Police on Wednesday summoned a babysitter alleged to have abused a 14-month-old for over three months by slapping and neglecting the baby while her parents were not at home.According to Geumcheon Police Station, police are investigating the female babysitter in her late 50s, surnamed Kim, for violating the Child Welfare Law. Kim was dispatched by a government child care program called Babysitting Service, which the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family offers to families with children under the

Social Affairs April 3, 2019

Park Ki-woong, 32, moved to Seoul 12 years ago. Away from his family who live in Busan, he has been living alone since then. It took him a while to accustom himself to the solo life, but he has become used to it.However, there is one thing that still disturbs him, he said.“Eating alone, sleeping alone or watching the TV alone is easier than before, but as years go by, a feeling of loneliness swoops over me more frequently at unexpected moments,” he said. “For example, when I return home after a

Social Affairs April 3, 2019

A mountain fire in Busan that started Tuesday burned about 20 hectares of forest before it was fully extinguished at around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday, Busan Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters said.The fire started at around 3:18 p.m. on Tuesday at Unbongsan, located in the heavily populated Haeundae-gu. The blaze soon spread toward Gochon-ri, a small town in Gijang-gun, as strong winds fanned the flames. (Yonhap)Busan Fire Department dispatched 17 helicopters and 1,200 personnel Tuesday, but

Social Affairs April 3, 2019

A forest fire that broke out in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Monday was put out Tuesday, after burning through 5 hectares of forest in two days.The fire started near a hillside road in Seungju-eup, a small town in Suncheon, at around 4:09 p.m. Monday. The fire soon spread through the mountain, fanned by strong wind. (Yonhap)No casualties have been reported as the fire occurred in a remote area, away from populated areas. Korea Forest Service dispatched seven helicopters and 15 fire engines M

Social Affairs April 2, 2019

Posters criticizing President Moon Jae-in’s policies have been found in colleges around the country, sparking a police investigation. The identical poster sets had been found at 29 universities and a high school as of Monday, according to media reports.  (Yonhap)One poster titled “A Letter to South Korean Students” included a note claimed to have been written by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Another titled “Let’s Overthrow South Korea’s Regime” was placed next to it. The posters criticize the

Social Affairs April 1, 2019

Yoon Ji-oh, a former colleague of a late actress Jang Ja-yeon, on Saturday urged police to strengthen the protection for her, as police did not respond to her emergency signals for more than ten hours.Yoon wrote in an Instagram post that the smartwatch device police gave her for safety was not working, and police had not been responding to her emergency signals that she sent three times from 5:55 a.m. on Saturday. Yoon demanded police give an explanation and apologize. She also urged police to b

Social Affairs March 31, 2019

Police booked K-pop star Seungri on the charge of distributing a secretly taken photo Thursday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the 29-year-old singer shared the obscene picture with fellow entertainer Jung Joon-young and others in a group chat. Seungri (Yonhap)Police said the investigation into who took the photo is ongoing. The singer has also been booked on the charge of brokering sexual services for potential investors in 2015.Meanwhile, police said they will transfer Jung’

Social Affairs March 28, 2019

A worker died and five more were injured Wednesday night in a mining accident in Gangwon Province, the Energy Ministry’s Eastern Mining Safety Office said Thursday.The accident happened inside the Geumcheon mine at around 8:25 p.m., when a gas explosion occurred 1,075 meters below the surface.  (Yonhap)A 53-year-old worker who was in the mine was taken to a hospital but later pronounced dead. Two workers are being treated at Hallym University Medical Center for serious burns to their faces and b

Social Affairs March 28, 2019

Police investigation of the alleged propofol abuse by Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin gathered steam, with the head of a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul where she is claimed to have taken the injections was booked without detention Friday.The clinic, located in Cheongdam-dong, is suspected of having administered the highly addictive anesthetic injections in 2016 to Lee, daughter of Samsung Group patriarch Lee Kun-hee.Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin (Yonhap)The police booked the doctor on charges of vi

Social Affairs March 25, 2019

The police on Friday said they are continuing investigation into Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin’s propofol abuse allegations, as the clinic suspected of having supplied the controlled substance to her has refused to cooperate.Lee, daughter of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, is alleged to have habitually received IV injections of propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul. Propofol is a short-acting anesthetic that is highly addictive.  Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin (yonhap)Investigator

Social Affairs March 22, 2019

The enlistment of K-pop star Seungri has been delayed amid the investigation into the Burning Sun scandal, the Military Manpower Administration announced Wednesday.Seungri filed an application Monday to delay his enlistment, requesting that it be postponed while the case is under investigation.The MMA said his original enlistment date of March 25 has been delayed for three months, with the possibility of an additional extension.Seungri (Yonhap)On Tuesday, drug use was added to the still-growing

Social Affairs March 20, 2019

Nadia Al Insyiraah, a Muslim student from Singapore who attends a prestigious women’s university in Seoul, still remembers the day she went to the freshman orientation session organized by the international students’ office.“The faculty told us that every undergraduate student must attend chapel class every week for eight semesters, and we can’t graduate the school unless we pass the course,” Nadia told The Korea Herald.“I was shocked. I knew the university was a mission school but never thought

Social Affairs March 20, 2019

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office assigned the Burning Sun investigation to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Monday amid snowballing allegations over collusive ties between the police and the club’s management, but the latter said it would not be investigating the case “directly” for now.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said a team that supervises the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigators would be in charge of the case as of Monday. The office added that t

Social Affairs March 18, 2019

Amid snowballing allegations that prosecutors did not properly investigate a major sex scandal in 2013, calls for extending the reinvestigation period for the case are growing louder.Former Deputy Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui is suspected of having received sexual bribery from a contractor, Yoon Jung-cheon. However, the reinvestigation launched by the Justice Ministry’s special commission on past misconduct by the prosecution is likely to be expanded to include allegations of rape and drug use,

Social Affairs March 17, 2019

Singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young and K-pop superstar Seungri appeared at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Thursday for questioning amid snowballing allegations against them, including accusations that Jung shared sex videos he had secretly filmed and that Seungri brokered prostitution in exchange for business favors.Jung Joon-young (left) and Seungri appear at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Thursday for questioning (Yonhap) (Filmed by Park Ju-young, edited by Lee Sun-hye / The Korea

Social Affairs March 14, 2019