25.03.19.Today News : Yuri Huang controversially attends impeachment rally / 20-Year-Old Sentenced to 1.5 Years for 200 Transfers of 1 Won
1. Yuri Huang controversially attends impeachment rally
Former Taiwanese girl group actress Yuri Huang (38) has been criticised for attending a rally calling for the impeachment of President Yun Seok-yul.
According to Taiwanese media outlets, including the United Daily News (UDN), the actor recently travelled to South Korea and stumbled upon the protest at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Gate.
On 17 July, Yuri Huang posted photos on his Instagram of the rally, including free tteokbokki (rice cakes).
‘I was very surprised to see a large-scale protest at the time, and I noticed that there were many food trucks serving free food next to it,’ Yuri Huang explained.
‘The protests in South Korea were like a giant picnic, just eating and drinking,’ he added.
Taiwanese actor Yuri Huang was criticised by South Korean social media users for posting about his attendance at a rally calling for the impeachment of President Yun Seok-yul, but later deleted the post and clarified that he had no political intentions.
‘The important thing is that even though they knew I was a foreigner, people waved at me and offered me food. It was really warm and everyone was happy to greet and chat with me,’ Yuri Huang said.
‘I even saw an aunt voluntarily sit on the street and clean up garbage and food waste. As a tourist, this was all so new and special to me.’
However, South Korean commenters strongly criticised Yuri Huang. ‘The Korean protests were nothing more than a giant picnic,’ they said. From a foreigner's point of view, it was a light-hearted way of describing the severe political situation in South Korea.
As the controversy continued, Yuri Huang clarified the next day that he had no political intentions and was simply sharing his experience as a tourist. He deleted his post, saying he ‘should have been more careful.’
‘I didn't care too much about it because I understand that everyone has different views. As a foreigner, I have nothing to do with the political situation in Korea, and I was just sharing what I saw during my trip,’ Yuri Huang said. ‘However, I decided to remove the post because some people might find it offensive,’ he added.
Yuri Huang is not the first foreigner to describe South Korea's political rally culture as ‘festive’. Previously, the New York Times (NYT), the BBC, and other major foreign media outlets have made similar comments.
One-line summary : Taiwanese actor Yuri Huang was criticised by South Korean social media users for posting about his attendance at a rally calling for the impeachment of President Yun Suk-yen, and later deleted the post and clarified that he had no political intentions.
2. 20-Year-Old Sentenced to 1.5 Years for 200 Transfers of 1 Won
Prosecutors have asked for a prison sentence for a man in his 20s who sent 1 won to his ex-lover's bank account and left messages.
A man in his 20s who stalked his girlfriend and became obsessed with her, sending more than 200 transfers of 1 won each to her bank account after receiving a temporary ban on contact from the court. He even wrote the name of the recipient as ‘I want to see her’.
At the final hearing before Deputy Chief Judge Kim Kwang-seop of the Jeju District Court Criminal Division 1, prosecutors asked for one year and six months in prison for A, a man in his 20s who was charged with violating the Stalking Crimes Punishment Act. The sentence will be handed down on the 27th.
According to the prosecution, A received a breakup notice from his then-girlfriend, B, in January this year and asked her not to contact him. However, he continued to contact her through KakaoTalk and other social networking services (SNS) on 41 occasions. On 28 January, the court imposed ‘provisional measures such as no contact’ on him.
But A's obsession didn't stop. The very next day (29 January), he started sending 1 won to Ms B's account via a mobile banking application. He continued to try to contact her by writing messages such as ‘I miss you’ in the recipient's name, which amounted to more than 200 such attempts.
Mr A admitted to the charges. ‘It seems that Mr A felt betrayed when he was suddenly informed of the breakup,’ his defence lawyer said, ’and he tried to contact Mr B to try to change his mind or get his things back.’ A appealed to the court for leniency, saying, ‘At the time of the offence, I thought it was a necessary contact, but (I now) realise that I caused the victim fear. I will pay a settlement.’