Incumbent mayor Oh Se-hoon leads Seoul race in dramatic late surge

People Power Party candidate and incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is leading the closely contested Seoul mayoral race in Wednesday’s local elections. As of 8:00 a.m. Thursday, with 95.83 percent of votes counted, Oh secured 48.77 percent, narrowly ahead of Democratic Party of Korea candidate Jung Won-oh, who had 48.51 percent. Oh, who had trailed the liberal candidate since vote counting began the previous day, rapidly closed the gap as ballots from conservative-leaning districts south of the Ha

2026-06-04 08:16:03:00

Alcohol spending falls for 10th straight quarter

The average household in South Korea spent 13,000 won ($8.60) per month on alcoholic beverages in the first quarter of this year, as alcohol consumption continued to lose momentum, government data showed Tuesday. According to Statistics Korea, the figure was down 9 percent from a year earlier, marking the 10th consecutive quarterly decline and the steepest annual drop since the agency resumed compiling the data on a quarterly basis in 2019. The sustained decline reflects changing drinking habits

2026-06-02 09:41:53:00

Kim Soo-hyun suit could seek damages of up to W30b from YouTuber

Actor Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team said Thursday it is considering seeking up to 30 billion won ($19.9 million) in damages from Kim Se-ui, head of controversial YouTube channel HoverLab, who was recently arrested on charges including spreading false information and fabricating evidence. Speaking on a radio program, Kim Soo-hyun’s legal representative, attorney Ko Sang-rok, said the actor had initially filed a 12 billion won suit shortly after the allegations against him surfaced, but the estimated

2026-05-28 17:10:50:00

Kim Soo-hyun’s agency says truth coming out after YouTuber’s arrest

The agency of South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun said Wednesday that “the truth is being confirmed through due legal process and a thorough investigation,” following the arrest of a YouTuber who led accusations that the actor dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was underage. In a statement released a day after the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui, head of HoverLab which runs the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, Gold Medalist said the ruling showed the allegati

2026-05-27 09:12:23:00

Two French Korean War veterans return for burial at UN cemetery

Andre Datcharry and Jacques Grisolet, French soldiers who fought in the Korean War, were honored in a ceremony at Incheon Airport on Tuesday. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, with the ministry's deputy director Oh Kyung-jun receiving the remains. The ceremony, held under the title "From Here, Korea Will Honor You," was also attended by French Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Bertoux, the French defense attache and family members of the veterans. Datcharry,

2026-05-26 15:08:16:00

Hiker found safe at home after triggering massive search on Cheolmasan

A woman who called emergency services after getting lost during a hike in South Korea was later confirmed to have returned home while police and fire authorities' search for her continued for another day, local reports said Monday. The woman, a Hong Kong national in her 50s, was confirmed to have returned to her residence in Seoul at around 9:40 a.m. Saturday, according to authorities. She first called 119 at about 9:06 p.m. Friday, saying she was lost while hiking. During the call, she reported

2026-05-25 14:20:27:00

Police probe concludes Kim Soo-hyun falsely accused of dating Kim Sae-ron as minor: report

Accusations raised by a YouTube channel against actor Kim Soo-hyun that he dated late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor were based on manipulated evidence, including altered KakaoTalk messages and an AI-generated voice recording, according to police documents reviewed by local media Thursday. JoongAng Ilbo cited police documents from Seoul Gangnam Police Station’s investigation into Kim Se-ui, head of the YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garo Sero Institute. In the documents, inve

2026-05-21 17:15:48:00

WHO memorial honors late chief Lee Jong-wook

Health officials from six countries gathered at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of former WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook, who became the first South Korean to head a UN organization in 2003. The memorial ceremony, co-hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare, honored Lee’s legacy of advancing global health equity and strengthening international cooper

2026-05-21 09:24:11:00

Printing June 3 ballots

Ballots are printed at a printing company in Suwon on May 18 ahead of South Korea’s June 3 local elections. The national election watchdog said Monday that 7,829 candidates registered during the two-day registration period last week. Voters will choose mayors and governors in 16 metropolitan cities and provinces, along with superintendents of education, heads of local administrative districts and lawmakers for 14 vacant National Assembly seats. (Yonhap)

2026-05-18 14:21:49:00

[Breaking] Samsung wins partial injunction against unions ahead of strike

A South Korean court on Monday partially approved Samsung Electronics’ request for an injunction against labor actions planned by its unions, imposing legal limits on a looming strike involving tens of thousands of workers. The Suwon District Court ruled that union members must maintain normal staffing and operations at safety- and security-related facilities during any strike, including work to prevent damage to manufacturing equipment and contamination of semiconductor wafers. The court also b

2026-05-18 11:20:13:00