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SNU professor found guilty of siphoning off $1.15 million in research funds

A professor at South Korea’s elite Seoul National University (SNU) was convicted of pocketing part of state subsidies for his projects over the past decade. / Korea Times fileBy Park Si-soo A professor at South Korea’s elite Seoul National University (SNU) was convicted of pocketing part of state subsidies for his projects over the past decade. Seoul Northern District Court sentenced the professor from the university’s chemical and biological engineering department, surnamed Han, to three years’ prison. The court suspended the term for five years after the school pleaded for mercy. The professor siphoned off 1.26 billion won ($1.15 million) of state funds paid to him since 2008, which was supposed to be paid to his research fellows. He used fake bills and other illegal means to exploit the money. Some was used to buy software programs developed by his company. “He not just repeated illegal practices that had been used to extort state funds, but also actively developed fresh ways, for which he deserves a heavy punishment,” the court wrote in a rulin

Dec 13, 2017
SNU professor found guilty of siphoning off $1.15 million in research funds

Man gets two-year jail term for girlfriend's 'bathroom shots'

By Park Si-sooA man has been jailed for two years for secretly photographing his girlfriend in her bathroom. Jeju Provincial Court on Tuesday also ordered the man, 38, to have 40 hours of sexual crime prevention education. Court documents show the man installed a small remote-controlled camera in the bathroom of his girlfriend’s home in August 2015 and captured her 14 times over two years.The victim was “overwhelmingly shocked and terrified,” so she wanted a stern punishment for him, the court said.

Dec 13, 2017
Man gets two-year jail term for girlfriend's 'bathroom shots'

Saudi Arabian students arrested for sexual assault

Two Saudi Arabian students have been arrested for sexually assaulting a woman, Seoul police said Wednesday.The two brothers, 25 and 23, are suspected of assaulting a Korean office worker in her 20s at their home Saturday. They were detained Monday. The students, studying here in a university exchange program, met the victim through a chat app and drank together in their room, according to the Seoul Seongbuk Police Station.The woman made an emergency call to police, and investigators found evidence from CCTV footage taken nearby their residence. The men told police they do not remember what happened because they were intoxicated. (Yonhap)

Dec 13, 2017
Saudi Arabian students arrested for sexual assault

'Both tanker, fishing boat responsible for collision'

By Kim Bo-eunBoth the tanker and fishing boat which collided off the coast of Incheon earlier this month and killed 15 people were responsible for the accident, the Coast Guard said in a briefing, Tuesday.“The captain and deckhand of the tanker and the captain of the fishing boat face charges of professional negligence resulting in death, injuries and the capsizing of a vessel,” the Incheon Coast Guard said.The captain and a crew member of a tanker, who were booked and detained earlier, have been forwarded to the prosecution.The captain of the fishing boat died in the accident and therefore only records of the case for him were sent to the prosecution.The collision between the 336-ton tanker and 9.77-ton fishing boat in the West Sea off Yeongheung Island on Dec. 3 caused the latter to capsize, killing 15 of the 22 people who were on board. Seven were rescued.Investigations showed both vessels were responsible for the accident. The vessels were only 300 meters apart before the collision occurred.“Both captains had the duty to change speed and direction, and communica

Dec 12, 2017

South Korea Bitcoin 'mine' catches fire

Firefighters inspect a basement room crammed with Bitcoin servers after putting out a minor fire on Friday. / Courtesy of Gangwon Fire HeadquartersBy Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooA Bitcoin “mine” in South Korea suffered minor damage on Friday when a fire started in a room crammed with Bitcoin servers, police said Monday. The fire happened in a basement room of a motel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, at 12:30 p.m. The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes after burning several servers worth 50,000 won ($46) each.The room was crammed with hundreds of Bitcoin servers operating with around 300 graphic cards, according to police. An investigation is under way to find what caused the fire. An overloaded socket is among possible causes. “The overloaded use of multi-outlet sockets seemed to have caused the fire,” an investigator said. 

Dec 11, 2017
South Korea Bitcoin 'mine' catches fire

Authorities scramble to find cause of another crane collapse

‘Ineffective’ safety measures under criticism By Lee Kyung-min A group of government officials conducted an on-site inspection Sunday of a construction site where a crane collapsed the day before, killing three workers and injuring four others.While the exact cause is unclear, criticism is mounting that the collapse could have been caused, yet again, by old, faulty equipment or workers failing to follow safety guidelines.These were the main causes in crane-related accidents this year that have killed 17 workers. Officials from the National Forensic Service, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Yongin City Government and the police inspected the site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The visit came after an 85-meter-tall crane collapsed at the construction site at 1:11 p.m. The seven casualties, who were working on the crane 75 meters off the ground, fell after the crane broke and collapsed. Among the four injured, one is in a critical condition. The workers were extending the length of the crane, known as telescoping. The crane was imported from France about a year ago, but

Dec 10, 2017

3 killed, 4 injured in tower crane collapse

Three workers were killed and four others injured after a high-rise crane collapsed at a construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, police said Saturday. / YonhapThree workers were killed and four others injured after a high-rise crane collapsed at a construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, police said Saturday.The 90-meter-tall tower crane snapped and fell to the ground at a construction site for a distribution center in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, around 1:11 p.m., according to police.Seven workers on the crane fell from 78 meters. Three were confirmed dead at the scene and four seriously injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.The police said they will look into what caused the accident and whether the workers followed safety measures at the construction site. (Yonhap)

Dec 9, 2017
3 killed, 4 injured in tower crane collapse

Philippines drug runners smuggle 1.6 kilograms of 'philopon' into South Korea

The first son of Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil arrives at Seoul Central District Court Sept. 19 for questioning about his alleged smuggling of four grams of ‘philopon’ into Korea from China. / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanSeoul Central District Prosecutors' Office staff with ‘philopon’ found hidden in a container of instant rice. / Korea Times fileThe authorities found a packet containing 146 grams of philopon (methamphetamine) being smuggled inside a wooden sculpture from the Philippines in May this year. Drug runners from the Southeast Asian country were working with distributors in South Korea.The discovery of the illegal substance was just a small part of the 1.63 kilograms of methamphetamine smuggled from the Philippines into South Korea so far this year.Southeast Asian countries were the source of a record amount of methamphetamine trafficked into South Korea, Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office said Thursday. The announcement was based on the amount of illegal drugs seized between January and November.The main source was the Philippi

Dec 8, 2017
Philippines drug runners smuggle 1.6 kilograms of 'philopon' into South Korea

Missing bodies from fishing boat recovered

Coast Guard officials recover the body of man surnamed Oh, 70, who was the captain of a capsized fishing boat involved in a collision, from the shore of Yeongheung Island off Incheon, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunThe Coast Guard recovered two missing bodies Tuesday from a fishing boat that capsized two days earlier after a collision with a tanker in waters off the western port city of Incheon, putting the accident’s death toll at 15.The Coast Guard found the bodies of the boat’s captain surnamed Oh, 70, and a customer surnamed Lee, 57, nearby the site of the accident after mobilizing vessels and aircraft.The 9.77-ton fishing boat collided with a 336-ton oil tanker as they were passing a narrow channel beneath Yeongheung Bridge, causing the former to capsize, early Sunday.Among the 22 people who were aboard the boat, seven were rescued and 13 bodies were recovered shortly after the accident occurred. The rescued have been hospitalized for treatment, but none are in a life-threatening condition.Despite the relatively quick rescue efforts, the large number of casualties is

Dec 5, 2017
Missing bodies from fishing boat recovered

Probe into boat sinking begins

Coast guards at a wharf near the Incheon Coast Guard Headquarters examine a fishing boat, Monday, that capsized off the coast of Incheon the day before. / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in says gov’t should take responsibility By Jung Min-hoThe Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the boat crash that killed at least 13 people off the west coast of Incheon Sunday.The Incheon Coast Guard said Monday it has secured surveillance cameras and GPS equipment of a 336-ton tanker, which crashed into a 9.77-ton fishing boat in West Sea waters near Yeongheung Island at around 6:09 a.m.The smaller boat had 22 people on board. The accident has left 13 of them dead and two missing; the rest have been rescued.“We will analyze the GPS and cameras first to find out what happened,” Hwang Joon-hyun, a senior Coast Guard official, told reporters. “We will also investigate whether sailors on the tanker breached their duty of care.”Two people from the tanker ― a 37-year-old captain and a 46-year-old deckhand ― have been detained over the accident. The prosecution is s

Dec 4, 2017
Probe into boat sinking begins
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