South Korea - The Korea Times

Japanese man caught stealing ammunition at shooting range

By Kang Seung-wooA Japanese man was caught stealing two bullets at a live shooting range in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, according to police, Thursday.The ammunition was retrieved, they added.According to the Namdaemun Police Station, the 24-year-old Japanese man, accompanied by a Chinese man, took the ammunition from the range at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, while a staff member was reloading a handgun. In response, after securing surveillance footage of the suspect, police searched the Myeong-dong area and caught him entering a building near Myeong-dong Station at 10:15 p.m. His Chinese companion was also detained. The man told police he stole the bullets impulsively to use them for “decoration.”The two had no previous criminal records. Police later released the Japanese man as the bullets were recovered and there was no perceived danger. They plan to question him further without physical detention. The Chinese man was cleared of any suspicions and released.The shooting range is an indoor live firing range that has emerged as a hot destination among foreign tourists.However, there have be

Nov 8, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

Japanese man caught stealing ammunition at shooting range

Investigation into martial law scandal suspended

A joint investigation team holds a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday, to announce the interim results of its probe into the military's proposal of a martial law declaration at the end of the Park Geun-hye administration. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soonBy Kang Seung-wooA joint probe team has suspended its investigation into the military's alleged plan to enforce martial law to suppress candlelit protests at the end of the Park Geun-hye administration, after investigators failed to question a key figure in the scandal who fled.The independent investigation team, comprised of prosecutors and military personnel, held a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday, and announced it would put its probe on hold until locating and questioning Cho Hyun-chun, a former chief of the now-defunct Defense Security Command (DSC).The retired Army general, suspected of masterminding the martial law scenario to quell the anti-Park rallies by force last year, is now staying in the United States, refusing to return and face questioning. His scheme included mobilizing tanks and armored vehicles to Gwangh

Nov 7, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

Investigation into martial law scandal suspended

Teacher arrested for exam leak to his twin daughters

The gate of Sookmyung Girls'High School in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in this file photo. A teacher from the school was arrested late Tuesday for leaking exam questions to his twin daughters who are students there. / YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung A local court issued an arrest warrant for a teacher from Sookmyung Girls' High School, Tuesday, for allegedly leaking exam questions to his twin daughters who attend the same school. Sending the case to the prosecution, police also requested prosecutors to indict the twins as well, an unusual decision in an exam leak case in which only the teachers or parents are usually indicted.Police officers said they initially considered not seeking an indictment for the girls if they confessed to the cheating, but they and their father denied the allegations despite the evidence.“It is proper to issue an arrest warrant (for the father), considering the evidence submitted by the police, the relationship between the suspect and the accomplices (the girls), and the possibility of the suspects destroying evidence,” the court said. After a two-month i

Nov 7, 2018

Teacher arrested for exam leak to his twin daughters

'King of porn' detained for assault allegations

Yang Jin-ho, chief of WeDisk and also of robot developer Hankook MiraeTechnology, is taken to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Wednesday. Yonhap YonhapBy Kim RahnPolice detained Yang Jin-ho, CEO of Hankook Mirae Technology and several other IT companies, Wednesday, for alleged bullying and abuse of employees. They did so after concluding he was unlikely to appear for questioning voluntarily, as he has virtually disappeared since the allegations emerged earlier last week. They apprehended him at a studio apartment in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at around 12:10 p.m., after obtaining a detention warrant from a local court the previous day. He was taken to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency for questioning. At the police agency, Yang told reporters, “I admit my wrongdoing. I sincerely apologize for angering the public.” In the warrant request, the police, backed by the prosecution, stated a fresh allegation that he used illegal drugs. The police action came eight days after a disclosure

Nov 7, 2018By Kim Rahn

'King of porn' detained for assault allegations

Five booked for Goyang oil tank fire

By Kang Seung-wooFive people have been booked without detention for last month's massive explosion at an oil storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, with police wrapping up their one-month investigation, Tuesday.On Oct. 7, an oil tank storing 4.4 million tons of gasoline at the facility caught fire and exploded. The 17 hour-blaze caused 4.3 billion won ($3.8 million) in damage ― although there were no casualties. The facility is owned by Daehan Oil Pipeline Corp. (DOPCO). Later, police found an immigrant worker from Sri Lanka accidentally triggered the fire after launching a sky lantern, which landed in the grass at the oil facility.Those who have been indicted are the head of DOPCO's Gyeonggi and Incheon branch office, its safety management chief and deputy, as well as a labor supervisor from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Sri Lankan. The supervisor is suspected of fabricating a document to say the oil tank was fully equipped with a fire prevention system. According to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, DOPCO neglected its safety management, as evidenc

Nov 6, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

'Probes must zero in on spycam porn cartel'

Members of women's rights groups, led by the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center, hold a joint press conference at the Korea Press Center to call for a stronger investigation into key players of the country's spycam porn platforms, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoonBy Lee Suh-yoonThe investigation into Yang Jin-ho, the IT CEO who was recently condemned for bullying employees, should rather focus on his companies' gains from illegal spycam content, as he is the ringleader of Korea's spycam porn industry, women's rights groups said, Tuesday.Activists fear the sensational media coverage of and police probe into Yang's violent, almost comical, abuse cases — involving a Japanese sword and live chickens — could shift the much-needed focus away from the spycam industry cartel itself. “This is not a simple case of abuse because of CEO Yang Jin-ho's conceited character; this is an organized crime by multiple guilty cartel actors who have accumulated huge wealth by disseminating spycam content,” Choi Ran, a counseling manager at the Korea Sex

Nov 6, 2018

'Probes must zero in on spycam porn cartel'

69% of Seoulites living in fear of spycams

Teacher faces arrest for alleged leaking of exam papers to daughters

Han Gyeong-yong, center, walks into the Seoul Central District Court, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwonA Seoul court held a hearing Tuesday to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for a teacher at a private school on charges that he leaked exam questions to his twin daughters who attend the same school.The 53-year-old suspect, Han Gyeong-yong, arrived at the Seoul Central District Court at about 10:15 a.m."I will answer the questions in court," he told reporters, without speaking further.He's accused of stealing exam questions and answers for his daughters, second-year students at Sookmyung Girls' High School in the affluent southern district of Gangnam, since last year. Prosecutors filed for his writ on Friday on the charge of obstruction of business.Suseo Police Station, which has been investigating the case, found forensic evidence from the teacher and the girls' mobile phones backing up the suspicions. The girls had apparently jotted down the answers to some exam questions in their memo apps days before the test.The court is expected to make a decision late Tuesd

Nov 6, 2018

Teacher faces arrest for alleged leaking of exam papers to daughters

Porn main revenue source for abusive boss

Police search the office of WeDisk at Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoYang Jin-hoPorn has been the main revenue source for the online storage company of Yang Jin-ho, who is taking flak for years of his abusive behavior toward his underlings.According to police and industry sources Monday, a big part of WeDisk's revenue most likely came from pornographic content, from which it takes commissions for connecting uploaders and downloaders.Some say such content accounts for more than 90 percent of the company's revenue.The size of Yang's wealth is unclear, but some media reported that it is more than 100 billion won ($89 million).“He has accumulated wealth by enabling people to share porn. He wanted to be a member of the upper class. But nobody would consider him elite if they found out how he made his fortune. So he set up a robotics company (K-Technology) to improve his image,” said an independent journalist, who broke the story with a local media outlet News Tapa.After the issue came to light, police have been investigating the allegations that Yan

Nov 5, 2018By Jung Min-ho

Porn main revenue source for abusive boss

'King of porn' detained for assault allegations

Ex-public company chief gets jail term for gender discriminatory hiring

By Jung Hae-myoung A recent ruling to punish the former head of a public company for gender discrimination in hiring practices is drawing attention over whether it will affect similar cases in the financial sector.The Supreme Court said on Sunday it upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced Park Gi-dong, former CEO of the Korea Gas Safety Corp., to four years in prison and 3 billion won ($266,998) in fines for discriminating against women in recruitment.During recruitment in January 2015 and May 2016, Park ordered the company's human resource officials to fabricate interview scores to select men over women. Park did so because he felt that “female employees would cause setbacks in work progress by taking maternity leave.”His order caused seven female applicants, whose scores were high enough to be hired, to be disqualified, while 13 men landed jobs despite having scores that disqualified them.“Park caused irregularities in employment procedures by manipulating the interview scores, which greatly degraded trust in public enterprises,” the court said.Park's cas

Nov 5, 2018

Ex-public company chief gets jail term for gender discriminatory hiring

Gyeonggi governor to file complaint against police

By Kang Seung-wooGyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung plans to file a complaint with the prosecution against the police for “false investigations” into multiple allegations against him.Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung speaks to reporters during his appearance at Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 29, to be questioned over multiple allegations. / YonhapAides to the former Seongnam mayor said Monday the governor would file the complaint against the superintendent and the chief criminal investigator of Bundang Police Station for leaking classified information of an investigation and coercing a witness to give false testimony. Lee's move came days after the police booked him, Thursday, for allegedly abusing his power, spreading false information and violating the election law. While sending the case to the prosecution for further investigation, it said Lee should be indicted on those charges.According to police, the 54-year-old is suspected of abusing his mayoral power to forcefully institutionalize his older brother, now deceased, at a me

Nov 5, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

Law & Crime