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Financial regulator searched over corruption

By Jung Min-hoProsecutors searched the nation’s financial regulator, Friday, following the state auditor’s findings that the regulatory agency irregularly hired at least 16 applicants last year based on their connections with politicians and bankers.According to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, it searched the headquarters of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on Yeouido, southern Seoul.Three ranking FSS officials, including Senior Deputy Governor Seo Tae-jong, are suspected of conspiring in weeding out more qualified applicants to secure spots for the 16.Their homes have also been searched.It is unclear what they received in return, which is now under investigation.On Wednesday, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) disclosed the inspection results, accusing the three executives of giving special favors to certain job candidates. The state auditor said the hiring was “not the result of mistakes or errors, but from orders of senior officials.”In the process of helping the 16, HR officials fabricated documents and added new evaluati

Sep 22, 2017
Financial regulator searched over corruption

KAI vice president found dead amid probe

Police line is set up outside the late Kim In-sik’s apartment in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe vice president of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) was found dead Thursday morning in what appears to be a suicide amid a widening probe into corruption allegations surrounding the defense company.According to police, Kim In-sik, who was in charge of KAI’s overseas business, was found hanged at his house in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, at around 8:40 a.m.Police said they found a three-page suicide note near the body, in which he wrote “I tried to do my best and do it well … I’m sorry.”His body was discovered by a KAI official, who found it strange that he did not show up for work, police noted.After returning from his three-day business trip to Iraq, Wednesday, Kim had dinner with other KAI officials that evening. They said they didn’t notice anything unusual about him.The former Air Force brigadier general began his career at KAI as the head of its office in the United Arab Emirates in 2006. His mai

Sep 21, 2017
KAI vice president found dead amid probe

Probe into ex-President Lee-created blacklist widening

 By Lee Kyung-min Two spy agency officials are facing arrest over allegations they carried out orders to sway online public opinion to benefit former President Lee Myung-bak.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office sought the arrest warrants, Wednesday, for a mid-level National Intelligence Service (NIS) psychological warfare team manager surnamed Yoo and his deputy surnamed Seo.The two digitally manipulated a photo which showed two liberal film stars lying naked together, in a bid to undercut their growing political advocacy against Lee.The two officials face charges of defamation and violating the NIS Law that bans its workers from engaging in any activity that could influence the outcome of a politically divisive issue.They are the first incumbent officials for whom arrest warrants have been sought, which the prosecution deems necessary given the gravity of the implications of their actions as intelligence agency officers.The prosecution said the two digitally manipulated the photos of actor Moon Sung-keun and actress Kim Yeo-jin in May 2011 to make it look l

Sep 21, 2017

'Homemade' North Korean opium infiltrates South Korea

This composite image shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the North Korean national flag and a field of opium poppies in the reclusive country. / Graphic by Cho Sang-wonOnline drug trafficking soarsBy Kang Hyun-kyungThere is a popular belief among North Koreans that opium is a powerful medicine to treat several symptoms and minor diseases.They take opium for an upset stomach, constipation, heart disease or even a cold. For its perceived health benefits, many North Koreans keep a small amount of opium at home as part of their first aid kits.Opium, the dried latex extracted from opium poppies, is obtained through a relatively simple process, so ordinary North Korean citizens can produce the narcotic product easily at home “to make ends meet,” according to a North Korean defector.“The entire process is all about distilling opium poppies several times and hardening the refined liquid by adding a thickener to it,” he said asking for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. “So, producing fine opium hinges on the machinery. If the equipment is good, it

Sep 21, 2017
'Homemade' North Korean opium infiltrates South Korea

Woman's leg amputated after pit bull attack, man jailed

By Bahk Eun-jiThe owner of a pit bull terrier that savagely attacked a woman, resulting in amputations, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail Thursday.The Suwon District Court was told that the woman, in her late 70s, had to have her right leg and parts of fingers on her left hand amputated after the pit bull attacked her at 2 p.m. on Dec. 29 in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.The owner, surnamed Lee, 58, was charged with neglecting the dog’s management.Lee raised eight dogs, including another pit bull terrier, in the front yard of his home without safeguards to keep them in, the court heard. Lee used a rusty chain tied to an old stake to keep the attack dog contained. But it savaged the woman after pulling out the stake and escaping Lee’s house.The pit bull terrier is categorized as a fierce dog -- with the American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire terrier and the Rottweiler -- in Korea. Owners of those dogs must keep the animals on a leash and wearing a muzzle in public. 

Sep 21, 2017
Woman's leg amputated after pit bull attack, man jailed

Man behind state-sponsored protests to be grilled

By Jung Min-hoChoo Sun-heeA man behind state-sponsored protests organized under the two previous conservative presidents will be questioned over his alleged role in targeting liberal politicians and cultural figures, including Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Wednesday that Choo Sun-hee, a former leader of the right-wing Korea Parent Federation (KPF), refused to show up for questioning, which was scheduled for 4 p.m.The prosecution will set another date for questioning him. He is suspected of helping the Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak administrations influence public opinion in exchange for cash from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).Earlier in the day prosecutors searched his home.This comes a day after an in-house investigation body concluded the NIS had attacked the mayor and his policies by mobilizing conservative civic groups, including the KPF. The NIS noted it even created a five-page document titled “Countermeasures against Seoul Mayor’s Left-Leaning Policies” in 2011 to map out their action.The KPF a

Sep 20, 2017
Man behind state-sponsored protests to be grilled

Death penalty sought for doctor accused of fatally poisoning wife

 A plastic surgeon, surnamed Bin, 45, is suspected of killing his wife in March by injecting a lethal dose of poison into her while she slept at home. / Screen captured from YTNBy Bahk Eun-ji, Park Si-sooProsecutors want the death penalty for a plastic surgeon accused of killing his wife with a lethal injection.The Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office said on Wednesday it is seeking the highest punishment for the doctor, surnamed Bin, 45. He is suspected of killing his wife in March by injecting a lethal dose of poison into her while she slept at home. The doctor initially insisted she died of a heart attack. But police found evidence that led Bin to be prosecuted in April.According to investigators, Bin and his wife were on bad terms for various reasons, and he killed her for assets registered in her name. 

Sep 20, 2017
Death penalty sought for doctor accused of fatally poisoning wife

Camera hackers leak over 1,000 'home videos' of naked women

By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooPolice nabbed 14 hackers for allegedly cracking into internet-connected cameras, capturing video of users naked and spreading them online.According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, the suspects hacked into 1,402 internet protocol (IP) cameras installed in homes or stores and peeked into the private lives of their users 2,354 times between April and September.IP cameras are widely used for home surveillance. Unlike CCTV cameras, IP cameras can send and receive data via computer networks and the internet.Police said the cameras captured footage of women changing, in underwear or naked. The hackers were able to zoom or control the angles.Police have confirmed 35 victims. They believe there are more.One of the suspects told police he hacked the cameras to steal a look at the private lives of women.Another suspect said it was easy to break into camera systems because many were locked with simple passwords such as 1111 or 1234.Police said IP camera users should protect their systems with “hard-to-guess” passwords, regularly update and

Sep 20, 2017
Camera hackers leak over 1,000 'home videos' of naked women

Man detained over suspected murder

By Lee Kyung-min Police detained a man who is suspected of having beaten a woman, 22, to death and discarding her body near a stream in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, it said Wednesday.Police said the man, 32, whose identity is being withheld, was apprehended at 1:10 a.m. in Sokcho, Gangwon Province.Police sought to locate the man after identifying him as the suspect following interviews with the woman’s family and friends. Investigators also reviewed the woman’s phone history.The apprehension came less than a day after the woman’s naked body was found near the stream at 6:40 a.m. Tuesday.Police said the woman had severe cuts and bruises on her face which they believe indicated signs of a violent beating. They found bloodstained clothes believed to have been worn by the woman nearby.Police also found bloodstains on the nearby road, covered by sand which they suspect was an attempt to remove the stains.Officials from the National Forensic Service said they plan to conduct an autopsy to identify the exact cause of death.Police plan to seek an arrest warran

Sep 20, 2017

Social media becomes haven for illegal sex, drug trades

Korean netizens searching for sexual content and illegal drugs are flocking to social media sites. Most  sites, available through apps that can be easily downloaded, don't require personal information when users sign up, which makes it difficult for law enforcers to keep track of transgressors. / Graphic by Cho Sang-wonBy Ko Dong-hwanSocial media sites have brought together many people based on friendship, love and common interests but, according to a lawmaker’s recent finding, some are now among the biggest channels for illegal sex and drug trades in Korea.Anonymous people are using the sites to distribute sexually explicit videos and photos or links that lead to sex-trading sites.Other people are buying and selling illegal drugs because law enforcers cannot monitor all trades.Liberal Korea Party Rep. Min Kyung-wook, a member of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communication Committee, said the most popular social networking (SNS) site Koreans use for sexual content is Tumblr. It accounted for over 74 percent of 30,200 revision requests from th

Sep 20, 2017
Social media becomes haven for illegal sex, drug trades
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