Articles by Yoon Min-sik
Yoon Min-sik
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com-
Stabbing rampages push S. Korea to seek life sentence without parole
The South Korean government said Friday that it will take steps to introduce life sentence without parole as punishment for violent crimes, in response to a series of deadly and seemingly random attacks that have occurred in the past weeks. The announcement came a day after a 22-year-old man injured 14 in what appeared to be a random attack against pedestrians at Seohyeon Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. The culprit -- who showed signs of paranoia -- gave no clear motive to police, fueling
Newsmaker Aug. 4, 2023
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Court acknowledges KakaoTalk profile could be used to convey threats
Images and messages displayed on a KakaoTalk user's profile can be perceived as a threat, a Seoul court said recently, acknowledging the popular messenger app’s potential use in illegal activities such as making threats or stalking. In a case filed with the Seoul Central District Court, three parents accused the chief of a hagwon, or private education academy, of online threats by posting intimidating photos on his KakaoTalk profile that only they could see. Users of the mobile messen
Social Affairs July 31, 2023
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[Weekender] A fish with a dozen names
The newest snack craze in South Korea is Meoktaekkang. Convenience stores nationwide are selling out of the fish-flavored snack from local food company Nongshim. For those who may find it hard to understand what the name means, meoktae is one of the many names that Koreans use to refer to Alaska pollack, which is among the most consumed fish here. The "kkang" derives from Nongshim’s signature snack, the shrimp-flavored Saewookkang. The fish, whose most widely recognized Korean na
Hashtag Korea July 29, 2023
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Seoul officials yet to face consequences for Itaewon crowd crush
Eight months after the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, none of the officials in charge of the situation at the time has faced legal punishment, with investigations and trials still ongoing. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court dismissed impeachment of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, rejecting the National Assembly's request to remove him over the crowd crush that left 159 dead. Police investigating the incident had earlier decided not to seek criminal charges against him. The trial
Social Affairs July 26, 2023
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[Korea History] Bridge collapse lays bare dark side of 'Han River miracle’
It was a regular Friday morning on Oct. 21, 1994. The 1.2-kilometer Seongnsu Bridge over the Han River in Seoul was bustling with commuting cars as usual, amid light rain. At around 7:38 a.m., a 48-meter-long section of the bridge suddenly cracked and fell onto the river, bringing down several cars with it. A passenger bus came to a screeching halt but failed to escape its fate, as it too plunged to the water below. So did a few other cars. "Minutes after I entered the Seongsu Bridge as u
Hashtag Korea July 26, 2023
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Around 2,000 ‘suspicious packages' reported in S. Korea so far; police find no hazardous materials
South Korean police have investigated some 2,000 suspicious international packages that have been found across the country for the past four days, with no evidence as of yet suggesting that they were sent as an act of terrorism. As of Monday morning, the National Police Agency has tallied up 2,141 reports of packages of an unidentified nature received by individuals in South Korea since the first case was reported around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Officials have examined 587 of the parcels, which
Social Affairs July 23, 2023
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Toddler drowns in pool at unstaffed kids’ cafe
A 2-year-old girl has died after falling into a pool at an unstaffed kids cafe in Incheon, which was absent of any safety personnel, local police said Sunday. According to the Incheon Seobu Police Station, the child was playing at the facility in Seo-gu, Incheon, Saturday morning, when she fell into the pool with a depth of 67 centimeters. The parent called 119 emergency services, which attempted to resuscitate the child while taking her to a nearby hospital, to no avail. The incident was report
Social Affairs July 23, 2023
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Human-free retail is not risk-free
At first glance, South Korea appears to have the right mix for an unmanned retail revolution. The country is known for its swift embrace of technology, widespread adoption of cashless payments, well-developed urban centers and relatively low crime rate. But owners of unmanned shops here say that running an automated store is not as glamorous as it may seem. While the cost and hassle of hiring and retaining human staff are eliminated, new issues arise, ranging from littering and shoplifting, to d
Consumer July 18, 2023
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1 more body recovered from flooded underpass
South Korean fire authorities recovered the body of one more person presumed to be one of the victims of the deadly flooding of an underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on late Monday. According to the officials, the body was found near the entrance of the Gungpyeong 2 underpass in Cheongju at 7:52 p.m. Once confirmed, this will be the last of the 12 people who were reported to have gone missing in the tunnel deluge. This will bring the total death toll from the tragedy to
Social Affairs July 17, 2023
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[From the scene] As water recedes, mud hinders search for the missing
CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province -- The bullet train slowed to a near-halt as it approached North Chungcheong Province, as if the locomotive was cautious not to bring any more jitters to a region where a record July downpour has taken at least 16 lives as of Monday. Most of the deaths occurred in the flooded underpass in Cheongju's Osong-eup, about 2 kilometers from Osong Station where the KTX train stopped. When this reporter arrived Monday morning, the floodwaters that had engulfed th
Social Affairs July 17, 2023
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Flooding claims dozens of lives as rainfall lashes Korea
More deaths have been reported across the country as flooding from heavy rain claimed over 30 lives as of Sunday, including a 34-year-old man who tried to save his father from an open manhole on Saturday afternoon. Both father and son were found dead. The father, chief of a Gwangdeok-ri village in North Chungcheong Province, was trying to remove objects obstructing the town's drainage facilities when he was swept into the manhole. His son jumped in in an attempt to save him. Rescue personne
Social Affairs July 16, 2023
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Most intercity trains disrupted by rain; KTX partially operational
Most intercity train routes across South Korea, except those for the high-speed KTX trains, have been suspended Sunday due to torrential rains that have battered the country for days. All non-KTX trains -- including the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa -- have been grounded as of Sunday morning, according to state-run railway operator Korea Railroad Corp. Korail has closed all 12 train routes that pass through Suwon Station in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and 21 of 25 routes that stop at Seodaejeon Station.
Social Affairs July 16, 2023
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High schooler who killed ex-classmate had bullied victim
The high school senior being questioned for killing a fellow student was found to have bullied the victim last year, staking a contrast from the suspect’s earlier testimony that the two had been friends. According to the metropolitan education office in Daejeon, the two 17-year-olds attended the same school and were classmates. But the suspect, whose identity has been withheld, was moved to another class as a disciplinary measure for bullying the victim. The victim’s family said th
Social Affairs July 14, 2023
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High school girl arrested over death of friend following argument
South Korean police on Thursday requested an arrest warrant for a high school senior over the death of another high school senior in Daejeon. Officials at Dunsan Police Station, who are currently investigating the case, said the 17-year-old turned herself in, confessing to have killed her friend at the victim’s home on Wednesday afternoon. The suspect, whose identity has been withheld, told police that they got into an argument while talking, while refusing to elaborate on the details. The
Social Affairs July 13, 2023
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‘Better’ college does mean bigger income: report
Backing what many in South Korea already believe as a fact, a recent research found a correlation between university rankings and income levels of graduates. The study, conducted by a joint team of researchers from Seoul National University and the Korea Development Institute, analyzed the wage levels of 21,178 South Korean adults aged between 25 and 59, classifying them into five groups based on the rankings of their alma mater institutions. The researchers found that the average income increas
Social Affairs July 12, 2023
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