South Korea - The Korea Times

Infant found dead in Seoul riverside park

By Park Si-soo An infant has been found dead at a riverside park in Jamsil, Seoul, police said Tuesday. Rescue workers found the body at 9:49 a.m. after receiving an emergency call. Gwangjin Police Station is investigating.The body was wearing a diaper, said an investigator, adding that no infant had been reported missing recently in Jamsil and surrounding areas. “The investigation is under way,” the investigator said. “We are looking into footage recorded on surveillance cameras to know what happened.” An autopsy is planned on Wednesday.

Oct 15, 2019

Infant found dead in Seoul riverside park

Police officially book Lee Chun-jae in Hwaseong serial killings

Lee Chun-jae / Korea Times filePolice have officially booked Lee Chun-jae, a 56-year-old man already in jail for a separate crime, as a suspect in a series of infamous murders that took place in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, following his confession, officials said Monday.The move could lead to the disclosure of his personal details and current appearance though he will not be punished for the killings as the statue of limitations has expired.Investigators booked Lee on rape and murder charges as he confessed to 14 murders and 30 cases of rape and attempted rape decades ago. He is currently serving a life sentence for raping and killing his sister-in-law in 1994."We will thoroughly investigate the Hwaseong case and verify the truth," a police official said on condition of anonymity. (Yonhap)

Oct 15, 2019

Police officially book Lee Chun-jae in Hwaseong serial killings

Embattled justice minister resigns

Justice Minister Cho Kuk boards his car to leave the ministry building at Gwacheon Government Complex, Monday, after announcing his resignation amid intensifying investigations into corruption allegations involving his family. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooBesieged Justice Minister Cho Kuk announced his resignation Monday, saying he had accomplished his mission to get the government's reform plan for the prosecution on track. The sudden announcement came just three hours after he had disclosed a second set of reform measures.He said he made the decision to leave to ease the political burden on President Moon Jae-in and his administration. “Reforming the prosecution has been my lifetime mission as a scholar and intellectual, and over the past two years, I did my best as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and justice minister to fulfill that goal,” Cho said in a statement to the press. “I have been mere kindling for the reform of the prosecution, and as such my role has come to an end. I believe this is the time when I should step down from the post to success

Oct 14, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Kazakh man extradited to Korea for injuring child in hit-and-run

Police detain a Kazakh man at Incheon International Airport, Monday, after he was extradited for alleged involvement in a hit-run accident that seriously injured a boy. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA Kazakh man has been detained here after being extradited from his country over a hit-and-run that seriously injured a Korean boy, 7, last month.The National Police Agency said Monday that police detained the man, 20, whose identity is being withheld, when he arrived at Incheon International Airport around 7:50 a.m.The suspect faces charges of hitting the first grader on a road with a vehicle at Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 16, before fleeing. The boy suffered a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage.The next day, the suspect returned home via Uzbekistan.Police said he was staying in Korea illegally and had no driver's license. The car he drove was registered under a different person's name, they said.The issue came into the spotlight after the boy's parents posted a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website on Sept. 17 to call for a thorough investigation.In cooperation with the Minis

Oct 14, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Kazakh man extradited to Korea for injuring child in hit-and-run

2 Chinese boats seized for alleged illegal fishing

A South Korean Jungbu Coast Guard vessel approaches a 30-ton Chinese fishing vessels (blue) in Korean waters 87 kilometers west of Incheon's Onjin County, Friday. News1 The Coast Guard seized two Chinese fishing boats in the West Sea for illegal fishing in South Korea's exclusive economic zone, officials said Saturday. The 30-ton fishing boats captains are also facing charges of trespassing in South Korea's northern sea border area, the Northern Limit Line, a day earlier, according to the Coast Guard.Eight Chinese crewmembers from the two boats were arrested after a chase, as they refused to comply with the Coast Guard's order to stop, however, they did not resist arrest, the coast guard added.Local officials plan to question the crew over their illegal fishing activities. The total number of Chinese boats seized this year in the West Sea now totals 18. (Yonhap)

Oct 12, 2019

2 Chinese boats seized for alleged illegal fishing

Justice minister's wife summoned 4th time on corruption allegations

Justice Minister Cho Kuk leaves his residence in Seoul's Seocho district Friday morning. Corruption allegations involving his family members have led politicians and members of the public to question his eligibility for the newly-assigned ministerial post. Yonhap Prosecutors summoned the wife of Justice Minister Cho Kuk for the fourth time Saturday as part of a widening investigation into corruption allegations surrounding the minister and his family.Cho's wife, a professor surnamed Chung, faces allegations that she forged a college presidential citation to help her daughter gain admission to medical school, and that her family made dubious investments in a private equity fund.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office summoned Chung at around 9:00 a.m. ― she was previously questioned for a third time, Tuesday.As on previous occasions, the prosecution prevented her from being exposed to the media.During the questioning, prosecutors are expected to focus on alleg

Oct 12, 2019

Justice minister's wife summoned 4th time on corruption allegations

Rallies held for and against Justice Minister Cho Kuk

Korea to ban men with history of abuse from marrying foreign women

The Korean government plans to prohibit men with a criminal record of domestic violence from marrying foreign women. GettyimagesbankSouth Korea plans to enact legislation aimed at prohibiting men with a criminal record of domestic violence from marrying foreign brides, the justice ministry said Thursday.The enactment of the legislation, of which the ministry will make a prior announcement on Monday, comes as part of the government follow-up measures to improve the country's immigration marriage system and prevent violence against marriage immigrants.In July, public outcry erupted after the release on social media of a video clip that showed a Korean husband assaulting his Vietnamese wife in the presence of their child at their home in the southwestern county of Yeongam.Under the amended enforcement regulation of the Immigration Control Law, South Korean spouses who have a criminal record of penalty punishment for domestic violence are not allowed to invite immigrants to the country for the purposes of marriage, no matter how long ago their sentences ended.Anyone who has been sentence

Oct 11, 2019

Korea to ban men with history of abuse from marrying foreign women

Senior police officer arrested in Burning Sun scandal

A senior police officer, surnamed Yoon, enters the Seoul Central District Court to attend the court review of his arrest warrant in southern Seoul, Thursday. The court has issued the warrant. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwonProsecutors said Friday they will widen investigations into a ranking police officer allegedly involved in attempts to cover up irregularities at southern Seoul nightclubs, following his arrest the previous night.A senior superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, identified only by his surname, Yoon, was placed under arrest Thursday night after the Seoul Central District Court approved a warrant for his pre-trial detention, citing concern about his destruction of evidence.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office had earlier requested an arrest warrant for Yoon on charges of accepting bribes, violating the Capital Market Act, obstructing the legitimate exercise of powers and abetting destruction of evidence in connection with its probe into illegalities at Seoul nightclubs.The 49-year-old Yoon made headlines early this year after he was mentio

Oct 11, 2019

Senior police officer arrested in Burning Sun scandal

Man seeks retrial as Hwaseong serial killer claims 'copycat' murder

National Police Agency Commissioner General Min Gap-ryong answers questions about the Hwaseong serial murder cases during a parliamentary audit at the National Police Agency in central Seoul, Oct. 4. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA man who spent nearly 20 years in prison for raping and killing a teenage girl is seeking a retrial to be exonerated after the notorious Hwaseong serial killer claimed responsibility for what was believed to be a “copycat'' murder.Lawyer Park Joon-young said Wednesday he will represent the man, 52, surnamed Yoon.“For Yoon, this is a heaven-sent opportunity (to prove his innocence). I won't waste it,” Park wrote on Facebook. “I will form a team of lawyers and, once completed, reveal their names.”The development comes after Lee Chun-jae, 56, the prime suspect in at least nine murders between September 1986 and April 1991, claimed responsibility for the Sept. 16, 1988 so-called “copycat” murder ― 30 years after Yoon was convicted of killing the girl, 13, surnamed Park.Speaking to Channel A, a local broadcaster, Yoon claimed poli

Oct 10, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Man seeks retrial as Hwaseong serial killer claims 'copycat' murder

7 high-income YouTubers fined 1 billion won for tax evasion

Kim Myung-gyu, a ballerino turned YouTuber live streams on his online channel. Korea Times fileBy Kim Hyun-binThe government has fined seven popular YouTubers a total of 1 billion won ($836,000) for filing false income tax returns in attempt to evade paying an aggregate total of 4.5 billion won due in taxation, according to a lawmaker, Thursday. Rep. Kim Chung-woo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea revealed data received from the National Tax Service (NTS), which included information on an investigation into high-income YouTubers who attempted to evade taxes from last year to this SeptemberAccording to the NTS, out of the seven high-income earners, one was discovered last year and six this year.The data shows, the seven downplayed their income and tried to dodge taxes by failing to report their earnings from advertising endorsements and sponsors.This marks the first time the government has revealed popular YouTubers' incomes and amount of tax evaded.According to Google Korea, the number of Korean YouTube channels with over 100,000 subscribers has rapidly been increasing from 367

Oct 10, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

Law & Crime