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CIO warns of legal consequences for presidential bodyguards for blocking investigators
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials announced Monday that it sent the official documents to both the Presidential Security Service and the Ministry of National Defense on Sunday, officially requesting their cooperation in enforcing the warrant to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. According to the CIO, it sent the documents to a total of six PSS guards, including the head of the Bodyguard Division, Lee Kwang-woo, warning them of the legal consequences that PSS e
Jan. 13, 2025 -
Scooter-free zones coming to Hongdae and Banpo this March
Starting in March, e-scooters will be banned in two major areas of Seoul: the bustling "Red Road" in the Hongdae area in Mapo-gu and the Banpo hagwon hub in Seocho-gu. These locations will serve as the city’s first-ever “electric scooter-free zones,” part of a broader effort to address safety concerns and growing complaints about scooter misuse. The enforcement will follow a monthlong educational period in February to help residents and visitors adjust to the new rules. By March, violators can e
Jan. 13, 2025 -
Court holds 1st hearing in PM Han Duck-soo’s impeachment trial
The Constitutional Court held the first preparatory hearing for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment trial on Monday. Presided over by Justices Kim Hyeong-du and Kim Bok-hyeong, the preparatory hearing was attended by Han’s legal representatives from the law firm Apex. Prior to the hearing, the attorneys submitted a statement some 80 pages long, accompanied by reference materials on Jan. 6. According to news reports, Han's team argued that Han's refusal to appoint court justices nominated w
Jan. 13, 2025 -
Overweight people at less risk of suicide: study
Koreans who are obese or overweight are less likely to kill themselves than those who are of average weight or under, a study by local endocrinologists showed Monday. Researchers from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Catholic Univ. of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital analyzed the data of 4.04 million adults from 2009 to Dec. 31 of 2021, using the database of the National Health Insurance Service. They analyzed the subjects based on body mass index, record of mental and chroni
Jan. 13, 2025 -
Strengthening chip industry, general sharesholder protection
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act Proposed by Rep. Yoon Han-hong (People Power Party) ●The current act imposes disclosure obligations on certain business groups and the person with de facto control over the group. This amendment clarifies the scope of subjects liable under the act, excluding companies managed by outside directors of affiliates or executive officers of nonprofit corporations from the definition of “business group.” Propsed Bill: Partia
Jan. 13, 2025 -
How to apply for a digital foreign resident ID card
Starting last Friday, foreign national residents in South Korea can apply for digital ID cards through the Mobile IDentification App, available for both iPhone and Android devices. Foreign residents aged 14 and over who own a smartphone under their name can get the mobile ID card. The digital card carries the same legal validity as the physical card and can be used in places such as public institutions, hospitals and convenience stores to verify one’s identity. Here are two ways one can apply fo
Jan. 13, 2025 -
Political turmoil leads to surge in news app use
The ongoing political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law led to a significant jump in the use of mobile news apps in December, a report by a data analysis firm showed Sunday. According to the IGA Works Mobile Index, mobile news apps were newly installed on phones by local users about 310,000 times in the month of December 2024, marking an 63.15 percent increase compared to new incidences of users installing news apps in December 2023. By month, it marke
Jan. 12, 2025 -
Police officers, 'hero' motorists chase down drunk driver
A drunk driver who fled after causing multiple collisions in Incheon was caught by police officers, with the help of two civilians who assisted in chasing down the suspect and blocked his path to stop him from escaping. The National Police Agency on Friday posted a video of an Oct. 1, 2024, altercation in Bupyeong-gu Incheon, in which officers from Incheon Bupyeong Police Station were attempting to apprehend a suspected drunk driver. The suspect fled the scene, colliding with two cars, injuring
Jan. 12, 2025 -
Police seek arrest warrant for No. 2 presidential bodyguard: reports
Ahead of an imminent attempt by the joint investigation team to execute a warrant to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, police are reportedly seeking to take the deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service into custody. The investigative authorities allege that Kim Seong-hoon obstructed official duties by blocking officials from serving the court-issued warrant to arrest Yoon, according to reports Sunday. The police special investigation team handling the probe into Yoon's botched a
Jan. 12, 2025 -
Yoon's impeachment trial to start Tuesday
President won’t attend 1st hearing for security reasons: lawyer Thirty-one days after President Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from office by parliament, a trial is set to begin Tuesday at the Constitutional Court to review his impeachment and determine the fate of the embattled leader. Despite his earlier resolve to attend the hearing, Yoon will not be present in the courtroom on Tuesday due to security concerns, his legal representatives said Sunday. They cited the possibility of investigators at
Jan. 12, 2025 -
Would rights of conscripts be protected if ordered to block Yoon's arrest?
Controversy erupts over conscripted soldiers mobilized to block Yoon‘s arrest As high-ranking officials from the Presidential Security Team are being questioned for barricading suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol to block his court-ordered arrest, controversy has arisen over the fact that conscripted soldiers were found to have been ordered to block the attempt to arrest the impeached South Korean leader. A group of parents of soldiers fulfilling their mandatory military service last week released
Jan. 12, 2025 -
Black boxes of crashed Jeju Air plane missing final 4 minutes of data
The black boxes of the Jeju Air Co. passenger plane involved in last month's fatal crash has been found to lack data from the final four minutes before the explosion, according to investigative authorities Saturday. According to South Korean authorities, an analysis by the US National Transportation Safety Board of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the B737-800 aircraft showed that recordings stopped on both devices approximately four minutes before the aircraft collided w
Jan. 11, 2025 -
Ex-PSS chief appears for 2nd day of police questioning over obstructing Yoon's detainment
The former head of the Presidential Security Service appeared before police Saturday for questioning over allegations that he blocked investigators' attempt to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over a martial law probe. Park Chong-jun, who stepped down as chief of the PSS the previous day, has been booked on charges of obstructing official duties as presidential security officials have blocked the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials from executing a warrant to detai
Jan. 11, 2025 -
New York City subway needs this
Platform screen doors, a standard feature in Korean subway stations since the 2000s, have arrived with the Korean Wave to transport systems in Asia, Europe and beyond A train glides into the station behind a transparent barrier. As it comes to a stop, a glass door opens, allowing passengers to board and disembark. This scene, repeated every few minutes all across Seoul’s subway network, is gaining renewed attention among South Koreans in the light of fears that have arisen recently among New Yor
Jan. 11, 2025 -
Parliamentary subcommittee passes new special counsel bill against Yoon's martial law bid
A parliamentary judiciary subcommittee on Friday passed a new opposition-led bill mandating a special counsel probe into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. Opposition parties unilaterally passed the bill during a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee. Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote in protest of the bill. The new version proposes that the Supreme Court's chief justice recommend a special counsel
Jan. 10, 2025