Smugglers who attempted to disguise 230 tons of black soybeans, known as “seoritae,” from China as an additive for diesel engines, have been arrested, customs officials said Thursday. The Incheon Regional Customs said it has referred 11 suspects to prosecutors without detention for alleged violations of customs law. The authorities have also issued wanted notice for two accomplices who are believed to be in China. The suspects are accused of smuggling 230 tons of black soybeans, wort

Complaints related to deepfake sex crimes have surged in South Korea this year, government data showed Thursday. From January to October, an average of 50 complaints per month related to deepfake sex crimes were reported to public complaint platforms, such as the state-run e-People website and local government channels, according to data compiled by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. This represents a 1.7-fold increase from the 30 monthly complaints reported on average in 2023. Dee

A man in his 50s who caused a fatal crash while speeding under the influence of alcohol has appealed a six-year prison sentence, according to a court on Tuesday. The Jeonju District Court handed down a jail term of six years with a fine of 1 million won ($718) on charges of drunk driving and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents to the defendant in September. The defendant filed an appeal, arguing that the six-year prison term is too heavy. In respo

Immigration of a permanent type to South Korea jumped by 50.9 percent last year, the second biggest surge among the 38 member countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In an OECD report titled “International Migration Outlook 2024,” released last week, a record 6.5 million people moved to the 38 high-income countries committed to democracy which make up the OECD last year, up 10 percent from 2022. The United States was the top destination country, adding

Police are seeking an arrest warrant for a woman in her 40s accused of killing her recently born 7-month-old twins, citing the stress of caring for them alone, officials said Tuesday. The suspect was taken into custody on Monday after she called police at 12:40 p.m. to turn herself in. Earlier in the day, the woman allegedly suffocated the infants with a blanket at around 8:30 a.m. in their home in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, while her husband was at work, according to Yeosu Police. Authoritie

A traveler was forced to undergo an invasive body search, including the removal of her sanitary pad, after a drug detection scanner at Daegu Airport falsely flagged her for carrying drugs. On Oct. 8, a woman in her 30s was traveling from the Philippines through Daegu Airport when an ion scanner at the checkpoint detected a high level of narcotics in her suitcase, which contained e-liquid for an electronic cigarette, according to Daegu Regional Customs on Monday. She told the customs officials th

A South Korean man was arrested in Pattaya, Thailand for allegedly assaulting a massage shop owner who objected to him livestreaming his visit, according to local media. The Bangkok Post reported on Thursday that the incident occurred earlier the same day at 12:36 a.m. at a massage shop in Bang Lamung district. The man had reportedly visited the shop several times and livestreamed without permission. The shop owner, 43, initially tolerated the man’s behavior, considering he was a tourist.

More than half of South Koreans living alone have side jobs amid a growing cost-of-living squeeze, a report said Sunday. Among 2,000 economically active men and women aged 25 to 29 living alone in the metropolitan area, 54.8 percent of respondents said they earn extra money through a second job, according to a report by KB Financial Group's think tank. The figure significantly grew from 42 percent in 2022. Among the respondents this year, 38.8 percent said they took on a side gig to save

For high school seniors and graduates who took South Korea’s college entrance exam, or Suneung, on Thursday, the most popular post-exam plan was to work a part-time job, according to a survey. More than half, or 51.3 percent, of 931 test-takers said they want to get a part-time job after the national exam, according to Alba Cheonguk, a job search website on Wednesday. The top reason for wanting a part-time job was “to earn money independently" at 59 percent, followed by desire

A man in his 70s from Busan was airlifted 300 kilometers to Jeju Island for emergency treatment after swallowing a piece of medical equipment during dental implant surgery. According to Jeju National University Hospital on Thursday, the man was receiving an implant procedure in Busan around 4 p.m. last Friday when a dental tool – a screwdriver – entered his airway and became stuck in his bronchial tubes. Paramedics attempted to find a hospital in the Busan area for a bronchoscopy pro

The sleek, mint-colored mechanical pencil distributed to students taking Korea’s college entrance exam, or Suneung, has become a sought-after item in the online secondhand market. Dubbed the “Suneung sharp,” the mechanical pencil is going for around 10,000 won ($7.10) on secondhand platforms such as Bungaejangter and Karrot Market as of Friday, the day after the country’s all-important College Scholastic Ability Test. The mechanical pencil, along with a black marker, is p

A pastor who embezzled 367 million won ($261,063) in church funds, including offerings made by church members, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to a court ruling on Thursday. The Seoul Northern District Court said it handed down the prison term last Thursday on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. The defendant, who served as head pastor at a church in Seoul, is accused of misappropriating church funds for personal expenses between 2010 and 2020. With the pocketed funds, t

Amid prolonged controversy over excessive fees and a lack of transparency in the wedding industry, the South Korean government said it has mandated changes to contract terms at 18 major wedding planning firms. The Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday said it identified six types of unfair clauses in service agreements across 18 wedding planning companies that received the most consumer complaints over three months. These companies offer package weddings -- popular bundles consisting of pre-wedding s

A Chinese game company that abruptly ended services in South Korea four years ago amid a controversy over its presentation of hanbok, has announced the launch of a sequel, stirring calls from an activist for the game to be banned here. Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, a self-styled promoter of Korean culture and history, on Wednesday called for the South Korean government to block the game “Infinity Nikki” from entering the

Police said Tuesday that a man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of secretly filming female students at a private academy, as well as other women in public spaces, to produce exploitative content. Gangwon Provincial Police said the suspect is accused of using smartphones to secretly film 17 female students under their uniform skirts 141 times from January 2020 to October, while he was working at a private cram school, or hagwon, in Gangwon Province. The man then created 1,810 pieces of s

Police have cracked down on an illegal gambling house disguised as a regular business office in Gangnam, southern Seoul, which reportedly wagered hundreds of billions of won in bets. Seoul Metropolitan Police’s International Crime Investigation Unit said Thursday that it has apprehended the 54-year-old ringleader, who allegedly ran gambling establishments across the Nonhyeon, Sinsa and Yeoksam neighborhoods from June 2023 to August 2024. The man has been charged with violating the Tourism

South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji, who won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics, announced she will be taking a break from competitive shooting to focus on her family, a decision reportedly affected by a surge of criticisms online after achieving stardom following the Paris Games. Kim’s agency Plfil said Wednesday that Kim had terminated her contract early with her team, Imsil County Office, as there are no upcoming competitions for the remainder of the year. “I would like to br

South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld an eight-year prison term for a woman who killed her two newborn babies and hid their bodies in her refrigerator. The top court confirmed a lower court’s verdict that sentenced the mother, in her 30s, on charges of murder and concealing of a corpse on Oct. 8, according to media reports Friday. She was convicted of strangling a daughter and a son to death shortly after their birth in November 2018 and November 2019, respectively. Prosecutors said

Photos of a woman practicing yoga in green leggings in front of Gyeongbokgung in Seoul have stirred up debate online. The incident occurred when a woman, 37, from Hanoi, Vietnam shared photos on TikTok showing herself doing a yoga handstand pose in front of the stone wall surrounding Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), during a visit to Seoul, Sunday. The photos went viral on social media, drawing criticism for being "rude," "disgraceful" a

South Korea’s customs agency said Wednesday it has caught 13 dentists smuggling uncertified dental equipment into the country by purchasing it on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress. The dentists are accused of importing 11,349 pieces of equipment, worth approximately 140 million won ($100,000), that were allegedly used on patients, according to the Korea Customs Service at Seoul Regional Customs. The seized items included tools such as dental handpieces and burs for cavity treatment an