A man in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, is suspected of beating his 100-day-old baby to death.Andong Police requested an arrest warrant for the 41-year-old father on Tuesday.(Yonhap)According to police, the father punched the infant multiple times on the head because he was frustrated with the baby’s crying, on Monday around 2:30 p.m.When he realized the baby was not breathing, he called 119 and rushed to a hospital, but it was too late. That evening the father reported to police that his ch

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2018

Coastal water temperatures in Gijang, a county in northern Busan, have risen to 27 degrees amid the lingering heat wave and caused damage to local aquaculture businesses.Since July 31, when the weather agency issued heat advisories for the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, some 108,000 fish reportedly died at seven fish farms in Busan. Fish farmers reported around 128 million won ($113,000) in damages.  (Yonhap)Further damages may be ahead as water temperatures in Gijang are expected to hover

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2018

Profiting from ads on pornographic sites amounts to profiting from crime and is a punishable offense, the Changwon District Court ruled recently. The court revealed Tuesday that it had given the 32-year-old Oh a suspended sentence of eight months in prison with two years of probation for operating an illegal porn site and distributing over 300,000 obscene videos. Oh was also fined 239 million won ($211,000) for profiting from ads on the website. Oh had operated the website since 2015 without any

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2018

A policeman was found injured with a bullet wound to his head at a police substation in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. The 50-year-old officer was found in the changing room by a colleague at around 8:25 a.m.He is currently in critical condition in hospital.  (Yonhap)According to the local police, the officer came to work at around 8:10 a.m. and went into the changing room after receiving his .38-caliber revolver. Then two loud gunshot sounds were heard. 　Police said they are inve

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2018

A 22-year-old Marine on vacation was arrested for injuring and robbing a pedestrianAccording to the Yongsan Police Station, the Marine followed a 43-year-old pedestrian on the streets of Hannam-dong in Seoul and stole his leather clutch bag after pushing him to the ground on Tuesday around 11:50 p.m.  Image is not related to the article (Yonhap)The bag contained a cell phone and 500,000 won ($447) in cash. The pedestrian broke his nose and bruised his knees from the fall. Police tracked down and

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2018

A cat set fire to a studio apartment in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Thursday, causing 22 residents to evacuate the building in the middle of the night. The fire broke out around 2:50 a.m. and was put out by firefighters 23 minutes later. The total damage is estimated to be 1.4 million won ($1,250).   (Yonhap)Emergency sprinklers prevented the fire from spreading and no human injuries were caused.The fire was reportedly caused by a cat who turned on the microwave while its owner was away. The cat died f

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2018

A 38-year-old woman with severe back pain died after having an allergic reaction to bee venom at a traditional Korean medicine clinic in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, police said Wednesday. According to the Bucheon Ojeong Police Station, she went into anaphylactic shock during an acupuncture procedure on May 15. (AP)An emergency medical team rushed her to a university hospital in Seoul, but the victim passed away in early June amid recovery. The National Forensic Service’s autopsy report confirmed

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2018

An unidentified man died from being hit by a city subway train at Dohwa Station in Incheon, Tuesday evening. The man reportedly died on the spot before emergency workers arrived. The body was handed over to police.  (Yonhap)Police are investigating with thorough analysis of security camera footage of the platform where the train entered.Police said they have received witness reports that the man was walking on the tracks prior to the accident.By Park Jin-won (jpark13@heraldcorp.com)

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2018

A dog hotel operator was booked without physical detention for allegedly violating animal protection laws, police said. Authorities received a report from a dog owner who claimed her pet died in the care of the business owner on July 30 in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province.  Image is not related to the article (Yonhap)Dispatched police officers reportedly found 10 dead dogs in the hotel among the 23 dogs temporarily staying at the facility. Examiners attempted to determine causes of death throug

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2018

Girl group Mamamoo’s Moonbyul is actively promoting K-pop to Vietnamese audiences as a video jockey on a music chart show in the Southeast Asian country.  (RBW Entertainment)Moonbyul already meets with Vietnamese fans every Thursday through Vietnam’s only chart program, “V Heartbeat,” which airs via Naver’s V app. Now Moonbyul is joining “V Heartbeat” as a VJ to introduce K-pop news and music. Mamamoo’s songs have ranked highly on Vietnam’s iTunes chart, and the Vietnamese audiences have been qu

Performance Aug. 7, 2018

As Korea experiences one of the hottest summers in its history, different cities have held squid festivals to fight the scorching heat. At the festivals, visitors can jump into the water and catch fresh squid with their bare hands. Many people flocked to beaches in Gangwon Province and Ulleungdo to cool off and enjoy the rare experience. At the blow of the whistle, children and adults dive into the water to catch as many squids as they can. Those in luck also catch massive amberjack fish. Photos

Travel Aug. 7, 2018

Fire fighters rescued four kittens trapped inside a street drain in Janghowon, Incheon, Monday. A resident passing by the Janghowon sports center heard the kittens crying from inside the drain and reported it to the town’s fire station.  (Yonhap)Fire fighters entered the drain and went 1.5 meters inside to rescue the kittens, who still had their umbilical cords attached. Rescuers said that the furry creatures appeared only recently born. (Yonhap)“We could not find their mother cat nearby. We res

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2018

Singer Ailee shed tears while recalling her experience of dieting during the episode of “Hidden Singer” that aired Sunday. “Hidden Singer” is a TV program in which a pop star and impersonators compete in a singing battle while the audience tries to guess the real singer by listening to their voices only. (JTBC)During Sunday’s episode, an impersonator said she had lost 15 kg to become a singer after she saw Ailee had lost weight. In turn, Ailee opened up about her own experience.Ailee said she wa

Performance Aug. 6, 2018

TV drama “My ID is Gangnam Beauty” garnered much praise for its cryptic portrayal of the main character’s childhood after its first episode aired on July 27.The drama revolves around a character named Kang Mi-rae, who undergoes plastic surgery following hateful comments about her appearance dating back to her childhood. Starring actress Lim Soo-hyang, the series follows Kang’s university life as a transformed “beauty.”  (JTBC)In the first two episodes, the bulk of the story was about Kang’s scho

Television Aug. 3, 2018

For many people, Korea is probably not on their list of must-go surfing destinations. However, with the rising popularity of the sport, more people are discovering that they can actually catch some good waves here.  Surfers at Mallipo Beach (Yonhap)Based on recommendations from members of the Korea Pro Surfing Association, pro and amateur surfers, and online surfing communities, The Korea Herald has selected five spots that surfers of all levels can enjoy.1. Busan  Songjeong Beach, Busan (Busan

Travel Aug. 2, 2018