Day: August 19, 2023

1901 — Construction begins on a railroad connecting Seoul and Busan.

1907 — A modern barber shop opens at the royal court of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

1971 — Red Cross officials from the two Koreas meet for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War.

2010 — South Korean pastor Han Sang-ryol returns home after spending more than two months in North Korea on an unauthorized visit during which he denounces his government for icy relations between the divided states.

2012 — Former Saenuri Party leader Park Geun-hye is elected the ruling party’s presidential candidate after garnering a landslide victory at its national convention. The victory by Park, the eldest daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, marked the first time a major political party in South Korea had picked a woman to run for president. She also became the first child of a former president to become a presidential candidate.

2015 — North Korea fires shells at the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone in apparent anger over South Korea’s resumption of border propaganda broadcasts. South Korea fired back, and no casualties were reported on the South Korean side.

2018 — Hundreds of South and North Koreans torn apart by the 1950-53 Korean War meet for the first time in over six decades as South and North Korea hold family reunions at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on the North’s east coast. The family reunions are a follow-up to an agreement between the leaders of the two Koreas reached during their summit in April to address humanitarian issues arising from nearly seven decades of division caused by the Korean War.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

A Seoul court will determine on Saturday whether to issue an arrest warrant for a 30-year-old man accused of assaulting and raping a woman on a hiking trail in Seoul earlier this week, police officials said.

The suspect surnamed Choi was put under police custody on Thursday shortly after he allegedly beat and raped the victim he randomly picked on a hillside trail in the Sillim district in southwestern Seoul at 12:10 p.m.

The woman was immediately transported to a hospital but remains unconscious.

Before attending the arrest warrant review process at the Seoul Central District Court on Saturday, the suspect said he was not influenced by a recent stabbing rampage in Bundang, south of Seoul, which killed one person and left dozens of people wounded.

Asked if it is true that the suspect argued he had attempted to rape the victim but failed, he said “yes” to reporters.

The suspect has told police that he wore brass knuckles on both hands and assaulted the victim, while admitting to assault and rape charges.

Alcohol and drug tests conducted on him were negative.

An inspection is under way into his medical and mobile phone records to determine whether he has medical history of mental illness.

Police are considering publicly releasing the suspect’s name, age and photos in consideration of the gravity of his crime and conducting a psychopathy test on him.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

A Seoul court will determine on Saturday whether to issue an arrest warrant for a 30-year-old man accused of assaulting and raping a woman on a hiking trail in Seoul earlier this week, police officials said.

The suspect surnamed Choi was put under police custody on Thursday shortly after he allegedly beat and raped the victim he randomly picked on a hillside trail in the Sillim district in southwestern Seoul.

The woman died Saturday after having been unconscious, police said.

Before attending the arrest warrant review process at the Seoul Central District Court on Saturday, the suspect said he was not influenced by a recent stabbing rampage in Bundang, south of Seoul, which killed one person and left dozens of people wounded.

Asked if it is true that the suspect argued he had attempted to rape the victim but failed, he said “yes” to reporters.

The suspect has told police that he wore brass knuckles on both hands and assaulted the victim, while admitting to assault and rape charges.

Alcohol and drug tests conducted on him were negative.

An inspection is under way into his medical and mobile phone records to determine whether he has medical history of mental illness.

Police are considering publicly releasing the suspect’s name, age and photos in consideration of the gravity of his crime and conducting a psychopathy test on him.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

A Seoul court issued a warrant Saturday to arrest a 30-year-old man accused of assaulting and raping a woman on a hiking trail in Seoul earlier this week.

The Seoul Central District Court granted the warrant for the suspect, citing the risk of flight and the “gravity” of the case, just hours after the victim died following days of unconsciousness.

The suspect, surnamed Choi, was put under police custody Thursday shortly after he allegedly beat and raped the victim he randomly picked on a hillside trail in Seoul’s southern district of Sillim.

Police authorities are reportedly considering investigating him on suspicion of raping and killing the victim rather than on the initial allegations of raping and injuring her.

Before attending the arrest warrant review process at the court earlier in the day, Choi told reporters that he was not influenced by a recent stabbing rampage in Bundang, south of Seoul, which killed one person and left dozens of people wounded.

Asked if it is true that the suspect argued he had attempted to rape the victim but failed, he said “yes.”

The suspect has told police that he wore brass knuckles on both hands and assaulted the victim, while admitting to assault and rape charges.

Alcohol and drug tests conducted on him were negative.

An inspection is under way into his medical and mobile phone records to determine whether he has medical history of mental illness.

Police are considering publicly releasing the suspect’s name, age and photos in consideration of the gravity of his crime and conducting a psychopathy test on him.

Source: Yonhap News Agency