Special counsel appeals Seoul mayor's acquittal in political funds case

A special counsel team said Friday it has appealed the acquittal of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in a political funds case linked to the 2021 mayoral by-election. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team said it filed the appeal with the Seoul High Court earlier in the day, a week after the appellate court overturned a lower court ruling to acquit the mayor of violating the Political Funds Act. Oh had been indicted on charges of having a political supporter make payments totaling 33 million won (US$24,700)

2026-10-30 13:18:26:00

Appellate sentencing in Yoon's high-stakes election law case to be broadcast live

Next week's sentencing hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over election law violation charges will be broadcast live, court officials said Friday, a high-stakes ruling that could force the main opposition People Power Party to return nearly $30 million in reimbursed election expenses. The Seoul High Court decided to allow broadcasters to air the sentencing scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. Yoon was sentenced by a district court in July to a 18-month prison term, suspended f

2026-10-30 12:58:02:00

Lee extends deep condolences over death of veteran actor Choi Bool-am

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday extended "deep condolences" over the death of popular veteran actor Choi Bool-am, calling him the "father of our era." Choi died the previous day at the age of 87 at a hospital, where he was receiving treatment. Since beginning his television career in 1967, Choi had been known for his portrayals of paternal characters in popular TV series. "You will long remain in the hearts of people as a detective who safeguards justice and a loving father," Lee wrote on his

2026-10-30 11:24:36:00

Japanese scholar sees little chance of 'meaningful' Kim-Trump summit this year

A summit between North Korea and the United States is likely to be difficult within this year, a leading Japanese scholar has said, doubting that either side is ready for a meeting that leads to any "meaningful" negotiations. Junya Nishino, a professor of political science at Tokyo's Keio University, made the remarks in a meeting with Korean reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 22, as US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year. "I think a sum

2026-10-30 11:09:54:00

S. Korea's indigenous KF-21 fighter jet conducts 1st formation flight with US aircraft

South Korea's indigenous KF-21 fighter jet has made its first formation flight with US aircraft over the Yellow Sea, Seoul officials said Friday. The KF-21 Boramae, assigned to the 156th Fighter Squadron, 16th Fighter Wing, conducted the joint aerial formation flight with US Air Force jets last Friday, according to military officials. The US side deployed the U-2S Dragon Lady, a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, and the F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, whereas the South Korean Air Force mobilize

2026-10-30 10:32:45:00

Hegseth calls talk of shaky S. Korea-US alliance 'fake news:' Seoul's defense minister

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brushed off concerns over a perceived growing rift in the South Korea-US alliance as "fake news," Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday after a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart earlier this week. Kang said the secretary made the comment when the minister brought up South Korean media reports citing alliance friction over key bilateral issues, including an apparent gap in advancing the wartime operational control transition from Washington to Seoul

2026-10-30 10:28:10:00

Foreigners again sell Korean stocks in Sept.

Foreign investors again turned to net sellers of Korean stocks last month after snapping seven months of sell-offs in August amid extended geopolitical risks and woes over artificial intelligence (AI) profitability, data showed Friday. Offshore investors offloaded a net 19.11 trillion won ($14.25 billion) worth of local stocks last month, compared with a net purchase of 344 billion won the previous month, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Following their net sel

2026-10-30 10:27:41:00

Lions infielder Ryu Ji-hyuk savors 1st postseason homer vs. ex-team: 'It was incredible'

Samsung Lions infielder Ryu Ji-hyuk will never be mistaken for a power hitter. In 1,221 regular-season games over 15 years in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Ryu has hit just 23 home runs. And in 38 postseason games before Thursday night, Ryu had zero homers. Ryu's breakthrough dinger came at an opportune time for his club. His two-run home run off Kia Tigers starter Keisho Shirakawa gave the Lions a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth in Game 3 of the second round in the KBO postseason. Alt

2026-10-30 10:26:17:00

Nvidia to make $1 billion investment in Naver next week

Nvidia Corp. is scheduled to fulfill its $1 billion investment in Naver Corp. next Friday, according to the portal giant's regulatory filing Friday, a move set to make the U.S. chip giant the third-largest shareholder of the South Korean IT firm. The completion of the capital increase comes as Naver was able to secure at least $9 billion in computing infrastructure, the filing said. Naver will fix the number of common shares to be acquired by Nvidia via a rights offering on Tuesday. Currently, S

2026-10-30 10:16:42:00

KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp fall

South Korea's bourse operator on Friday activated a sell-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index as the stock index plunged. Program trading for the KOSPI-listed shares was suspended for five minutes at 10:04 a.m., according to the Korea Exchange. After opening 2.99 percent lower, the KOSPI fell 277.75 points, or 4.68 percent, to 5,661.7 as of 10:06 a.m. The index came under downward pressure following overnight losses on Wall Street, as renewed concerns over the sustain

2026-10-30 10:14:33:00