80% of suspects in deepfake crime cases are teens: NPA

An overwhelming majority of the suspects in sex crimes using deepfake technologies are teenagers, police data showed Tuesday. According to the National Police Agency, 80.8 percent of the 573 suspects caught this year were in their teens, as of Nov. 30. Of those, 94 were under the age of 14, who are immune from criminal punishment under the Article 9 of the Criminal Act. Eighty-seven suspects were in their 20s, 17 in their 30s, three in their 40s and three in their 50s. South Korean police on A

Dec. 3, 2024

S. Korea sees rise in smokers, obesity rates last year

South Korea saw a rise in smokers and obesity rates last year, according to the National Health and Nutrition Survey on Tuesday. According to the report, 32.4 percent and 6.3 percent of men and women, respectively, were smoking cigarettes, with a particular increase in women in their 20s and 50-something men. The figures were each a 2.4 percent and 1.3 percent increase from 2022. If e-cigarettes are included, the percentage of adults using tobacco products, went up to 38.9 percent for men, a 2

Dec. 3, 2024

Ministry mulls tougher health warning labels for alcohol

South Korea is mulling introducing tougher health warnings on alcohol container labels to raise awareness on alcohol-related risks, according to officials on Tuesday. The move comes after Rep. Nam In-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, also a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, suggested updating the warning labels to make them more effective in delivering the risks of alcohol consumption. Amid calls for stronger warning labels, the Health Mi

Dec. 3, 2024

Seoul mayor cancels overseas trip due to rail workers' strikes

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has canceled his overseas business trip to respond to strikes planned by subway and railway workers later this week, the city government said Tuesday. Oh's one-week business trip to India and Malaysia, scheduled to begin Wednesday, has been canceled as citizens are expected to be inconvenienced by walkouts by unionized KORAIL and Seoul Metro workers, set to begin Thursday and Friday, respectively, the government said in a release. The union of KORAIL, the KTX and regu

Dec. 3, 2024

Running frenzy has orthopedic clinics smiling

When Yoo Ji-na, a novice runner, visited a local orthopedic clinic for knee pain after completing her first 10-kilometer race, she couldn’t shake the odd feeling of being warmly welcomed by the clinic’s doctor and staff. Even before she had a chance to explain in detail how the pain started and developed, the doctor was already pinpointing the likely cause: "A lack of muscle strength in your thighs and glutes, especially the gluteus medius." He was seeing a growing number

Dec. 3, 2024

38 Vietnamese tourists go missing in Jeju

A group of Vietnamese tourists who entered South Korea through the southern island of Jeju last month has disappeared, authorities said Tuesday. The 38 people were among a group of some 90 tourists who arrived in Jeju from Nha Trang, Vietnam, on a chartered VietJet Air flight on Nov. 14, according to the Jeju Tourism Organization. The 38 disappeared at the final stop of their itinerary before their scheduled departure on Nov. 17, while the rest of the group boarded the return flight. Visitors to

Dec. 3, 2024

Presidential official eyes possible resumption of consultative body on doctors' walkout

A senior presidential official said Tuesday that a now-disbanded consultative body on a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors could be reopened, but urged relevant parties to make more efforts to resolve the medical impasse. Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social policy, made the remark during a radio interview with broadcaster KBS, two days after the consultative body, which involved the ruling party, the government and doctors' groups, broke up as they failed to narrow di

Dec. 3, 2024

60,000 non-regular school workers to go on strike Friday

Around 60,000 non-regular school workers will go on strike this week to demand better pay and working conditions, their union said Monday. Union representatives said at a press conference that the workers, who are mostly involved in providing school meals and childcare, will stage a one-day strike Friday after negotiations with the education ministry and local education offices failed to produce an agreement despite multiple rounds of talks since June. The union said non-regular workers number 1

Dec. 2, 2024

Singer Kim Jun-su's alleged blackmailer arrested for blackmail

A female livestreamer on local video-streaming platform AfreecaTV has been arrested for allegedly extorting approximately 800 million won ($570,395) worth of money and valuables from singer and musical actor Kim Jun-su, former member of K-pop group TVXQ, Korean police revealed Monday. The suspect, who approached Kim in 2020 posing as a nail artist and later dated him, is accused of secretly recording private conversations and threatening to expose them. Her blackmail reportedly continued for nea

Dec. 2, 2024

Seoul voted 'Best MICE City' for 10th year in row

South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, was voted the “Best MICE City” for the 10th year in a row during the Global Traveler Tested Reader Survey Awards, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization, Monday. MICE is an acronym that stands for the meeting, incentive travel, convention, exhibition and event sectors. According to the Seoul city government, Global Traveler is a travel magazine publishing company based in the US that annually collects

Dec. 2, 2024

Driver stabbed by 'friend' after car crash

A late-night drive between two friends in a northern suburb of Seoul on Nov. 29 took a sinister turn, leaving one man hospitalized and the other under investigation for attempted murder. According to the Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Monday, an Uzbekistani man in his 20s is under investigation for allegedly attempting to murder a Kyrgyzstani man of the same age group. The two men were friends, both working in South Korea under valid work permits. According to investigators,

Dec. 2, 2024

Does cross atop Christmas tree at Seoul Plaza reflect religious bias?

Seoul faces the same controversy every Christmas: Should the Christmas tree at Seoul Plaza have a Christian cross at the top? The debate has resurfaced once again this year. The 19-meter tree, adorned with an illuminating cross, red ribbons and gift-shaped ornaments, will remain illuminated until Dec. 31, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On Nov. 18, the lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree took place at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The event was attended by key figures i

Dec. 2, 2024

Embattled soccer chief shoots for 4th term

Chung Mong-gyu, the scandal-ridden president of the Korea Football Association, officially threw his hat into the ring Monday for a fourth term. The KFA said the 62-year-old on Monday morning registered as a candidate for the election slated for Jan. 8 of next year. This effectively suspended his duty as chief of the nation's highest soccer governing body, with the vice chair, Kim Jung-bae, becoming the acting chief until the election. Chung’s re-election bid is subject to an external

Dec. 2, 2024

[From the Scene] Seoul's self-driving bus: What to know

In the dark, early hours of Friday, as temperatures in Seoul dipped below freezing, a few passengers stood bundled in padded jackets, hands buried in their pockets. They were waiting for bus No. A160, the latest autonomous addition to Seoul's mass transportation system. Operating exclusively in the early morning hours, the bus leaves Dobongsan Station Metropolitan Transfer Center in northern Seoul at 3:30 a.m. to head for Yeongdeungpo Station. Still in the pilot phase, it makes the 50-kilom

Dec. 2, 2024

UN talks on plastic treaty end without agreement

Negotiations at the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan ended with delegations failing to reach a deal and agreeing to resume talks next year. The INC-5, which started based on a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, started Monday in Busan, with hopes of reaching an agreement to end plastic pollution. The meeting concluded late Sunday without a deal, despite making “significant progress&rd

Dec. 2, 2024

Two butane gas explosions start fires in apartments, killing one

South Korea reported a series of fire-related accidents in residential buildings on Monday that resulted in several casualties. A butane gas explosion on the 15th floor of an apartment building in Daegu at around 8:59 a.m. caused a fire and some 30 residents either evacuated on their own or were rescued, according to the Daegu Fire Department. Several residents reportedly experienced difficulties breathing, eye pain and headaches after the fire, according to local reports. Following the fire, au

Dec. 2, 2024

Number of older inmates rising sharply

A severe decline in birthrate pushing Korea to the verge of becoming super-aged society, the number of elderly inmates in correctional facilities is also increasing rapidly, with 1 in 6 inmates aged 60 years or older. According to the Ministry of Justice's corrections statistics on Monday, the the number of inmates aged 60 and above surged from 2,350 in 2013 to 6,504 in 2023, and now makes up 17.1 percent of the total prison population. This demographic shift leaves behind significant chall

Dec. 2, 2024

Lotte requests police probe over financial crisis rumors

South Korea's retail giant Lotte Group recently requested an investigation from Seoul Gangnam Police Station into rumors about the company's financial instability that have circulated online since late last month, according to legal professionals on Monday. The decision comes after rumors that the company will declare a moratorium in early December due to a liquidity crisis spread online after two YouTube channels alleged that the group was facing challenges in mid-November. Lotte ha

Dec. 2, 2024

Tributes paid to hero firefighter who died in line of duty

Government officials, fellow firefighters and the bereaved family of Im Seong-cheol attended a memorial for the late firefighter held on Jeju Island on Sunday, commemorating the one-year anniversary of his passing while rescuing an elderly couple in a fire. Im, who was 29, was dispatched with a firefighting crew to a fire at a factory in Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo city on the island on Dec. 1, 2023. After helping the elderly couple to safety, he was extinguishing the fire when the building coll

Dec. 2, 2024

Ex-Army man sends beloved ax as thank you to firefighters

An 85-year-old former Army serviceman has sent a letter, along with an ax he used during his time in the military, to thank firefighters for their efforts in a fire last month in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Local media outlets reported Monday that Ansan Fire Station recently received the gifts from Heo Hyeong-rae, who had served as a noncommissioned officer of the South Korean Army for 35 years until being discharged as a sergeant major in 1996. "I'd like to thank the firefighters who pr

Dec. 2, 2024