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The Star
33 minutes ago
- The Star
S. Korean taxi driver under fire for sexually harassing Thai tourist
SEOUL: A South Korean taxi driver is facing public backlash after allegedly making a sexually inappropriate comment to a Thai tourist, raising safety concerns among travellers. According to a video posted on Thursday (June 19) by a Thai woman in her 30s, her friend was verbally harassed while taking a taxi to Seoul Station to board a KTX train to Busan. She posted the video on TikTok with a warning that read, 'Be careful when taking taxis in Korea.' The driver, attempting to communicate using a translation app, allegedly asked inappropriate personal questions such as 'Do you have a boyfriend?' and 'Why aren't you married yet?' He then suggested he could help her find a job, saying: 'It's not hard. You just need to clean rooms.' When the alleged victim mentioned she was travelling to Busan, the driver reportedly responded, 'Shall we go to Busan in this taxi?' and added, 'If you don't have money for the fare, you can pay with your body.' The account owner said the most frightening moment for her friend was when the driver stopped the car and kept talking to her. Before reaching the destination, he gave her his phone number and asked when she would return to South Korea. 'Korea is a safe country and has many good people,' the Thai national wrote in the caption, 'but don't assume it is 100 per cent safe.' The video quickly spread on social media, prompting outrage among South Korean netizens. Many condemned the driver's behaviour, calling it 'a disgrace to the country' and noting that such incidents unfairly damage the reputation of other taxi drivers. Some users left apologetic comments on the TikTok account, with one writing, 'As a Korean, I'm sincerely sorry', and another added, 'You came to Korea expecting good memories, but now you're leaving with a traumatic experience. As someone who loves Thailand, I'm truly sorry.' - The Korea Herald/ANN
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Vaclav Havel bench unveiled at Yangjae Stream in tribute to Czech playwright
The Embassy of the Czech Republic and Seocho District Office in southern Seoul inaugurated Vaclav Havel's Place along the Yangjae Stream on May 26 , showing the values of Czech-Korean democracy and friendship. The symbolic space features a bench honoring Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic, known as a playwright and pro-democracy leader. Sharing a press release with The Korea Herald, Czech Ambassador to Korea Ivan Jancarek shared joy at seeing the project's realization. 'Now — after months of dedicated effort — we finally see it come to life,' said Jancarek, recalling embassy and Seocho district discussions for the project in August 2024 and the memorandum of understanding signed in April. 'For the Czech people, Vaclav Havel represents freedom, dialogue, and moral courage,' he said. 'This bench, inspired by his legacy, is not just to be admired, but used — to sit, talk, and reflect,' Jancarek said. Jancarek thanked Seocho-gu and Hyundai Motor for their support. He expressed hopes that the bench would become a space for Seoul citizens to connect and find inspiration in the values Havel stood for.
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Former K-pop singer Taeil admits to rape charge, might face 7 years in jail
SEOUL: Taeil, formerly of the K-pop boy band NCT, admitted on June 18 to rape charges stemming from an incident in 2024 involving an intoxicated woman. Prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison sentence. According to The Korea Herald yesterday, Taeil, 31, and two accomplices faced trial at the Seoul Central District Court for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. They are charged with special quasi-rape, which applies when two or more individuals engage in sexual acts with someone who is unconscious or unable to resist. A conviction for this charge carries a minimum sentence of seven years and a maximum of life imprisonment. When asked by the judge if he acknowledged the charges, Taeil replied, "I admit to all the charges." His two co-defendants also pleaded guilty. The court has scheduled the sentencing hearing for July 10. The indictment states that Taeil, whose full name is Moon Tae-il, and his acquaintances met a Chinese woman in Itaewon, Seoul, in June 2024. The woman became heavily intoxicated after drinking with them. Taeil reportedly helped escort her out of the bar and placed her in a taxi with one of the co-defendants, identified as Lee, sending her to Lee's home. Taeil and another friend, Hong, followed in a separate vehicle. The alleged assault took place at Lee's residence. Taeil was questioned by the police in August 2024, and his then-agency, SM Entertainment, subsequently released a statement announcing his departure from NCT. He was indicted for alleged sexual assault in October 2024.
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
US Embassy in Seoul resumes visa interviews
The US Embassy in Seoul has resumed accepting visa interview appointments for students and exchange visitors after a roughly three-week suspension, a move that follows the State Department's announcement Wednesday that it would restart visa processing procedures. The resumption applies to applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas, which are for individuals enrolling in academic programs, vocational training and cultural or educational exchange programs, respectively. The embassy also confirmed a new, more stringent vetting process in line with updated guidance from the US State Department. 'Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications,' the embassy told The Korea Herald. To facilitate this, applicants must set their social media profiles to 'public,' so consular officials can review past posts. 'All applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public,'' the embassy stated. The revised procedures come amid heightened scrutiny of applicants' backgrounds. The State Department recently notified that applicants who do not allow access to their social media content may be denied visas. In addition, consular officers at embassies and consulates around the world have been directed to assess whether applicants show 'hostile attitudes toward the American people, culture, government, institutions, or founding ideals.' While the US government asserts that each visa adjudication is a national security decision, the expanded scope of background checks — especially involving expression on social media — has sparked concerns over potential overreach. 'A US visa is a privilege, not a right,' the embassy emphasized. 'The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests.' Meanwhile, according to student communities, available interview slots for the remainder of June began to open around 11 a.m. Friday and were booked out within minutes due to high demand.
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
We don't need more obejcts, just better ones: Antonio Citterio
Italian designer and architect shares his philosophy working for high-end furniture company Flexform, which launched its Seoul flagship store in May Behind companies that manage to build a legacy and maintain the quality of their products, there are often people carving out the company's identity and helping to write its history. For Italian luxury furniture company Flexform, designer and architect Antonio Citterio is one such person. Flexform was founded in 1959 by the Galimberti brothers in northern Italy, and is renowned for its high-end sofas, armchairs, tables and beds. Last month, the company launched its brand in Seoul with the Infini Cheongdam flagship store, one of a series of flagship stores opening around the world. 'Flexform's uniqueness lies in its quiet consistency. In more than four decades of collaboration, we have developed a shared language based on measured elegance, comfort and timelessness. It is a company that does not follow trends,' Citterio said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. The brand's signature sofas, such as Groundpiece, Soft Dream, Perry, Gregory, Asolo and Camelot, have been around for decades, and were created out of the designer's observations of people — the way they live, sit, rest and gather. 'Groundpiece, for instance, was born from observing the everyday: how a sofa isn't just for sitting, but for reading, relaxing, even working. I rethought proportions, making it lower and deeper, and introduced more informal elements,' the designer said. Since its launch in 2001, Groundpiece has become one of the most sought-after sofas by the company. Gregory, a sofa that features leather straps, is an example of visual expression of craftsmanship and quality, 'balancing between technical precision with material sensitivity,' Citterio said. 'It is never about decoration; it is about making each component meaningful. In all these projects, the goal is the same: clarity, comfort and design that stays relevant over time,' he said. The designer noted South Korea's growing appreciation for fine art and high-quality design aligns naturally with Flexform's values. 'South Korea is an extraordinary cultural landscape: design-aware and deeply connected to both tradition and innovation,' he said. 'Flexform speaks a language of restraint, continuity and subtle luxury, and I believe that resonates with the Korean sensitivity to beauty, calm and authenticity in the domestic space.' His design practice traverses different fields. An architecture graduate of Polytechnic University of Milan, he is a co-founder of ACPV Architects and was a professor of architectural design at the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture in Switzerland. In fact, the design fields he bridges share a common aim — to improve the way people live through intelligent and coherent design, according to the architect. 'In Italy, there has never been a strict separation between architecture, interior and product design. They are different scales of the same conceptual process. 'When I design a chair or a sofa, I don't isolate it from its surroundings. I think about the space it lives in, the gestures of the people who use it, and how light, proportions and relationships shape the experience,' he said. In a world flooded with designs sporting loud aesthetics and where people can easily obtain objects or furniture with a single click, Citterio's designs stay grounded by his philosophy: clarity, durability and timelessness. 'I have always thought that creativity must exist inside the industrial process, not outside of it — that is where true innovation happens. When each component of an object has meaning, structural, functional and aesthetic, the result is not just elegant, it is durable,' he said. 'I believe the world does not need more objects. It needs better ones. Better means designed with care, with awareness of how people live, and with the intention to last. I would like to be remembered for creating work that endures not through recognition or style, but through coherence,' said Citterio.
