South Korea - The Korea Times

Gosiwon fires: Better housing options needed for Seoul's poor

Flower bouquets, tangerines, coffee and other small gifts are left outside the Gukil Gosiwon (a low-cost single-room accommodation) in Jongno, Seoul, Monday, for the seven tenants who died in a fire there Friday. / Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoonBy Lee Suh-yoonFlowers and snacks were piled up outside the charred three-story Gukil Gosiwon building, Monday, in a silent memorial to seven tenants who died in a fire there.The fire at the gosiwon (a low-cost single-room type of accommodation) in central Seoul once again reminded people of the unsafe living conditions facing most of its destitute residents.Fire hazards are common in these makeshift housing facilities. Inside, tiny rooms line both sides of a narrow dim corridor. Kitchens and bathrooms are shared facilities and each room is only three to four square-meters in area, barely enough space for a person to stretch their legs. Many do not even have windows. Gukil Gosiwon, like many others, had only one main exit and no sprinkler system. “People should not have to live in such cages,” Yun Sung-no, a member of the Korea

Nov 12, 2018

Gosiwon fires: Better housing options needed for Seoul's poor

Teenagers rob stores right after being caught, released

Two teenagers robbing a convenience store. Courtesy of Busan Seobu Police Station, YonhapBy Dong Sun-hwaTwo teenagers, both 15, were caught on suspicions of convenience store robbery the day after being caught and released for similar crimes, according to Busan Seobu Police Station, Monday. The pair had stolen goods and money from two convenience stores at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 6. Police caught them with the help of CCTV. Police arrested one while indicting the other, an accomplice, without physical detention. Only a day earlier, the two had robbed stores and been caught. The pair entered a convenience store in Seodaesin-dong, Seo-gu, Busan, at about 2:20 a.m. on Nov. 5, after smashing the entrance door using a rock. They allegedly emptied cash registers and took cigarettes from four stores. The teens were discharged on the same day because of their age. “As far as I know, they were released because they were young ― to guide them back into the right direction,” said a police source. “Even if an arrest warrant is requested against young ones, it is usually dismissed.

Nov 12, 2018By Dong Sun-hwa

Teenagers rob stores right after being caught, released

Funeral held for drunk driving victim

Friends of Yoon Chang-ho, a drunk driving victim, carry a portrait and coffin at his funeral service in Busan, Sunday. The friends have called for revision of the traffic law for stronger punishment of drunk drivers. / YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung The funeral ceremony for Yoon Chang-ho, who was killed by a drunk driver, was held at the National Army Hospital in Busan, Sunday. Yoon, 22, died two days ago after being deemed brain dead since the accident in late September.He had been serving with the Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army (KATUSA).About 200 people — Yoon's family, friends and Korean and American soldiers including those at the Korean Service Corps Battalion — attended the funeral.“My dear friend Chang-ho, I miss you already. Thank you and I love you,” Kim Min-jin, a friend of Yoon, cried while reading her eulogy. Since the accident, Kim and other friends have urged the government and the National Assembly to introduce heavier punishment for drunk driving by establishing the “Yoon Chang-ho law.”“We'll move forward

Nov 11, 2018

Saving soldier slaves: US lawyer's unending mission

This image captured from the 2009 documentary film “Inheritance of War” produced by James Parkinson and directed by Ashley Karras shows American prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II. Captured by the Japanese in the Philippines in 1942 when the United States surrendered the Bataan region to Japan, the U.S. POWs were sent to prison camps in Japan where they were enslaved, treated brutally and malnourished until the end of the war.By Kang Hyun-kyungSHARJAH, UAE _ World War II is long past. But for some people, the deadliest war in human history is still a source of pain as their traumatic wartime experiences continue to haunt them.Like in Korea, in the United States there are some 20,000 slave labor victims who were forced to work for private Japanese companies during World War II. Many of the survivors passed away but for the remaining few, their unspeakable wartime suffering never goes away. American prisoners of war (POWs) were captured by the Japanese in the Philippines' western province of Bataan in April 1942 when the United States surrendered the region to the

Nov 11, 2018By Kang Hyun-kyung

Saving soldier slaves: US lawyer's unending mission

Online broadcaster caught livestreaming drunk driving

By Kim RahnAn online broadcaster has been caught airing her drunk driving live.Officers at Gangnam Police Station said Sunday that they are investigating an independent broadcaster of online platform Popkon TV, surnamed Im, 26, for drunk driving charges. A man who was in the car with Im, identified as Yeom, 29, was also booked for aiding and abetting the crime.Im allegedly drove a car under the influence for about 700 meters from a bar to a motel in southern Seoul at around 8 a.m. on Nov. 2.Police received a report from a viewer that Im was airing her drunk driving in real time. The viewer told police that she had been drinking at a bar in Nonhyeon-dong and was driving toward Yeoksam-dong, passing Gangnam-gu Office Station, adding that he did not know the license number but that the vehicle was a blue mini coupe.Officers confirmed Im was still broadcasting at a motel, and searched eight motels in the region before finding the blue mini coupe at one place in Nonhyeon-dong, catching Im and Yeom.Im's blood alcohol level was 0.086 percent, subject to license suspension. She admitted to d

Nov 11, 2018By Kim Rahn

Online broadcaster caught livestreaming drunk driving

2 USFK soldiers caught stealing clothing

By Park Si-soo Two United States Forces Korea soldiers were caught stealing clothes from a shop in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, police said Saturday.They entered the shop at 11 p.m. Friday, and got away with a jacket priced at 60,000 won ($54), according to Gwangju Dongbu Police Station. Officers, called by the shop's manager, traced the two and apprehended them.The two suspects, from an air base in Gyeonggi Province, remained tight-lipped, refusing to answer questions from investigators. Police are reviewing CCTV footage to help them in their investigation.

Nov 10, 2018

2 USFK soldiers caught stealing clothing

'King of porn' arrested

Yang Jin-ho / YonhapA court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the head of a local online storage service company on charges that he assaulted and abused his company employees.The suspect, Yang Jin-ho, chief of WeDisk and robot developer K-Technology, had already been in police detention, and Suwon district court said he presents the risk of fleeing and destroying evidence. Prosecutors filed for the writ on Thursday on multiple charges of assaults, violence and coercion.They also put drugs charges against Yang for smoking marijuana and for violating a legal ban on online distribution of obscene materials.Video footage of Yang abusing and insulting employees recently went viral. In the footage, he was seen killing chickens with a crossbow and forcing an employee to do the same on a company retreat in 2016.Other footage showed Yang insulting and slapping a different employee in an office and telling him to kneel down and apologize.Yang had been in police custody since Wednesday.Yang has already been investigated by police over suspicion that his company overlooked the circulation o

Nov 9, 2018

Stricter regulations for late night criminal suspect questioning

By Kim Hyun-binThe National Police Agency announced, Friday, it will strengthen regulations regarding late-night questioning sessions to better protect suspects' human rights.Under the current criminal investigation regulations, investigators are banned from questioning suspects from midnight to 6 a.m., barring exceptional circumstances that require filing a detailed report. The rare cases include the process of requesting an arrest warrant close to the deadline of the statute of limitations, or with the suspect's approval.However, even with these restrictions investigators can take advantage of the system for their convenience and try to gain the suspect's approval, which could turn into a human rights violation, according to police.The police will strengthen the guidelines from the current “with the suspect's approval” to “when the suspect eagerly requests questioning.”From now on, investigators will need a handwritten request from the suspect allowing for the process to proceed, which needs to be included in the investigation report.Even with the confirmati

Nov 9, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Korean-American under probe over air rage

By Jung Min-hoThe man damaged the plane's inner plastic window during the flight. YonhapA Korean-American man is being investigated in Korea for “unruly behavior” on a flight from Los Angeles to Incheon, police said Thursday.According to police and Korean Air, the suspect, 31, caused a disturbance, damaged a window, cursed flight attendants and injured himself.Other passengers were terrified when he broke the inner plastic window pane with his tablet computer as the plane was landing at Incheon International Airport early Wednesday.The man now faces charges of violating Korea's Aviation Security Act and may have to spend much time (up to 10 years) in prison.Other passengers and flight attendants said he looked mentally unstable from the beginning. For that reason, the flight crew had refused to serve him alcohol.

Nov 9, 2018By Jung Min-ho

Korean-American under probe over air rage

Police request arrest warrant for Yang Jin-ho

By Kim Hyun-binPolice requested an arrest warrant for Yang Jin-ho, CEO of WeDisk and robot developer K-Technology, on charges of assault and coercion among other criminal acts, Thursday.According to police, Yang is also facing allegations that he used illegal drugs.Yang Jin-hoThe announcement came nine days after Yang's alleged crimes came to light after an independent news outlet revealed video footage of him abusing and insulting an ex-employee last week. The video led police to question him.The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency took Yang into custody, Wednesday, after obtaining a detention warrant with officers arguing that he was unlikely to voluntarily appear for questioning. Yang was questioned for four-and-a-half hours that day, and acknowledged abusing and assaulting his employees. "I admit my wrongdoings. I am truly sorry for creating a public outrage," Yang told reporters.However, police questioning was cut short as Yang did not want to continue answering into the night, citing exhaustion.Under police criminal investigation regulations, investigators are ban

Nov 8, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Law & Crime