Navy medical officers save unconscious woman from choking

Two medical officers of the Navy recently resuscitated an older woman who had lost consciousness after choking on tteok (rice cake), according to the Republic of Korea Navy. Lt. Lee Jin-ho and Petty Officer Choi Hwan-yeong, were visiting a phone repair center in Seogwipo City in Jeju Island last Wednesday when they found a woman in her 70s lying unconscious across the street. The two men had gotten off their ship to repair their phones after the salvage and rescue vessel Gwangyang of the Navy

Nov. 12, 2024

Murder suspect claims victim 'stabbed herself'

A 26-year-old man is being tried for the murder of his girlfriend, in another case drawing attention to the issue of dating violence in South Korea. The suspect surnamed Kim is believed to have killed a 27-year-old woman surnamed Im, his girlfriend of two weeks, by stabbing her in the heart at his home in August. Kim, who turned himself in by calling the 119 emergency line, claims self defense. He told police that Im had attacked him with a knife, and unintentionally stabbed herself in the che

Nov. 12, 2024

Man charged with murder in fatal robbery for petty cash

South Korean police said Monday they are investigating a man in his 40s for a murder in which he allegedly targeted another man in his 40s in a random robbery because "he looked wealthy." The suspect is charged with murder in the killing that took place Friday in the city of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. He told investigators that he committed the crime to pay his gambling debts, and targeted the victim because he was drunk and looked to be a wealthy man. The suspect spotted the

Nov. 11, 2024

Search for crew of sunken fishing boat continues; 1 more body found

The Coast Guard on Monday expanded the area in which it is searching for the crew members who went missing last week when a fishing boat sank off the coast of Jeju Island, as another body found the day before brought the death toll to four. The Jeju Coast Guard said 47 boats and eight aircraft were mobilized in the day's search for the 10 missing crew members across an area measuring 64 kilometers by 28 kilometers. The search continued for a fourth straight day in the waters near the wrecka

Nov. 11, 2024

Man who threatened knife attack released with warning

A man in his 50s who called police and warned of a random knife attack was recently released with just a warning, local media outlets reported Monday. According to a News1 report, officials of the Ilsan Seobu Police Station arrested a man in his 50s at around 9:50 p.m. on Nov. 5 after he called the 112 police emergency number and said he would kill many people at a bus terminal. "I will kill everyone at the terminal with a knife. Come quickly," he reportedly told police. Officials foun

Nov. 11, 2024

Teens' prank spoils Busan's biggest fireworks festival

An unexpected lighting failure that occurred during the 19th Busan Fireworks Festival on Saturday was caused by three teenagers, according to the event’s organizers on Sunday. The teens' unauthorized entrance into the control room for the festival led to the light failure, according to the organizing committee of the annual festival in the second-largest Korean city. The teens touched a cable connected to light controls on the bridge Gwangandaegyo while being escorted out by security,

Nov. 11, 2024

Drug use rises, but 13 addiction clinics treated no one last year: report

The number of estimated drug users in South Korea has surged to over 400,000 this year, but several of the state-designated hospitals for drug addiction treatment have not treated a single patient this year. According to local DongA Ilbo newspaper, a Ministry of Health and Welfare report estimated that 400,530 people in South Korea are thought to have used illegal drugs this year. This figure is derived from the ministry's formula of multiplying by 30 the actual number of those investigated

Nov. 9, 2024

Sunken fishing boat's location confirmed; fishing net hinders search

South Korean officials have confirmed the location of the sunken fishing boat off the coast of Jeju Island, but a tangled fishing net is making the search for the vessel difficult, Jeju Coast Guard said Friday. Officials from the Coast Guard held a briefing at 2 p.m. on the search and rescue operations for the crew of the 129-ton Geumseong which sank early Friday morning, leaving two of the 27 crew dead and 12 unaccounted for. Sixteen of the crew were Korean and 11 were of foreign nationality. U

Nov. 8, 2024

Murder charge sought over death of mentally disabled student who was pushed into sea

South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested an appellate court to hand a 25-year prison term to a 20-year-old over the death of a mentally disabled 18-year-old, who died after the accused pushed him into the sea for losing a game. Prosecutors want the defendant convicted of murder, after a lower court found him guilty only of a lesser offence. He pushed the victim into the sea in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, on Feb.1. The defendant lured the victim to the port by suggesting to go fishing,

Nov. 8, 2024

Woman jailed for hiding her baby's body for 4 years

A woman accused of causing her newborn's death and then hiding the baby's body was sentenced to a four-year prison term by a local court, officials said Thursday. Daejeon District Court on Oct. 26 found the defendant guilty of violating Article 4 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, death resulting from child abuse. The defendant in her 30s was held responsible for the death of her child, who died a week after being born in September 2019. The de

Nov. 8, 2024