The police is after a man who reportedly set a woman on fire after spraying her with a flammable liquid.The suspect, believed to be in his 50s, had gotten into a fight with the women in her car before the incident. (Yonhap)The victim, suffering from second- to third-degree burns on her body, was taken to a hospital.Witnesses have told police that a man sprayed something on the woman in her car and set it on fire. By Ahn Sang-yool (koolsangon@heraldcorp.com)

Social Affairs Feb. 6, 2018

A city official from Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, was dismissed on allegations he raped a co-worker.According to the Pohang City Council, North Gyeongsang Province Personnel Committee decided to mete out its heaviest punishment on the city official Monday. (Yonhap)The city official was convicted of raping the victim in a nearby motel after the two had drinks together in March last year.The suspect was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and was under court custody after his first trial

Social Affairs Feb. 5, 2018

A vice principal will receive a heavy punishment for forcing a female teacher to stand in front of a target while he tested out a training bow. According to the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education, its disciplinary committee has decided to either dismiss or demote the vice principal of an elementary school in Gyeyang, Incheon. An investigation team confirmed that the vice principal had shot a safety-tipped arrow at the target with the female teacher positioned in front of it. It asked

Social Affairs Jan. 28, 2018

Cheongju Sangdang Police Station reportedly booked a suspect without detention Thursday for setting fire to a truck after a fight with his wife.Police said the suspect is accused of setting fire to a truck parked in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, by using a lighter that was on one of the vehicle’s passenger seats at 10:22 p.m. Wednesday. (Yonhap)The truck reportedly belongs to the suspect’s brother. No one was injured by the fire, and the suspect was apprehended by police on

Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2018

Gwangju Western Police Station has apprehended a suspect who allegedly used sleeping pills to steal the belongings of her victim.A woman surnamed Lee is suspected of lacing the victim’s coffee with sleeping pills and robbing him at a motel in Gwangju on Sept. 27 last year.After the victim lost consciousness, the suspect reportedly took the victim’s wallet containing credit cards and 50,000 won ($47) in cash. The suspect then bought a gold necklace worth 2.5 million won with one of the credit car

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2018

A convenience store thief has been apprehended by fingerprints left behind on a container of ramen noodles. (Yonhap)The suspect was booked without detention Monday for allegedly threatening an employee and stealing 700,000 won ($650) in cash.The alleged thief reportedly frightened the employee and took the cash after eating the ramen in the store, a representative from Busan Jin Police Station said. Police were then able to track him down from the fingerprints on the food container.By Ahn Sang-y

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2018

A car crashed into a traffic sign in Gijang, Busan, after the driver’s slipper allegedly stuck on the accelerator pedal, local police reported. The autmobile involved in the accident(Youtube)The BMW sedan hit a traffic sign at high speed near Busan Premium Outlets at around 7:50 p.m. Thursday. The driver’s right arm was broken and he suffered internal organ damage during the accident. He was sent to a hospital immediately for treatment.The police agency is still investigating to confirm the caus

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2018

A suspect who took 110 million won ($102,000) from a Community Credit Cooperative branch in Dong-gu, Ulsan, was arrested on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, seven hours after the alleged crime Thursday. Robbed Community Credit Cooperative branch office(Yonhap)Around 8 a.m. Thursday, the suspect reportedly broke in and took 110 million won from the CCC branch office. He went into the office and threatened an employee. He then tied up the employee with duct tape and stole the money from a

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2018

KT said Tuesday it will open the KT Giga Island Drone Education Center to help regional residents learn how to use drones on the island of Imjado in South Jeolla Province.　　The program includes learning the basic principles of drones and piloting them. It will also lend agricultural drones to people who finish the course. Drone(Yonhap)Farmers, who account for about 80 percent of the local population, have been finding it difficult to apply pesticides due to a labor shortage in the area. The pric

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2018

The New York Times has shed light on South Korea’s highly restrictive abortion law.The New York Times said in an article published Saturday, titled “Push to end South Korea abortion ban gains strength, and signatures,” that Korea “is one of just a handful of the world’s richest countries to have such restrictive abortion laws.” Cho Kuk on online petition to legalize abortion(Yonhap)Opponents of the law say it is ineffective and makes the procedure only more expensive and dangerous. They also esp

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2018

Davich Hearing Aid has recently launched a new hearing aid, Alpha VR. Other aids on the market suffer from short battery life, requiring frequent recharges or battery changes, but Alpha VR can operate for 24 hours on a single seven-hour charge. The company is offering a buy one get one free deal right now, making the product more affordable for the customers. Alpha VR (Davich Hearing)Davich is also offering recharging technology that was mostly available only for more expensive devices, to a ful

Technology Jan. 14, 2018

Pantone chose Ultra Violet as the color of the year for 2018. And the shade of purple is expected to hit stores, manifesting itself in cosmetic and fashion products.　For instance, VDL Cosmetics will introduce items featuring the color. VDL Cosmetics posted a promotion video of “VDL + Pantone” on Facebook. It is taking preorders for the limited edition lineup, which includes products such as eye shadow, tint, makeup primer and cushion compact foundation.  Cosmetic Products from Inisfree with Ultr

Arts & Design Jan. 11, 2018

With the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, many banners have been placed to attract customers surrounding Gangneung Olympic Park, where ice sports are to be played during the games.The banners entail advertisements such as for rentals for the Olympics and reservation details. Despite their close proximity to the Olympic venue in Gangwon Province, many tourist accommodations are unexpectedly searching for clients.The advertisements are also abundant within and outside the city.Owners of the f

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2018

(Youtube)Park Kyung, a member of Block B, expressed his gratitude toward fans for helping the K-pop group’s song reach No. 1 on a Korean music chart. He posted a snapshot of the song “Don’t Leave” at No. 1 on the Bugs chart on his Instagram account, along with a comment that said, “Thank you so much for making the song No. 1. We will always try our best to make better music for you guys.”Park Kyung was in charge of producing the song “Don’t Leave,” the lead song of Block B’s latest album “Re:Mon

Performance Jan. 9, 2018

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that shackling a seriously ill male prisoner while receiving treatment violates his physical liberty. NHRCK accepted the prisoner’s petition and requested the prison warden educate prison guards and ensure that they only apply the necessary protective devices to him.The investigation by NHRCK found that the prisoner had received dialysis 76 times from December 2016 to May 2017 due to chronic renal failure.  Handcuffed during the treatment(Y

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2018