Seoul mayor says to review next year's marathons from 'scratch' after severe traffic disruptions

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Monday that marathon races scheduled for next year in Seoul will undergo a review from "scratch," following persistent complaints over severe traffic disruptions. A nationwide running boom in recent years has turned Seoul into a weekend hotspot for running events, but frequent road restrictions from the races have sparked growing public traffic complaints. Oh addressed major traffic disruptions caused by a race Sunday, pledging an overhaul to races next year. "Ultimat

2026-11-02 15:11:47:00

S. Korea officially recognizes 3 fishing crewmen abducted by N. Korea in 1973

South Korea has officially recognized three fishing crewmen abducted by North Korea decades ago, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday, bringing the total number of government-recognized abductees since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War to 519. The ministry added Jo Gi-won, Kim Yang-hun and Kim Dong-ho, who were forcibly taken to the North while aboard their fishing boat, the Daeyeong, near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong in 1973, to the list of post-war abductees eligible for "c

2026-11-02 15:10:24:00

Korean Series features 2 ex-MVPs as opposing managers

Only three winners of the Korean Series MVP award have gone on to manage in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), and two of them will be in the opposing dugouts when the South Korean baseball championship battle begins this week. The KT Wiz and the Samsung Lions will meet in the best-of-seven Korean Series starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul. Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul was voted the 1996 Korean Series MVP for helping the Haitai Tigers (currently Kia Tigers

2026-11-02 15:07:43:00

Retrial to begin next week for Uzbek national convicted of murder, robbery 16 yrs ago

A court will open a retrial next week for an Uzbek national who was sentenced to life in prison 16 years ago for killing and robbing a taxi driver in 2009, legal sources said Monday. According to the sources, the first hearing of the retrial for Bozorov Akmal, 37, will begin at 11 a.m. on Nov. 12 at the Changwon District Court in Changwon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The Supreme Court finalized Akmal's life imprisonment in 2010 on charges of robbing and killing a 50-something taxi d

2026-11-02 15:06:23:00

Special counsel raids NEC headquarters over improper stipends

A special counsel team said Monday it raided the National Election Commission over allegations its commissioners were paid 905.8 million won ($677,000) in improper stipends. Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team said a 65-member team, including four prosecutors, were sent to the NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, to search the offices of the NEC chair and secretary general. The election watchdog is suspected of having unlawfully paid monthly stipends to its nine commissioners in the

2026-11-02 11:39:50:00

LG CNS completes construction of AI data center in Indonesia's Jakarta

LG CNS Co., the information technology affiliate of LG Group., said Monday it completed the construction of a hyperscale artificial intelligence data center of 30-megawatt capacity in Jakarta, Indonesia. The project was commissioned by KMG, a joint venture between Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group and Korea Investment Real Asset Management Co., a local alternative asset management firm. It marks the first time that a South Korean company has built an AI data center for an overseas client, LG CNS said.

2026-11-02 11:37:12:00

Defense ministry launches new drone headquarters to bolster unmanned capabilities amid NK threats

The defense ministry launched a new drone headquarters Monday, aiming to bolster unmanned aerial systems and counter-drone capabilities amid North Korea's evolving drone threats, officials said. The launch ceremony took place at the Defense Drone Headquarters in Pocheon, about 40 kilometers north of Seoul, attended by Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee and other military officials, the ministry said. The new headquarters replaces the existing Drone Operations Command as a "drone control tower" to

2026-11-02 11:23:34:00

Korea Exchange sets up plan for shorter settlement for stock trading

The Korea Exchange on Monday unveiled a plan to shorten a cycle for stock settlement, in what could be a major overhaul to improve efficiency for the equity market. Since 1972, South Korea has adopted a stock settlement system that allows investors to settle their transactions two business days after their trades. Under the envisioned plan, investors would be allowed to settle their transactions one business day afterward, the KRX said in a statement. Relevant authorities plan to complete buildi

2026-11-02 10:58:14:00

Lee vows bold investment in AI, future growth engines for 'growth for all'

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday pledged bold investment in artificial intelligence and other future growth engine industries to boost South Korea's economic growth potential. Lee made the pledge in a speech at the National Assembly where he called for bipartisan support for the passage of the 2027 budget bill. The government submitted the budget bill to the National Assembly in September, proposing 820.9 trillion won ($614.5 billion) in total government spending next year, up more than 10 perc

2026-11-02 10:48:14:00

S. Korea's Air Force to participate in US-led space war game for 1st time

The South Korean Air Force will take part in a US-led multinational space war game for the first time this week, a tabletop exercise designed to strengthen joint operational capabilities in the space domain, officials said Monday. The Air Force is scheduled to participate in the war game, dubbed Partner to Win, from Monday through Friday (local time) in Florida, alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Brazil and the United States, according to the armed service. Partner to Win, newly launched

2026-11-02 10:44:46:00