surveillance cameras installed in the neighborhood. A post regarding the pedophile rapist on a Facebook page for Ansan residents had more than 1,500 comments return as of Tuesday. “How can I raise my children in the same neighbor

Sep 15, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Ansan residents nervous about release of notorious child rapist

Judges to get tougher for child porn crimes

GettyimagesbankThe Sentencing Commission on Tuesday proposed amendments to the sentencing guidelines for producers of sexual exploitation content involving minors.The commission, affiliated with the Supreme Court of Korea, recommended a court issue a tougher punishment of up to 29 years and three months in jail term for a serious, repeat offender. It also laid out eight conditions for aggravated punishments, such as when victims take their own lives or suffer irreparable damage.The aggravated punishments require jail terms of six to 27 years for selling such content; four to 18 years for distribution; and one year and six months to six years and nine months for purchasing.As for conditions for less punishment, producers should voluntarily destroy such content before releasing it online, among other things. A court also can only partially factor in a victim's plea for less punishment for the offender when sentencing, given victims' young ages."The types of offenses are varied, and damaging content spreads rapidly online, which makes it hard for victims to recover," the commission said

Sep 15, 2020
Judges to get tougher for child porn crimes

Rep. Youn charged with embezzling funds for victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery

In this May 29, 2020, file photo, Rep. Youn Mee-hyang of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea lowers her head during a press conference at National Assembly. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukProsecutors on Monday indicted a ruling party lawmaker on charges of embezzling funds meant for elderly victims of wartime sexual slavery.Rep. Youn Mee-hyang of the Democratic Party is charged with unlawfully accepting 360 million won (US$304,000) in support funds for women who were forced to work at front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II.She is also accused of spending 100 million won in donations and public funds for personal use, according to the prosecution.Youn won a parliamentary seat in the April 15 general elections after leading a civic group tasked with supporting the victims, who are euphemistically called "comfort women," for three decades.One of the women, Lee Yong-soo, came forward in May to accuse the group of "using" the victims and never spending any funds on them.Youn apologized for the controversy but denied the allegations. (Yonhap)

Sep 14, 2020
Rep. Youn charged with embezzling funds for victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery

Justice minister's son questioned over special favors in military

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae / YonhapProsecutors questioned Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's son over the weekend over allegations he got special extended leave during his mandatory military service in 2017, the prosecution said Monday.The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office said they called in the 27-year-old, surnamed Seo, on Sunday, and one of Choo's former aides on Saturday.Seo was questioned the same day Choo apologized for the scandal on her Facebook page.The minister has come under fire over allegations she used her influence as the then-chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party to get special extended leave for her son after he received knee surgery in June 2017.She maintained in her apology that there was "absolutely no reason" to violate procedures as military rules recommend the maximum treatment.The allegations are that Seo took four extra vacation days at the end of his medical leave without first getting approval or returning to base.Seo served in the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) for the 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Eighth Army.Prosecuto

Sep 14, 2020
Justice minister's son questioned over special favors in military

Korea prepares for undercover investigation into online sex crimes

Cho Ju-bin is taken into a car at a police station in Seoul, March 25, before being sent to prosecutors on allegations that he blackmailed dozens of victims into performing humiliating sex acts and sold the content in a mobile group chat on the messaging service Telegram. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea is gearing up to introduce undercover investigations into sex crimes taking place online in a bid to eradicate such felonies and protect minors from sexual assault, police said Sunday.According to the National Police Agency (NPA), a delegation of the National Assembly's Committee for Gender Equality and Family will discuss relevant bills, Wednesday. The developments came as the nation has been shocked recently by a string of sexual exploitation cases centered on group chats in the Telegram messenger service. Undercover investigation techniques, currently used for drug investigations, will be introduced to online sex crimes, with investigators posing as minors, for instance, the NPA said. Cho Ju-bin, a 24-year-old operator of pay-to-view chat rooms on Telegram messenger, has been arrested fo

Sep 13, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea prepares for undercover investigation into online sex crimes

Choo 'asked for special favors for her son'

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae arrives at the ministry building in the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae sought special favors for her son in 2017 when the son was serving in the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) for the 2nd Infantry Division of the Eighth U.S. Army, the former commander of the Eighth U.S. Army Republic of Korea Army Support Group revealed Friday. At the time, Choo was chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). Lee Cheol-won, a retired colonel who was in charge of KATUSA soldiers at the time, said he received a report from an aide that somebody asked the group to assign Choo's son, surnamed Seo, to a KATUSA base in Yongsan, central Seoul, rather than a base in Uijeongbu, northern Gyeonggi Province. “At the time, I told my aides not to be swayed by inappropriate requests as it could cause problems,” Lee said in a statement.The retired colonel also said his aides received several phone calls requesting the group to choose Seo as an interpreter for the

Sep 11, 2020
Choo 'asked for special favors for her son'

Calls mounting to punish driver of fatal DUI crash

A public petition calling for severe punishment for the driver responsible for a fatal DUI crash which occurred on Wednesday, in Eurwangni, Incheon, has gathered more than 360,000 signatures as of 2 p.m., Friday. / Screen capture from Cheong Wa Dae official websiteBy Lee Hyo-jin Calls are mounting for law enforcement authorities to punish the driver of a fatal DUI crash, which occurred on Wednesday in Eurwangni, on Incheon's Airport Island. A man on his way to deliver fried chicken was killed in the accident. A public petition posted Thursday on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding the driver receive severe punishment has gained more than 360,000 signatures as of 2 p.m., Friday. The public is now expecting a response from the presidential office as the petition has exceeded the number of signatures needed. The government is required to give an official response to a petition which gathers more than 200,000 endorsements within 30 days.The accident occurred around 12:55 a.m., Wednesday, on a two-lane road in the island resort area, according to Incheon Jungbu Police Station. A 33-year-o

Sep 11, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls mounting to punish driver of fatal DUI crash

Concerns grow over release of notorious child rapist in Dec.

Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam speaks to pedophile rapist Cho Doo-soon at Cheongsong Prison, in this March 16, 2010 file photo. Cho was sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping a girl, 8, in December 2008 in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are growing over the upcoming release of convicted child rapist Cho Doo-soon in December, whose violent rape of an eight-year-old girl in 2008 shocked the nation.With 18 previous criminal convictions, Cho, 68, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2008 for kidnapping and violently raping the child in a public washroom in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Cho left the victim unconscious, with her head under running water. The eight-year-old girl survived but the attack was so brutal that she suffered permanent internal damage.In a psychological counseling interview at Ansan Probation Center conducted in July, Cho said “I am fully aware of what I did and how my actions are viewed in this society. I'll put up with all the condemnation.” He is also reported to have apologized to the victim, according to the Ministr

Sep 11, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Concerns grow over release of notorious child rapist in Dec.
previous page
358359360361362
next page

Most Read in South Korea