The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday it has launched an investigation into Gallery Seomi, one of the most prominent art galleries in Korea, and its director Hong Song-won on suspicion of evading billions of won in taxes. Much attention is being paid to the case as it could cause a ripple effect up to some of the chaebol families who have long been in close relations with the gallery and Hong. The gallery is suspected of avoiding taxes by omitting some of its profits from i

A 23-year-old man who allegedly broke into his girlfriend’s house and stole the contents of a strongbox was caught, police said on Tuesday.The man planned to steal the safe with his friend after seeing the vault in December when he visited the girlfriend’s apartment in Iksan in North Jeolla Province. After checking that no family members were in the house, the suspect and his 29-year-old friend climbed up the gas pipe to the apartment on the third floor and robbed the safe. The two fled to a mou

Dozing off while driving was a major cause of traffic accidents over the last five years, a report from Korea Transportation Safety Authority showed. The authority conducted a telephone poll on 1,000 people in August to examine the level of public road safety awareness. Of the respondents, 22.5 percent said they had been in accidents or near misses while driving due to lack of concentration or not keeping their eyes on the road. Among them, 36.7 percent of the people who had a car accident said

Actor Park Si-hoo, who was accused of raping a woman earlier this month, formally requested on Monday that his case be transferred to Gangnam Police Station. He had postponed his summons for police questioning on Sunday.“After observing the progress of Park Si-hoo’s case, our law firm has come to realize that the investigative process has considerable flaws,” Purme, a law firm representing Park, said in an official statement.The law firm claimed that the actor’s reputation has bee tarnished by d

The nation is anticipating the outcome of the first female president’s promise to deliver a more equal society and the empowerment of women and other minorities.Park Geun-hye, 60, has pledged to usher in “an era of people’s happiness,” and has included this principle in her key policy agenda. The new president has vowed to improve the quality of people’s lives as many Koreans complain of society being too competitive and obsessed with economic growth. Boosting social spending and creating qualit

Police said Saturday they have detained a teenager on charges of raping and beating to death a 46-year-old woman he met in a nightclub in southern South Korea.The 18-year-old, identified only by his surname Suh, admitted to the crime, saying he was angry as the woman refused to have sex with him, police said. The victim's identity was withheld.According to police, Suh met and drank with her in a nightclub in the southern city of Jinju, some 285 km southeast of Seoul. He allegedly raped and beat