Fire put out at S-Oil plant in Ulsan

A fire at a plant of S-Oil Corp., a major refiner, was completely extinguished Sunday, about five hours after it started, according to firefighters. No casualties were reported as the fire erupted at 4:47 a.m., with photos showing dense flames rising from the plant. Fifty-six vehicles and some 300 personnel were mobilized to extinguish the blaze. The fire is presumed to have broken out in a heating facility used to produce xylene. Fire authorities are investigating the exact cause and scope of t

July 28, 2024

17-year-old who died at church was subject to severe abuse: document

A high school girl who recently died at a church had been subjected to severe abuse by church members including sleep deprivation and physical labor, a bill of indictment provided by the South Korean prosecution showed. Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party on Wednesday revealed the content of the document he received from the prosecutors, which showed details of their investigation related to the girl's death on May 15. Three members of the Incheon church are currently on tr

July 27, 2024

About 11 pct of med students register for 2025 state licensing exam

About 11 percent of medical students have registered for next year's state licensing examination amid a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors over medical reform plans. According to the health ministry Saturday, 364 out of some 3,200 medical students eligible for the licensing examination registered before the deadline. Many medical students have been collectively boycotting classes in protest against the government's increase of the nationwide medical school quota by some 1,500 seats f

July 27, 2024

2 YouTubers in 'mukbang' star blackmail case arrested

A local court on Friday issued arrest warrants for two YouTubers accused of blackmailing and extorting "mukbang" YouTube star Tzuyang. The Suwon District Court issued the warrants after questioning Lee Jun-hee and Jeon Kuk-jin, known by their YouTube channel names, Gujeyeok and Jujakgambeolsa, respectively, on charges of blackmail, threats and extortion against Tzuyang. The court cited the gravity of their charges, as well as concerns over secondary victimization of the YouTube s

July 26, 2024

Over 100 heat-related illness cases reported in 3 days: govt.

With the monsoon season coming to an end, South Korea has seen a surge in the number of days with scorching heat, leading to a rapid increase in the number of cases of heat-related illnesses. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Friday, 507 medical institutions equipped with emergency rooms reported to the agency that they saw 124 patients with heat-related illnesses from Monday to Wednesday, 55 of which were from Wednesday alone. The KDCA added that 16.3 percent of th

July 26, 2024

Pet daycare, English kindergarten more costly than private four-year colleges: report

The annual tuition to a private South Korean university last year was lower than that of pet daycare and English kindergarten, according to research published Tuesday. A report analyzing private education costs at different levels of schooling published by the Korean Association of Private University Presidents found the average annual school fee for private four-year colleges in 2023 was 7.32 million won ($5,283.67), or an average of 610,000 won per month. The cost of daycare facilities for pe

July 26, 2024

Medical services scaled back as doctors gather for protest, discussion forum

As the stalemate in South Korea's medical circle enters its sixth month following the government's announcement of a drastic hike in the medical school admissions quota, doctors nationwide once again suspended services on Friday, calling on the government to drop the plan. In the early morning, the emergency committees of medical professors at Kangwon National University and Chungbuk National University Hospitals, joined by trainee doctors, medical students and their parents, held a ra

July 26, 2024

Actor’s excessive airport security sparks probe into human rights violations

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Friday that it launched an investigation into allegations of excessive security measures involving actor Byeon Woo-seok. The investigation follows a complaint submitted on July 14, accusing the security measures during Byeon’s recent travels of infringing on human rights. The NHRCK will examine whether the airport's security team was complicit in the actions of a private security firm, which included blocking gates and conducting ticket an

July 26, 2024

Assembly defers Supreme Court judge appointment amid nepotism accusations

The National Assembly on Friday postponed the adoption of a report on the confirmation hearing results for one Supreme Court justice nominee, putting the brakes on her appointment amidst growing controversy over allegations of nepotism. The decision by the parliamentary special committee to delay the confirmation of Lee Sook-yeon, a Patent Court judge, came after allegations surfaced involving her daughter. There are suspicions that her 26-year-old daughter benefited significantly from unlisted

July 26, 2024

Mandating suitors to check litigation e-documents within 1 week is constitutional: court

The Constitutional Court of Korea recently ruled in favor of the legal clause that effectively requires suitors in civil cases to check the e-documents related to their litigation within the week of the information being made available to them. In the ruling, Article 11-4 of the Act on the Use of Electronic Documents in Civil Litigations was unanimously ruled constitutional. The article concerns electronic documents related to the civil cases, which are registered to the court system and made av

July 26, 2024

Man found dead in reservoir, day after drunk driving accident

South Korean police have kicked off an investigation into the death of a man in his 40s whose body was found in a local reservoir Thursday, believing him to be responsible for a drunk driving accident a day earlier. The man's body was found at 2:48 p.m. Thursday floating in the Yongjeong Reservoir in Goesan-gun, North Chungcheong Province. The initial probe showed no signs of foul play and no indications that the deceased took his own life. Surveillance footage of the surrounding area showe

July 26, 2024

Actor Yoo Ah-in accused of sexual attack

A 30-year-old man has filed a criminal complaint against actor Yoo Ah-in for sexually attacking him, Seoul police said Friday, with investigators considering the possibility that Yoo had been under the influence of drugs when it occurred. Officials at the Seoul Yongsan Police Station are investigating the imitative rape case involving the 37-year-old actor, with plans to summon him for questioning soon. Imitative rape, stipulated by Article 297-2 of the Criminal Act, refers to rape via non-genit

July 26, 2024

Toddlers consuming sugary drinks at higher risk for ADHD: study

Children who consume sweetened beverages before the age of 2 are more likely to develop ADHD later in life, according to a recent study. The incidence rate of the highly prevalent condition was 29.6 per 10,000 persons, while the corresponding figure was 23.8 for those who consumed fewer sugary drinks, according to joint study conducted by pediatrics professors Han Man-yong at CHA Bundang Medical Center and Kim Ju-hee at Kyung Hee University Medical Center. The report defined sweetened beverages

July 26, 2024

First lady apologized for causing public concern: lawyer

First Lady Kim Keon Hee apologized for causing public concerns as she attended questioning by the prosecution, her lawyer said Thursday. Kim's legal representative, lawyer Choi Ji-woo, said in a YouTube interview that she told the prosecution before the interrogation began on Saturday, adding that she feels sorry for letting the people down as first lady. Amid growing criticism over speculations that the first lady was receiving preferential treatment by being questioned at a venue outside

July 25, 2024

Man who let his father die due to financial difficulties to be released on parole

A 25-year-old man currently serving a prison term for patricide will be released next Tuesday on parole, a Daegu-based civic group said Thursday. In a highly publicized case in 2021, the man was convicted after he stopped providing food and medication for his terminally ill father due to financial difficulties. The victim had been bedridden since suffering a brain hemorrhage in September 2020, not being able to eat or relieve himself on his own. But his son, who had been on his mandatory mili

July 25, 2024

TOEIC instructor who sold test answers to test-takers sentenced to 3-year jail term

A Seoul court recently sentenced a former hagwon teacher to a three-year jail term for selling TOEIC test answers to multiple test-takers for money. The Seoul Eastern District Court found the defendant surnamed Hong guilty of obstruction of business as stipulated in Article 314 of the Criminal Act. In addition to the jail term, the court also ordered the seizure of 76.6 million won ($55,000) in assets. Investigators found that the 27-year-old defendant had committed the crimes to fund internet

July 25, 2024

Police seek arrest warrant for driver in deadly car crash

The police sought an arrest warrant Wednesday for the driver behind the fatal car crash that killed nine pedestrians near Seoul city hall earlier this month, according to officials on Thursday. On July 1, a sedan crashed into pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at an intersection near Exit No. 7 of Seoul’s City Hall Station in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The car drove in the wrong direction and hit the pedestrians before colliding with two other vehicles. The crash resulted in nine fatalit

July 25, 2024

40% of school violence victims felt urge to self-harm: survey

Roughly 4 out of 10 students who were victims of school violence said they had felt the urge to either inflict injury on oneself or commit suicide, a survey by an NGO showed Wednesday. The Blue Tree Foundation, a group dedicated to preventing school violence and help victims, said in a press conference that 3.5 percent of the respondents in their recent survey said they had been subject to violence at school, of which 39.9 percent said they felt the urge to hurt or kill themselves. The foundat

July 25, 2024

Day care centers plummet, senior facilities soar amid demographic shift

Day care centers declined by nearly 2,000 in 2023, while facilities for seniors increased by more than 3,000, reflecting Korea’s continued aging society, data showed Thursday. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of day care centers fell by 1,969, from 30,923 in 2022 to 28,954 last year. The overall decrease was mainly driven by declining private and family day care centers. Private day care centers decreased by 840 from 9,726 to 8,886, while family day care centers

July 25, 2024

District prosecution chief briefed on first lady's questioning before report to prosecutor general 3hrs later

The chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office was briefed on last week's questioning of first lady Kim Keon Hee more than three hours before he reported it to Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, sources said Thursday. The revelation came after the top prosecutor expressed frustrations that he had been in the dark about Saturday's questioning of Kim over a luxury bag scandal for some 10 hours, and ordered an inspection into what happened. The inspection is expected to focus on

July 25, 2024