Suga of K-pop boy band BTS was fined 15 million won ($11,468) for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol. Judge Lee Yoo-seop of the Seoul Western District Court has imposed the fine on Friday in a summary judgement –- a legal decision made by a judge without a full trial, usually applied to cases deemed relatively minor allowing for a quicker resolution. The amount is identical to the penalty previously requested by prosecutors. Suga has the right to request a formal tr

K-pop Sept. 30, 2024

Two children’s smartwatch straps sold on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress were found to contain lead levels 121 times higher than the national safety limits, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The safety test results were released on 16 products, including smartwatch straps for children, pacifiers and pacifier clips sold on AliExpress and Temu. The city government revealed that two types of smartwatch straps sold on AliExpress exceeded the country’s lead safety le

Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2024

The suicide rate among individuals under 20 has spiked in recent years in South Korea, with mental health disorders and interpersonal conflicts cited as the main cause. The proportion of those under 20 who had to go to the emergency room after attempting suicide jumped from 35 percent out of a total of 21,545 people in 2019, to 43.3 percent out of 30,665 people in 2023, according to Health Ministry data provided to Rep. Park Hee-seung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. In partic

Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2024

A surrogate mother, an infertile couple and a broker, have been sent to prosecution for indictment over an illegal surrogacy arrangement involving a payment of 50 million won ($37,890) from 13 years ago. The Gwangju Bukbu Police said Thursday that the surrogate mother, who is in her 30s, the couple in their 50s, and the surrogacy broker were referred to the prosecution without detention. The four are accused of violating South Korea’s Child Welfare Act. According to police, the surrogate m

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

A man in his 50s was sentenced on Friday to one year and eight months in prison for breaking into elementary school classrooms and stealing cash and gift cards. The Daejeon District Court found the 56-year-old man guilty of theft, citing two separate incidents. The first occurred on April 17, when the man entered a classroom for first and second graders at an elementary school in Ulsan at approximately 2:15 p.m. He searched through lockers and wallets, stealing about 450,000 won ($340) in cash a

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2024

A South Korean appellate court upheld the four-year prison sentence Tuesday for a woman in her 50s for embezzling about 2.3 billion won ($1.73 million) over eight years from a funeral home. The 54-year-old employee was convicted in June for embezzlement and had appealed her original sentence, claiming it was excessively harsh. However, the Daejeon High Court rejected her appeal. The woman was accused of siphoning company funds while working as a bookkeeper at a funeral home in Asan, South Chungc

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

A pair of 35-year-old twin brothers were convicted after one impersonated the other to take an exam that is part of the official recruitment process for the Financial Supervisory Service. The younger brother who orchestrated the fraud received a prison sentence, while the older brother who took the test as his proxy was given a suspended sentence. Judge Kang Ji-yeop of Namyangju District Court on Monday sentenced the younger brother to one year in prison on charges of the obstruction of business

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024

The South Korean government will look into ways to address issues regarding the national lottery, following the outcry over the relatively small jackpot and large numbers of first-place winners. The Korea Lottery Commission, under the Finance Ministry, announced Tuesday that it has posted a survey titled, “What are your thoughts on changing the first-place prize for the Lotto?” on the public forum run by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission. Questions in the survey inclu

Market Sept. 24, 2024

The meteorologist who correctly forecast summer heat waves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius this year, has now warned of extreme cold snaps sweeping the country in the upcoming winter. Kim Hae-dong, a professor of environmental engineering at Keimyung University, said in a radio interview with CBS on Monday that “this winter will be very cold, similar to the winter of 2021 and 2022 when the temperature fell below minus 18 degrees Celsius.” Kim added that as Korea enters winter, La Nina

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024

A 58-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend 16 years ago, after her remains were discovered during construction work. Geoje Police and the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said Monday they had arrested the man on suspicion of killing his live-in girlfriend in 2008. The man is accused of fatally striking the victim, who was in her 30s at the time, with a blunt object during an argument on Oct. 10 that year, at their residence in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. The sus

Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2024

Three-quarters of self-employed people and small business owners in South Korea report a monthly income of less than 1 million won ($750), well below the monthly minimum wage, government data showed Sunday. Out of 11.46 million self-employed people who filed for income tax in 2022, 75.1 percent, or 8.6 million reported a monthly income below 1 million won, or an annual income of less than 12 million won, according to data obtained from the National Tax Service by Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the rulin

Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2024

South Korean snack exports will likely hit a record high of $700 million this year, riding the wave of popularity of Korean culture and food overseas. From January to August, exports of Korean snacks were tallied at $494.2 million, marking a 15.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Monday. Snacks were the third-largest export in the agricultural sector, following instant noodles and tobacco products. By mid-S

Companies Sept. 23, 2024

A total of 122 flights have been disrupted due to illegal drone activities over the past four years, data showed Thursday, prompting calls for stricter measures and penalties. From September 2020 to August 2024, a total of 506 cases of unauthorized drone activities were detected in the airspace around airports, and 122 cases affected flight operations, according to data from the Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation, submitted to Rep. Ahn Tae-jun of the main op

Mobility Sept. 21, 2024

Police have busted a Vietnam-based scam ring suspected of stealing more than 10 billion won ($7.5 million) through phishing schemes involving fake mobile wedding invitations and delivery notifications, officials said Friday. Last week, Korean and Vietnamese authorities apprehended seven individuals, six of whom -- including the leader -- have been extradited to Korea. The criminal ring is accused of stealing around 10 billion won, the largest amount recorded in such phishing scams, from 230 vict

Social Affairs Sept. 20, 2024

A popular AfreecaTV streamer, identified only by the surname Park, has been arrested and handed over to prosecutors on drug abuse charges, according to police Friday. The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul said Park's case was transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday morning on charges of using illegal drugs. The court issued an arrest warrant, citing the possibility Park might flee. Park, 35, is accused of consuming drugs, including ketamine, on several oc

Social Affairs Sept. 20, 2024