Singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young admitted to charges of secretly filming and sharing videos of himself having sex with women in an online chat room and sought to settle with the victims, as a local court began to hear his case Friday. (Yonhap)Jung, 30, was indicted on charges of illicitly filming himself have sex with women and sharing the footage on 11 occasions in the chat room where Big Bang’s former member Seungri and FT Island’s ex-member Choi Jong-hoon are also suspected of having shared

K-pop band Big Bang’s former member Seungri purchased sex services himself, police have now said, with an arrest warrant hearing for him scheduled for Tuesday.  (Yonhap)Requesting an arrest warrant for Seungri on Wednesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Agency brought a new charge -- the purchase of sex -- against him. Police allege he had bought sex services in 2015. The hearing to decide whether to arrest Seungri will be held Tuesday, with the decision likely to come later in the day or early the fol

 Choi Jong-hoon, formerly of K-pop band FT Island, was arrested late Thursday on suspicion of gang rape. (Yonhap)Choi, 30, is suspected of having been involved in the gang rape of a woman on two occasions in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, and Daegu, respectively, in 2016 with four other people from a larger mobile messenger chat room where singer Jung Joon-young also shared sex videos he had illicitly filmed. Issuing the arrest warrant, the Seoul Central District Court said the charges had been pr

Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui appeared before the prosecution for the first time Thursday, to undergo questioning with regard to allegations of rape, abuse of power, and accepting bribes in the form of sexual services. Ex-Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui (Yonhap)Kim, who retired from public service in March 2013, is accused of having received sexual services in return for business favors at an orgy hosted by local contractor Yoon Jung-cheon. 　It is the first time Kim has appeared in

The animal industry expressed concerns over stronger regulations on the operation of zoos and aquariums Wednesday, launching the Korea Animal Cultural Industry Association to protest a series of revisions concerning the management of animal containment facilities.  (Yonhap)At a press conference held in central Seoul, the KACIA, composed of 130 zoos, aquariums and animal cafes as well as three animal associations, blasted the revisions proposed earlier this year, arguing that they reflect only th

Police requested an arrest warrant for Big Bang star Seungri on Wednesday over allegations he procured prostitutes for potential investors in his business and misappropriated funds of nightclub Burning Sun. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency also filed an arrest warrant for Yoo In-suk, CEO of Yuri Holdings that he co-founded with Seungri, on charges of arranging prostitution and embezzlement of company funds.“We see that the two conspired to arrange sex services and embezzle company funds,” Yonhap

With the recent appointment of two Constitutional Court justices whose views are considered liberal, hopes and concerns are growing surrounding the court’s upcoming rulings on socially divisive issues, including the death penalty and the national security law.Since taking office, President Moon Jae-in has appointed eight justices, including Lee Mi-son and Moon Hyung-bae in April. The appointment of so many justices under a single president is unprecedented, but came about because former Presiden

Tension is rising over plans to redistribute investigative rights between the prosecution and police in South Korea, in the wake of a public denunciation from the country’s top prosecutor. (Yonhap)Last week, Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il publicly criticized the recent parliamentary decision to approve the fast-tracking of reform bills, backed by the ruling Democratic Party and three minor opposition parties, saying the bills would undermine democratic principles mandating a system of checks and

Former Korean Air Vice President Cho Hyun-ah admitted Thursday to illegally hiring Filipino maids as the trials began for her and her mother Lee Myung-hee, who faces the same charges. Cho, 45, and Lee, 70 -- the daughter and wife of recently deceased Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho -- were indicted for hiring Filipino women as maids after inviting them under the guise of employment at Korean Air between 2013 and early last year, in breach of immigration law. (Yonhap)Cho, who earned global infa

A monitoring system to measure levels of particulate pollution will be installed near the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea to analyze the amount of toxic pollutants coming from China and North Korea, the government said Tuesday.  (Yonhap)The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of National Defense signed a memorandum of understanding to reduce particulate pollution earlier in the day. Under the memorandum, the ministries will work together to analyze the amount of emis

Lee Suk-chae, former chairman of telecom firm KT Corp., appeared before a local court Tuesday morning to attend an arrest warrant hearing in connection with allegations that he gave preferential treatment in hiring to a high-profile opposition lawmaker’s daughter. (Yonhap)Lee, who served as KT chairman from 2009 to 2013, is suspected of involvement in giving preferential treatment to job applicants with ties to powerful figures -- including a daughter of Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the then-ruling Libe

Speaking at the Monday launch of a pan-national anti-fine dust body, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for efforts to reduce domestic emissions as well as for closer cooperation with China on the issue. Ban Ki-moon (Yonhap)Headed by Ban, the National Council on Climate and Air Quality aims to find solutions to the particulate pollution issue, come up with policy ideas, and coordinate actions with neighboring countries such as China.“When I met Chinese President Xi Jinpin

Bus drivers’ unions threatened Monday to stage an all-out strike on May 15 should they fail to reach an agreement with their employers on working conditions ahead of the enforcement of the 52-hour working week in July. (Yonhap)Of 479 bus companies around the country, trade unions from 234 companies -- involving some 20,138 buses and 41,280 workers -- are expected to join the strike. In Seoul alone, 7,552 buses and 17,735 employees could band together in a walkout. The bus drivers are demanding t

K-pop singer-actor Park Yoo-chun was arrested Friday (early Saturday) on suspicion of purchasing and using methamphetamine. (Yonhap)Park, 33, is suspected of buying 1.5 grams of methamphetamine on three occasions and taking it on five occasions earlier this year with his former fiancee, Hwang Ha-na.　Hwang, 31, is the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products. 　Park, a member of the K-pop band JYJ, appeared before the Suwon District Court at around 1:50 p.m. on Friday to attend the h

K-pop singer and actor Park Yoo-chun appeared before a local court for a hearing on his arrest Friday, over suspected use of an illegal drug after he recently tested positive for methamphetamine. The result is likely to come late Friday or early Saturday.  (Yonhap)Wearing a gray suit, Park, 33 and one-third of K-pop band JYJ, appeared before the Suwon District Court at around 1:50 p.m. to attend the hearing. He did not answer a barrage of questions by reporters at the scene. He is suspected of b

The prosecution concluded Thursday that former President Park Geun-hye, who was jailed for corruption, should not be allowed a stay of execution of her prison sentence as her state of her health does not warrant it. Park, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a fine of 20 billion won ($17.2 million) for bribery and abuses of power by the appeals court, asked for a stay of execution last week, citing her “searing” back pain that cannot be treated in custody. Former President Park Geun-hye (

INCHEON -- A court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Angolan family that has been stranded for four months inside Incheon Airport’s transit zone after being denied a chance for refugee application and entry to the country. 　Nkuka Lulendo, his wife and four children aged under 10, who arrived in Korea on a tourist visa on Dec. 28, filed a suit in February, asking the court to invalidate the immigration office’s decision to deny entry and their chance at refugee status application.　The I

The face of convicted child rapist Cho Doo-soon, whose brutal rape of an 8-year-old girl in 2008 shocked the South Korean public, was revealed on a TV program Wednesday amid growing concerns over his upcoming release.　　(MBC)Public broadcaster MBC released a photo of Cho, who is due to be released from prison Dec. 13 next year, during a program that aired Wednesday afternoon.　It was the first time Cho’s face was revealed to the public. Under the law, the faces of people who commit heinous crimes

K-pop singer and actor Park Yoo-chun was expelled from his agency on Wednesday, after results revealed that he had tested positive for methamphetamine. A hearing on whether to arrest him is scheduled for Friday.(Yonhap)His management agency, C-JeS Entertainment, announced in a statement it had terminated its contract with Park, of K-pop boy band JYJ, and he would retire from the entertainment industry. 　All of his engagements have been called off, and the three-member JYJ is expected to disband.

The first International Tchaikovsky Online Piano Competition for Young Musicians ended last week with an award ceremony at Seoul Cyber University in Seoul, where a South Korean student claimed the second prize. (Clockwise from second row) Judges Yasuo Watanabe of Japan, Pascal Nemirovski of France, Lee Kyungsook of Korea, Vladimir Ovchinnikov of Russia and Alexander S. Sokolov of Russia. Lee Sang-kyun, board chair of the Shinil Educational Foundation and Seoul Cyber University, and Andrey M. Sch