South Korea - The Korea Times

2 Uzbekistani kids killed in apartment fire

Firefighters put out a fire in a studio apartment in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. Two Uzbekistani children died in the fire and eight people were injured. / YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung A four-year-old Uzbekistani boy and his 14-year-old sister died in a fire at a studio apartment in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. Eight others were injured, including another sibling and a cousin of the children who died.The fire broke out at the parking lot of the five-story building at around 7:40 p.m. A security guard of a neighboring building reported this to the fire authorities and the fire was put out in 20 minutes.The four Uzbekistani children were found in one apartment and were transferred to a hospital. But the boy died during the transfer, and his sister died the next day while receiving treatment. The other two are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit. The children's parents are Korean-Uzbekistanis who have been working here legally since January. The parents and the mother's sister, who has also been staying with a work visa, were out grocery shopping

Oct 22, 2018

2 Uzbekistani kids killed in apartment fire

Dispute rekindled over disclosure of suspect's personal info

By Kang Seung-wooThe police's decision to disclose the personal information of a suspect in a recent atrocious murder is reigniting a years-long debate over how to balance the rights of the accused with the people's right to know. Kim Seong-soo is escorted out of the Yangchoen Police Station in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapIn the aftermath of a brutal crime, the public often demands the investigative authorities disclose the suspect's name and face, while rights activists claim such a move undermines the principle of “innocent until proven guilty.”This comes after the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency revealed a murder suspect's face and age, Monday, after holding a meeting to discuss the issue. Kim Seong-soo, 29, is suspected of stabbing a 21-year-old part-time worker dozens of times to death in an internet cafe in western Seoul, Oct. 14. Officers did not cover his face with a cap or a mask when he was taken out of the police station.According to the Act on Special Cases concerning Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, a suspect's name, face, age and other personal details can

Oct 22, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

Dispute rekindled over disclosure of suspect's personal info

US soldiers questioned over attacks on Korean man, police officer

Two female U.S. soldiers allegedly assaulted two Koreans, including a police officer. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoTwo female U.S. army soldiers have been questioned for allegedly assaulting a Korean man and a police officer in Dongducheon, police said Monday.According to Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, a private, 20, from the U.S. Eighth Army and a private first class, 19, from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division were questioned in the early hours of the day after allegedly kicking and punching a man, 58, and a police officer.This came after an altercation between the soldiers and the man at around midnight. How the trouble started is still unclear.Police said the soldiers refused to say anything and returned to their units later.Police plan to summon them again for questioning after checking surveillance cameras in the area.

Oct 22, 2018By Jung Min-ho

US soldiers questioned over attacks on Korean man, police officer

Two injured in armed robbery in Gyeongju

Two employees were injured during an armed robbery at a community credit cooperative branch in a southeastern province, police said Monday. The suspect, presumed to be male, stormed into the branch of the Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives (KFCCC) in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at about 9:30 a.m.The suspect brandished a sharp object and hurt the two staff members, and got away with about 20 million won ($17,640) in cash. Police said they are chasing the suspect. (Yonhap)

Oct 22, 2018

Two injured in armed robbery in Gyeongju

Habitual drunk drivers to face custody investigation

By Kim Hyun-binThe justice ministry said Sunday that repeat drunk driving offenders or those who cause severe bodily harm while under the influence will be detained for investigation. They will also face the maximum sentence under the sentencing guidelines, he added. “According to police, the relapse rate of drunk driving is 45 percent, which means they do it habitually. As it could take the lives of innocent people, we need to take stern action against drunk driving,” Justice Minister Park Sang-ki said in response to a public petition, posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for no leniency against drunk drivers. “We will seek an immediate arrest warrant for people who caused a death or severely injured a person driving under the influence (DUI), and I ordered the prosecution to request the maximum sentence in every case.” Around 25 percent of DUI cases are dismissed, which is relatively high, compared with 18 percent from the criminal case dismissal rate, according to police.Currently, if a person is caught for DUI three times within thre

Oct 21, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

One Indian, two Sri Lankans convicted of fake asylum applications

Three foreigners were given suspended prison terms on Friday for faking asylum applications earlier this year.The Jeju District Court sentenced a 34-year-old Indian man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the immigration law and obstructing justice with a deceptive scheme.The man, who arrived on South Korea's largest island of Jeju on March 26 this year without a visa, applied for asylum with the Jeju Immigration Office on March 30 by submitting doctored documents that falsely said he had been persecuted for a religious reason in his home country, according to the court's ruling. Since 2002, Jeju has operated a visa-free program to boost tourism on the resort island. On April 3, he was granted asylum and issued an alien registration card that allowed him to move to other areas of South Korea.The man helped two Sri Lankan men -- one 35-year-old and the other 34-year-old -- to obtain refugee status using the same trick he used for his case -- falsely claiming they would be persecuted if they returned home -- and received $1,100 from them.The two Sri Lankan men

Oct 19, 2018

One Indian, two Sri Lankans convicted of fake asylum applications

Group nabbed for running DB of prostitution customers

By Jung Hae-myoung Police have apprehended a group that ran an illegal database application used by prostitution businesses with 18 million mobile numbers of the “customers.”The operator of the app and a staffer were arrested for collecting the mobile numbers of the customers and distributing them to prostitution businesses, while four others who helped develop the app were booked without physical detention, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Tuesday.The group collected the phone numbers and made the app named Golden Bell. They offered the charged app with the database to some 2,300 prostitution operators nationwide, gaining 700 million won from December to just recently.Some of the numbers belonged to police officers, and the group checked them to distinguish whether they were the real customers or undercover officers.Police found the operator of an internet site “Adult club detective,” which said it would help women find out whether their boyfriends or husbands went to adult entertainment establishments, also used the apps.Gangnam P

Oct 17, 2018

Group nabbed for running DB of prostitution customers

Police detain naked man at Dongduk Women's University

By Kang Seung-wooA naked intruder accused of masturbating at Dongduk Women's University in Seoul has been detained.According to the Jongam Police Station, Tuesday, police caught the 28-year-old, identified as Park, near an apartment at Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, on Monday night after securing and analyzing surveillance footage captured around the university.Police plan to have the prosecution request an arrest warrant for him for trespassing and circulating obscene materials online.Park, who intruded on the campus, Oct. 6, recorded himself masturbating and took naked pictures of himself in empty classrooms and corridors of the school building before posting them on Twitter. As part of a move to suspend his Twitter account, police sent a search and seizure warrant to the headquarters of the San Francisco-based social media platform.Meanwhile, on the news of Park's detention, a public petition posted to the website of Cheong Wa Dae is demanding his identity be revealed to the public.“We need to know the face and identity of such a pervert who committed such shameful acts at an e

Oct 16, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

Teacher faces arrest for allegedly assaulting disabled students

By Park Si-soo Police are seeking an arrest warrant for a teacher at a Seoul school for the disabled for allegedly assaulting two mentally challenged students. The teacher, 46, surnamed Lee, is suspected of hitting the students, both aged 13, with a broomstick on 12 occasions and spraying water, which was a violation of the Child Welfare Law. The teacher reportedly admitted the offences, but claimed the incidents were disciplinary, without malicious intent. He reportedly told police he had “lost composure and became violent after seeing the children misbehaving.” Police started an investigation on June 20 based on a written complaint from the students' parents who saw CCTV footage in which another teacher, 39, surnamed Oh, was assaulting a student inside a school elevator. Police analyzed a vast volume of footage recorded between May and July and concluded that 12 teachers, including Lee and Oh, were involved directly or indirectly in the violence. Some teachers were found to have overlooked the violence, said investigators.Police have not yet decided how to deal with the

Oct 16, 2018

Teacher faces arrest for allegedly assaulting disabled students

Korean Air chairman to face trial for embezzlement

By Kim Hyun-binCho Yang-ho, chairman of Hanjin Group and the country's largest full service carrier (FSC) Korean Airlines was indicted Monday for embezzlement, tax evasion and breach of trust without detention. “After the arrest warrant was denied (July 2) prosecutors conducted a further investigation, but the new evidence was not enough to issue an arrest warrant,” the Seoul Southern Prosecutors Office said Monday.However, prosecutors say Cho violated several laws including the Adjustment of the International Taxes Act and the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.According to the prosecution, the 69-year-old embezzled 19.6 billion won ($17.3 million) in company funds and caused losses to the airline by unfairly awarding contracts to family owned businesses. From 2013 to May 2018, the chairman took advantage of tariffs paid by Trion Trading when purchasing airline equipment and in-flight duty free goods.He is also suspected of taking 152 billion won in medical care benefits from the National Health Insurance after illegally running a pharmacy without a license from October 2010 to

Oct 15, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Law & Crime