A man in his 50s has been indicted for unprovoked attacks on elementary school children he had no connection with. After being on the wanted list for 18 months, the 52-year-old man was charged with assault and child abuse, said the Incheon District Prosecutor's Office on Thursday. The prosecution requested he be detained at a psychological treatment facility following the decision that he has a very high risk of recidivism if not treated medically. The suspect is alleged to have attacked a

Social Affairs March 30, 2023

The illegal entry of two male Kazakh nationals came to an end on Wednesday, as one suspect who absconded from Incheon Airport turned himself in earlier this morning. This comes three days after the police apprehended another fugitive, a man in his 20s, in Daejeon on Sunday. The two, aged 21 and 18, had broken a terminal window and climbed over a fence near a runway of the airport at around 4:20 a.m Sunday while waiting for a repatriation flight. They had been denied entry into Korea, as the purp

Social Affairs March 29, 2023

One of two Kazakhstanis who fled Incheon Airport after being denied entry into South Korea was apprehended Sunday afternoon in Daejeon, nearly 200 km away. A 21-year-old man was captured at around 9:42 p.m. at a convenience store in Daejeon, where he had gone to meet an acquaintance, the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said. The police are currently checking security footage to track down another individual aged 18 who is still on the run. The two Kazakhstani nationals had broken a termin

Social Affairs March 27, 2023

A zebra that escaped from a Seoul zoo Thursday had begun acting out earlier this year after its parents died, a video revealed. Two-year-old Sero was captured alive after having roamed around a Seoul residential neighborhood for roughly three hours, and was seen galloping through busy traffic and sniffing the garbage bags in the area. Sero reportedly broke free from Seoul Children's Grand Park's zoo by damaging a wooden deck installed around its pen. Early this year, Sero had become ag

Social Affairs March 24, 2023

A soldier was fined for sexual harassment, asking random women on the street to spit on him. The soldier was fined 150,000 won ($115) by the military court under violation of the Minor Offense Law on Monday. In October, the soldier approached a 27-year-old woman in a residential area in Busan, inquiring as to whether she was a smoker and then asking her to spit on him. Then he is reported to had said, "Can you spit on me? If that's too much, could I have the cigarette end when you are

Social Affairs March 22, 2023

The police are after suspects who absconded with money they collected from operating a temporary animal shelter in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, leaving several animals abandoned, abused and even dead. Arrest warrants have been issued for three suspects on the run for violating animal protection law. They face charges of allegedly receiving about 1 million won ($765) per animal "to take care of them" and then vanishing, neglecting or abusing the dogs and cats, said police on Tuesday. The

Social Affairs March 21, 2023

A new Japanese-style "maid cafe" opened in Seoul on Wednesday, sparking controversy, with some raising concerns that the cafe's costumes and theme of female servers being dressed as anime-style "maids" could be degrading and commercializing sex. Located in Mapo-gu, the so-called "maid cafe" welcomes customers with overly accommodating waitresses dressed in ruffled miniskirts and fishnet stockings. A total of 28 workers or "maids" serve food and drinks whil

Social Affairs March 16, 2023

The number of food poisoning cases involving raw oysters has surged dramatically this winter compared to last year. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Tuesday, a total of 524 cases of food poisoning due to raw oysters were reported between November 2022 and February 2023. This figure is an eightfold increase compared to the same period between 2021 and 2022, which only had 68 cases. Oysters are rich in minerals and vitamins but can be one of the main sources of the norovirus, w

Social Affairs March 14, 2023

White liquid suspected to be animal fat has been found sprayed near a mosque construction site in Daegu amid continued discord between an anti-mosque committee and the Muslim community. CCTV footage revealed by Muaz Razaq, a representative of Muslim community members who support the mosque, shows two people throwing unknown white waste on the street several times at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The footage also shows one person holding an umbrella, apparently to hide his or her face from being

Social Affairs March 9, 2023

Many universities in South Korea held commencement ceremonies on Friday, filling the air with the excitement of new beginnings. With the coronavirus' spread slowing down in recent months, some schools held in-person ceremonies for the first time in four years. Freshmen of Sungkyunkwan University took part in a Confucian ritual for their commencement ceremony. The ritual, called "goyurye," traces back to the Joseon era (1392-1910). Cadets marched in file during a commencement cerem

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2023

Three South Koreans were arrested for smuggling 167 billion won ($127 million) worth of methamphetamine into the country in December, the prosecutors' office said Tuesday. The Busan District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday it has arrested and indicted three suspects on charges of smuggling 50 kilograms of methamphetamine through a port in the southern city of Busan from Thailand. The suspects face allegations of hiding the contraband in seven plastic pallets to clear customs. A pallet is a

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2023

It’s here – the final episode of our three-part interview series with the cast of the film “Asia”! Check out the other episodes if you haven’t already and let us know what you think!

Film Jan. 3, 2023

Have you been wondering what the film “Asia” is about? Check out our exclusive interview with the cast! This is the second episode of a three-part series, filmed on Nov.6 in Seoul. Check out the first episode if you haven’t already, and watch out for the final episode to be released on Dec. 22!

Film Dec. 16, 2022

India's Anushka Sen, Thailand's Pakorn Chatborirak and Malaysia’s Daiyan Trisha and Sean Lee sat down with the Asia 101 team for an off-the-wall interview about their Korean debut film with director Lee Jung-sub. This is the first episode of a three-part series, filmed on Nov.6 in Seoul. Check back for the next episode – the final one will be released on Dec. 22!

Film Dec. 16, 2022

Presenting Asia as it is. This simple yet determining idea is what brought together a number of superstars from across Asia to work together on an ambitious project. “Seeing hate against Asians escalate after the pandemic, I thought it’s time we bring such issues to the table. Asian communities should play leading roles in shaping the definition around Asia,” Director Lee Jung-sub said during an exclusive interview with the Korea Herald in early November ahead of the release of

Film Nov. 18, 2022