Bikini Bars

One of the fun things about life in Korea is the ease with which you can find at least a decent bar. The sheer number and variety of drinking establishments is a testament to the important place drinking holds in modern Korean society. Nearly as ubiquitous as the bars — and, of course, usually pretty close by — are the brothels. Naturally the two industries tend to combine in various ways, some more licit than others — there is actually a chain of bars called Sexy Girl and bars of that ilk are known as sexy bars, which are basically bars where the waitresses wear bikinis.

I never went to one as the prices are steep, but apparently some of them could be getting in trouble soon. Perhaps you should go while there’s still time!

If women servers wear extremely skimpy outfits in regular restaurants, could they become the target of regulation due to a breakdown in public morals?

All eyes are on whether the prosecution will file charges against a ‘bikini bar’ the police cracked down on for creating problems for public order.

The Gunsan Police Department is waiting for a decision by the prosecution on whether to file charges against Mr. Park (43), owner of a ‘bikini bar’ in Gunsan City’s Miryong-dong where female servers in revealing outfits entertain guests, on suspicion of violation of public morals in food safety regulations.

In case the prosecution decides to indict this business without detention or more heavily, the police plan to pursue a vigorous investigation of bikini bars in the province. This is the first time in the country for an autonomous police force to regulate bikini bars. The police are looking at this decision as a test case for charging bikini bars with public morals offences.

It was announced that there are 3 or 4 such bikini bars in the province, and it appears that from the day that prosecution is decided in this matter any business classified as a normal restaurant and having servers in revealing costume will be the target of regulation.

One member of the police force emphasized that “regular restaurants that sell food with excessively-exposed servers entertaining guests are clearly going to be the target of regulation.”

However business owner Park retorted the investigation by asking “Is that level of exposure in business disallowed in society’s usual sense of morality?”

In other news, on the 11th the Daegu District Court ruled about a prosecuted bikini bar that “When women workers wait tables while clad in underwear there are two things — exceeding the bounds of lewdness to attract customers’ gaze, and obscene actions” and gave a bikini bar which fell into that category an administrative punishment of a 2-month suspension of business.

Grandmother murdered

South Korea is a country with a very low rate of street crime, with really no ghettoes or places you have to avoid — people generally don’t fear violence outside. This is a truly shocking crime in any country but even more so in Korea where there are few murders. I wonder if there will be a national outcry or political reaction.

The shockwave is growing over the revelation that the suspect in the death of a 60-year old grandmother discovered on the 25th is her own middle school-aged grandson who was living with her.

The grandmother, Ms. Choi (68), was found dead yesterday at about 1:50 pm in her home in Busanjin-gu, Buam-dong, in Busan. At the time of discovery her body was under the covers in bed, with one part burned, and one of the body’s hands had been mutilated.

One day after the very first day of the police investigation, today, the 26th, it was announced that the suspect caught was none other the middle school grandchild “A” (15).

The reason for the murder was that on the 23rd the boy was scolded after returning from having run away from home for a week.

The lead investigator in the Busanjin Police Station said, “Early in the morning, as the grandmother was scolding him for running away and attempted to strike him when he punched her and she fell down.”

“A” struck his fallen grandmother again several times in the head with a blunt object and finally shot her.

He immediately moved the shot body of grandmother Choi into the bathtub, and the police investigation revealed that in the daytime on the 25th he cut the body to pieces in order to hide it.

But as soon as he failed in that attempt, “A” tried again to cover up the crime by wrapping Choi’s body in a blanket and setting fire to it.

But a neighbor who saw the fire pulled the fire alarm and the body was discovered unburned, while “A” checked in to a goshiwon in Yeonje-gu and was caught by police today.

Though not caught because of this, but police have determined that he had come up with all these ideas from the games and movies he was exposed to.

There is growing shock over the fact that, even after shooting his grandmother, “A” found information on the internet about hiding his own body and generally acted with such daring.

It was revealed that “A” had been living with his grandmother on welfare since his father disappeared seven years ago and never sent word.

After police carry out an extra investigation on A they plan to apply for a warrant of arrest for parricide.

Show me the supyo!

The second of today’s translated criminal tales has an interesting twist — the reporter doesn’t tell you why it’s a crime! For all we know, this poor Ms. Kim is facing the big house for using her own legal checks. We’re sure it’s just an oversight on the newspaper’s part.

On the 25th Busan police issued an arrest warrant for a Ms. Kim (43) on charges of robbing handbag shops and convenience stores by using the technique of buying things, handing over a supyo, receiving her change and leaving.

It is suspected that on the 28th of last month at 3 pm Ms. Kim, after selecting a bag worth 200,000 won, said “Since I only have a supyo worth 500,000 won just give me the difference in change and the receipt”, lulling the clerk and making off with the receipt and change.

The investigated Ms. Kim is also under suspicion of using a similar technique in the Gyeongnam district 35 times in 10 months, stealing a total of 11,300,000 won.

Take a gander at the original piece here.

Nightclub thieves

Today we bring you a pair of  true translated crime stories.  As you spend your weekend in Polly’s Kettle or whichever fine establishment you choose to get sloshed in, please keep this delightful little tale in mind.

The Busan police have issued a warrant for the arrest of nightclub worker Hwang (32) on suspicion of stealing money from customers while dancing away from their tables.

Hwang is accused of having stolen the clothes and bags of 12 customers who came to dance at nightclub “M” where he worked.

Hwang was once caught and punished by police for stealing customer’s cellphones.