Tag: Seoul

Video Ad for Gay Dating App Taken Down in Gangnam Due to Complaints

I guess being gay is not part of being Gangnam Style with complaints forcing the taking down of a gay app ad:

 A giant-screen advertisement showing homosexual people kissing and embracing each other was taken down four days after it began airing on the streets of Seoul’s southern district of Gangnam due to a series of complaints.

The matchmaking app for homosexual people first appeared on the giant screen set up along the streets of Gangnam’s Nonhyeon-dong on Aug. 26 under a contract that calls for the ad’s airing at least 100 times a day for one year.

The images showed gay and lesbian couples looking at each other, kissing and embracing.

But the ad was suspended Aug. 30 at the request of the Gangnam Ward government.

“Many complaints were received,” a Gangnam Ward official said, adding the office asked for the ad’s suspension under related law that bans advertisements that are feared to harm traditional customs with obscene content.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Drunk Camp Casey Soldier Causes Patrons to Flee Seoul Pub After He Brandishes Knife and Scissors

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.

Seoul May Not Erect Giant National Flag in Gwanghwamun

It didn’t take long for the Seoul government to backtrack from this idea:

A rendered image of the proposed National Monument Space in Gwanghwamun Square, provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (The Seoul Metropolitan Government)

A rendered image of the proposed National Monument Space in Gwanghwamun Square, provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (The Seoul Metropolitan Government)

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will reconsider its plan to erect a 100-meter-tall flagpole with a giant Taegeukgi, or South Korea’s national flag, in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during a press briefing held at the city hall on Thursday.

The mayor said he would take public opinions before pushing ahead with the plan to create the National Monument Space featuring the large flagpole, initially announced on June 25 on the 74th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War.

“We will gather extensive feedback with an open mind to ensure that the National Monument Space reflects the collective will of the people and stands as a significant landmark in Gwanghwamun Square,” Oh said.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Elderly Drivers has Become a Topic of Concern in South Korea After Crash Kills 9 Near Seoul City Hall

If measures are taken to reduce elderly drivers in South Korea it will be interesting to see what the impact is to the taxi industry which seems to have a lot of older drivers:

Authorities conduct a recovery work at the scene of the car crash that killed nine pedestrians at an intersection near Seoul City Hall in central Seoul, July 1. Yonhap

Authorities conduct a recovery work at the scene of the car crash that killed nine pedestrians at an intersection near Seoul City Hall in central Seoul, July 1. Yonhap

Public opinion is reigniting over the need for stricter measures for older drivers after a 68-year-old man involved in a deadly car crash near Seoul City Hall, which claimed nine lives, was identified.

However, there are growing concerns that this debate could deteriorate into indiscriminate criticism or personal attacks on older drivers.

Even before last week’s tragedy, how to deal with older drivers — specifically, encouraging older drivers to return their licenses — has been a hot-button issue as the number of drivers aged 65 or older is increasing steadily amid the nation’s aging population.

Just two days after the fatal car crash, a taxi driven by a man in his 70s crashed into the National Medical Center building, Wednesday, where an altar had been set up for one of the victims of the City Hall car crash, injuring three people, one seriously.

On Saturday, another incident occurred near Seoul Station, where a car driven by a man in his 80s struck pedestrians while attempting a U-turn, injuring two people. The vehicle continued for about 20 meters after hitting the first pedestrian before striking another and stopped after crashing into a wall.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.