South Korea - The Korea Times

Top court rules 'break time not part of working hours'

Bus drivers on standby for their next shift in Yongin Gyeonngi Province. Korea Times fileBy Kim Hyun-binThe Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling against Kwak Noh-sang, former head of KORAIL Networks, stating that he did not violate labor overtime regulations, Tuesday, which sends the case back to the lower court for a retrial.The ruling also overturned the lower court decision to fine Kwak 500,000 won ($410).By law, all companies with over 300 employees needs to abide by the government-set 52-hour workweek.A bus driver surnamed Yoon worked for KORAIL Network and operated a shuttle bus between Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, to Sadang in southern Seoul, but was fired due to negligence including absence without notice. In May 2017, he filed a lawsuit claiming the company made him work 59.5 hours a week, which exceeds the government-set 52-hour workweek regulation. Yoon had a schedule to work every other day and by law he was allowed to work below 14 hours and 52 minutes on work days, but prosecutors claimed he worked 18 hours and 53 minutes. By law, working hours are state

Aug 13, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

Top court rules 'break time not part of working hours'

Angry mob attacks suspect

An angry citizen grabs accused murder suspect Koh Yoo-jung by the hair outside Jeju District Court, Monday. Koh attended the first day of her trial on charges of killing her ex-husband and dismembering his body. Police say she meticulously planned the murder, but Koh claims she acted in self-defense when her ex-husband tried to rape her. / Yonhap

Aug 12, 2019

Megachurch pastor's 16-year jail term confirmed for raping congregants

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced megachurch pastor Lee Jae-rock, 76, to 16 years in prison, Friday, for raping and sexually harassing nine female congregants repeatedly. Lee Jae-rockIt also ordered Lee, who had more than 130,000 followers at the Manmin Central Church in Seoul, to take 80 hours of therapy classes and banned him from working at child-related institutions for 10 years after serving his prison term.Lee was arrested in May last year for raping and sexually harassing eight women at the church on over 40 different occasions. A local court sentenced him to 15 years in prison, saying Lee took advantage of his power, status and the victims' faith and made them mentally unable to resist his sexual violence.“Most of the victims has attended the church since their teenage years, and regarded him as a holy figure who would lead them to heaven. And Lee used thier faith to rape them repeatedly over a long time, by saying it was God's will,” the court said.Later the prosecution added another case of rape, increasing the total numb

Aug 9, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Megachurch pastor's 16-year jail term confirmed for raping congregants

Organizer of Juventus match raided in fraud investigation

By Kang Seung-wooPolice searched the office of an agency that organized a friendly match featuring Juventus in Seoul last month, Thursday, as part of a fraud investigation including Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano RonaldoAccording to the Suseo Police Station, its investigators searched the office of TheFasta and two other sites at 10 a.m. to secure related documents and information.“After analyzing the confiscated documents, we plan to swiftly carry out the investigation, including questioning suspects,” a police officer said. On July 26, the Italian football club played the K League All-Stars at Seoul World Cup Stadium in front of 63,000 football fans, most of whom wanted to watch Ronaldo in action, but he sat out the entire match, citing muscle fatigue and exhaustion. The agency is claiming its agreement with Juventus guaranteed Ronaldo would “play a minimum of 45 minutes of the match.”Amid escalating public outcry over Ronaldo's absence, a lawyer filed a complaint with police against the agency, Juventus and Ronaldo on suspicion of &ldqu

Aug 8, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Organizer of Juventus match raided in fraud investigation

Top court confirms fine for Homeplus for selling customer data to insurers

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that fined retail chain Homeplus for collecting customers' personal information via lottery events and providing it to local insurance companies.A Homeplus outlet in Seoul. /Korea Times fileIt said, Tuesday, that it upheld the high court ruling that slapped the retailer with a 75 million won ($61,800) fine for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.In 2015, the company was accused of collecting 24 million customers' personal data, such as phone numbers and dates of birth, through lottery events on multiple occasions between August 2011 and June 2014, selling the information to seven life insurance companies at 1,980 won for each person's information, totaling 23.1 billion won.Homeplus claimed it gave prior notice of the data collection for the insurance firms on the back of their lottery coupons but the notification was written in a font 1 millimeter in height.Courts have made different rulings on whether the notification in such small letters were legally proper or not.A district court and a high court said t

Aug 6, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji

Top court confirms fine for Homeplus for selling customer data to insurers

Vietnamese man arrested for stealing $30,000 of clothes

YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA Vietnamese man has been arrested on charges of stealing more than 900 pieces of clothing in Seoul, police said Thursday.According to the Jongno Police Station, the suspect, 32, who came to Korea on a tourist visa on June 15, stole 958 pieces of clothing worth 36 million won ($30,000) from seven shops between June 20 and 24.Police said he used a specially made bag to avoid anti-theft alarms.He told police he was going to send the clothes to an accomplice in Vietnam.

Aug 1, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Vietnamese man arrested for stealing $30,000 of clothes

Hungarian swimmer allowed to leave Korea despite sexual harassment charge

Hungary's Tamas Kenderesi competes in the men's 200m butterfly during the FINA World Championship at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju, Korea, July 23. ReutersBy Jung Min-hoHungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi, 22, has been given permission to leave Korea despite being charged with sexual harassment.The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday that the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medalist, who competed at the FINA World Championships in the city, was allowed to return home after agreeing to pay a deposit of 3 million won ($2,500) toward any fine.It is unclear whether Kenderesi has left Korea.He was detained Sunday for allegedly groping a Korean woman, 18, at a nightclub about 3 a.m. He was released that day but banned from leaving the country while police investigated.The prosecution concluded that the alleged crime is a summary offense and will deal with it administratively without a trial.

Aug 1, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Hungarian swimmer allowed to leave Korea despite sexual harassment charge

Sexual harassment probe: Hungarian swimmer banned from leaving Korea

'Seungri ramen' restaurant owners file compensation suit

By Kim RahnFormer BIG BANG member Seungri answers reporters' questions when entering the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to be questioned over his alleged irregularities involving a nightclub in this March photo. / Korea Times fileOwners of outlets of a noodle restaurant chain formerly run by Seungri, a former member of boy band BIG BANG, are suing him as their sales have plummeted due to various scandals involving him and the nightclub, Burning Sun that he helped manage.According to law firm Chunil that represents the owners, 26 owners of 15 outlets of Aori Ramen filed a compensation suit with the Seoul Central District Court, Tuesday, demanding a combined 1.5 billion won ($1.26 million) from Seungri, the franchiser Aori FNB and the current head of the company.The restaurant franchisees began to operate the outlets across the country between June 2017 and November 2018. Most of them used to enjoy over 100 million won in monthly sales, backed largely by promotions by Seungri who talked about his restaurant business on multiple TV shows.However, after the scandal broke last December,

Jul 30, 2019By Kim Rahn

'Seungri ramen' restaurant owners file compensation suit

Sexual harassment probe: Hungarian swimmer banned from leaving Korea

Tamas Kenderesi has been banned from leaving Korea over alleged sexual harassment at a Gwangju nightclub. AFPBy Jung Min-hoHungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi, 22, has been banned from leaving Korea after being detained for allegedly sexually harassing a Korean woman.The Rio Olympics bronze medalist, who is competing at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, was detained Sunday for allegedly groping a woman, 18, at a nightclub about 3 a.m.According to the Gwangju Seobu Police Station Monday, he was released Sunday but banned from leaving the country for the next 10 days while the investigation continues.Kenderesi expressed his wish to return home after depositing with the court a sum equivalent to an estimated fine for such a crime, police said.Hungary's swimming governing body confirmed his situation.“The Hungarian swim federation, in cooperation with staff at the Hungarian embassy in Korea, is doing its best to clarify the allegations against Tamas Kenderesi,” Hungary's swimming federation said.“During the investigation, the athlete is entitled to a presumption of

Jul 30, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Sexual harassment probe: Hungarian swimmer banned from leaving Korea

Hungarian swimmer allowed to leave Korea despite sexual harassment charge

Liberal activist under probe for threatening liberal lawmaker

A box containing a threatening letter, a dead bird and a knife has been sent to Rep. Youn So-ha. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA liberal activist is being investigated for allegedly threatening a liberal lawmaker, police said Monday.According to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, police apprehended the accused, 35, surnamed Yoon, for allegedly sending a threatening letter with a dead bird and a knife to Rep. Youn So-ha, floor leader of the minor liberal Justice Party.Police said the suspect, a senior official at an activist group for liberal college students, made the incident look like a radical right-winger sent the box.In the letter, Yoon said, “You are a stooge of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea … Watch your back. You are in our target range.”The motive for the threat remains unclear.Party chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi and National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang denounced the incident, calling it a threat to all party members and Korean society.

Jul 29, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Law & Crime