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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.

Coronavirus con: Man who deceived police to escape custody ends up in jail

 By Park Si-soo A man in his 50s was jailed for pretending to have coronavirus in an effort to be freed from police custody over a minor violation. Judge Jang Myung of Incheon District Court recently sentenced him to a year in prison, stating the man had “obstructed the authorized functions of the police force and state law and order” for which he deserved “stern punishment.” The incident happened in early March when the nation was plagued by the rapid spread of coronavirus. The man was behind bars for a violence case involving a taxi driver and a police officer. While in custody, he asked a police officer to come closer because he had something to say. When the officer was within arm's reach, the man spat at his face three times and said “I've contracted coronavirus.” His revelation immediately threw the police station into chaos ― the building was locked down, the affected officer was taken to hospital for a virus test and other officers and people in the station were quarantined. The man was also taken to hospital for a virus test. But the

Apr 29, 2020
Coronavirus con: Man who deceived police to escape custody ends up in jail

Telegram chat room accomplice indicted for leaking personal data

A former social service agent was indicted Wednesday for allegedly leaking personal data to the key suspect in a high-profile sexual blackmail ring on the messaging service Telegram. Courtesy of Yonhap News TVA former social service agent was indicted Wednesday for allegedly leaking personal data to the key suspect in a high-profile sexual blackmail ring on the messaging service Telegram.The 26-year-old, surnamed Choi, was indicted and detained on charges of breaching the Personal Information Protection Act and leaking personal data to unauthorized people, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office.Choi, who was serving alternative military service at a local community center, is accused of illegally checking information of more than 200 people and leaking the details of 107 people to other people, including Cho Ju-bin, the key suspect in the sexual blackmail ring case.Cho faces a trial over his alleged role in blackmailing 25 victims, including eight underaged girls, into sharing sexual videos in mobile chat rooms on the mobile messaging app Telegram.Prosecutors also

Apr 29, 2020
Telegram chat room accomplice indicted for leaking personal data

Army master sergeant caught stealing face masks for soldiers, selling to civilian dealers

An Army noncommissioned officer is under investigation for allegedly pilfering thousands of face masks for soldiers and selling them to civilian dealers at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Wednesday. gettyimagesbankAn Army noncommissioned officer is under investigation for allegedly pilfering thousands of face masks for soldiers and selling them to civilian dealers at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Wednesday. The master sergeant is suspected of taking around 2,100 face masks from a warehouse of his unit in Gyeonggi Province around the end of February, which the military authorities had stockpiled for enlisted soldiers, and then selling them to civilian traders, according to the officials. South Korea began to see a drastic surge in the number of COVID-19 patients around late February with a daily peak reaching as high as 909 on Feb. 29, sending the demand for face masks soaring and leaving the government struggling to supply them.Upon a tip-off last month, the military authorities launched a probe. When they raided his residence, the offi

Apr 29, 2020
Army master sergeant caught stealing face masks for soldiers, selling to civilian dealers

Army discloses face of another key suspect in Nth room case

Lee Won-hoThe Army on Tuesday disclosed the name, photo and age of an enlisted soldier accused of involvement in a high-profile sexual exploitation case, marking the first time that the military has revealed the identity of a soldier suspect.The 19-year-old private first class, named Lee Won-ho, is suspected of distributing content of women performing gruesome sex acts under coercion in collaboration with the so-called Nth room case's prime suspect, Cho Ju-bin.The disclosure decision was made after an hourslong deliberation session held earlier in the day by a seven-member panel, which was headed by a military prosecutor and also consisted of four outside experts, including a law professional, professor and cleric, according to the Army."He played an active role in recruiting participants of the 'Baksabang' chat room and making and distributing sex exploitation materials, and enough evidence has been secured as the prosecution issued an arrest warrant," the Army said in a release."The committee had in-depth discussions about the human rights violation that the suspect and his family

Apr 28, 2020
Army discloses face of another key suspect in Nth room case

Elementary school teacher under fire for inappropriate homework assignment

A captured screen shot of an elementary school teacher who made inappropriate comments to first grade students in his classroom in Ulsan /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA male teacher at an elementary school in Ulsan is under fire for using inappropriate language and behavior toward first graders, according to the regional education office Tuesday. According to the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (UMOE), the teacher, in his 40s, ordered his students recently to wash their underwear and asked their parents to upload pictures of them doing so on an online community where he communicates with them.The teacher's absurd behavior surfaced when a parent captured screen shots of comments he made on another online community. The screen shots show a number of his inappropriate comments about his students, such as “I fall in love with little princesses with charming smiles, oh yeah,” “I thought there were only beautiful girls in my classroom, but there are handsome boys, too. Tell them I don't like boys that are better-looking than me,” and “There are so many beautiful

Apr 28, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Elementary school teacher under fire for inappropriate homework assignment

Convicted sex offenders banned from taking teacher recruitment exam

GettyimagesbankAnyone convicted of sexual offenses will be barred from taking the teacher recruitment exam, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday, as the relevant law has been revised under the government's drive to stamp out sexual violence.The Cabinet meeting approved the revision of the Decree on the Appointment of Public Education Officials in the morning, providing the legal grounds for prohibiting people punished for sexual crimes from applying for teaching positions at local schools, the ministry said.The revised decree specifically bans anybody with a record of being convicted for sexual crimes, including those against minors, from taking the teacher recruitment exam, the ministry explained.The current laws on the appointment of public education officials and state public officials already disqualify people convicted of sexual offenses from being teachers. For instance, the Public Education Officials Act disqualifies people convicted of sexual offenses against minors and fined more than 1 million won (US$815) for sexual crimes against adults from being teachers.But there has

Apr 28, 2020
Convicted sex offenders banned from taking teacher recruitment exam
  • Army to decide whether to disclose identity of online sex crime suspect

Army to decide whether to disclose identity of online sex crime suspect

GettyimagesbankThe Army said Tuesday it will hold a deliberation session to decide whether to disclose the identity of an enlisted soldier accused of involvement in a high-profile sexual exploitation case.The private first class is suspected of distributing content of women performing gruesome sex acts under coercion in collaboration with the so-called Nth room case's prime suspect, Cho Ju-bin.The solider was put under pretrial detention earlier this month and has been under investigation by the military prosecution for his role in the case."We will hold an identity disclosure committee meeting today and will decide whether to disclose the identity and how to do that," the Army said in a release. The seven-member panel, to be headed by a military prosecutor, also consists of four outside experts, including a law professional, a professor, and a cleric, it added. If approved, it will be the first time that the military discloses the identity of a soldier suspect.It is not clear if the result of the meeting will be available within the day because of due procedures necessary before mak

Apr 28, 2020
Army to decide whether to disclose identity of online sex crime suspect
  • Convicted sex offenders banned from taking teacher recruitment exam

Chun stands trial for defamation charges

Former President Chun Doo-hwan, center, makes his way to the Gwangju District Court, Monday, to attend a hearing on defamation charges linked to the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising that began on May 18, 1980. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeFormer President Chun Doo-hwan attended a hearing, Monday, of his trial for defamation linked to the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising, marking his second court appearance in a little over a year.The former dictator attended the hearing at the Gwangju District Court, about 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, at 2 p.m.The former Army general, who rose to power through a military coup and led an authoritarian government from 1980 to 1988, was indicted without physical detention in May 2018 for allegedly making slanderous statements against a late activist priest's eyewitness accounts of the bloody military suppression of pro-democracy protesters.In a controversial memoir released in April 2017, Chun described activist priest Cho Chul-hyun, also known as Cho Bi-oh, as “Satan wearing a mask.” Cho had earlier testified to witnessing soldiers shooting

Apr 27, 2020
Chun stands trial for defamation charges

Court to decide whether to extradite Korean operator of child porn site to US

An picture released by Britain's National Crime Agency in London on Oct. 16, 2019, shows a screen shot of "Welcome to Video." U.K. and U.S. authorities said the site contained 250,000 videos downloaded a million times by users across the world. AFPBy Jung Min-hoA Seoul court will decide whether to extradite the operator of a notorious child porn website to the United States by the end of June.The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office said Monday that it has arrested Son Jong-woo, 24, who was released that day after serving 18 months in prison for operating “Welcome to Video,” which was called the world's “largest dark web child porn marketplace.”In three days, the prosecution will ask the Seoul High Court to review whether he should be extradited to the U.S, where a federal grand jury has indicted him on charges of advertising and distributing child porn among others. The court must then make a decision within two months.The move follows a U.S. Department of Justice extradition request last year.Between June 2015 and March 2018, Son operated the site on the dark web,

Apr 27, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Court to decide whether to extradite Korean operator of child porn site to US

Police begin probe into ex-Busan mayor

Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, leaves a press conference in Busan City Hall, Thursday, after admitting to sexually harassing a female employee. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Police in Busan began an investigation Friday into an accusation of sexual harassment against former Mayor Oh Keo-don, who stepped down the previous day after admitting culpability.In a surprise press conference Thursday, Oh said, “I made inappropriate physical contact in a recent meeting with a civil servant that lasted for five minutes. I realized that it was an indecent assault. I bow my head and offer an apology for my actions.” Oh has since disappeared, following the press conference, and the police are looking into his whereabouts. Officers said they were also assessing another claim of harassment.According to local media reports, that incident took place earlier this month in his office. The victim, also a city government employee, was asked by Oh's personal secretary to visit the mayor during office hours. When she got there, he asked her to sit on his chair and teach him how to use a computer.Oh re

Apr 24, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Police begin probe into ex-Busan mayor
  • Timing of Busan mayor's resignation brings political controversy
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