Emergency 112 calls to the police on fights or violence have sharply increased amid recent high temperatures.The number of cases reported through 112 calls to the Gyeonggi Southern District Police Agency has continued to rise from about 291,000 in May to about 300,000 in June and 306,000 in July. The numbers are over 30 percent higher compared to January and February.About 22 percent of calls were reports of fights or violence concerning drunk people.  (Yonhap)On July 22, two senior citizens, in

A man turned himself in 11 hours after breaking into a credit union bank in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, saying he was struggling to make ends meet.The 37-year-old man surrendered himself to police Tuesday night, about 11 hours after escaping with 4.59 million won ($4,100) from a MG Community Credit Cooperatives branch in Pohang’s Buk-gu district.The man said he decided to turn himself in upon his family’s advice after he confessed the crime to them. (Yonhap)“He said that he committed the

A woman in her 80s died of heatstroke that damaged her cranial nerves, according to the doctor who treated her.Police said the 81-year-old woman did not go out much and appeared to have had the fan on in her house as high temperatures continued for weeks.  (Yonhap)The woman had collapsed in her living room in a northern district of Gwangju, and was found by a caregiver Friday morning. She was moved to a large hospital, but died Monday afternoon while under treatment. “She died as her cranial ner

SINGAPORE -- Seoul seeks to hold senior-level talks with Pyongyang on the sidelines of the Asian Games later this month, after failing to have an official meeting with the North Korean foreign minister at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Singapore.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that they were “reviewing various opportunities” as Jakarta has invited President Moon Jae-in to the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Aug. 18.“All chances can be an opportunity (for inter-Korean talks),”

Police are widening their investigation into Shinil Group, which claimed to have found a sunken Russian warship carrying gold in an alleged attempt to attract capital.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Sophisticated Crime Investigation Unit took over the case involving the imperial Russian navy cruiser Dmitrii Donskoi which was scuttled by her crew in a 1905 battle with Japan.Choi Yong-seok, CEO of Shinil Group, speaks during a press conference held in Seoul last week. Choi is now banned fro

Former girl group member Shoo of S.E.S. is under investigation for failing to pay back hundreds of millions of won in debt which she used to gamble.The criminal division of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office said Friday they are looking into allegations that Shoo, whose real name is Yoo Soo-young, borrowed money from two people at a casino at Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul in June.Former girl group member Shoo of S.E.S. (Herald DB)The two people who lent her 350 million won and 250 millio

Hidden-camera clips showing teenagers’ legs and other body parts are being traded on Tumblr, adding to a series of digital sex crime reports to spark public debate and rallies demanding a wider police investigation.Teenage girls wearing the uniform of a high school in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, are filmed in a short video clip posted on a Tumblr account, with a message reading: “Teaser clip for OO high school. For sales or exchange, please message me.” (Yonhap)The seven-second clip shows the girl

An administrative appeals panel under the nation’s anti-corruption watchdog ruled against the Justice Ministry’s refusal to reinstate the Korean citizenship of a woman whose marriage to an Iranian man faltered as the husband was banned from re-entering Korea due to his criminal record.The Korean woman married an Iranian man in January 2015, registered their marriage the following month and automatically became an Iranian citizen under Iranian law, which grants citizenship to women who marry Iran

US spy agencies have detected signs of North Korea building new intercontinental ballistic missiles at a plant near Pyongyang, the Washington Post reported Monday.Citing unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence, the US daily said that newly obtained evidence, including satellite photos taken in recent weeks, suggests that North Koreans were working on at least one and possibly two liquid-fueled ICBMs at a large research facility in Sanumdong on the outskirts of Pyongyang.The Sanumdong fa

An official at the US State Department stressed full enforcement of sanctions on North Korea in order to achieve the country’s denuclearization, Voice of America reported Monday.“We remain upbeat about the prospects of denuclearization of North Korea, but it will take full enforcement of sanctions to get us there,” a US State Department official was quoted as saying by VOA.The official made the remarks in response to VOA’s request to confirm recent media reports that Washington was against easin

A water pipe under a small bridge burst, causing the overpass to tilt Monday in a suburb southeast of Seoul.A pipeline under a 20-meter-wide and 25-meter-long bridge in Yatap-dong, Bundang, ruptured Sunday night, resulting in a water jet that led to fissures on the bridge and the connecting road. By early Monday, the bridge had tilted by about 8 degrees, according to Bundang police.The cracks on the road did not lead to any traffic accidents, as few vehicles were in the area when the pipe burst.

The US and North Korea have agreed to discuss the repatriation of American troops’ remains from the 1950-53 Korean War on Sunday.The US State Department had announced after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang Friday and Saturday that the two sides were to meet at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom on Thursday. The North said it would discuss the issue with the US, but never mentioned a specific date. On Thursday, US Defense Department and United Nations Command offi

Various events for sexual minorities as well as anti-gay rallies are scheduled for this weekend in Seoul.Advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights plan to hold the Seoul Queer Culture Festival from 11 a.m. on Saturday at Seoul Plaza.Protestant groups are set to hold a rally against the parade at a nearby location, prompting police to prepare to keep the groups separate.The Seoul Queer Parade, which began with about 50 people in 2000, has grown into a large event in which an esti

Former President Chun Doo-hwan will be tried in Gwangju on Monday for defaming the dead in his memoir.In his book published in April last year, Chun called the late Catholic priest Cho Bi-oh “Satan disguised as a priest,” accusing him of lying that he saw military helicopters shooting at people during the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.The former Army general, who was president from 1980 to 1988, was indicted without detention in early May for defamation of the deceased. Former President

Yemini asylum seekers who have arrived on Jeju Island this year will start receiving the results of their refugee status applications in two weeks’ time.Amid much public debate over how to deal with the sudden increase of refugees from the Arab state, the Jeju immigration office began reviewing applications from 486 Yemeni asylum seekers late last month. Seven immigration officers are screening between 12 and 18 applications per day, and the first results are expected in the third week of this m