In South Korea, people tend to associate the word “college festival” with performances by high-profile K-pop stars coupled with alcohol at night. This year, thought-provoking campaigns are making their way into many university compounds as a growing number of students step up to project their voices on pressing social issues during the festival period. At Sungkyunkwan University’s festival Eskara held on Monday, booths dealing with current social issues captivated a sizable cluster of college st

Social Affairs May 18, 2018

Four students were injured by a teacher’s car that suddenly accelerated toward them at a middle school parking lot in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The teacher’s sedan unexpectedly accelerated, ran down the school safety fence and drove onto the sidewalk around 8:20 a.m. Thursday inside the school’s parking lot, said Cheongju’s Cheongwon Police Station. (Uto Image)The vehicle hit four students who were on their way to school. One of them suffered a head injury and is still unconscious, w

Social Affairs May 17, 2018

A woman in her 30s has been arrested for trying to break into a jewelry store.The suspect entered a snack bar in Sinnam-dong in Dong-gu, Daegu, around 11:10 p.m. on April 30, according to Daegu Dongbu Police Station. The woman then reportedly tried to break through a metal wall for about six hours until 5 a.m. the next day in a vain attempt to get inside the jewelry shop. She then fled, leaving equipment at the site.  (123RF)It appears the suspect was seeking to pay off her debts with the crime,

Social Affairs May 17, 2018

A man in his 30s has been arrested for stealing computer game items worth 180 million won ($167,000) on “Lineage 1” from 25 users. He reportedly disguised himself as their acquaintance and tricked them into believing that he will augment items should they tell him their account information.Busan Jungbu Police Station has sent the case to the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday. (Uto Image)The suspect appears to have taken advantage of the fact that rare “Lineage 1” items are traded at tens of milli

Social Affairs May 16, 2018

A man in his 70s has been arrested for stealing flowers from another person’s garden to give to his mother.Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Tuesday the owner of a garden in Ilsandong-gu, Gyeonggi Province, filed a report after flowers had been taken away from April 14 to 25 over three different occasions.At first, three tulips were stolen, then one rose and two more tulips, respectively.  Uto ImagePolice analyzed CCTV footage to identify the suspect, who reportedly took the

Social Affairs May 15, 2018

A brick has been dropped on top of a car parked in an apartment parking lot in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province and caused damage.The vehicle owner found her property damaged by a fallen brick around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. YonhapThere was a grey brick on the roof of the automobile along with a dent as if it had fallen from a great height.The owner filed a report to police after watching the CCTV footage which included the scene of the car being struck by the brick.She said, “What if there was a person cl

Social Affairs May 9, 2018

The Pohang Branch Court of the Daegu District Court said on Tuesday it has sentenced a Marine to eight months in prison suspended for two years and ordered a 40-hour program on sexual violence on the charge of sexually harassing three subordinates. Stationed in South Korean First Marine Division, the suspect is accused of sexually harassing the subordinates by forcibly hugging them and touching their body parts from March to May in 2017. (Yonhap)The court said, “The suspect has taken advantage o

Social Affairs May 8, 2018

Ediya Coffee has terminated its franchise contract with Korean Air Lines’ heiresses Cho Hyun-min and Cho Hyun-ah over the “water rage” scandal.On the coffee chain’s official website, CEO Moon Chang-gi said in a written statement that the two sisters’ ownership of Ediya Coffee shops had marred the company’s reputation significantly, and it had notified them of the termination of their franchise contract on Wednesday. It has reached an agreement with the two to close the stores by June 30.  (Yonha

Social Affairs May 4, 2018

Police has launched a probe on the head of hagwon, or a private academy, in South Gyeongsang Province for having sex with a middle school student.Police said Wednesday that it has booked the suspect without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse. The hagwon head had sexual intercourse with the student in April. The student’s parents witnessed the scene and filed a report to police. (123RF)The student and the suspect claimed during

Social Affairs May 2, 2018

More than a quarter of local village buses in Busan violated maintenance rules, data showed Monday. Of 285 buses, the inspection identified 72 buses in violation of the related rules. The inspection was conducted by the Busan Metropolitan Government, Korea Transportation Safety Authority Busan Headquarters and Busan Village Bus Association. (123RF)Defects included malfunctions in door and lighting systems, wear and tear on tires, scratches and corrosion of vehicle frames, discoloration in painti

Social Affairs May 2, 2018

An advertisement celebrating Korean “King of Pop” Cho Yong-pil’s 50th anniversary has been screened in Times Square, New York. Cho’s three fan clubs, Eternally, Club Mizi and The Great Birth, said Monday that they jointly raised money to celebrate the singer’s 50th anniversary by putting up an advertisement at the major commercial intersection in Manhattan.  (Yonhap)Alongside a picture of him playing the guitar, the advertisement reads, “Cho Yong Pil: The K-Pop Legend. Celebrating the 50th anniv

Performance April 30, 2018

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa said on Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared familiar with her identity when they met during the inter-Korean summit on Friday. When President Moon Jae-in introduced Kang to Kim as the country’s first female foreign minister at Panmunjeom, Kim said he had seen her on television many times, Kang told reporters on Monday. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday. (Yonhap)TV

North Korea April 30, 2018

A man in his 40s dressed up as a woman was arrested for stealing clothes from a shop.Yeosu Police Station in South Jeolla Province said Monday that it apprehended the man for robbery on Saturday.The suspect is accused of breaking into a clothing store when it was closed and stealing women’s clothing.(123RF)He reportedly went into the shop through a back door and stole clothes worth 100,000 won ($94) around 12:10 a.m. Saturday. He faces a few more similar charges.The suspect was initially caught

Social Affairs April 30, 2018

Fine dust level is expected to be “unhealthy” for most of the nation including Seoul, Daegu, Ulsan and Busan, on Monday.The Korean Meteorological Agency said that the fine dust level is likely to be “unhealthy” in the morning but likely to improve gradually from the south in the afternoon with higher atmospheric dispersion from the south. (Yonhap)As of 5 a.m., temperatures were 14.8 degrees Celsius in Seoul, 13.8 C in Incheon, 14.1 C in Suwon, 15.8 in Jeonju and 16.8 C in Busan.Monday’s daytime

Social Affairs April 30, 2018

A suspect in his 20s who assaulted three people while playing a card game of “penalty poker” has been arrested.Gwangju Dongbu Police Station said Thursday they had apprehended the 22-year-old man, surnamed Lee, on charges of assault.Lee is accused of assaulting three underclassmen, including a 19-year-old whom he hit with a broomstick and struck on the head with a weapon on April 3.The 19-year-old is expected to be hospitalized for six weeks. (123RF)The suspect appears to have been motivated by

Social Affairs April 26, 2018