South Korea called in China's ambassador on Tuesday to lodge a formal complaint over the recent sinking of a Coast Guard boat by a Chinese vessel illegally fishing in its waters, the foreign ministry said.Deputy foreign minister Kim Hyong-zhin summoned Ambassador Qiu Guohong to his office to protest the incident that took place late last week and demanded efforts to prevent a recurrence, according to the ministry.The Coast Guard said that a 4.5-ton speed boat that was engaged in an operation to

A suicide survivor was ruled guilty of neglect in the death of her companion, Suwon District Court said Monday. The convicted woman, surnamed Kim, had attempted to die with a man she came to know through an online community on suicide. She survived the attempt alone, and was put on trial.Kim, 21, had asked for a jury trial, whereupon the jury of seven unanimously declared her guilty. The court sentenced Kim to six months in prison with a two-year probation period. (123RF)The court said Kim suffe

A released sex offender wearing an electronic ankle bracelet was arrested again after using a weapon to threaten and rob a woman. The Jeonju Wansan Police on Monday said the 43-year-old man, surnamed Kim, is being charged for intruding into the house of the 53-year-old victim at around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. (Yonhap)Kim allegedly punched the victim and took money and valuables worth over 1 million won ($900).Kim has been wearing an electronic tracker on his ankle since he was convicted for a se

An average of eight bodies were found floating down Seoul’s Han River a month over the last five years, data showed Sunday. According to data compiled by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 460 bodies were retrieved from Hangang Parks between early 2012 and July 2016. This meant a body turned up in the river every four days. (The Korea Herald DB)Other attempts to kill oneself by jumping in the river, whether resulting in death or not, accounted for 222 cases in the same period.The numbers swelled

Seoul High Court on Thursday upheld the original 18-month sentence, without probation, for a former school principal who molested his pupils over two years. The appeals court reiterated that the accused, 57, had abused his position at a middle school in Incheon between August 2013 and July 2015, where he should have offered protection and guidance to students but instead made improper physical contact. (Yonhap)The accused will also receive an 80-hour education program for sex offenders.The man’s

A man who stalked and murdered his ex-girlfriend was given a life sentence Thursday. Seoul Dongbu District Court said the accused, a 31-year-old surnamed Han, committed “an unpardonable crime” for brutally killing the victim and tormenting her prior to her death by constant stalking. The victim, 31, had reportedly suffered serious distress due to Han’s threatening presence and was unable to report to work. (Yonhap)On April 19, the day of the murder, the victim fled as soon as she spotted Han, bu

South Korea has pledged to provide $120 million to Afghanistan to help the war-torn country build up its economy and society, the foreign ministry said Thursday.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se announced the plan that will be carried out from 2017-2020 at a conference on Afghanistan held in Brussels, according to the ministry.Under the four-year support plan, around $30 million will be provided to Afghanistan every year, which represents 0.78 percent of the annual contribution pledged

The leaders of South Korea and Costa Rica will hold a summit in Seoul next week to discuss ways to strengthen their long-standing cooperative ties, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Costa Rican counterpart Luis Guillermo Solis will sit down for talks on Wednesday over their "practical" cooperation in trade, science and technology, infrastructure development and other areas, Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.Solis will begin his o

The number of daycare center instructors with a child abuse record is steadily increasing in recent years, data showed Wednesday. The data compiled by Korea Childcare Promotion Institute between January 2012 and August 2016 showed that the number of instructors at daycare centers who were found guilty of child abuse went up from nine in 2012 to 30 in 2016. (Yonhap)According to Rep. Kim Myung-yeon of the Health and Welfare Committee at the National Assembly, in the cited near-five years, a total

US wearable maker Fitbit launched its latest model “Fitbit Charge 2” in Korea on Wednesday.  (Fitbit)Fitbit Charge 2 is an update to the brand’s previous best selling product “Charge HR,” with enhanced design and functions that gauge the wearer’s heartbeat, breathing and fitness level in real time. The measured data are all put into a numerical scale for maximum workout results, the company said. The price for the smart band is 199,000 won ($178). The product can be found at online shopping chan

A group of Koreans in Japan were reportedly outraged over a sushi restaurant in Osaka where too much wasabi was served -- particularly to Korean customers.According to the local Japanese media Monday, well-known sushi chain Ichiba Sushi “wasabi terrorized” its foreign diners, especially Koreans. In Japan, sushi is served with wasabi already wedged in between rice and toppings, while in other locales the spicy green paste is served on the side for those unaccustomed to its sharp taste. Photos of

Wife of Rep. Kang Seok-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party was booked without detention for violating the Public Official Election Act, the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday. The wife, identified by the prosecutors with her surname Shin, is being accused of providing a local university student with cash, food and a promise of a clothing item worth over 200,000 won ($180) in return for spreading favorable comments about her husband, who was running for the candidacy in the regional e

Police in Busan trying to stop a wild boar wandering through a residential area Monday failed in their attempts to shoot it. More than 10 sightings were reported of the animal at an apartment neighborhood in Jurye-dong, Sasang-gu, between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.  Another boar sighting on Sept. 22 in Busan (Twitter)The police tracked down the boar and reportedly fired a shot intending to kill it, but missed. The search for the animal is ongoing. The police are advising people

The agreement between South Korea and Japan on resolving the issue of Tokyo's wartime sexual slavery brought an end to the matter bilaterally, but that does not mean all international discussions on the issue should end, Seoul's UN ambassador said Monday.Seoul's UN ambassador (Yonhap)In December, Seoul and Tokyo reached the landmark deal that centers on Japan's admission of responsibility for the wartime crime and plans to pay reparations to the victims. South Korea promised to end the dispute o

The fishing zone and hours near the western inter-Korean sea border will be expanded starting this weekend, a government ministry said Friday.The measure is intended to help local fishermen increase their income, as they have suffered troubles from Chinese fishing boats illegally operating there.The Yeonpyeong Island zone, designated in 1969 just below the Northern Limit Line, will be broadened by 14 square kilometers to the west starting on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fish

An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for a 15-year-old boy accused of attempted homicide for stabbing his school bully.The Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court said that while the juvenile law says that teenagers should only be put into detention when circumstances rule it necessary, the case applies to prevent the accused from fleeing.  (Yonhap)The accused teenager, whose identity was withheld to protect his rights to privacy, is being charged for stabbing his classmate multiple times wit

Samsung BioLogics Co., a medicine-producing subsidiary of South Korea's Samsung Group, on Thursday won preliminary approval from the nation's bourse for its listing plan.It allows the firm to start the formal process for the initial public offering estimated to value at around 3 trillion won ($2.7 billion). Wrapping up more than a month-long review, a related committee of the Korea Exchange concluded that the company is qualified to be listed on the KOSPI market.The exchange plans to make its fi

A woman is being charged for the murder of her ex-husband, who allegedly said he was not responsible for their divorce. The ex-wife claims the divorce was due to the victim’s extramarital affair. The Gyeonggi Uijeongbu Police said Wednesday that the 54-year-old accused had turned herself in after stabbing and killing the 56-year-old victim at 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday night in their house.  (Yonhap)Following their divorce last year, the two had recently started living together again.　The woman told

The body of an 11-year-old boy, who had been missing since Sept. 15 in a suspected case of murder or fillicide-suicide, was found drowned along the riverside of Nakdong River in Daegu on Wednesday. The discovery came 13 days after the boy, named Ryu Jeong-min, was last seen leaving his house with his mother, 52, in Beommul-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu.Ryu Jeong-min's body was found on Wednesday (Yonhap)Police launched the search for the boy following the back-to-back discoveries of his mother and sis

South Korea and the Netherlands have signed a deal to launch a working holiday program this week to give their younger people a chance to work and travel in the other country for up to one year, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.The agreement was reached Tuesday between South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and the Netherlands' agriculture minister Martijn van Dam in Seoul, according to the ministry. (123RF)Under the deal, both will start a working holiday program on Saturday under which