18 imported food shipments rejected over pesticide, drug residue

Multiple imported food products were found to violate South Korea's safety standards in the first half of this year, including cases involving excessive pesticide residue and veterinary drugs, according to government data released Monday. There were 18 such cases between January and June, according to data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety obtained by Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Six cases involved pesticide residue, while four involved violations of veterinar

2026-09-14 11:47:56:00

Yoon Suk Yeol acquitted on charge of aiding ex-defense minister evade investigation

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was acquitted Friday of charges of abusing his authority to help a former defense minister evade criminal investigation. The former minister, Lee Jong-sup, allegedly had a role in the 2023 cover-up of the death of a Marine. The Seoul Central District Court cleared the 65-year-old of charges of harboring a criminal, abuse of authority and violating the State Public Officials Act for appointing then-Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in November

2026-09-11 16:08:08:00

NK defector under police protection found dead; suspect left country in August

A woman who defected from North Korea has been found dead, with a local media outlet reporting Friday that she had been under the protection of local police. The victim's body was found at an apartment in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, at 10:55 a.m., Wednesday, according to local police. The body was already severely decayed. Police presume her death occurred in early August. Officials launched an investigation after finding evidence suggesting a crime, suspecting the victim's boyfriend to be the culp

2026-09-11 12:52:43:00

Boss stands trial after subordinate killed self following accusations of workplace bullying

South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested a three-year sentence for a man in his 40s who has been accused of harassing and assaulting a younger employee, who eventually died by suicide. The prosecution said that the defendant used his superior position in the office to inflict substantial psychological damage upon the 25-year-old victim surnamed Bang. "The defendant initially told investigators that there had been no physical contact, and later told court that there was contact, but it was

2026-09-11 12:52:26:00

Food, drinks at airport get pricier over 5 years: report

Prices of food and beverages sold at airports across the country have risen by up to 45 percent for some products, presumably due to relatively high rent, according to a government analysis released Friday. Fourteen airports operated by the Korea Airports Corp. have seen increases in the prices of meals between August 2021 and August 2026, according to KAC data released by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the main opposition People Power Party. The steepest hike was for bibimbap sold at the Cheongju Internatio

2026-09-11 11:20:16:00

What foreign parents can claim when having a baby in Korea

Having a baby brings plenty of paperwork and expenses. For foreign residents in South Korea, available benefits depend on health insurance coverage, the parents’ immigration status, the child’s nationality and where the family lives. Here are the main programs to check before and after childbirth. Foreign residents enrolled in the National Health Insurance Service are generally eligible for the same pregnancy and childbirth medical benefits as Korean subscribers. Enrollment rules vary. Foreign e

2026-09-11 09:00:00:00

Life sentence upheld for leader of Korea’s largest online sex crime ring

Kim Nok-wan, the mastermind of South Korea’s largest known Telegram-based sexual exploitation ring, had his life sentence upheld by the Supreme Court on Thursday. The country’s highest court upheld Kim’s convictions on 25 counts, including producing and distributing sexually exploitative material, threatening victims with intimate images, illegal filming, rape and indecent assault. Kim and members of his group, known as the Vigilantes, victimized 261 people, including minors, and produced more t

2026-09-10 13:59:03:00

Man gets 8 years for trying to shoot officer with dropped police gun

A man in his 50s has been sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to shoot a police officer with the officer’s own gun while fleeing after a botched armed robbery in Ulsan, court officials said Thursday. The Ulsan District Court convicted the man of attempted murder and attempted aggravated robbery involving a weapon. In April, the man threatened a woman with a gun in a parking lot in Ulsan. He attempted to tie her up and steal her belongings but fled when she resisted. Police later tracke

2026-09-10 11:59:28:00

Teacher branded North Korean spy acquitted 54 years later

A high school teacher branded a North Korean spy in 1972 was posthumously acquitted Wednesday after a court ruled that the evidence used to convict him had been obtained illegally. The Seoul High Court found the late Seong Gi-ho not guilty of violating the National Security Act and the now-defunct Anti-Communism Act. He had been convicted of failing to report information connected to North Korean espionage. Seong had maintained that investigators from the Army Security Command, the predecessor o

2026-09-10 11:51:53:00

True Crime (15) Killed, then branded a spy

In January 1987, the South Korean Embassy in Singapore got a call from the US Embassy about a suspicious asylum seeker, a 28-year-old Korean named Yun Tae-shik. Yun claimed he had narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping by North Korean agents, alleging that the operation’s point person was none other than his wife. But his story quickly began to unravel. It was soon revealed that Yun had attempted to defect to North Korea before approaching the US Embassy. Further interrogation revealed a far d

2026-09-10 09:00:00:00