A Busan court sentenced the 67-year-old man who attacked main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung with a knife in January to 15 years in prison Friday. The court found the defendant surnamed Kim guilty of attempted murder and violation of the Public Official Election Act, for his Jan. 2 attack against Lee during his visit to the city. Kim had posed as a supporter to approach Lee, but then stabbed him in the neck. He told investigators that the attack was to prevent Lee from becomi

A fire broke out Friday at an ink factory in the industrial district in Hwaseong, some 62 kilometers south of Seoul. No casualties have yet been reported. The fire broke out at around 7:15 a.m. at the 1,700-square-meter factory and forced the evacuation of three workers from the site, according to the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters. The authorities issued a level-one emergency response and dispatched 31 fire engines and 78 emergency personnel to the site. The flames were extinguished

The parents of the players attending a soccer academy run by Son Woong-jung, the father of soccer superstar Son Heung-min, released a joint statement Thursday dismissing the recent allegations that he and two coaches at the institute abused the children there. Despite the statement, civic groups said later in the day that the parents making such claims of no abuse can be in itself a form of secondary abuse against the victim. In the joint statement, the parents said, "after years at the a

South Korea's national weather agency said Thursday it plans to forecast the weather further into the future, starting with expanding its mid-term forecast from the current 10-day outlook to 14 within this year. The Korea Meteorological Administration said it will review its numerical weather prediction to see if it can provide specific weather data for up to 14 days. The KMA currently has a three-level weather forecast system: the short-term forecast of up to three days predicts the specif

With medical professors at major hospitals joining the nationwide walkout of medical staff, a doctor at a Seoul-based hospital has chosen to continue practicing while showing his support by going on hunger strike. Professor Ko Beom-seok, a breast disease surgeon at Asan University, said he has been taking nothing but water, salt and coffee since June 23. Ko said could not take part in the ongoing walkout because he felt he could not leave his patients. ut also could not turn away from his coll

With the shock of Monday night's deadly car crash in central Seoul still fresh, a photo circulating online with two handwritten notes left at the site in yellow circles has sparked anger. As of Thursday, a photo of two handwritten notes some deemed derisive of the deceased has been posted on social media and various online forums. Nine people were killed and four were injured by a speeding sedan near City Hall in central Seoul, with the cause of the crash still under investigation. "

A man in his 50s is being investigated for arson after he set his hotel room on fire at the Kangwon Land Casino report in Gangwon Province, local police said Thursday. The suspect identified as a Chinese national told police that he set the fire because he was angry after losing a lot of money at the casino, according to the Jeongseon Police Station. He is suspected of starting the fire in his 14th-floor room of the hotel at around 2:31 a.m. on Thursday, and fleeing the scene. Hotel sprinklers e

A round of live ammunition was found inside the carry-on luggage of a Korean Air flight attendant at Incheon Airport earlier this week, leading to an investigation by airport police, officials said Thursday. According to the Incheon International Airport Police Corps, airport officials discovered the 7.62 mm caliber bullet inside a flight attendant's bag during preboarding inspection on 7:30 a.m. en route to Bangkok on Tuesday. Police seized the bullet and had her take the flight as sched

A former girlfriend of South Korean basketball star Heo Ung was reported to have hired a lawyer in response to him filing complaints against her, accusing Heo of spreading false rumors. Local daily Sports Kyunghyang on Tuesday reported that the woman has hired attorney Noh Jeon-oen to represent her for what she claimed were false claims about her made by Heo. Contrary to what Heo has said, she contends the 30-year-old star never intended to marry her and forced her into two abortions, as well as

The mother of late Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission in a stream for victims of record downpours last year, submitted a petition to the police calling for the punishment of his commanders. According to the bereaved family of the deceased marine, the mother holds the commanders responsible for her son's death while on duty. She reportedly requested police to investigate why Chae had not been wearing a life vest or other safety gear during the mission, and had been t

A South Korean court on Tuesday found a 45-year-old woman not guilty of selling her baby, saying the 1 million won ($720) she received from the couple who took the child does not appear to the payment for the girl. Incheon District Court cleared the baby-selling charge for the woman and the couple who took the baby. The three were indicted on charge of trading the baby born on Nov. 7, 2016, which is banned by Article 17-1 of the Child Welfare Act and punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The b

Teachers and parents at a middle school in Gwangju have strongly protested a lack of action by school officials, who failed to report to authorities a recent violent outburst by a student wielding a knife. According to the Gwangju branch of the Korean Teachers and Educational Worker's Union, 25 of the 27 teachers of the school submitted a petition to the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday calling for its principal and vice principal to be replaced. "The principal did n

A high school student boy has stabbed his female classmate and jumped out of a high-rise apartment building while on the run -- the latter suspected to be a suicide attempt. The girl sustained a serious injury and is currently recovering from surgery. Meanwhile, the boy remains in a serious condition as of Tuesday. According to Ansan Danwon Police Station in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, the suspect launched the attack on the victim at around 3:40 p.m. on Monday, in the bathroom at a hagwon they bot

The deadly car accident that left nine people dead in Seoul Monday night has rekindled debate over whether the government should revisit a conditional driver's license system for older driver, which it shelved in May amid public backlash over potential infringement of the human right to mobility for older people. As of now, it is unclear how a car driven by a 68-year-old man came to plow into pedestrians near Seoul City Hall. The driver claimed the vehicle suddenly accelerated not due to hi

The South Korean police said Tuesday they had commenced a nationwide clampdown against groups of reckless drivers and motorcyclists across the country, which will continue until Aug. 31. Groups of people riding motorcycles or driving cars aggressively without obeying the traffic law are known locally as pokjujok. Although they are not motorcycle gangs or other organized crime groups, the dangerous driving in itself has sparked concern. In a recent case on June 25 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong