China blamed South Korea on Sunday for hurting their trust by pushing to deploy an advanced missile system on the Korean Peninsula despite its strong opposition. The remarks were made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before starting talks with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, on the sidelines of a regional security forum."The recent behavior from South Korea has undermined the foundation for our bilateral trust," Wang said through an interpreter, voicing his displeasure apparently

A South Korean traditional sweets master has received the monthly state recognition for his outstanding artisanship, a government ministry said Friday. Kim Gyu-heun, the master artisan of "hangwa," or South Korean traditional confectionery, usually made from grains and natural sweeteners, was dubbed the "South Korean Artisan of the Month" for July, a recognition jointly presented by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea. With 35 years of exper

A 46-year-old man was arrested for the domestic abuse of his 77-year-old father which resulted in the father’s death two days after the violence, Gyeonggi Namyangju Police said Wednesday. Prior to his death, the victim had denied any assault by his son and refused to be hospitalized on the day he was reportedly beaten.  (Yonhap)According to the victim’s grandson, the victim had suffered beatings on July 9. He passed away two days later. The victim’s grandson, a high school student, told the poli

Two toddlers aged 30 months and 10 months remain hospitalized after their parents passed away in a car accident on July 11.The parents, surnamed Nam and Park (Korean women keep their maiden name after marriage), were buried two days after the accident on their third wedding anniversary on July 13.The family were traveling to the city of Gangneung on July11, when a heavy truck in the opposite direction suddenly collided into their Grandeur sedan in Najeon-ri, Bukpyeong-myeon, Jeongseon County at

A 39-year-old man was arrested for the unpremeditated murder of a drunken man, Cheongju Cheongwon Police said Thursday. The 44-year-old victim had reportedly passed out on the streets in Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, after midnight on July 14.  (Yonhap)The accused had allegedly tried to wake the victim. But as the drunken man fought back vehemently with punches, the accused returned a blow. The victim fell and hurt his head. He was taken to the hospital but died two days later. The police is investi

A U.S. man rescued a drowning Korean man from Busan’s Suyeonggang River on Wednesday.According to the Haeundae Police, the 27-year-old English tutor saw the 55-year-old man flailing in the river at around 9:45 p.m. Women were gathered at the Gwajeonggyo Bridge, from where the man had apparently jumped.  (Yonhap)The English teacher dived in after him, with a life buoy, and rescued the man after swimming some 100-meters.The police said the rescued man conceded the blankets offered by 911 to his re

The bus driver involved in a recent pileup on Yeongdong Expressway has admitted to dozing off on the road, said the police Wednesday. The Gangwon Pyeongchang Police are seeking an arrest warrant for the driver surnamed Bang. Bang had changed his statement twice. He initially gave false information that the accident occurred as he was changing lanes from the second lane to the first. However, recordings surfaced on social media showing that he had only driven on the first lane. Bang changed his s

Singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong will receive the first verdict for the case involving his alleged assault on his ex-girlfriend early next month.Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday concluded hearing from both parties’ legal agents. The court will announce the verdict at 2 p.m. on Aug. 20.  (Yonhap)Kim has been entangled in a number of civil and criminal suits with his ex-girlfriend. She claims that had Kim beaten her, resulting in the miscarriage of a child as she was supposedly pregnant at the

A 55-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend’s younger sister, Incheon Samsan Police said Wednesday. The police said the suspect confessed to murdering the victim because his ex-girlfriend would not return his calls or meet him. He chose the younger sister as his target because she lived by herself, unlike his ex-girlfriend who lives with her son. The suspect was caught on surveillance camera. (Yonhap)According to the police, the murder took place at around 5 p.m. on M

A substantial number of Korean high school students were found to spend their summer holidays studying in-doors, according to Toz Service Group on Wednesday.Conducted between July 2 and July 15 targeting 5,800 high school students using Toz Study Center, the survey showed 77 percent of the respondents (4,466) said their way of combating the summer heat was by hitting the books at an air-conditioned study center.(123RF)Toz provides customized, cafe-like space for group studies and office meetings

Drinks at Starbucks will sell for half price during the company’s 17th year anniversary event period this week, Starbucks Coffee Korea announced on Wednesday.The “Happy Hour” event will be held from Thursday to Saturday, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at more than 900 Starbucks stores nationwide in Korea. (123RF)Exceptions to the event are stores at leisure complexes Vivaldi Park Ocean World and Phoenix Park, as well as expressway service station Majang Premium. Non-barista-made drinks such as Starbu

A man was arrested for stealing 7,000 won ($6) from a restaurant, Gwangju Bukbu Police said on Tuesday. According to the police, the 32-year-old surnamed Song went through a great deal of trouble to break in and steal the money from a fried chicken restaurant in Buk-gu, Gwangju, at around 5:20 a.m. on July 12.  (Gwangju Bukbu Police)Song covered his head with a yellow plastic bag, jumped over a wall, picked a lock and removed a safe from the restaurant. He accidentally dropped the safe while run

A caretaker at nursery in Seoul was indicted for habitual abuse of children under her care, Dongbu District Prosecutors said Tuesday. The 31-year-old surnamed Shin is accused of hitting seven children around the age of four multiple times between March and May, according to the prosecutors.The youngest victim was two years old.  (123RF)Shin allegedly used her hands, a wooden stick, toys and a food tray to hit the children who did not follow her instructions to take a nap or have a meal.She was r

A bus driver is being held responsible for an accident Sunday on the Yeongdong Expressway that claimed four lives and injured 37 people. Police in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, said Tuesday that the driver, aged 57, is presumed to have driven past the regulated maximum speed level. (YTN News Capture)Blackbox recordings showed that the bus sped at 105 kph while the traffic law regulates vehicles on expressways to keep to a maximum speed of 100 kph and safety distance of 100 meters. Bang is also

A construction worker died in a sudden building collapse in Hongeun-dong, Seoul, Monday. The 57-year-old victim surnamed Baek was found unconscious 4 meters from the building exit after a six-hour rescue effort, according to the Seodaemun-gu Fire Department. Baek was taken to hospital but did not survive.  (YTN News YouTube Capture)Seodaemun-gu Fire Department had deployed 175 rescue operators to save Baek. However, the operation only began after cutting off the electricity in the adjacent area.

A building collapsed in Hongeun-dong, northeastern Seoul, Monday, leaving a construction worker trapped in the rubble. The three-story building had been undergoing reconstruction when it collapsed at around 2:05 p.m.　 (YouTube Capture)A 57-year-old construction worker surnamed Baek is reportedly still buried in the wreckage.The fire department is conducting a rescue operation. Two workers and a resident have been taken to hospital with injuries caused by the collapse.By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@h

Two foreign women who raced through the streets of Sinchon naked were booked without detention and banned from leaving the country under charges of public display of obscenity, according to police on Monday.  (YouTube Capture)One of the women is from Australia while the other is from the U.S. They are both 21. They had stripped and ran through the popular district on the night of July 7 as a drunken prank. The Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police identified the women as one-month summer school exchange stu

A group of men and women who coerced runaway teenagers into prostitution were arrested by the police, Monday. South Jeolla Province’s Gwangyang police said it booked a total of 11 people on charges of arranging prostitution. Among the booked 11, four were arrested, six were transferred to the prosecutors without detention and one who ran away was put on a wanted list. According to the police, the men and women, some of them married couples, are accused of recruiting six runaway girls aged betwee

A 10-year-old girl fell in to a coma due to a glitch in medical support gear while being transported via helicopter, according to a story shared on a community bulletin in North Jeolla Province, July 12.Written by the parent of the girl, the story claimed that the fire department‘s helicopter used to take the girl to a bigger hospital lacked an oxygen supply, which gravely exacerbated her medical condition.  (Yonhap News stock image)The patient was to change from a hospital in South Jeolla Provi

The mother of an elementary school student was booked without detention under accusations of hitting her child’s school teacher, according to the Gyeonggi Hwasung Dongbu Police on Sunday. The police said the accused had allegedly assaulted the school nurse by grabbing her hair and slapping her in the face on July 11.  (Yonhap)The accused had reportedly cited the school nurse’s “curt attitude” as the reason behind her actions. She told the police that she had visited the school nurse to ask for d