A South Korean model who confessed to using drugs in the Philippines is under criminal investigation, according to police on Friday, after a rapid drug test came back positive. Kim Na-jung, 32, is currently under investigation for illegal drug use by the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. She is to face questioning as to how she obtained the drugs and from whom, including possible accomplices, without physically detention. She tested positive in a drug test she took at Incheon Airport sh

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2024

Government data showed Friday that 33 Seoul subway conductors were caught operating the train while under the influence of alcohol, but only three of them were subject to disciplinary actions. The conductors operated the subway with blood alcohol content ranging from 0.02 percent to 0.29 percent, and 0.08 percent on average, according to Seoul Metro data submitted to the ruling People Power Party's Yoon Young-hee on the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Of the three who faced punitive actions, tw

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2024

A man who was convicted of rape in his 20s an once more in his 30s, has been sentenced to prison for rape yet again at the age of 45. The Seoul High Court on Wednesday upheld an earlier court ruling that gave a 15-year prison term to the defendant, surnamed Kim. It also ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring anklet for 20 years after he is released. "The initial ruling does not appear to be too heavy or too light in proportion to the crime," the court said in its verdict. Kim was

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

With some experts suspecting that the worn-down hull had caused last week's sinking of a 34-year-old boat, government data showed Thursday that nearly 40 percent of the fishing boats in South Korea are at least 21 years old. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, 24,504 of the fishing boats in the country were aged 21 years or above as of 2023, accounting for 38.1 percent of all registered fishing boats. A total of 12,205 of them were built at least 26 years ago. Korea does no

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

The South Korean police on Thursday revealed the name, age and mugshot of a man accused of murdering his former girlfriend and injuring her mother. Seo Dong-ha, 34, is suspected of killing a woman in her 30s at an apartment complex in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on Nov. 8. Seo also attacked the victim's mother, inflicting non-critical damage with his knife. He reported himself to the police and was arrested shortly after. Seo and the victim had dated for four months earlier in the ye

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

Just over half of South Koreans believe getting married is essential, a recent government study showed Wednesday, and a growing proportion of people say it's alright for couples simply to live together without tying the knot. According to Statistics Korea's annual study on Korean society, 52.5 percent of Koreans say people should get married, while 41.5 percent say it is a matter of choice and 3.3 percent say they should remain single. The percentage of those who believe people must

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

The annual number of accidents involving senior citizens on automated transportation devices including elevators, escalators and moving walkways has been increasing since 2020, a report by the state-run consumer protection agency showed Wednesday. A total of 1,507 such accidents involving the over-65s were registered at the Consumer Injury Surveillance System from 2020 to September of this year, according to the Korea Consumer Agency. The yearly figure for these accidents of the elderly increa

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

A South Korean media outlet on Wednesday reported that TV announcer-turned-model Kim Na-jung had reached out to the South Korean Embassy in the Philippines for help leaving the country, after confessing to officials there that she had used drugs. According to Edaily, the 32-year-old contacted the embassy on Tuesday for help citing an unspecified danger, and received assistance going to the airport from her hotel and onto the plane from Manila to Incheon. The embassy did not elaborate on what typ

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

Incheon police said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into possible animal cruelty case, after the body of a beheaded kitten was found the previous day. Officials at the Incheon Gyeyang Police Station received the report of the kitten at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police said it will investigate the surveillance footage of the area around the lot, to determine whether this is a case of animal cruelty or if the kitten had been killed by another animal. Another potential animal cruelty

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

The organs of a woman who died after suffering cardiac arrest have been donated to help seven individuals, the state-run organ donation agency said Wednesday. Lee Mi-jeong, who passed away last month at the age of 37, left her heart, lungs, liver, both kidneys and both eyes to be transplanted, according to the Korea Organ Donation Agency. She suffered critical cardiac arrest in July, which left her brain dead. The bereaved family of Lee said they saw organ donation as a way of keeping a part o

People Nov. 13, 2024

An overwhelming majority of middle and high school teachers nationwide worry that their basic rights may be violated when supervising the Suneung college entrance exam, a survey showed Monday. The Korean Federation of Teachers Unions conducted the survey on 4,654 teachers across the country, in which 88 percent of the respondents said they have been concerned about potential human rights violations during Suneung duties. The Ministry of Education requires to middle and high schools across the co

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

A recent survey by a local dating app showed that single South Koreans feel the urge to look for a romantic relationship mostly when they want someone on their side. Dating app Noondate conducted the survey of 16,792 men and women across the country who are not romantically involved with anyone, asking them when they feel like starting a romantic relationship. The leading answer for both sexes was "when I feel like I want someone to take my side," chosen by 48 percent of women and 39 p

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

Two medical officers of the Navy recently resuscitated an older woman who had lost consciousness after choking on tteok (rice cake), according to the Republic of Korea Navy. Lt. Lee Jin-ho and Petty Officer Choi Hwan-yeong, were visiting a phone repair center in Seogwipo City in Jeju Island last Wednesday when they found a woman in her 70s lying unconscious across the street. The two men had gotten off their ship to repair their phones after the salvage and rescue vessel Gwangyang of the Navy

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

A 26-year-old man is being tried for the murder of his girlfriend, in another case drawing attention to the issue of dating violence in South Korea. The suspect surnamed Kim is believed to have killed a 27-year-old woman surnamed Im, his girlfriend of two weeks, by stabbing her in the heart at his home in August. Kim, who turned himself in by calling the 119 emergency line, claims self defense. He told police that Im had attacked him with a knife, and unintentionally stabbed herself in the che

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

South Korean police said Monday they are investigating a man in his 40s for a murder in which he allegedly targeted another man in his 40s in a random robbery because "he looked wealthy." The suspect is charged with murder in the killing that took place Friday in the city of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. He told investigators that he committed the crime to pay his gambling debts, and targeted the victim because he was drunk and looked to be a wealthy man. The suspect spotted the

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2024