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With Yoon Suk Yeol stripped of power, probe into young marine's death resumes
South Korea's anticorruption investigative agency has resumed its probe into allegations that the former South Korean leadership exerted undue influence to shape the outcome of the military's investigation into the death of a young marine in 2023. Lim Seong-geun, the former commander of the 1st Division of the Marine Corps. to which the deceased marine belonged, appeared before the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on Wednesday for questioning. The CIO plans to conduct f
April 23, 2025 -
Election in money: What it costs and spending limits running for president in South Korea
Before a single vote is cast in South Korea’s 2025 presidential election, the first battle is already underway: to raise campaign funding. However, that amount must not exceed certain limits set by South Korean law. According to the National Election Commission, each of the candidates for South Korea’s upcoming 21st presidential election will be allowed to spend up to 58.8 billion won ($41.3 million) on their campaign. The NEC said that in Article 121 of the Public Official Election Act, the cap
April 23, 2025 -
Flexible work schedules for S. Korean parents only 1/3 of EU levels, study warns
A new study has found that the number of parents with flexible work arrangements in South Korea is just one-third of that observed in major European countries — a shortfall experts say may be hampering efforts to combat the country’s record-low birthrate. The research, published by Dr. Jung Sung-mi of the Korean Women’s Development Institute on Wednesday, reveals just how far behind Korea is when it comes to giving employees with young children real control over their schedules. The study focuse
April 23, 2025 -
Cardinal You mourns Pope Francis, recalls pontiff's 'special affection' for Korea
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik expressed his deep condolences following the death of Pope Francis, noting the pontiff's special attention to the divided Korean Peninsula. "He had a special affection for South Korea, saying he was willing to visit North Korea if it could relieve, even if only slightly, the pain suffered by separated families," the cardinal said in a video message sent to Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday. The pontiff's prayers for the country always included the North as well, he add
April 23, 2025 -
Man kills 1 injures 1 in unprovoked knife attack in store, says 'doctor tried to harm me'
A man in his 30s launched an apparently unprovoked knife attack in a Seoul store Tuesday evening, killing a woman and injuring another, police said Wednesday. The suspect, who had been hospitalized with a finger fracture, went into a store in Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul at around 6 p.m. Footage from a security camera installed outside the store showed a woman fleeing the premises and the suspect running after her about 10 minutes later, catching her and stabbing her again. The victim, a 60-someth
April 23, 2025 -
Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for late pope open until Sat.; Mass set for Thu.
Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for the late Pope Francis will remain open to the general public until Saturday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea has said. In Seoul, the public has been welcomed to pay their respects since 3 p.m. Tuesday at memorial altars at the Apostolic Nunciature and in the underground chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral. The CBCK will not hold an official national memorial Mass. Instead, individual dioceses have set up their own memorial altars and will hold memor
April 23, 2025 -
Doctor sentenced to 16 years for drugging and sexually assaulting patients
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 16-year prison sentence for a doctor who illegally prescribed drugs and sexually assaulted multiple women while they were under anesthesia. The court confirmed a lower court’s ruling that sentenced the doctor, surnamed Yeom, to 16 years in prison and a 5 million won ($3,500) fine for violating the Narcotics Control Act and committing rape by intoxication. Yeom’s illegal prescription of narcotics came to light during an investigation into an August 2023 car a
April 22, 2025 -
Supreme Court takes up Lee Jae-myung’s case in full court session
The Supreme Court of Korea announced Tuesday that it will hear the election law violation case of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung before the "grand bench," moving the case to a full-court review. Though Lee's case was initially assigned to a panel of four justices, Chief Justice Jo Hee-de reportedly decided to examine the case in a full court session after considering the high level of public interest and national concern over the case. South Korea's top court started to examine the
April 22, 2025 -
Calls grow for resolving interfloor noise conflicts after Seoul apartment fire
Amid speculation that Monday’s apartment fire in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, may be linked to the arsonist’s ongoing dispute with neighbors over interfloor noise, criticism is mounting over the government’s failure to prevent such conflicts from escalating into serious crimes. On Monday morning, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a 21-story apartment building in southern Seoul that left six residents injured and the suspected arsonist dead. The suspect, according to authorities, lived on the
April 22, 2025 -
Government moves forward with legal groundwork for med school quota freeze
South Korea’s Education Ministry announced Tuesday it will revise a key decree to provide legal backing for its recent decision to freeze the number of medical school seats for the 2026 academic year at 3,058. This matches previous years' admissions quotas before the government’s now-shelved expansion plan, which sought to increase the number to 5,058. The proposed revision would allow university presidents to adjust their 2026 medical school admission quotas to the pre-expansion level of 3,058
April 22, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung pledges new med school, state-funded hospitals
Democratic Party presidential front-runner Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday he would pursue broad social consensus on the medical school quota system, open a new medical school and set up more state-funded hospitals. “We must return to square one and begin discussions again — this time with the participation of all stakeholders. The future of health care demands not just numbers, but vision,” he wrote in a Facebook statement posted Monday. But among the health care policies announced in the post was t
April 22, 2025 -
Policy Watch: Han Dong-hoon vows to create 5 megacities
People Power Party presidential contender Han Dong-hoon pledged to use deregulation and tax exemptions to create five megacities nationwide to reduce the concentration of infrastructure and capital in Seoul. He did not say where the cities would be. Unveiling his plan at the National Assembly, Han criticized past regional development efforts as ineffective, and proposed what he called a pragmatic approach. Key policies include industry-friendly “zero-regulation zones,” tax incentives, elite educ
April 22, 2025 -
Young borrowers in Korea crushed by illegal loan rings charging over 15,000% interest
A growing wave of illegal high-interest lending in South Korea is leaving young borrowers trapped in cycles of debt and fear. A recent investigation by a coalition of civic groups reveals that some underground lenders charge borrowers effective annual interest rates of over 15,000 percent, using anonymous chat apps and blackmail tactics to keep victims paying indefinitely. The findings were presented this week by Financial Consumer Solidarity, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, and
April 22, 2025 -
70% of office workers use ChatGPT for work almost every day: survey
More than 7 out of 10 office workers in South Korea are using the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT for work on a near-daily basis, a recent report showed Tuesday. Local job-search and recruiting platform Job Planet asked 762 Korean workers their views on using the AI-powered program at work. It was found that 93.7 percent of the respondents said using ChatGPT for work was acceptable, of which 82.7 percent said they do not hide their use of the chatbot. When asked how frequently they use C
April 22, 2025 -
Bus driver fined for road rage
A South Korean court said Tuesday that a 70-year-old bus driver has been fined 3 million won ($2,100) for intimidation using a vehicle and of assault on another motorist, after the victim cut in front of him on the road. The Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court in Gangwon Province found the defendant guilty of violence and special intimidation -- latter being stipulated as intimidation involving collective force or a dangerous weapon -- in this case, the bus. "(The defendant) is to be co
April 22, 2025