Latest news with #BusanMetropolitanPoliceAgency
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Three Busan students die in suspected suicide; notes cite school stress
Three students from one high school in Busan were found dead early Saturday morning after falling from the rooftop of an apartment building in Busan, in what police are investigating as a suspected group suicide. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, the incident occurred at approximately 1:39 a.m. on Saturday in Haeundae District. The students, all female, second-year students at the same high school in Busan, were found collapsed in a landscaped area at the base of the apartment complex. They were transported to a nearby hospital but were pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Security camera footage from the building showed the three girls entering an elevator together at 11:42 p.m. Friday and exiting on the 20th floor. Authorities believe they then went to the roof. Investigators recovered notes left by two of the students, which cited academic stress and pressure as primary factors. Police reported no evidence of physical assault or external injuries beyond those consistent with the fall. There were no indications of school violence or third-party involvement, according to the ongoing investigation. In response to the tragedy, the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education convened a joint response team to examine the circumstances of the incident. A crisis management committee meeting was held at the students' school Saturday morning, followed by an emergency response meeting led by the Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education. To support the bereaved families, the education office dispatched senior staff to the three funeral homes where memorial altars were established. The students' school also held an internal meeting to coordinate its response. Authorities have not released the names of the students or the school, in accordance with privacy protections for minors. The investigation remains ongoing. If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline at 109, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.
Korea Herald
25-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Police bust a 800 billion won illegal gambling site operator after tailing a 'suspicious car'
Officials of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday they caught a 37-year-old man wanted for operating a gambling website handling around 800 billion won ($557.3 million), after checking a car roaming around a local velodrome. The bust took place Wednesday after patrolling police officers grew suspicious of a car that was circling the outside of a track cycling arena in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. The officers ran the license plate through the police system and found that it belonged to a suspect wanted by the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency for operating a gambling website between 2022 and 2024. When approached by police, the suspect disobeyed orders to step out of the vehicle and fled for about 500 meters, but was eventually stopped by officers and arrested. Police contacted the BMPA to confirm that the suspect is the person wanted for the illegal operation, and he was placed in the custody of the Busan police. Officials are investigating to see if he had any accomplices when operating the gambling website. South Korean law bans any gambling by its citizens outside or within its borders, aside from a few designated establishments granted an exception by the authorities and the state-approved lotteries. Article 247 of the Criminal Act states that running gambling establishments is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of 30 million won ($20,900). Under Article 246 of the same act, those caught for illegal gambling face criminal punishment of a fine up to 10 million won or up to three years in prison; habitual gambling can be punished with up to a fine of 20 million won. The law grants exception to small-scale gambling deemed by the court to be for fun.
