Former Samsung Electronics Vice President sentenced to 3 years for leaking company secrets

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced former Samsung Electronics Vice President Ahn Seung-ho to three years in prison for leaking confidential company materials. Ahn established Synergy IP, a patent management company, in 2020, after retiring from his position as head of Samsung Electronics’ Intellectual Property Center. He was charged with obtaining internal information from an employee at Samsung Electronics’ IP Center and using the materials in a patent infringement lawsuit

Feb. 11, 2026

Court overturns monopoly penalty against Kakao Entertainment

The Seoul High Court ruled Wednesday that penalty surcharges imposed by the Korea Fair Trade Commission on Kakao Entertainment should be canceled. The Korea Fair Trade Commission had imposed a 540 million won ($372,000) fine and ordered corrective measures in 2023. It accused Kakao Entertainment of violating the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act by abusing its dominant position to infringe upon the rights of contest-winning authors to create secondary works. According to the commission, Kak

Feb. 11, 2026

Yellow Envelope Act deference, foreign stock reshoring benefits

Feb. 10, 2026

Prosecutors request arrest warrants for lawmaker, ex-councilor over bribery

Prosecutors on Monday requested arrest warrants for a lawmaker and a former Seoul city councilor accused of involvement in a bribery case linked to the 2022 local elections. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it sought the pretrial detention of Rep. Kang Sun-woo, an independent who formerly belonged to the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and Kim Kyung, who until recently served as a Seoul city councilor. They face charges of violating the Political Funds Act and accepting bribes in

Feb. 9, 2026

Cancellation of treasury shares upon acquisition, AI watermarks and labels

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies Proposed by Rep. Kim Seung-won (Democratic Party of Korea) Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Jung-mun (Democratic Party of Korea) Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon (Democratic Party of Korea) Promulgated Bill: Framework Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Creation of a Foundation for Trust Com

Feb. 8, 2026

Inmate convicted of killing fellow prisoner by forcing psychotropic drugs

South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld a seven-year prison sentence for an inmate convicted of causing the death of another prisoner by feeding him a lethal quantity of psychotropic medication, local media reported. The top court recently found the defendant guilty of multiple offenses, including fatal injury, assault and abuse of psychotropic substances, in connection with the death of a male inmate in his 20s in 2024. According to the ruling, the defendant assaulted the victim and forced him t

Feb. 6, 2026

8 months or 8 years? Ruling challenged over discrepancy between oral and written verdict

The Daejeon District Court has found itself embroiled in controversy after a defendant challenged a recent ruling, taking issue with the judge's oral sentence differing from the written verdict. According to legal circles on Wednesday, a Daejeon District Court judge on Jan. 16 said, the court "sentences the defendant to eight months in prison," while reading the verdict in a jeonse fraud case. The jeonse system involves tenants paying a large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent, with the fu

Feb. 4, 2026

Soccer star Ki Sung-yueng files appeal in damages lawsuit over sexual assault allegations

South Korean soccer star Ki Sung-yueng has appealed a damages ruling in his lawsuit against two former junior teammates who accused him of sexual assault, with hearings at the Seoul High Court set to begin next month. According to legal officials Monday, the appellate court will open proceedings on March 20. The case centers on allegations made by two former junior players from Ki's elementary school soccer club in South Jeolla Province, who claimed they were sexually assaulted by older teammate

Feb. 2, 2026

Korea’s ban on foreigners’ political activities draws court challenge

South Korea is facing a constitutional challenge to a decades-old law that bars foreigners from engaging in political activities, with a public-interest group arguing it undermines free expression. Open Net Korea, Seoul-based rights advocacy group, filed a petition with the Constitutional Court challenging Article 17-2 of the Immigration Act, according to its statement released on Friday. Article 17-2 prohibits all political activity by foreign nationals unless otherwise allowed by statute, and

Feb. 1, 2026

Special counsel appeals ruling on ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee in corruption case

A special counsel on Friday appealed a court ruling in the corruption case of former first lady Kim Keon Hee that handed down a prison term but found her not guilty on most charges, saying the court misapprehended the facts and that the sentence was too lenient. The appeal comes two days after Kim, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church in return for business favors. But the Seoul Central Dist

Jan. 30, 2026

Former chief justice gets suspended prison term for illegal trial intervention

The Seoul High Court on Friday sentenced former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae to six months in prison, suspended for a year, for abusing his power to intervene in a series of high-profile court cases. Partially overturning a lower court's acquittal of the same charges in 2024, the appellate court found Yang guilty of two abuse of authority charges. The former involves him blocking a decision by the Seoul Southern District Court to request a constitutional review of the Supreme Court'

Jan. 30, 2026

Teacher who protected her students from sexual attacks reinstated

The Seoul Administrative Court erupted in applause Thursday after a judge ruled in favor of teacher Ji Hye-bok, nullifying a transfer order issued by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s Jungbu District Office and reinstating her as an instructor. Ji played a crucial role in publicizing mass sexual violence and harassment against the majority female students at her school in 2023, for which male students were held responsible. She applied for relief from a violation of student rights wit

Jan. 30, 2026

Coupang CEO Rogers to appear for police questioning Fri.

Harold Rogers, interim chief executive officer of Coupang Corp., is scheduled to undergo police questioning this week over allegations related to a massive data breach at the e-commerce company, sources said Thursday. Rogers, who defied two previous police summonses, is set to appear before a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency team at 2 p.m. Friday after returning to South Korea last Wednesday, according to the sources. He had left the country on Jan. 1, a day after attending a two-day parliamenta

Jan. 30, 2026

[Breaking] Ex-PPP leader Rep. Kweon sentenced to 2 years in Unification Church bribery case

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party to a two-year prison term and ordered the forfeiture of 100 million won ($70,000) for receiving illicit political funds from a Unification Church official in 2022. "Despite being a lawmaker who should prioritize national interest and act on behalf of his conscience, the defendant undermined public trust and abandoned his constitutional duties by receiving 100 million won from the Unification C

Jan. 28, 2026

[Breaking] Unification church official sentenced to 1 year, 2 months for bribing former first lady

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced Yun Young-ho, a former senior official of the Unification Church, to a year and two months in prison on charges of embezzling church funds and bribing key political figures, including former first lady Kim Keon Hee. “Regardless of whether the Unification Church’s requests were realized, the crime itself violated the public’s trust in the fair execution of state policy,” the court said. The special counsel investigating corruption allegation

Jan. 28, 2026