A Korean national, identified only by his surname Kim, has been arrested for sexually harassing three females in Osaka, Japan, according to a Japanese broadcaster's report on Tuesday. The man allegedly committed a total of eight crimes over the course of one week that included robberies and sex crimes after arriving in Japan, prompting local police to launch further investigations. According to Yomiuri TV and local media sources, Kim was arrested in Osaka on suspicion of committing indecent

Mayor touts startups as emerging source of job creation in post-pandemic era

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that it has begun the process to revoke the medical license of Cho Min, the daughter of a former justice minister who stepped down from his post over accusations he and his wife fabricated academic documents to get her into medical school. The ministry held a hearing last week before undertaking procedures to revoke her license. She did not attend the hearing as instructed, the ministry added. The process of canceling her medical license is expec

INCHEON -- Police on Tuesday arrested a teenager who attempted to open an emergency door during a flight the previous day. The Incheon District Court in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, issued an arrest warrant for the 19-year-old, on charges of violations of the Aviation Security Act and the Narcotics Control Act. The suspect, whose identity was withheld, was taken into custody Monday by the Incheon International Airport Police Corps after unsuccessfully trying to open the emergenc

Students from Sungkonghoe University in Guro-gu in western Seoul organized Korea's first college campus Pride parade on Tuesday. The celebration included the students advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, while also voicing disapproval of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's perceived discriminatory actions. The daylong Mini Queer Parade event commenced Tuesday with a press briefing in the morning and was due to culminate in an evening procession across the campus. Over 100 attendees were parti

Mayor says regulations a hurdle for city's growth, urban development

Rev. Lee Dong-hwan, who was suspended from duties for two years by the Korean Methodist Church for blessing gay people at a queer festival, is facing trial again for “sympathizing with homosexuality.” Lee had been barred from preaching sermons, giving blessings and holding prayers on behalf of the Korean Methodist Church for sprinkling flower petals on LGBTQ Christians and others attending a queer festival in Incheon in August 2019. The KMC is affiliated with the US-based United Meth

Civic groups and activists on Tuesday launched a campaign calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage in South Korea. The groups, Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea and the Korean Network for Partnership and Marriage Rights of LGBT, held a press conference in Jung-gu, Seoul, to launch the “Marriage Equality Korea” campaign. The campaign will advocate for and promote the legalization of same-sex marriage in Korea, supported by group actions. Yi Ho-rim, an activist from So

The Korean government said Tuesday that it could begin issuing digital identification cards as early as the second half of next year. Ministry of Public Administration and Security said the government's proposal to issue digital resident registration cards to be held on mobile phones was approved at the Cabinet meeting Tuesday. The proposal also require legislative approval. The digital ID cards can be saved on smartphones and will hold the same legal role as the current plastic identificat

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday introduced a new urban design initiative to put the city's urban design on par with global standards and embolden its identity. The new initiative "Design Seoul 2.0" will focus on five pillars of empathy, tolerance, dedication, recovery and sustainability, according to the municipal government in a statement. Under the initiative, seven new publicly funded sightseeing spots will be designated before 2027. Beginning in 2024, designs for

A pop-up exhibition dubbed “Cafe de Busan” was launched in Paris ahead of the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, to support Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, according to the Busan Metropolitan Government on Tuesday. South Korea is vying with Rome, Italy; Odesa, Ukraine; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to host the Expo in its southeastern city of Busan. The two-day assembly, which began Tuesday with 179 BIE member countries attending, involves intense

High-profile attorney Kwon Gyeong-ae was given a one-year work suspension for neglecting her professional duty while representing a client whose daughter had died by suicide due to school violence. Kwon's client was Lee Gi-cheol, the mother of a student named Park Ju-won who took her own life in 2015 at the age of 16 as a result of school violence. Lee publicly lamented a decision by the Korean Bar Association Monday evening, saying the punishment was too light. "After all these transgressi

A bold but cryptic full-page advertisement about the power of women in the US edition of the Korea Times has set Twitter abuzz as concerns about alarmingly low birth rates have persisted in Korea. The Korean-language daily -- the largest in the US, headquartered in Los Angeles with bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Toronto and Vancouver -- featured the print ad on June 14. The ad simply shows two sentences that read, “The

A Korean female livestreamer died Monday, days after she attempted suicide during a YouTube broadcast. Im Ji-hyae, who went by the online handle BJ Imvely, passed away at the age of 37, according to a post uploaded to her Instagram account. She is survived by two daughters, her parents and two brothers. On June 11, Im returned from a live drinking session with a group of fellow streamers, which was also broadcast live. A brawl erupted between Im and another female livestreamer, which soon turned

Seoul City said Monday that it would increase accessibility and restore the ecosystem of Namsan with a brand-new gondola connecting visitors from Myeong-dong the top of the mountain, along with leisure facilities. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will introduce 25 ten-seater gondolas that head to the top of the mountain, which can transport more than 1,000 people per hour. It is an eco-friendly transportation that does not create pollutants such as dust during operation. The construction of the