The CEO of the tech company Marker Group died Wednesday morning ahead of an arrest warrant hearing scheduled for the same day. Police say Song Myong-bin took his own life near his home in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, at around 4:40 a.m. The police found a six-page suicide note in his home telling his family he was sorry. Song Myong-bin (Yonhap)Song was accused of assaulting an employee on multiple occasions over three years starting in 2016, using an iron pipe and a piece of lumber. Footage of Song

Social Affairs March 13, 2019

A woman bit off part of a police officer’s finger during a confrontation at her home, local media outlets reported Monday.According to the Daegu Police, a man reported his wife to the police after she locked the door and would not allow their daughter to go outside on Saturday. The wife is believed to have schizophrenia, a mental disorder sometimes characterized by hallucinations, delusions and abnormal behavior. As the police officer was attempting to apprehend the woman to bring her to a hospi

Social Affairs March 11, 2019

K-pop star Seungri announced his retirement Monday via Instagram, adding that he will continue to cooperate with the current police investigation over allegations of sex bribery involving foreign investors.Earlier in the day, police investigating Gangnam nightclubs Burning Sun and Arena said they have arranged with the military to continue investigating the 29-year-old member of boy band BigBang even after he enlists for military service later this month.Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan

Social Affairs March 11, 2019

On Friday afternoon, Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul turned into a sea of purple with thousands of women flocking to celebrate International Women’s Day.Every March 8, celebrations and protests take place across the world with the goal of making the world a better place for women. South Korea has celebrated International Women’s Day since the 1920s, but it was only in 1985 that the country officially began to hold events to support women’s rights.  About 5,000 participants flocked to Gwanghwamun Squ

Social Affairs March 10, 2019

A man in his 70s jumped to his death after stabbing four others living together at a nursing home in Ulsan, the police said Friday. According to the Ulsan Police, the 77-year-old assailant, surnamed Oh, stabbed a 78-year-old victim who was sleeping in the same room. Oh then stabbed three others staying at two different rooms at around 12:10 a.m. Friday.Oh killed himself by jumping out of the building’s second-floor window.  (Yonhap)The victims, who sustained injuries near the neck, face and othe

Social Affairs March 8, 2019

A police officer who secretly took photos of a woman on a subway train was arrested at the scene Sunday, local media outlets reported Thursday.According to Seoul Gwanak Police Station, the police officer was caught red-handed at Seoul National University Station after he committed the crime on a train on Subway Line 2 at around 6 p.m. Sunday.  This photo is not related to the article. (Yonhap)He reportedly approached the victim and moved his bag’s direction toward the victim’s skirt by adjusting

Social Affairs March 7, 2019

Two South Koreans were confirmed to have died via voluntary euthanasia in Switzerland.According to a nonprofit organization called Dignitas, the procedures took place at its facility near Zurich in 2016 and 2018.The organization assists people in taking their own lives by injecting drugs. (Yonhap)Exit and Dignitas are considered the biggest groups in Switzerland that offer euthanasia services, but only Dignitas accepts foreign nationals.As of the end of 2018, a total of 32 Koreans had joined the

Social Affairs March 6, 2019

An elderly woman died after a fall from an apartment balcony in Jin-gu, Busan, local media outlets reported Tuesday.According to Busan police, the 90-year-old woman fell from the balcony on Monday at around 9:50 a.m. This photo is not related to the article. (Yonhap)She reportedly stood on a 50-centimeter-high drawer while she was shaking the dust off from the bedding on the 17th-floor balcony.The woman was discovered in a garden outside the building by her 61-year-old daughter-in-law.The police

Social Affairs March 5, 2019

Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is often identified as a leading city in Korea, as it outmatches others across various aspects: environment, culture, economy and sports. Policies that the Suwon City Government has rolled out are often benchmarked by other cities, leading to the notion “If you see Suwon, you can see the future of Korea.” Suwon has now grown into a global eco-friendly city of more than 1 million residents.Suwon City Government building (Suwon City)Suwon Theatre FestivalThe 2018 Suwon Th

Social Affairs March 5, 2019

The chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that collusion between police and nightclubs was “unforgivable,” and vowed thorough investigation of the allegations surrounding the Burning Sun scandal.“I’ve ordered the investigators to collect the evidence (of links between nightclubs and police officers),” Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Won Kyung-hwan said, promising the agency would severely punish any police officer found to have colluded with clubs, no matter how

Social Affairs March 4, 2019

The government is rolling out new policies that will tighten rules on student visas in response to an increasing number of overstays by international students in recent years. The Ministry of Justice said Sunday that the government will implement the new policies as of Monday. “The ministry had empowered universities to select foreign students (to study in Korea), but the number of students who illegally overstay in Korea kept increasing as some universities didn’t closely check the students’ fi

Social Affairs March 3, 2019

The March 1 Movement was a massive protest joined by hundreds of thousands of people shouting “manse!” nationwide on the streets, but the protests are often remembered as the achievements of few independence activist men who played vital roles in the event.Women were relegated to the sidelines while history was written centering on these men’s stories, and the women independence fighters were often referred to as someone’s mother or wife, instead of by their names. Some 100 years later, Korea ha

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2019

The “manse!” sounds that spread throughout the country on March 1, 1919, will fill Seoul’s streets once again Friday, with some 1,300 people marching across the city, officials said Thursday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Ministry of the Interior and Safety, various events are set to be held in Seoul and cities nationwide Friday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of March 1 movement.  (Yonhap)Seoul will temporarily block streets near Gwanghwamun Square and the gate Daehanmu

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2019

A man accused of smashing a high school student’s head with a brick was sentenced to 5 years in prison, local media outlets reported Wednesday.The 25-year-old perpetrator, surnamed Moon, followed the female victim who was heading home at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, and hit her head with a brick because she looked like his ex-girlfriend who had dumped him a week earlier.The victim sustained injuries requiring three weeks of medical treatment. This photo shows the perpetrator Moon (Yonhap)In its

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2019

A woman who was riding an electric wheelchair with her adult son was killed after they were hit by a taxi on their way home in Busan, police said Tuesday. Both were taken to a hospital, but the mother was pronounced dead later the same day. (Yonhap)According to Busan Police, the taxi hit the electric wheelchair at around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday in front of a community welfare center located in Yeongdo-gu, Busan. The woman, 67, was riding in the lap of her 44-year-old son, who has a physical disabilit

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2019