The Busan High Court on Thursday handed down a 30-year prison sentence to the leader of a crime ring that smuggled 165.6 billion won ($125.7 million) worth of methamphetamine into the country. The man's accomplices were also given jail terms. The man in his 60s was also given a fine of 770 million won for smuggling the drugs and 65,000 cartons of cigarettes into Korea, while his accomplice, also in his 60s, was given a 25-year prison sentence and a 778.7 million won fine. Three other acc

The official supporters' group for the South Korean national soccer teams on Thursday vowed continued support for the men's team, in light of calls by some fans to boycott the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Red Devils posted on to the group's Instagram page a message of support for the team, saying it will not boycott the two matches against Thailand slated for later this month. In the aftermath of a feud among national team players during the Asian Cup in Qatar, several fans have

South Korean police on Thursday said they were investigating a woman in her 30s on suspicion of killing her two dogs by throwing them from her ninth-floor apartment. The suspect is believed to have thrown two of her dogs out of her apartment window at around 7 a.m. on Monday at Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, according to Incheon Samsan Police Station. Officers arriving on the scene found the bodies of the two dogs on the site. The suspect has a history of mental illness and has been institutionalized wit

Yet another revelation related to South Korea's ill-fated Asian Cup outing hit the local media Thursday, with reports that some members of the men's national soccer team had played cards for money late at night during the training for the tournament. According to reports, a few players and one of the staff of the team enjoyed light gambling in January, during the team's training at Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates in preparation for the Asian Cup. The players have not been verifi

Parents of student basketball players at Whimoon High School recently filed complaints against the team's head coach Hyun Joo-yup to Seoul education office, claiming that his TV and YouTube appearances are disrupting his duties as the coach. According to reports by local media, the petitioners -- which also include officials from the school and the team -- accused Hyun of abnormal operations of his team due to his side job. The suspicions reported to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Educati

Local women's rights groups in Tuesday held a joint protest against an adult film convention to be held in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, next week. Suwon Women’s Group Network, an umbrella group of seven women's groups based in Suwon, and other civic groups voiced their opposition to the "K-XF: The Fashion!" festival. According to the festival's organizers, the event scheduled for April 20-21 will feature adult film actors from Japan, along with local online celebritie

The father of a firefighter who perished on the job has donated 500 million won ($381,000) to the National Fire Agency, which the NFA on Tuesday vowed to use to provide scholarships for the bereaved family members of those who lost their lives in service. The agency on Tuesday held a ceremony for the launch of the Firefighter Hero Kim Gi-beom Scholarship at Gangbuk Fire Station in Daegu. The scholarship was based on funds donated by Kim Gyeong-su, whose son Kim Gi-beom died at the age of 26 in 1

The price of apples in South Korea recently skyrocketed to an all-time high as fruit prices in the country continue to soar amid ongoing inflation, data from a state-run agency promoting and supporting agriculture trade showed Wednesday. The wholesale price of 10 kilograms of apples as of Tuesday was 91,700 won ($70), more than double the 41,060 won for same amount at the same time last year, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. The price for 10 kilograms of apples

A South Korean doctor accused of providing drugs to a bar hostess, believed to have blackmailed late actor Lee Sun-kyun, denied the accusations at a court hearing on Tuesday. The lawyer for the 43-year-old plastic surgeon told Incheon District Court that his client denies all the charges related to the 30-year-old hostess of a high-end bar, who has been charged with receiving the drug from the doctor. Contrary to what the defendant said, the hostess has already pleaded guilty to all the charges

A 46-year-old member of the Gwangyang municipal council made headlines by proposing to his girlfriend in the middle of a general assembly meeting on Monday. According to the council in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, councilman Park Chul-soo of the main opposition Democratic Party took to the podium to pose questions about the city’s policies to officials. After the questions, he said, "Pardon me for speaking about my personal matters in the assembly." "I thought making it

A 29-year-old South Korean man was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in jail by an appellate court for attempted murder of his wife, whom he had tricked into marriage by lying about his wealth and educational background. Gwangju High Court found the defendant surnamed Choi guilty of attempted murder, but overturned the earlier ruling by a lower court that had sentenced him to five years and six months in prison. "The defendant’s history of mental illness, including depression, appear

South Korean prosecutors said Monday it has indicted a baseball coach at a local elementary school on charge of child abuse, after he made one of his student athletes run 100 laps around the school grounds as punishment. According to Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, the suspect in his 30s is suspected of physical and psychological abuse against a member of his team. He is accused of forcing the student do the laps in addition to 500 pushups within 90 minutes last year. The child's

When asked about their biggest regret from their marriages, divorced men cited a lack of self-control, while divorced women wished they had scolded their partner less, according to a survey by local matchmakers. Matchmaking services Only You and Bienarae jointly conducted the survey earlier this month on 518 men and women who have gone through a divorce. The leading answer for the question, "What do you regret most about how you treated your spouse from your first marriage?" 33.2 perc

South Korean police said Tuesday it has launched an investigation into last year's death of a sixth-grader, as the bereaved family of the girl claim that the girl left a note of school bullies that allegedly tormented her until her death. According to Yeonje Police Station, the family recently told officials that the victim, who was 12 at the time, had been bullied for a year leading up to her death in October last year. The family told local media outlets that her suicide note contained th

A South Korean citizen has been detained by Russian authorities on charge of espionage, Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported late Monday. If confirmed, it would mark the first time a South Korean has been pressed with spy charges by Russia. According to the Tass, the individual was transferred from Vladivostok, where he had been detained, to Moscow for further investigation. He was detained earlier this year on alleged charges of passing the "top secret" information of Rus

South Korean prosecutors on Monday asked the court to sentence Cho Doo-soon to one year in prison, after the convicted child rapist broke his curfew and stepped outside of his home after dark late last year. The prosecution said Cho violated a legal order not to leave his home after 9 p.m., and left his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province at around 9:05 p.m. on Dec. 4, where he allegedly wandered around the adjacently stationed police post. Officials also said Cho denied a police order to retu

South Korean court on Monday sentenced a 22-year-old man to two years in prison, suspended for two years, for starving himself in a bid to avoid mandatary military service. Gwangju District Court found the defendant guilty of violating the Military Service Act, which mandates all able-bodied male citizens to serve in the military for at least 18 months as of 2024. But men whose physical conditions are under certain standards can carry out alternate non-combat service for a similar period. Betwee

South Korean men's national soccer team head coach Hwang Sun-hong announced his 23-man squad Monday, which included Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in who fell from favor with the public for his recent scuffle with team captain Son Heung-min. The interim coach for the team acknowledged the public's concern over Lee, and said addressing the issue could provide a chance to strengthen team chemistry. "I've talked to both players, and resolving (such conflict) can bring (the team) close

More than 38 percent of over-65s were in relative poverty in 2022 a South Korean government report showed Monday. OECD data shows the country had the highest old-age poverty rate among all member states. The relative poverty rate for South Korea marked a 0.5 percent point increase from 37.6 percent before, according to the report jointly announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Statistics Korea. OECD defines relative poverty rate refers to the percentage of the population with income

South Korean media on Monday reported that police had apprehended a man in his 60s who allegedly attacked a woman after she refused his sexual advances. The police tracked down the man after receiving his license plate details from the victim, who read out the number from a bathroom window. According to local broadcaster MBN, the suspect met the victim at around 2 p.m. Sunday through a mutual acquaintance. After the two met and had a drink, the victim visited the suspect's home, where the s