Top cop defends call not to alert public to attempted abduction

Internet cafes accounted for three-quarters of food hygiene violations since 2020 at leisure venues popular with children and teenagers, while inspections of kids cafes have fallen by nearly half, according to data from the office of Rep. Seo Young-seok of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Friday. Authorities recorded 782 violations of the Food Sanitation Act at kids cafes, internet cafes, comic book cafes and board game cafes from 2020 through June this year. The figures come from Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data submitted to DPK lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee. Internet cafes, known locally as "PC bang," accounted for 588 cases, or 75.2 percent, followed by kids cafes with 121, comic book cafes with 38 and board game cafes with 35. Failure to complete mandatory hygiene training was the most common violation at 464 cases, or 59.3 percent. It was followed by failure to undergo health checkups at 107, violations of operator compliance rules at 78, breaches of sanitary handling standards at 67 and facility standards violations at 40. Inter

Police have expanded the team investigating a recent series of hacking attacks on financial institutions to 43 members from the previous 28, adding specialists in digital forensics and international cooperation. The National Office of Investigation, the investigative arm of the Korean National Police Agency, announced the reinforcement Friday. “We are investigating thoroughly, securing relevant data and analyzing the affected systems,” police said, adding that they are also pursuing international cooperation, including blocking the servers used in the attacks. Data leaks have been confirmed at seven financial firms, including major commercial banks, and police opened a formal investigation on Tuesday. The announcement came amid questions over whether the case will be handed to the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), which launched Oct. 2 and took over the investigation of major crimes, including cybercrime, from the now-abolished prosecutors’ office. Under the law governing the SCIA, police and other investigative bodies must notify the agency immediately when they judge a c

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Friday his business group will make efforts to build a new semiconductor cluster in the southwestern part of the country as quickly as possible to meet growing global demand. Chey made the remarks during a visit to Gwangju Air Base in the southwestern Jeonnam-Gwangju region, where SK hynix Inc. has proposed building a new chip cluster. "Once the conditions are met, we plan to build (the new cluster) as quickly as possible," Chey said. "Demand for chips is growing rapidly, and the current situation requires us to accelerate the pace of supply to keep up with demand," he added. The chairman said the group still needs to determine when construction will begin but stressed that it intends to break ground as soon as possible. Chey noted that demand for chips is expected to grow significantly, adding that the proposed cluster will be around two-thirds the size of the one currently under construction in Yongin, just south of Seoul. It marked Chey's first visit to the region since the conglomerate unveiled its building plan in June. Earlier in the year, SK hynix

A friend of Snowtown serial killer James Vlassakis has given a rare insight into his plans for his new life, after taking his first steps back out into the community.

China and the Philippines have traded accusations over a medical evacuation near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, as Manila reports a near-doubling of Chinese military and coastguard vessels around contested South China Sea features in September. The latest exchange centred on the evacuation on Thursday of an injured Filipino serviceman from the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine naval vessel grounded on Second Thomas Shoal decades ago. Known as Renai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the...

Accused killer Greg Lynn is launching another bid for bail as he awaits his retrial.

A ban on credit card use for tax bills has been delayed by the ATO after a small business revolt.

A woman was forced from her vehicle during an alleged carjacking in Sydney CBD.

Strict rules have been put in place for the P-plater accused of driving into a group of Newcastle Knights fans as he was granted bail.

It is not in the interest of politicians or their parties to appeal to our better natures because stirring up division is essentially the reason for their existence.

Paramedics say five people are lucky to be alive after a car crashed into a massage shop in Canberra.