South Korea

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North Korean Defector Used Tunnel Unknown to South

Alarms were ignored as man swam ashore, wandered for 6 hours

(Newser) - The North Korean man found in South Korea last week appeared eight times on surveillance cameras without anyone noticing, according to a report from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. Alarms sounded twice after the man came ashore around 1:05am on Feb. 16, but the soldier in charge...

Latest South Korean Embarrassment: Guy in Flippers

Possible North Korean defector reportedly swam across border, crawled through beach drain pipe

(Newser) - Soldiers came upon a North Korean man wearing a wetsuit and flippers walking down a road in South Korea on Tuesday. It was "the second embarrassing breach for the South Korean military's border security in recent months" after a North Korean defector traversed the Demilitarized Zone, reaching a...

South Korea Has New Accusation Against North Korea

It says its neighbor tried to hack Pfizer; no word on whether the attack was successful

(Newser) - The North Korean regime tried to hack US drugmaker Pfizer in an effort to steal information on the company's coronavirus vaccine, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service. Lawmakers were briefed on the findings during a closed-door session of the National Assembly's intelligence committee on Tuesday, per...

Another S. Korean Star Dies Young
S. Korean
Actress
Found Dead
at 26
Jan 25, 2021 11:19 AM CST

S. Korean Actress Found Dead at 26

Song Yoo-jung is only the latest of nation's young stars to die

(Newser) - A disturbing trend in South Korea has continued in 2021: Another of the nation's young stars has been found dead. Actress Song Yoo-jung, 26, died on Saturday in Seoul, though no cause of death has been revealed, reports CNN . As the New York Times notes, her unexpected death has...

Samsung Billionaire's 3 Years of Freedom Are Over

Lee Jae-yong's retrial in S. Korea corruption scandal earns him 2.5 years more in prison

(Newser) - Billionaire Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong was sent back to prison on Monday after a South Korean court handed him a 2.5-year sentence for his involvement in a 2016 corruption scandal that spurred massive protests and ousted South Korea's then-president. In a much-anticipated retrial, the Seoul High Court found...

Seoul's Advice for Moms-to-Be: Lay Out Skivvies for Your Husband

City government slammed for sexist guidelines on expectant moms' looks, weight, spousal care

(Newser) - Everyone knows pregnant women don't especially love being told to keep their weight in check and always look their best, especially right after giving birth. Except, apparently, the city government in Seoul, which is seeing backlash for posting advice for expectant mothers that's being called antiquated and sexist....

Court Orders Japan to Compensate WW2 Sex Slaves

Tokyo refuses to accept 'comfort women' ruling

(Newser) - A South Korean court has ordered Japan to pay compensation to a dozen women who were forced into sexual slavery by its military during World War II—but seven of them have died since the lawsuit was filed in 2013, and the survivors may not live to see the money....

This Country Just Saw Its First-Ever Population Drop

South Korea had more deaths than births in 2020, and the pandemic likely made things worse

(Newser) - For the first time ever, South Korea's population has seen a downturn, with the decline likely exacerbated by the pandemic. Census figures reported by Yonhap show a count of 51,829,023 at year's end, a nearly 21,000 drop from 2019, per the Guardian . The population had...

These Delivery Crews Say Workload Is Killing Them

Labor protections in South Korea don't cover the drivers

(Newser) - When co-workers checked the home of Kim Dong-hee after he missed his shift as a courier in Seoul, they found his body. The official cause of death was a heart attack, but colleagues blame his workload. A few days earlier, the 36-year-old had texted one of them, "I am...

That Cloud Hanging Over BTS? South Korea Just Removed It

With law change, member can delay military service for 2 more years

(Newser) - Friday marks Kim Seok-jin's 28th birthday. It could've also marked the splintering of K-pop sensation BTS, of which Kim (stage name Jin) is the oldest member, since able-bodied men in South Korea must submit to military service by age 28. But no matter—South Korea has changed its...

Infections Rise in South Korea
Spread Worsens in South Korea
Nov 28, 2020 1:22 PM CST

Spread Worsens in South Korea

After easing restrictions, government warns of possible hospital bed shortage

(Newser) - South Korea reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases for the third straight day on Saturday, the fastest spread of infections the country has seen since the early days of the pandemic. The 504 cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention brought the total number of infections since...

Defector Crossed DMZ Undetected Thanks to Loose Screw

Sensors were supposed to alert South Korean guards

(Newser) - The latest defection from North Korea is a worry for South Koreans—and not because they fear an onslaught of gymnasts leaping over the border. The defector, who showed up on the South Korean side of the heavily fortified DMZ earlier this month, managed to get past a border equipped...

Man's 'Life as a Devil' Stopped by 40-Year Prison Sentence

Cho Ju-bin blackmailed woman into making explicit videos that he sold in chatrooms

(Newser) - "Thank you for stopping my life as a devil that I could not stop." So said Cho Ju-bin to reporters after his March arrest. The South Korean 24-year-old was on Thursday sentenced to 40 years for his role as mastermind of a scheme in which prosecutors say 74...

Mystery of How Defector Got Over DMZ Fence May Be Solved

North Korean man tells South Korean officials he's a gymnast who simply jumped over it

(Newser) - The North Korean man who arrived in South Korea this month claims to be a former gymnast, and it makes sense, as he apparently propelled himself over a 10-foot-tall barbed wire fence during his trip across the Demilitarized Zone . The man, said to be in his late 20s, reportedly spent...

North Korean Crosses DMZ, Asks to Defect: Report

Man in plainclothes began crossing 2.5-mile-wide zone on Tuesday

(Newser) - South Korea has detained a North Korean man who showed up on its side of the heavily fortified border separating the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday. The suspected defector in plainclothes was first observed crossing barbed wire fences in the eastern section of the 2.5-mile-wide, 155-mile-long Demilitarized Zone around 7:...

Serial Killer: Cops Should Have Easily Caught Me

South Korea's Lee Chun-jae says he didn't try very hard to cover his tracks

(Newser) - One of South Korea's most notorious serial killers spoke publicly about his crime spree for the first time on Monday, and he expressed surprise police didn't catch him sooner than they did. "I still don't understand [why I wasn't a suspect]," Lee Chun-jae said...

Founder of Electronics Dynasty Has Died

Lee Kun-hee transformed Samsung

(Newser) - The man who turned Samsung into a tech powerhouse—and nearly lost it all amid white-collar crime convictions—died Sunday in Seoul, the Washington Post reports. Lee Kun-hee was 78. "Chairman Lee was a true visionary who transformed Samsung into the world-leading innovator and industrial powerhouse from a local...

13 South Koreans Die After Getting Flu Shots

Authorities say they haven't found a direct link between vaccination and deaths

(Newser) - South Korean authorities are scrambling to maintain public trust in vaccines after the unexplained deaths of 13 people who received flu shots. Authorities say they are conducting a full investigation and they do not believe the vaccines were the cause of the deaths, reports the BBC . Officials say the fatalities...

Some Fans Don't Like 'History of Pain' Comment by BTS

Chinese fans whose troops fought against South Korea and US see a lack of respect

(Newser) - When BTS received an award last week recognizing the ties between the US and South Korea, its leader acknowledged the nations' joint sacrifices 70 years ago during the Korean War. "We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless...

As Investors Scoop Up Shares, One Thing Looms Over BTS

K-pop group's star is rising—but military service awaits

(Newser) - Ordinary investors got a shot at shares in the management agency of K-pop sensation BTS on Monday and Tuesday. And they didn't hold back, requesting 58.4 trillion won worth—the equivalent of $50.2 billion. As AFP reports, that's 607 times more than the value of the...

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