South Korea - The Korea Times

Rare jail term given to man in 'revenge porn' case

K-pop star Koo Ha-ra talks to reporters outside Gangnam Police Station, southern Seoul, Sept. 18. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Suh-yoonA local court in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, sentenced a man to three years in prison Wednesday for spreading sex video clips of his ex-girlfriend online  — an unusually stern ruling compared to previous verdicts on similar “revenge porn” cases. The ruling comes amid rising voices for a more punitive crackdown on revenge porn crimes, sparked by K-pop star Koo Ha-ra's recent claims that her ex-boyfriend blackmailed her with a sex video.According to the court, the man posted the videos on various male-centered online community platforms 19 times under titles commonly associated with porn clips. He also sent the videos to around 100 of his acquaintances.“Spreading sex videos of one's ex-partner with malicious intent destroys the victims' lives, preventing them from building normal relationships in the future; hence the damage is serious,” presiding judge Kim Do-hyung said in the ruling. Under the Sexual Crimes Punishment Act,

Oct 11, 2018

Rare jail term given to man in 'revenge porn' case

Calls grow for leniency for Sri Lankan over oil storage fire

By Kim Hyun-binCalls are growing for leniency toward a Sri Lankan migrant worker, who launched a sky lantern that accidentally triggered a recent massive explosion at an oil storage facility, as his act was unintentional.Many say it is the facility operator that should be held accountable for poor safety management.The 27-year-old Sri Lankan launched the sky lantern Sunday morning after picking it up at a tunnel construction site in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where he worked. The lantern was one of 80 lanterns used in an event at a nearby elementary school the previous day.The lantern reached to the oil storage and started a grass fire that eventually led to the explosion of a storage tank. Police detained him Monday and planned to request an arrest warrant for him.Following his detention, over 100 petitions have been posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website calling for leniency. Most of the petitioners said the law enforcement authorities and those in charge of the facility management are passing the buck to the migrant worker.“The fire was caused not by an individual's fault but a s

Oct 10, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Calls grow for leniency for Sri Lankan over oil storage fire

VIDEO Explosion draws attention to lax safety at oil tank sites

Inspectors look around a charred oil storage tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. /Korea Times photo by Hong In-kiBy Lee Suh-yoonThe recent explosion of an oil tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province ― and the ensuing fire that consumed 2.6 million liters of gasoline over 17 hours ― has revealed the lack of adequate safety regulations at oil storage sites in the country. The explosion Sunday was caused by a sky lantern released by a young Sri Lankan migrant worker, about 300 meters from the oil storage site, police said.The grass around the storage compound caught fire as the sky lantern, lifted by a burning flame inside, landed there, CCTV footage showed. As there were no fire detectors installed outside the oil tank, the operators were unaware of the danger until the explosion came 18 minutes later, the police revealed in a briefing Tuesday.Police suspect the explosion occurred as sparks from the burning grass made contact with oil and natural gas vapors emitted from the tank's ventilation hatch. It was found the oil storage facility, owned and operated by Daehan Oil Pipeline

Oct 9, 2018

Explosion draws attention to lax safety at oil tank sites [VIDEO]

Sri Lankan caught for starting oil storage fire

Honeymoon tour agency shuts down business after taking money from newly-weds

Honeymoon plans of dozens of couples have been ruined by a fraud. YonhapBy Lee Min-youngHoneymoon dreams have turned into a nightmare after the head of a travel agency ran away with the money from dozens of newly-weds.According to Seoul's Suseo Police Station Tuesday, the suspect, surnamed Kim, has fled Korea after allegedly taking hundreds of millions of won (tens of thousands of dollars) from the couples.Each person gave Kim 3 million to 7 million won through the agency's bank account, thinking that the money would cover the costs of their overseas travel programs.The company, which was set up early April, even participated in a big promotion event for newly-weds at COEX in Seoul later to lure customers, police said.Last week, the company posted a notice on its website that it has shut down the business, saying that customers who had made advance payments would be able to receive refunds from its travel insurance. But surety insurance provides limited coverage of up to 200 million won, which falls far short of the financial damages.In addition to pressing fraud charges against Kim,

Oct 9, 2018By Lee Min-young

Honeymoon tour agency shuts down business after taking money from newly-weds

Woman apprehended over theft from shaman

A shaman has been deceived. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA woman, 39, is being investigated for allegedly stealing cash and jewelry from a shaman, 50, police said Monday.According to Busan Yeonje Police Station, the suspect, whose identity is being withheld, was apprehended recently on suspicion of stealing 14.1 million won ($12,400) of cash and jewelry from her “teacher.”The suspect approached the shaman in May, saying she wanted to be her student. But three months later, she stole the valuables and ran away while her teacher was asleep.Police apprehended the suspect on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province.

Oct 9, 2018By Jung Min-ho

Woman apprehended over theft from shaman

Sri Lankan caught for starting oil storage fire

An official examines the ruins of an oil storage tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. The tank exploded and caught fire, Sunday, morning, though the blaze was completely extinguished by early Monday morning. YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung Police detained a Sri Lankan man Monday for allegedly starting a fire that exploded an oil storage tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, the previous day.According to an official at Goyang Police Station, the man flew a sky lantern from a construction site about a kilometer away from the gas storage site Sunday morning. A sky lantern is similar to a miniature hot-air balloon. The 27-year-old told police he bought the lantern and flew it Sunday morning for fun. He works at the construction site of an expressway nearby.The lantern landed on grass within the storage compound and the grass caught fire. Police suspect a fire spark entered the ventilation system of the oil tank which led to the explosion.“Surveillance camera footage showed the fire started after the lantern landed on the grass,” the police official said. “We questioned peop

Oct 8, 2018

Sri Lankan caught for starting oil storage fire

Arrest warrant sought for Shinhan head

By Park Jin-haiProsecutors sought an arrest warrant for Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung, Monday, for his involvement in hiring irregularities at the group's banking unit. Cho, along with other former high ranking executives at Shinhan Bank, is suspected of having hired unqualified applicants, who were the children of high ranking company officials, between March 2015 and March 2017 when he was the head of the bank, according to the prosecution.Two former officials have already been arrested on charges of providing favors in recruitment to such job applicants, who also included children of former ranking government officials. Prosecutors believe nearly 90 people landed jobs at the bank through the irregularities practiced by the two officials.They summoned Cho twice earlier this month for questioning over the allegations to find out how deeply he was involved. The Seoul Eastern District Court will decide whether to issue the warrant for Cho soon.The investigation began after the Financial Supervisory Service conducted an inspection into the suspicion and found 22 case

Oct 8, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Sri Lankan arrested in connection with oil storage tank fire

A blaze erupts at a gasoline storage tank operated by a state-run oil pipeline company in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 7. YonhapThe police have arrested a Sri Lankan national in its probe of a recent explosion at a local oil storage facility, police officials said Monday.The arrest came one day after an explosion at the oil storage facility in Goyang, just north of Seoul, consumed a large storage tank with 2.66 million liters of gasoline, enough to fill 250 tank trucks.The police said the 27-year-old Sri Lankan is believed to have accidentally caused the fire by releasing a sky lantern in the vicinity of the oil storage facility.The police believe the sky lantern may have started the fire when it fell on the lawn of the oil storage facility, causing flames that later spread into the ventilation system of the oil tank, causing the explosion.The 27-year-old is said to be a construction worker currently working at a site near the facility. (Yonhap)

Oct 8, 2018

Sri Lankan arrested in connection with oil storage tank fire

PHOTOS Fire at oil storage tank put out

Calls growing over stern punishment for 'revenge porn'

By Kang Seung-wooHundreds of thousands of Koreans are urging the government to come up with strict punitive action against “revenge porn,” sparked by a recent scandal linked to a K-pop star.As of Monday, more than 217,300 people signed a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website criticizing the rapidly evolving cyber sex crime and calling for tough penalties for those who commit the crime. The presidential office makes it a rule to reply to a petition that gains more than 200,000 signatures within 30 days of a proposal being registered.Revenge porn involves the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of ex-lovers without permission of the individuals depicted. It is often abused as a means to blackmail individuals or damage their reputations. “It has been decades since the concept of revenge porn came to light. However, while perpetrators have escaped prison sentences, victims have had to face unexpected responses from unknown people who reproach their behavior,” the petitioner wrote.The petition also referred to Koo Ha-ra, a former member of girl group

Oct 8, 2018By Kang Seung-woo

Two Koreans questioned for allegedly assaulting Yemenis

YonhapBy Jung Min-hoTwo Korean men are being investigated on suspicion of assaulting two Yemeni men on Jeju Island last week, police said Sunday.According to Jeju Dongbu Police Station, police are investigating the Koreans, aged in their 20s, for allegedly kicking and punching the Yemenis after the foreigners refused to pay their share of the drinks bill at a bar on Oct. 2.Photos released by a Jeju newspaper show one Yemeni with a severely injured left eye while the other had a scratched forehead. They reportedly received medical treatment.“They surrounded us and started kicking and punching,” one of the Yemenis was quoted as saying. “They tried to extort something from us, perhaps passports or money.”

Oct 8, 2018By Jung Min-ho

Two Koreans questioned for allegedly assaulting Yemenis

Koreans attack two Yemenis on Jeju Island

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