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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

First driver indicted for violating stricter school zone safety laws gets prison sentence

GettyimagesbankA man on Friday received a prison sentence for hitting and injuring a child with his car, becoming the first driver to be punished after the laws mandating heavier punishment for car accidents within school zones came into force in March.The Incheon District Court's Bucheon Branch sentenced the 39-year-old man to 1 1/2 years in prison for violating the so-called Min-sik's laws on road safety. His girlfriend, only identified as a 26-year-old, was sentenced to a fine of 5 million won (US$4,206) for attempting to pretend to be the driver.The prosecution detained and indicted the driver in August over a car crash involving a 7-year-old child who was crossing the street in a school zone in Gimpo, just northwest of Seoul, on April 6. He was driving ― with a suspended driver's license ― faster than 40 kmh, over the speed limit of 30 kmh, when the accident happened. "Had the defendant not violated the speed limit within the school zone, the accident would not have happened or become a minor fender bender," the court said. "The victim almost flew ten meters after the car hit hi

Sep 11, 2020
First driver indicted for violating stricter school zone safety laws gets prison sentence

'Digital Prison' shuts down amid outcry

GettyimagesbankA South Korean vigilante website that published personal details of people it accused of sex crimes suddenly went dark this week after a public backlash sparked by the death of one of its targets, as police hunt for its operators. Calls have grown for tougher punishment for those guilty of sex crimes after a South Korean man convicted of running one of the world's largest online child pornography operations was released this year from 18 months in jail. The "Digital Prison" website had listed, among others, 170 people it accused of roles in a network that blackmailed at least 74 women and underage girls into what authorities called “virtual enslavement” by sending them increasingly degrading and violent sexual imagery of themselves. "Digital Prison is explicitly an illegal website," said Son Jae-woo, chief of a cyber investigation team of police seeking to track down its operators. The website put up personal details of those it said were criminals, ranging from photographs, names and ages to telephone numbers and employment data, Son told Reuters. Regulato

Sep 11, 2020
'Digital Prison' shuts down amid outcry
  • 'Digital Prison' reveals identities of child porn site operator and judges who released him

Travelholic CEO dies

Travelholic apologized in an Aug. 29 statement for mistakenly uploading a porn video to the company's Instagram. Capture from InstagramBy Dong Sun-hwaJo Jun-ki, CEO of Travelholic ― a travel marketing agency followed by more than 2 million people on social media ― died Wednesday, about a week after an apparent suicide attempt.According to police, Jo, 31, died at a hospital in Seoul. After leaving a message on Instagram hinting at committing suicide, he was found unconscious at his home in Yongsan-gu.The incident came three days after he mistakenly uploaded a porn video on the firm's Instagram, angering many followers who called him to account.In a statement, Jo said he felt responsible for what happened and was questioned by police over allegations he had illegal porn videos.In 2014, Jo founded Travelholic as a Facebook page, which has grown into one of the largest travel marketing agencies in Korea.

Sep 10, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa
Travelholic CEO dies
  • Travelholic CEO found unconscious after mistakenly uploading porn on company Instagram

'Digital Prison,' means to get justice, or breeding ground for false accusations?

GettyimagesbankWhen a South Korean court denied the request in July from the United States to extradite Son Jong-woo, the operator of one of the world's largest child sexual exploitation websites, and freed him, a local prison moved to take matters into its own hands.It locked him up again ― virtually that is ― and punished him on its own terms. His personal information was made public in detail, along with his photo. "Because of the judiciary's repeated soft punishments, criminals become more sophisticated and grow in audacity," the introduction of the website Digital Prison read. "We feel the limit in the country's punishment for worst offenders and want them to face social judgment by disclosing their personal information."The public cheered. Soon, more "private executions" of alleged pedophiles, child abusers and murderers followed. Even information about some judges deemed too lenient toward heinous criminals was posted.While the website was created in a show of public distrust in the country's criminal judiciary system, the apparently illegal site carries a perennial risk of pu

Sep 9, 2020
'Digital Prison,' means to get justice, or breeding ground for false accusations?
  • 'Digital Prison' reveals identities of child porn site operator and judges who released him

Debate heats up over 'Digital Prison' after college student's death

“Digital Prison,” a website run by an anonymous operator, discloses photos and personal information of alleged sex offenders. / Screen capture from Digital Prison website By Lee Hyo-jin Debate over “Digital Prison,” a website which discloses the personal identities of alleged sex offenders, is heating up after a college student whose identity had been revealed recently was found dead. His death provoked questions over the website's 'name-and-shame' system, such as whether it should be seen as vigilantism or as a 'kangaroo court' capable of victimizing people through false accusations.The operator of the website uploaded personal information about a student at Korea University in July, based on allegations he committed an online sex crime. According to the post, he used a female student's photo to create pornographic images and distributed them online. Screen captures of Telegram messages and a voice recording of him admitting to the act were attached as evidence. Th

Sep 7, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Debate heats up over 'Digital Prison' after college student's death
  • 'Digital Prison' reveals identities of child porn site operator and judges who released him

Controversial pastor to be reincarcerated after court cancels bail

Jun Kwang-hoon / YonhapA controversial pastor at the center of a COVID-19 resurgence in the country will be reincarcerated after a court canceled his bail Monday, legal sources said.Jun Kwang-hoon, who pastors Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, was accused by prosecutors last month of violating the conditions for his bail by taking part in large-scale anti-government rallies in downtown Seoul.The prosecutors requested his bail be canceled, and the Seoul Central District Court accepted the request on Monday, according to the sources. The court also confiscated a deposit of 30 million won (US$25,284) from Jun.The decision comes 140 days after Jun was released on bail pending an investigation into charges he violated public election laws ahead of the April 15 parliamentary elections. He was also charged with libel against President Moon Jae-in.Jun's conditions for bail included a ban on attending all illegal rallies or protests, or those related to the investigation.In accepting the prosecution's request, the court cited Jun's violation of those conditions.Prosecutors plan to execute

Sep 7, 2020
Controversial pastor to be reincarcerated after court cancels bail

No. of young drug offenders jumps from 2016-19: lawmaker

GettyimagesbankThe number of teenagers and people in their 20s busted for drug-related crimes jumped between 2016 and 2019, a lawmaker said Wednesday, citing data from the National Police Agency.A record number of 10,411 individuals were caught in illegal drug cases last year, while the tally was in the 8,000 level from 2016-2018, according to data released by Rep. Kim Yong-pan of the main opposition People Power Party. From 2016-2019, the number of teenage drug offenders more than doubled to 164 from 81, and the tally jumped 82.5 percent to 2,422 from 1,327 for those in their 20s, the data showed.Kim attributed the spike to illicit drug trading on online platforms, including chatting applications.“The internet makes it easy for people to conveniently purchase narcotics and get them delivered to their home,” he said, adding that the related authorities should work together to cover “the blind spots” of crackdown operations.The data showed 2,109, or 20.3 percent, of drug criminals were found to have traded drugs online in 2019, up from 1,120 or 12.7 percent in

Sep 2, 2020
No. of young drug offenders jumps from 2016-19: lawmaker

Travelholic CEO found unconscious after mistakenly uploading porn on company Instagram

Jo Jun-ki, CEO of travel marketing agency followed by more than 2 million fans on social media, has been found unconscious after hinting at suicidal thoughts. Screengrab of his InstagramBy Lee Gyu-leeJo Jun-ki, CEO of Travelholic, a travel marketing agency followed by more than 2 million fans on social media, is in hospital after an apparent suicide attempt, police said Tuesday.This incident comes three days after he mistakenly uploaded a porn video on the firm's Instagram, angering many followers who called him to account.According to police, Jo is receiving treatment after being found unconscious at his home in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, around 11 a.m.“I don't want to be a burden on anyone anymore. So I'm going to take off to where I should be,” he had written on his Instagram half an hour before police and firefighters arrived. “I feel terribly sorry to everyone ― my colleagues who are taking the flak for what I did, friends and my beloved family.“I appreciate the support and encouragement that people gave me as a family, CEO, friend, and as a loved one. It

Sep 1, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
Travelholic CEO found unconscious after mistakenly uploading porn on company Instagram
  • Travelholic CEO dies

2 military intelligence officers indicted on charges of raping North Korean defector

YonhapMilitary prosecutors indicted a master sergeant and a lieutenant colonel of the Defense Intelligence Command on charges of raping a female North Korean defector, officials said Tuesday.The two were accused of abusing their authority to rape the victim between May 2018 and February last year while she was under their protection and supervision for espionage operations, officials at the military prosecution said.The master sergeant allegedly had the victim drink alcohol before raping her in May 2018, and had since habitually committed sexual crimes against her, while the lieutenant colonel also raped her after she asked him for help, officials said.The victim filed a criminal complaint against the two last year. A lawyer for the victim said at the time that she became pregnant twice and was even pressured to have abortions.The two have since been under investigation after being removed from their duties. Military authorities plan to launch a disciplinary process as soon as a court verdict is finalized. (Yonhap)

Sep 1, 2020
2 military intelligence officers indicted on charges of raping North Korean defector

Samsung heir indicted in high-profile succession case

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong / Korea Times fileSamsung Group was once again on alert Tuesday after its heir apparent Lee Jae-yong was indicted for his alleged role in a controversial merger and fraudulent accounting.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted Lee, the de facto leader of South Korea's top conglomerate, without detention on charges of violation of capital market laws and occupational breach of trust after investigating a controversial merger between two Samsung affiliates a few years ago. Prosecutors suspect that Lee and the group's top management were involved in a calibrated scheme to intentionally lower the value of Samsung CT Corp., prior to its merger with Cheil Industries Inc. in 2015, so as to facilitate Lee's managerial succession from his ailing father, Kun-hee. Samsung has been strongly denying such allegations, saying Lee was not involved in any decision-making process regarding the 2015 merger and that there was no stock price manipulation or unfair trading.The latest indictment adds another burden to Samsung as Lee is still de

Sep 1, 2020
Samsung heir indicted in high-profile succession case
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