The number of fire accidents caused by discarded cigarettes in May 2018 decreased on-year possibly due to the growing adoption of heat-not-burn cigarettes. The National Fire Agency cited the growing popularity of heat-not-burn cigarettes as one of the reasons behind the fall. Data from the agency showed that fire accidents caused by discarded cigarettes dropped from 6,861 in May 2017 to 5,846 in May this year, marking a 14.8 percent drop.  (Yonhap)“Accidents occur when fires over a certain tempe

South Korea’s highest ranked tennis player Chung Hyeon has been seeded 26th at Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.The All England Club announced seeds for 2018 championship on Thursday.Among 32 players seeded in Gentlemen’s Singles, the South Korean was seeded 26th. (Yonhap)In Gentlemen’s Singles at the Championships, 128 athletes compete for the silver gilt trophy and 32 of them are given seeds with the intention to keep the best apart until later in the c

Online soccer platform Onefootball said Tuesday that there had been hopes for South Korean soccer players to be exempted from military service should they advance to the quarterfinals or further at the World Cup.A number of newspapers touched on Son Heung-min’s struggles to avoid military service upon discussing South Korea’s upcoming match against defending champion Germany on Wednesday.(Yonhap)As the speculation circulated, soccer media news publisher 101 Great Goals countered, saying the Worl

A woman who fell from her studio apartment hit a passer-by and died in Busan.Police said Tuesday that the woman in her 20s fell from a 15-floor studio apartment building in Busan around 7 p.m. on Monday.During her fall, she crashed into a man who was walking by and injured him. (UtoImage)The passer-by got an abrasion on his left arm during the incident, according to police. Police are suspecting that she committed suicide based on the fact that she had been suffering from bipolar disorder for 10

A part-time worker at a bungee jumping facility in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, drowned on Monday. Gapyeong Police Station said Tuesday that the 20-year-old employee was found unconscious in the water at the site located in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong around 2 p.m. on Monday.He was taken to a local hospital, where he was declared dead.(123RF)It seems the part-timer lost his balance on an inflatable boat and fell into the water, according to the CCTV footage.Although his coworkers called the emergency

A South Korean college is running a program to combat hidden cameras, following a string of incidents at several universities.The student council of Hanyang University’s College of Social Sciences kicked off an inspection service for the spycams in May.As students have expressed discomfort and concerns of holes in walls, doors and ceilings, the student council began a project to search out hidden cameras. A hidden camera detection request is sent to the student council of the College of Social S

An 8-year-old has been injured by fragments of a cement block that fell from an apartment building.Uijeongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said Friday that the block fell into a playground in an apartment complex located in Uijeongbu-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.Although no one was directly struck by the block, the kid was hit by its fragments. The child was sent to hospital for scratches on his knee. (123RF)It has been identified that the 23-centimeter block was made of cementPolice

A five-piece Korean boy band debuted during the summer of 2016 after signing a contract with an agency in December 2015. However, the group’s hopes of becoming part of the next generation of Hallyu were shattered in less than a year.The agency, downsizing its workforce, did not provide the band with a manger, a vehicle or vocal and dance lessons.The bandmates were asked to pay for their own hairstyling and makeup, as well as aesthetic procedures such as dermal fillers and botulinum toxin injecti

Gwangju Dongu Police Station said Thursday that it has requested an arrest warrant for a 52-year-old surnamed Hwang on the charge of obstruction of business at a restaurant.Hwang was allegedly drunk and flew into a rage for an hour, bending spoons and kicking tables, at a restaurant in Daein-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. (123RF)While the restaurant owner was filing a report to police, the suspect reportedly assaulted a customer by throwing a soju bottle at the person. It ap

Gwangju Seobu Police Station said Thursday that it has booked a gang member surnamed Kim without detention on the charge of assault. (123RF)Kim is accused of using physical violence against a man surnamed Park in his 20s for trying to break up a fight between him and his girlfriend in front of a convenience store in Seo-gu, Gwangju, around 5:45 a.m. on Sunday.Police said Park was punched twice in the face by Kim when he attempted to stop the conflict.By Ahn Sang-yool (koolsangon@heraldcorp.com)

Cheongju Cheongwon Police Station said Wednesday that it has booked two teenagers on the charge of obstruction of business.The two 18-year-olds are accused of running around on the baseball field during the ball game between Hanwha Eagles and LG Twins around 9:55 p.m. on Tuesday, interrupting the game. (Yonhap)The suspects claimed that they got angry because Hanwha Eagles lost the game during the police investigation. Police said they were sober.By Ahn Sang-yool (koolsangon@heraldcorp.com)

An aerodrome shot in a BTS music video has become a popular tourist site with fans from around the globe.The city of Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, posted a YouTube link for “EPILOGUE : Young Forever” on its official website to promote the city with growing interest in Mosan Aerodrome.It also put up a banner saying, “Come to Jecheon, BTS’ Music Video Site.”(YouTube)A part of the video displays the Korean boy band walking on Mosan Aerodrome, which is located in the city’s Goam-dong.The aero

Sacheon Police Station said Wednesday that a 57-year-old man died from bee stings on his shoulder and elbow around 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday while removing weeds in a cypress forest in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. (Yonhap)The man suffered immediate anaphylaxis shock when he was stung. He was sent to a hospital, but died.Police said he was wearing a helmet and boots, along with a long sleeve shirt.By Ahn Sang-yool (koolsangon@heraldcorp.com)

Daegu Nambu Police Station said Wednesday that it has arrested a 55-year-old man on the charge of burglary.He is accused of stealing credit cards from sauna lockers with cloned keys around 10 a.m. on March 29. He has allegedly stolen six credit cards from six saunas located in Gyeongsang Province. (123RF)The suspect has made 14 million won ($12,620) by reselling jewelry bought from stores with the stolen credit cards, according to police.Police said he visited saunas and cloned keys a day before

A man has been arrested for habitually stealing from churches.Jeonju Deokjin Police Station in North Jeolla Province said Wednesday that it has arrested a 27-year-old man on the charge of burglary.He is accused of stealing a laptop computer from a church in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, around 4:30 p.m. on May 27. (123RF)Since mid-May, the suspect had allegedly broken into nine different churches and taken laptops and bicycles worth an estimated 6.6 million won ($5,900). He committe

An apartment janitor has allegedly injured his boss Monday after he was fired.Gwangju Seobu Police Station said Tuesday that it is investigating the 34-year-old surnamed Seo on the charge of attempted murder.Seo is accused of causing physical damage on his superior surnamed Kim at an apartment control office with a weapon around 3:30 p.m. on Monday. (Yonhap)After suffering from a serious injury, the victim is in hospital for treatment, police said. Seo held a grudge against Kim for firing him, a

Seoul Gangseo Police Station said Monday that it has launched a probe into a 61-year-old real estate agent surnamed Lee after booking them for hurting a rival agent. Lee is accused of stabbing a female real estate agent in an apartment complex in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul around 10:40 a.m. on Monday. (Yonhap)The victim was sent to hospital, suffering injuries to her face and the back of her neck. The suspect injured themselves after committing the crime and was also sent to hospital.The two

A report was filed with the Korea Coast Guard that two people fell into the sea in front of North Port in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.The Coast Guard arrived only four minutes after the report and rescued a 56-year-old man surnamed Kim and 46-year-old woman surnamed Park who were holding on to a quay wall.  (Yonhap)Although they suffered no physical injuries, both were treated for hypothermia and received first aid, according to the Coast Guard.It said Monday that

An ex-employee has been caught for transferring about 37 million won ($33,500) to his account after breaking into his former office and stealing a corporate debit card.Busan Dongnae Police Station said Monday that it arrested the 21-year-old on the charge of burglary.The suspect reportedly broke into the office of a used phone dealer in Busan and stole a cell phone, 290,000 won in cash and a corporate debit card from a safe around 4 a.m. on May 19. He is accused of transferring money from the co

A group of thieves have been apprehended for stealing goods and pickpocketing in local marketplaces in Busan.Busan Jungbu Police Station said Monday that it has booked 13 people without detention on the charge of burglary. (123RF)Police said they have stolen clothes, cosmetics products and food from a number of stores near Gukje Market in Jung-gu, Busan while they were unattended, and have pickpocketed when it was crowded in the marketplace since December 2017.The stolen goods are worth an estim