SEOUL, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that citizenship obtained through marriage not made in good faith should not be recognized, marking the first ruling on “sham marriages” as a means of getting citizenship. Upholding a lower court’s ruling, the top court found a Chinese national, whose identity has been withheld, [...]
SEOUL, April 28 (Korea Bizwire) — A Seoul court ruled Thursday that it was legitimate for the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles to deny a visa for Korean-American singer Steve Yoo, who has been banned from entering the country since 2002 for draft dodging. Yoo, also known by his Korean name Yoo Seung-jun, [...]
SEOUL, April 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a 35-year prison sentence for a woman charged with abusing her adopted toddler to death two years ago in one of the country’s most ghastly child abuse cases in recent years. The mother, surnamed Jang, was indicted on murder charges for abusing the [...]
DAEGU, April 22 (Korea Bizwire) — An appeals court on Friday ruled in favor of a group of Muslims seeking to repeal an administrative order suspending construction of a mosque in the southeastern city of Daegu, rejecting an appeal from residents complaining about noise and other issues. The Buk Ward office in Daegu, about 300 [...]
SEOUL, April 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down guilty verdicts for two male soldiers charged with engaging in homosexual intercourse at an off-base housing facility, saying the encounter was consensual and took place in a private space. The two, a first lieutenant and a master sergeant, were charged with having [...]
SEOUL, April 6 (Korea Bizwire) — The Constitutional Court has ruled that it is constitutional to punish those who bring marijuana into the country, regardless of how they end up possessing the substance, officials said Wednesday. In a unanimous decision, the court dismissed a constitutional petition filed against the Narcotics Control Act that stipulates heavy [...]
JEJU, April 5 (Korea Bizwire) — A local court on Tuesday ruled against the Jeju provincial government’s decision years ago to ban a for-profit hospital from treating domestic patients. The Jeju District Court said it is against the law for the Jeju government to permit the opening of the nation’s first for-profit hospital, called Greenland [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that it is not against the highest law to punish non-medical workers practicing tattooing. In a 5-4 decision, the court dismissed a constitutional petition by a group of tattooists against the Medical Service Act that outlaws tattooing by people with no medical license. Under [...]
SEOUL, March 22 (Korea Bizwire) — A sculptor couple, known for their “comfort women” statue representing wartime sex slaves, has won a libel suit against an internet media operator who claimed another of the couple’s sculpture representing forced labor victims was modeled after a Japanese man. The Seoul Western District Court ordered the head of [...]
SEOUL, March 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court has ordered tax authorities to refund Samsung Electronics Co. 11.3 billion won (US$9.3 million) in undue corporate taxes from a former patent deal with U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp., court officials said Sunday. Samsung filed the complaint against local tax officials, who purported that the South [...]