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Court increases sentence for Korean husband who poured boiling water on Thai wife

A Korean man who intentionally poured boiling water on his Thai wife’s face, leaving her with severe burns, received a prison sentence longer than the term sought by prosecutors. Judge Kim Jun-young of the Uijeongbu District Court on Tuesday sentenced a Korean man in his 40s, identified only as “A,” to three and a half years in prison on charges of special bodily injury. A was indicted on charges of pouring boiling water from an electric kettle onto the face and neck of his Thai wife, who is in her 30s, while she was asleep at their apartment in Howon-dong on Dec. 3, 2025. He initially claimed that he tripped and spilled the water accidentally, but later admitted to the charge during the trial and appealed for leniency. “Deliberately pouring boiling water onto his sleeping wife’s face was a violent crime that would be difficult for an ordinary person to comprehend,” Judge Kim said in the ruling, adding that the victim had suffered “considerable physical and psychological trauma.” The court also pointed to the victim’s vulnerable circumstances at the time of the attack.

Jun 17, 2026By Hankookilbo
Court increases sentence for Korean husband who poured boiling water on Thai wife
K-universities

Kookmin University to run master’s program jointly with International University Sports Federation

Kookmin University has signed an agreement with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) to jointly develop and operate a new master’s degree program in sports education, the school said Tuesday. The agreement was signed by Kookmin University President Jeong Seung-ryul and FISU Secretary General and CEO Matthias Remund at the university campus in northern Seoul on Monday. Kookmin University Foundation Chairman Kim Ji-yong and FISU Master Director Delise O’Meally also attended the signing ceremony. “This agreement marks a meaningful starting point that will expand the connection between international university sports and higher education, extending beyond a conventional institutional partnership,” Jeong said. “We expect the combination of Kookmin University’s educational capabilities and FISU’s global platform to create synergy in nurturing future leaders in the sports field.” After the ceremony, officials of the university’s College of Physical Education and the FISU held a working-level meeting to discuss how to launch and run the FISU master’s program. T

Jun 17, 2026By Park Yoon-bae
Kookmin University to run master’s program jointly with International University Sports Federation
Health

Korean researchers develop blood and urine test for early colorectal cancer detection

A research team at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed a plasmonics-based liquid biopsy platform capable of detecting cancer-related gene mutations in the blood and urine of patients with early-stage colorectal cancer, paving the way for less invasive cancer diagnosis, KIMS said Wednesday. The research team, led by Lee Min-young, senior researcher at the Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division, and Park Sung-kyu, director of the Global Top Research Consortium, developed a new testing platform capable of detecting KRAS mutations, a key genetic driver of colorectal cancer, with very high sensitivity. To test the technology, the researchers analyzed tumor tissue as well as matching blood and urine samples from patients with stage 0 and stage 1 colorectal cancer. The results showed more than 90 percent agreement across the different sample types, suggesting that the method could serve as a reliable alternative to conventional tissue biopsies. The study builds on KIMS' earlier work detecting lung cancer-related gene mutations in blood samples. This t

Jun 17, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korean researchers develop blood and urine test for early colorectal cancer detection
K-universities

University of Seoul holds youth flag football championship

The University of Seoul and the Korea American Football Association (KAFA) co-hosted a flag football championship for youth and children at the university’s campus in northeastern Seoul, June 6. The university said the 2026 University of Seoul President’s Cup Youth and Children Flag Football Championship was organized to promote the development and popularization of flag football. “American football and flag football are sports that emphasize teamwork and collaboration,” said Won Yong-kul, president of the university. “I hope this championship will provide all participating young athletes with cherished memories and serve as an opportunity for them to take another step forward in their growth.” “With flag football having been adopted as an official sport for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, we expect significant growth potential for the sport in Korea as well. KAFA has set a goal of developing 1,000 flag football teams nationwide,” said KAFA Managing Director Hong Dong-hyuck. He added, “We ask the University of Seoul to continue supporting the establishment and expansion

Jun 17, 2026By Park Yoon-bae
University of Seoul holds youth flag football championship
Society

Transit card upgrade promises to take guesswork out of commuting

Commuters in Seoul are about to get a major upgrade to their wallets, courtesy of a bureaucratic marriage designed to eliminate transit card confusion. Starting July 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is merging its wildly popular, unlimited transit pass — the Climate Card — with the federal government’s nationwide discount program, "Modu Card" (also known as the K-Pass). The result is a turbocharged hybrid dubbed the "Climate Card Plus." For the past two years, local straphangers have been forced to play an exhausting game of transit math. Commuters had to weigh whether they traveled enough to justify Seoul’s fixed-rate unlimited card or if they were better off using the federal government's pay-as-you-go cashback system. The new "Plus" card solves this dilemma by introducing a touch of automated logic: It calculates your monthly journeys and automatically applies whichever billing method saves you more money. If your monthly transit bill stays below 62,000 won ($45), the card acts like a federal K-Pass, refunding a baseline of 20 percent of your expenses — and up to 53.3 pe

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Transit card upgrade promises to take guesswork out of commuting
South Korea

Your soundproof car windows could trap you, new study finds

Automakers have increasingly turned to laminated acoustic glass to drown out highway noise and keep modern cabins whisper-quiet. While excellent for a peaceful commute, a new study by Korea's National Institute of Fire Service reveals that this luxury upgrade poses a hidden danger during an underwater emergency. The very material designed to protect you from exterior noise could trap you inside a sinking vehicle. The classic automotive survival playbook — grabbing the seat headrest and smashing the side window with its metal prongs — is dangerously outdated. The institute's survival simulations showed that on standard tempered glass, using a headrest prong is incredibly difficult because the car's rubber molding and window frame absorb the brunt of the impact. However, if you use a dedicated emergency tool like a rescue hammer or a spring-loaded punch, tempered glass shatters relatively easily, provided you avoid the center and aim repeatedly for the corners. If your vehicle is equipped with laminated acoustic glass, you are facing a literal brick wall. Because of a tough, plastic s

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Your soundproof car windows could trap you, new study finds
Politics

PPP to file petitions challenging local election results

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was set to file election petitions with the election watchdog Wednesday over a shortage of ballots reported during the June 3 local elections. The PPP is considering filing petitions in up to nine metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races, including in six regions where the shortage of ballots were initially reported, a party official told Yonhap News Agency. The PPP will hold a general meeting of its lawmakers at 2 p.m. to discuss details before filing the petitions. Under Article 219 of the Public Election Act, election petitions for the local elections must be filed within 14 days of the election date. If the National Election Commission accepts the petitions, a revote must be held within 30 days from the date the decision is notified. If rejected, the PPP could take the case to court. On Monday, PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok convened an emergency supreme council meeting and decided to file election petitions in six regions — Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, Ulsan, Busan and Gwangju-South Jeolla Province. The PPP is mulling adding three m

Jun 17, 2026By Yonhap
PPP to file petitions challenging local election results
Health

Korea joins Europe in landmark joint review of biopharmaceuticals

In a milestone move toward cross-border regulatory alignment, Korea’s drug safety watchdog said Wednesday that it completed its first international joint review of a biopharmaceutical product alongside European and global regulators. The breakthrough is poised to substantially ease the regulatory bottleneck for multinational pharmaceutical companies seeking multimarket approvals. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that its evaluation arm, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, concluded a simultaneous scientific assessment under the "Opening our Procedures at EMA to Non-EU authorities" (OPEN) framework. Spearheaded by the European Medicines Agency, the initiative brought together regulatory experts from Korea, Switzerland and the World Health Organization to jointly review a changes-to-permits application for a recombinant biological medicine. Launched initially as a pilot in 2020 to accelerate the evaluation of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines, the OPEN program operates by standardizing evaluation requirements across participating countries. Historically,

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea joins Europe in landmark joint review of biopharmaceuticals
Health

InterviewNew suicide prevention chief puts responsibility on state

Korea must treat suicide not as an individual failing but as a government responsibility, said Jung Yoon-soon, chairman of the state-run Korea Life Respect and Hope Foundation. In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Jung, who took office last month, pointed to the persistently high number of Korean people who take their own lives. The rate has consistently been higher than other OECD member countries since 2003, and Jung said that blaming individuals’ “personal problems” is not tenable. “This is not about a few people making bad choices,” Jung said. “It is a structural failure, and the government must take primary responsibility for fixing it.” According to official data, the 2024 suicide rate was 29.1 per 100,000 people, with 14,872 deaths — an average of 41 lives lost every day. Although preliminary figures for 2025 suggest a modest decline of around 6.5 percent, Jung cautioned against premature optimism. Fixing it requires a whole-of-government response, he noted. The suicide rate should be read not just as a mental health statistic but as a key indicator of how K

Jun 17, 2026By Jung Min-ho
New suicide prevention chief puts responsibility on state
South Korea

Korea to deepen police ties with Thailand, Malaysia to combat transnational crime

Korea is ramping up law enforcement cooperation with Thailand and Malaysia to address cross-border syndicates involved in online scams, cyber gambling and illicit drug trafficking. The Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday that Park Jun-sung, director general of the International Bureau, met with foreign affairs officers from the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok. The bilateral talks aimed to fortify joint strategies against a "balloon effect," where criminal syndicates shift locations across national borders following localized law enforcement crackdowns. Both nations formalized plans to enhance operational collaboration. Key initiatives include tracking major fugitives, exchanging data on evolving criminal methodologies, ensuring the safety of overseas nationals and broadening Official Development Assistance programs in public safety. The meeting builds on reciprocal successes in high-profile extraditions. Law enforcement officials lauded the recent arrest and extradition of a Korean drug-trafficking suspect named Choi Byung-min, also known as the "Cheongdam CEO," from Thailand, alon

Jun 17, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Korea to deepen police ties with Thailand, Malaysia to combat transnational crime
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