South Korea approved 130 million won ($121,370) in government funding to support North Koreans’ participation in the PyeongChang Paralympics, the Unification Ministry said Friday. A state-run agency in charge of inter-Korean relations finalized its decision to extend its funding to North Korea on Thursday, following its massive financial support for the Winter Games.  North Korean sit skier Kim Jong-hyon (Yonhap)South Korea tapped into the state budget to pay 2.86 billion won to cover the Olympi

Following the recent resignation of a victim of sexual assault, Seoul National University Hospital doctors have called on the hospital to investigate the alleged crimes committed by one of their colleagues on Thursday. Amid the growing #MeToo movement, doctors have come forward to support the victim, reporting the alleged crime on her behalf. The accused doctor, however, has denied all allegations, describing the sexual encounters as “consensual.” He plans to take legal action against his accuse

A South Korean video streamer in her 30s died by suicide during a live broadcast in Busan on Monday, leaving her fans stunned.Fans said that the creator was in a live broadcast at 2 p.m. Monday, when she suddenly jumped out of her eighth floor apartment window. Witnesses immediately called the emergency services for help. The streamer was taken to a nearby hospital, but died an hour later.  (Yonhap)During Monday’s broadcast, the victim reportedly complained of a splitting headache due to an ongo

South Korea’s National Police Agency launched a national task force to fight against cyber sex crimes on Tuesday. Police officers gathered Tuesday to commemorate the launching of the new team at the Human Rights Center in Yongsan District Police Agency. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs, the Korea Communications Commission and civic groups also attended the ceremony. The team is in charge of battling online sex crimes, including what is called “revenge pornography,” as well as c

In a rare move, North Korea’s state media outlets extensively reported on the historical meeting between South Korea’s special envoys and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday. (Yonhap) (Yonhap)The Rodong Sinmun, the North’s state-run newspaper, dedicated plenty of space to the unprecedented meeting. Kim appeared all smiles as he shook hands with South Korea’s top security adviser Chung Eui-yong. Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju hosted the South Korean envoys and reportedly enjoyed a satisfactory

A private high school teacher in Daegu has been dismissed after being found guilty of sexually harassing a female contract-based teacher at the school. According to Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday, the male teacher, 50, had recently undergone training for the upcoming vice principal position. The victim reported that the suspect persistently texted her inappropriate messages, such as wanting to “meet in private and foster a close relationship.”  (Yonhap)School officials further

A multiple-vehicle accident occurred on the Hongcheon Expressway Sunday night following heavy rainfall, leaving three people dead and five others injured. Officials said the three drivers were critically injured and ultimately died as a result from the crash, while the other five people are being treated for injuries.  (Yonhap)The collision happened near the Hongcheon Rest Area in the direction of Honcheon, Gangwon Province at 8:45 p.m. Sunday. Three cars were involved in the deadly crash, polic

Police have dropped alleged rape charges against two men in their 20s at a district in South Gyeongsang Province late February. Their decision to do so, however, has caused controversy in the disabled community as the victim is an intellectually disabled teen girl. After realizing that his 16-year-old daughter was pregnant from the alleged rape, the victim’s father reported the heinous crime to police in November last year, according to Geoje police officers Friday. The father said that the two

A student body at Jeju National University is calling on the faculty to issue a formal apology on behalf of two professors who had allegedly committed sexual misconduct against female students.One professor, 53, is under criminal scrutiny by the local prosecutors’ office over his sexual misdeeds involving two students on Feb. 14. Another professor, 45, was arrested for reportedly touching a student’s body in his car on Dec. 26. (YouTube)Students of the state university formed a committee on the

In contrast to the clear sky in Seoul, Daegwallyeong township is being covered with snow Thursday. Low temperatures will hover around minus 14 degrees Celsius, with peak temperatures of minus 4 C in the county of PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.With the sudden snowfall and subzero temperatures, many people got stuck in traffic, while snow and ice are being cleared from roads. The snowfall is set to let up by Friday, according to the country’s weather agency. Written by Catherine Chung (cec82@heral

A Gyeonggi court on Wednesday handed down a suspended prison term to a man for sexually exploiting a high school student and other youths in search of a temporary job. The Uijeongbu District Court sentenced the 36-year-old man to one year in jail with a stay of execution for two years. He was also ordered to undergo 40 hours of sex education classes. The man was indicted for paying money to the victim for sex on multiple occasions. The victim, who was 16 years old at the time, had posted on a re

A jumbo taxi driver was booked without detention by the Incheon tourist police Tuesday for allegedly scamming a foreign visitor out of nearly 1.3 million won ($1,200) in cab fare. The 61-year-old suspect faces charges of theft by fraud. The Australian tourist said that he was picked up by the driver at Incheon Airport on Oct. 31 last year. His destination was a hotel in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul.  (Twitter)For a journey from Incheon Airport to Nonhyeong-dong, customers would normally pay 100

Two Cambodian men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly attacking and injuring two Thai men with a knife, Hwaseong Seobu Police Station reported Monday. According to the police, the suspects, 22 and 26, said they encountered the two Thai victims in a commercial building’s bathroom in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, at 7:10 p.m. Sunday.  (Yonhap)Following a physical brawl, the suspects reportedly stabbed a 34-year-old victim once and a 27-year-old victim twice. The 34-year-o

South Korean government agencies are under fire for failing to take proper actions in response to the outpouring of sexual violence and harassment revelations across the country. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Police Agency are facing a barrage of criticism from the public, who say their support and protection for victims has been inadequate Women carry banners as they gather to protest against sexual harassment in

As a multinational beverage corporation, Coca-Cola has gone beyond expectations once again. For years, the company has collaborated with a variety of designers to generate creative, fun products. Now working with Korean artist Kim Hyun-jung, the company has launched an ad campaign of Olympics-inspired art depicting female Korean athletes in traditional hanbok dresses.  (Coca-Cola Facebook)As a tribute to the Olympians, the paintings showcase curling, speedskating and bobsled. Fans can take part

Winning her third Olympic medal for Korea on Sunday in the women’s 500 meters, Korea’s ace speedskater Lee Sang-hwa shared a picture of her hugging PyeongChang’s mascot Soohorang on Thursday via Instagram. Overwhelmed with emotions after claiming the silver, Lee described the PyeongChang Olympics as an “unforgettable” experience in the post. Japanese speedskater Nao Kodaira clinched the gold in the close race, setting an Olympic record of 36.94 seconds. (Left photo) Lee Sang-hwa hugs PyeongChang

Some of the infuriated Chinese fans have launched a verbal warfare against Korean counterparts on short track speedskater Choi Min-jeong’s Instagram account. The online confrontation came after the judges handed over the gold medal to Team Korea at the women’s 3,000-meter short track relay on Tuesday. Shim Suk-hee, Choi Min-jeong, Kim A-land and Kim Ye-jin went up against Team China, Italy and Canada in the finals relay Tuesday at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung. (Yonhap)The race was a very clo

Police officers at Incheon International Airport arrested a Dutch man for allegedly stealing a PyeongChang-inspired Soohorang doll for a gift to his daughter on Wednesday. The suspect, 53, was booked without detention on Wednesday on the charge of theft.  Soohorang & Bandabi — the PyeongChang 2018 mascots (Twitter)It is said the suspect reportedly stole six small-sized Soohorang bag charm plushies and a PyeongChang-inspired hooded sweatshirt from a PyeongChang Goods store within the internatinal

Skip Kim Eun-jeong of the South Korean curling team, also known as “Annie,” sparked a torrent of online comments Tuesday, as multiple pictures of her standing next to a mystery man circulated via online communities.   (Screen capture from social media)In the pictures, Kim appears ecstatic and all smiles. She is seen holding hands with a broad-shouldered man. Curious fans commented beneath the post trying to figure out the man’s identity. Playing detective, one fan has speculated the man is surna

The apparent suicide of a nurse at Seoul Asan Medical Center last Thursday has stirred up a frenzy on social media after the victim’s boyfriend blamed the hospital’s “taeum” culture for “driving the victim to her death.” The hazing practice called “taeum,” which means to “burn to ashes” in Korean, is prevalent among nurses here. Senior nurses are given higher privileges, permitting them to bully junior nurses and especially new staff. The bullying essentially involves excluding the victim from m