Reported sex crimes in Korea increased by 61.6 percent in five years to 22,034 cases in 2011, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Monday. Seoul City recorded the highest rate of sex crimes per capita in the nation with 61.4 sex offenses per 100,000 people, followed by Bucheon with 60.9, and Suwon with 56.9.The number of sexual assault and abduction cases against children under the age of 13 years was 1,054 and 89, respectively.Among sex crimes against children, 23.8 percent and 32.6 percent wer

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office indicted a trainee prosecutor involved in a sex scandal without detention on Monday.The prosecution’s internal inspection team charged prosecutor Jeon Jae-mong with bribery and abuse of power.“His inappropriate behavior caused anger and criticism among the public and tainted the reputation of prosecutors,” said an SPO official, adding that the prosecution would seek the dismissal of Jeon.The internal inspection committee at the SPO last week recommended seeking ch

Police might summon incumbent prosecutors on suspicion that they leaked a photo of a woman who allegedly had sex with one of their fellow prosecutors in a high-profile sex scandal, sources at Seoul police said Friday. Seocho Police Station is currently analyzing files handed over by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s internal inspection team. “The inspection team has reported to the police four officials who created the image file and their two accomplices,” said a lead prosecutor of the prosecut

The National Election Commission on Friday filed a complaint against a Saenuri Party official engaging in illegal election activities for presidential candidate Park Geun-hye. The person identified by his surname Yoon is known to be the director of a social networking service support team of the ruling party, which consulted him about SNS.The commission raided a unregistered election office run by Yoon in Yeouido, central Seoul, and confiscated evidence including eight computers, a laptop, certi

Kim Bok-sun, 87, a surviving victim of Japan’s sex slavery, passed away Wednesday due to old age. She had been in hospital for a long time, according to the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, an organization to help the victims.The number of surviving victims of Japanese sex slavery during the colonial period stands at 59, said Yoon Mee-hyang, a representative of the organization.The 1,054th Wednesday protest demanding an official apology from the Japanese

A 60-something man in a dark-brown checkered coat approached a Salvation Army officer manning a red kettle in Myeong-dong, a fashion and shopping district in Seoul on Sunday. The man put a white envelope in the red kettle, saying, “Please use it for the elderly in need.”He then took a taxi and disappeared.The Salvation Army Korea Territory later found a check of around 106 million won ($98,300) with a letter in the envelope while counting up donations. “My parents kept a sense of sharing, helped

By Kim Young-wonThe temperature in the capital Seoul on Monday was minus 7.1 degrees Celsius, the sixth-lowest temperature in early December since the nation’s weather agency started meteorological observations in 1907 in Seoul.The lowest average temperature was recorded in 1944 with minus 10.4 degrees Celsius, followed by minus 8.8 in 1910, minus 8.5 in 1956, minus 8.3 in 1926, and minus 7.2 in 1937.The temperature in the city dipped to a low of minus 11.8 degrees Celsius. As a cold front swept

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security unveiled the names of the worst tax delinquents Sunday with former Hansol Group vice chairman Cho Dong-man and GS Engineering and Construction topping the lists of individuals and corporations, respectively. The disclosure is part of the government’s efforts to tighten its reins on high-income tax dodgers and address growing concerns of the budget balance. The list includes 7,546 individuals and 3,983 corporations that owe at least 30 million wo

All dogs three months or older in Seoul should carry registered labels on microchips, pendants or tags that can identify them when lost beginning next year, the city government said Sunday.Otherwise their owners will be fined 1 million won ($924) under a new regulation aimed to better protect pets.Dog owners can choose from three types for the registration: electronic microchips which are embedded under dogs’ skin, electronic pendants that have microchips in them, and tags on which the owners’ n

The Korean police are permitted to conduct preliminary investigations into U.S. Army officers and soldiers who are caught red-handed in criminal cases before they hand them over to the U.S. military police, the National Police Agency said Sunday. The police will also have the right to investigate all types of crimes committed by the U.S. servicemen under detention.Previously the U.S. military was only required to give “sympathetic consideration” when Korea requested a transfer even before indict

The red collection kettles so familiar in Korea at this time of year each have a red shield inscribed with “Gusegun,” Salvation Army in Korean.The Salvation Army, a charity organization, was founded by William Booth who preached in slum areas in London in 1865 to the poor and labor workers who were excluded from churches at the time. First called the Christian Mission, the charity organization was given its current name in 1878. The SA did not only evangelize to the marginalized such as thieves,

The Korean office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the National Assembly Human Rights Forum will hold a symposium next Wednesday to discuss ways to successfully implement the new Refugee Act.The legislation, which was passed by the National Assembly in December 2011, will come into force on July 1, 2013.Experts and officials, including UNHCR Korea Representative Anne Mary Campbell and NAHRF Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, will discuss refugee policies under the new law.This

At a Sinseon Seolnongtang restaurant, some customers order a bowl of rice with 30 percent less than the usual amount. The saved rice is then donated to help feed starving children in Africa.It is one campaign conducted since 2007 by the food franchise to help the less fortunate and the marginalized. Around 3,000 customers participated in the charity effort in two months starting September. Seolleongtang, a broth made from simmered ox bones and beef, is one of Koreans’ most beloved dishes.Oh Chun

The Justice Ministry on Tuesday replaced top-level prosecution officials in the wake of bribery and sex scandals and internal feuds over organizational reform.The reshuffle affected the No. 2 position at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the chief of a powerful investigation arm in charge of high-profile corruption and crime.The shakeup followed the resignation of Prosecutor-General Han Sang-dae Friday.Kim Jin-tae, chief of Seoul High Public Prosecutors’ Office was appointed as deputy prosecut

The prosecution picks up the pace in rebuilding its tarnished reputation and cutting the Gordian knot of corruption inside the prosecutorial body. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it will fire trainee prosecutor Jeon Jae-mong who was involved in a sex scandal.Jon was accused of having sex allegedly in return for favors with a female suspect whom he was interrogating.Choi Jaek-kyung, the head of the SPO’s Central Investigation Unit, on the same day was acquitted of accusations he

Internal inspectors at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office are investigating another corruption case involving a prosecutor who allegedly introduced a suspect he was investigating to a law firm where his brother-in-law worked.The inspectors raided the prosecutor’s office Monday and are looking into whether he took any illegal benefits in exchange for favorable treatment of the suspect, they said.“The SPO is currently investigating a prosecutor suspected to have been involved in influence peddling,”

Daughters raise the social awareness of their fathers, especially if they are the only child, according to the Korean Women’s Development Institute, a leading research institute for gender policy, on Sunday.A KWDI report that surveyed 1,800 parents of elementary, middle, and high school students in July showed that fathers who have an only daughter scored the highest average points of 76.76 in a gender equality index.The average score is two points higher than that of mothers of at least two dau

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or Naro rocket, is set for its third launch on Thursday. If successful in putting a scientific satellite mounted on the rocket into orbit, Korea will become the 10th country with its own capability to develop and launch a rocket.The first attempt ended in failure 540.8 seconds after the launch due to malfunction of a fairing, a cover for the payload satellite, in August 2009.The rocket failed a second time, exploding 137.3 seconds after launch in June 2010. The

Good Neighbors activists travel around the world helping people suffering because of natural disasters, poverty and war.The nongovernmental organization devoted to international relief and development was founded in 1991 by seven people including current chairman Lee Il-ha.It was granted General Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1996. The highest NGO status of three, including special consultative and roster status, is reserved for large international NGOs

International aid not only helps people in need, but also keeps the world safer from threats stemming from poverty and inequality, according to Lee Il-hwa, chairman of Good Neighbors, Korea’s leading nongovernmental organization. “We should share some of our economic prosperity with other countries not only for a humanitarian reason but also to prevent the chaos that would be started by poverty, diseases and war,” he said.Born to a devout Christian family, Lee, 65, always thought he would live f