Tag: crime

It does not look like it is a great time to be on Okinawa right now with the increased scrutiny on military crimes:

Government officials representing Japan and Okinawa repeated pleas to the U.S. military to discipline its population following a fourth sexual assault allegation against a service member on Okinawa in just over a year. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi urged U.S. Forces Japan to “tighten discipline and thoroughly prevent reoccurrences” of criminal incidents involving service members, according to video of a Thursday news conference posted on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s website.

“Generally speaking, crimes and accidents caused by U.S. service members cause strong anxiety to the local community and shouldn’t happen,” Hayashi said. “The important thing is that the series of preventive measures announced by the U.S. side do actually prevent accidents and crimes.” Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Wednesday expressed “strong anger” on social media platform X about the latest case, in which Okinawa police allege a Marine in his 30s injured a woman during a sexual assault in November. That day, Okinawa Prefectural Police forwarded the case to prosecutors for possible charges, according to a police spokesman.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I had no idea that Korea has never exonerated and released someone while in prison before:

When Kim Shin-hye was put behind bars after being found guilty of killing her father in 2000, she was only 23 years old. After spending 24 years in prison, she was declared innocent in a court ruling.

Judges at the Gwangju District Court on Monday overturned her conviction in her retrial and ordered the Jangheung Correctional Institution to release Kim, who is now 47.

“This should never be repeated,” Kim said as she exited the facility. “It could’ve been corrected (earlier). But it took 25 years. (In prison,) I thought a lot about why it should take such a long time … I’ll do my part to prevent a recurrence of such tragedy.”

It is the first case of a prisoner being exonerated and released for a wrongful conviction while still serving time in prison in Korea.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link that explains how a false confession and misinformation by the prosecutors caused her to be convicted.

The scammer behind one of the most bizaree crime sprees you will ever read about has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. I have to wonder if a Netflix true crime series about this weird case will be made?:

An appellate court on Thursday sentenced a former fiance of Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee to 13 years in prison for swindling dozens of people out of more than 3.5 billion won (US$2.5 million) under the guise of a chaebol heir.

The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence to Jeon Cheong-jo. An appellate court on Thursday sentenced a former fiance of Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee to 13 years in prison for swindling dozens of people out of more than 3.5 billion won (US$2.5 million) under the guise of a chaebol heir.

The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence to Jeon Cheong-jo, 28, saying she continued to commit fraud even after being released from prison after serving time for previous fraud convictions, including by disguising herself as a man in order to date famous people.

The ruling adds one year to a lower court’s sentence of 12 years in prison.

“Most of the money was spent on purchasing luxury items, making it difficult to reverse the damage to victims,” the court said, noting a total of 35 people were swindled out of a combined 3.5 billion won., 28, saying she continued to commit fraud even after being released from prison after serving time for previous fraud convictions, including by disguising herself as a man in order to date famous people.

The ruling adds one year to a lower court’s sentence of 12 years in prison.

“Most of the money was spent on purchasing luxury items, making it difficult to reverse the damage to victims,” the court said, noting a total of 35 people were swindled out of a combined 3.5 billion won.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This has been one of the cyber crime areas that North Korea has been using to raise revenue:

 South Korea and the United States have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in combating North Korea’s stealing of virtual assets, the presidential office here said Thursday.

According to the office, Wang Yun-jong, the third deputy national security adviser, visited Washington from Monday to Wednesday and discussed the issue with Anne Neuberger, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies.

Their talks also covered internet of things security and maritime cybersecurity.

Wang also attended the fourth round of meetings by the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) for in-depth discussions on responding to ransomware and bolstering international cooperation in that area.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

A business deal that went bad led to an attempted murder:

The Seoul High Court said recently it upheld a six-year prison term for a 67-year-old North Korean defector for the attempted murder of another defector over a faulty investment opportunity.

A defendant was found guilty of attempted murder, after he stabbed the 70-year-old victim nine times and assaulted him with his fist at 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 14. The court turned down his claim of not intending to murder the victim, pointing out that he called the police after the crime and said he had “just committed murder today.”

The victim recovered after six weeks of medical treatment.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Another sign that Korea’s drug problem continues to spread:

Members of a college social club comprising hundreds of members from South Korea’s 13 colleges, including the nation’s most prestigious schools like Seoul National University and Korea University, administer drugs at an amusement park. (Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office)

A 30-something graduate student at KAIST, South Korea’s top science-specialized university, was recently arrested by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office for distributing and using drugs within a social fraternity he created in 2021 which included members from 13 other elite universities.

Three other university students were also apprehended, and two others were indicted without physical detention for breaching the Narcotics Control Act. Eight other students who took drugs but were not suspected of other offenses were granted deferred prosecution on condition they participated in a rehabilitation program.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Here is another example of a U.S. Soldier being a drunken idiot in Seoul:

Police in South Korea arrested a U.S service member earlier this month on suspicion of brandishing a knife and scissors inside a pub in Seoul. The unidentified troop’s charges — intimidation and obstruction of business — were referred to prosecutors on Tuesday, a Mapo Police detective told Stars and Stripes by phone that day. The detective did not release the service member’s branch of service or his name.

South Korean law enforcement agencies typically do not identify suspects unless charged with a serious crime, and officials regularly speak to the media on a customary condition of anonymity. Police responded around 7:15 a.m. July 5 to a disturbance call saying a person had a deadly weapon inside a pub in Mapo District, the detective said. Mapo is a popular area of Seoul known for its numerous bars and nightclubs.

The service member, who is stationed at Camp Casey, a U.S. Army outpost 13 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea from South Korea, entered the pub alone and went inside the kitchen, where he picked up a knife and scissors, according to the detective. He proceeded to the dining area and made a “stabbing motion with his hands, but did not stab himself,” the detective said.

The pub’s patrons fled outside but the service member did not explicitly threaten them, according to the detective. The service member was arrested without incident and taken to Mapo Police Station, where he was later picked up by U.S. military police, the detective said. No injuries were reported.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.