The Supreme Court sentenced Chang Yong-joon, also known as rapper No:el, to one year in prison for refusing to comply with a breathalyzer test, Friday. Chang, whose father is Rep. Chang Je-won of the ruling People Power Party, was drunk driving and hit another vehicle at an intersection in Seocho-gu, Seoul, around 10:30 p.m., Sept. 18, 2021. He was unlicensed at the time, and when approached by a police officer he refused to comply to a breathalyzer test and assaulted the officer. The lower cour

The personal information of 54-year-old Kim Geun-sik, a serial rapist who sexually assaulted 11 minors, will be officially posted on government website on the day of his release, said the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Friday. The ministry said that it will disclose eight pieces of personal information on Kim: his name, age, photo, address, height and weight, criminal record, court ruling and whether he has an electronic tracking device. The Gender Ministry began the process of regist

Couples outside legal boundaries are still facing various disadvantages, data showed Thursday. According to a report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 28.3 percent of partners who are in a nontraditional form of family, such as common-law partners, said they have faced disadvantages in government policy. The survey asked 159 men and 177 women between the ages of 19 and 49 in 291 households with unmarried couples whether they have experienced any kind of discrimination or in

Visa regulations for foreign workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors will be eased as part of efforts to address labor shortages in rural areas. According to the advance notice of legislation the Ministry of Justice announced Thursday, visa issuance regulations will be eased for workers in those sectors. Foreigners who have stayed in South Korea for longer than five years on E-9 non-professional employment visas or E-10 maritime crew visas cannot apply for visa issuance certificates, b

To expand the Hangeul Party as a global event that promotes the beauty of Korean script, The Korea Herald, Hangul Planet, Art Token and Witty sealed an agreement on Oct. 7. Hangeul Party is an event that aims to convey the beauty of Hangeul to the world. It originally kicked off as a simple event hosted by the Korean Consulate General in May 2015. From Sept. 27-30 this year, the fifth Hangeul Party was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 370 students majoring in Korean language at six

The number of police assigned to work on dating violence and stalking cases remains largely unchanged despite soaring cases, data showed Wednesday. According to data Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party received from the Seoul Metropolitan Police, the number of dating violence cases reported in 2021 was 10,266, up 223 percent from 2018. From January to August this year, 9,865 cases were reported, and the number is expected to exceed last year's figure by the end of the year. Reports o

The Japanese government resumed visa waiver programs for 68 countries and regions Tuesday, lifting COVID-19-induced restrictions for South Koreans visiting Japan. With the visa waiver program reinstated, visitors from 68 countries and regions are able to stay in Japan for up to 90 days without a visa. The upper limit of people entering the country per day -- set at 50,000 -- has also been abolished, and individual visitors coming for sightseeing are now allowed. Antivirus measures remain in plac

The number of people in their 20s who died by suicide in Seoul last year increased by 9.3 percent compared to the previous year, exceeding the proportion of those in their 30s and 40s, the data showed Monday. According to data Rep. Chung Woo-taik of the People Power Party received from Seoul Metropolitan City and Seoul Police Agency, a total of 2,034 people took their own lives in Seoul last year. Among them, 655 people, or 32.2 percent, were in their 60s or older, followed by those in their 20s

The government has yet to complete the review for approving abortion pills for sale in South Korea, despite the process having begun last year, sparking the criticism at the related authorities’ lukewarm attitude. The conflict over introducing the abortion pill began since the Constitutional Court’s decision in April 2019, which ruled a ban on abortion unconstitutional. The National Assembly should have revised the related law by the end of 2020, but the discussion has not seen any p

The main opposition Democratic Party appears to be gearing up to resist the government's move to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, with its chairman voicing concerns for the plans. According to the Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday, party Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung expressed his concern over the reorganization plan, which officially confirmed the abolition of Gender Ministry, at a closed door meeting of the party's supreme council Friday. "The reform plan is h

The 22nd IYF English Speaking Contest will be held on Nov. 12, with applications open until later this month. The event is hosted by the International Youth Fellowship and sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Seoul Metropolitan City and the National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea. Middle and high school student applicants must submit their scripts by Oct. 15, and university student applicants by Oct. 22. Common themes for all participants are: "My dream," "Moving momen

A woman in her 40s, who was suffering from continuous domestic violence, was murdered by her husband in the street on Tuesday, once again raising alarm over the country's measures for protecting victims. The victim had reported her situation to police multiple times, but restraining orders and separation measures were not effective enough. The suspect, a 50-year-old man, was arrested later Tuesday, and has reportedly claimed that he cannot remember the incident because he was drunk. The vic

The Supreme Court has recognized the need to grant refugee status to a Pakistani couple facing a threat of honor killing, upholding a lower court's ruling. This the first case in which refugee status has been granted to people at risk of being a victim of honor killing. The husband, who was studying in Korea, returned to Pakistan in 2016, met a woman and promised to get married. But the couple faced opposition from the woman’s family. The wife testified that she had been kidnapped, be

Hangeul Party, an event aimed at promoting the Korean writing system, was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from Sept. 27 to Friday. The event was hosted and organized by nongovernmental organizations Hangeul Planet and Global Hope, and sponsored by The Korea Herald. At the event, 370 students who major in Korean language at six Vietnamese universities -- Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, HCMC University of Economics and Finance, University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology,

About half of convicted sex offenders against children and the disabled, and the majority of child abusers, have avoided jail terms, data showed Tuesday. According to Supreme Court data revealed by Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok of the People Power Party, 42 percent of those convicted of sex crimes against the disabled between 2016 and 2020 and 50.3 percent of those convicted of sex crimes against children under the age of 13 had received suspended sentences. Among 565 child abusers who were sentenced to