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Yoon Suk Yeol's appellate trial commences for obstructing arrest
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's appellate trial for resisting arrest last year begins Tuesday, with the first hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Seoul High Court. The 65-year-old former president was sentenced to five years in prison in January on multiple charges, including obstructing investigators’ attempt to detain him, infringing on Cabinet members’ deliberation rights, drafting a revised version of his Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration and destroying it after the short-lived order was
March 4, 2026 -
Drug-laced drink killing suspect qualifies as psychopath: police
A 22-year-old woman accused of drugging and killing two men in a series of motel encounters in Seoul meets the clinical critera to beconsidered a psychopath, police said Wednesday, as investigators examine whether the crimes were premeditated. The Seoul Gangbuk Police Station said the suspect, identified by her surname Kim, scored above the domestic cutoff on the Psychopathy Checklist Revised, or PCL R. The test measures traits including callousness, impulsivity, lack of empathy and irresponsibi
March 4, 2026 -
Student cyclist dies after high speed collision during training
Five staff at a high school in Gyeonggi Province are under police investigation over the death of a student cyclist who was fatally injured during a highway training session in January. Officials at the Paju Police Station said they are questioning the school's principal, vice principal, the cycling team coach and two physical education teachers at the school in Yeoncheon-gun in connection with the accident, which occurred at around 1 p.m. on Jan. 24. The victim, a member of the school cycling t
March 4, 2026 -
Ex-Seoul councilor, lawmaker arrested for alleged bribery
Former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung and National Assembly Rep. Kang Sun-woo were arrested Tuesday, after a court issued arrest warrants for the two on bribery allegations. The prosecution asserts that Kim made an illegal transaction of 100 million won ($68,000) to Kang, then a lawmaker with the now ruling Democratic Party of Korea, ahead of the 2022 local elections. This is believed to have been in exchange for Kang's support for Kim's nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for a Seoul C
March 4, 2026 -
Gimpo, a gateway city built for global living
In Gimpo, a city defined by geography as much as ambition, a new global identity is taking shape. Flanked by rivers and canals, bordered by the Han River to the north and positioned directly across from North Korea, Gimpo has long occupied one of the most symbolic spaces on the peninsula. Today, it is leveraging that symbolism, along with rapid population growth, expanding transport links and rising international mobility, to reimagine itself as a global-facing city built on livability, cultural
March 3, 2026 -
Chief Justice urges review of judicial reform bills ‘to the very end’
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de on Tuesday expressed concern over the recent passage of three judicial reform bills, urging the National Assembly to “carefully consider until the very end” whether the legislation contains any provisions that could harm the public. Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court in Seoul, Jo said he “entirely respects the legislative activities of the National Assembly” and emphasized that the judiciary would fulfill its constitutional mission “under all ci
March 3, 2026 -
Korea to offer discounts every Wednesday as ‘Culture Day’ goes weekly
Starting April, South Korea will designate every Wednesday as “Culture Day,” expanding the long-running monthly program into a weekly initiative aimed at embedding cultural participation in everyday life. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the revision to the enforcement decree of the Framework Act on Culture was approved at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. After a preparatory period, the expanded program will take effect nationwide next month. Under the revised framework, public cultura
March 3, 2026 -
Look up at the skies tonight for a ‘blood moon’
Skies over South Korea, along with those across Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia and the Americas, will glow a deep reddish-orange on Tuesday during a total lunar eclipse coinciding with Jeongwol Daeboreum, the traditional Korean holiday celebrating the first full moon of the lunar year, which this year falls on March 3. Known as a "blood moon," the phenomenon occurs when Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon's surface and causing it to appear crims
March 3, 2026 -
Six lives saved by 16-year-old organ donor
South Korea's organ donation agency said Tuesday that the organs donated posthumously by a middle school student have been transplanted to help six people. The heart, liver, lung, kidney and both eyes of Park Chae-yeon were donated with the consent of her family, according to the Korea Organ Donation Agency. Park was declared brain dead on Dec. 16 at Ajou University Hospital after suffering severe injuries in a car accident two days earlier. The family said it was their wish that parts of their
March 3, 2026 -
Gwangju–South Jeolla merger moves ahead despite snags
The planned integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province has entered a crucial phase following the National Assembly’s passage of a special merger support law, though several key issues remain unresolved ahead of the scheduled launch. The approval makes the southwestern region the only area in Korea where administrative integration talks are actively moving toward realization. However, sensitive matters, including the scale of central government support and the location of major administrati
March 2, 2026 -
Revenge for hire spreads via Telegram
Concerns are growing over a recent string of so-called “revenge for hire” crimes, most of which involve the vandalism of apartment doors. A man in his 20s was recently taken into custody on suspicion of property damage after smearing waste and paint on a stranger’s apartment door for money, news reports said Monday. The incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 at an apartment building in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where the suspect allegedly spread food waste and sprayed red lacquer pa
March 2, 2026 -
Korea marks 107th anniversary of independence
Independence Day was commemorated nationwide on Sunday, drawing citizens across the country to mark the 107th anniversary of Korea’s independence, achieved after the Japanese colonial period from 1910 to 1945. In Seoul, citizens gathered for the 107th anniversary March 1 Independence Movement ceremony, "1919 Seodaemun, the Cry of That Day" (translated), held at Seodaemun Prison History Museum in Seodaemun-gu. Following the event, participants marched to Independence Gate, located near Dongnimmun
March 1, 2026 -
Number of complaints against illegal private lenders hits 13-yr high in 2025
The number of complaints filed against illegal money lenders climbed to the highest level in 13 years last year, data showed Sunday. A total of 17,538 cases involving illegal private lenders were reported to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) in 2025, according to FSS data submitted to Rep. Lee In-young of the ruling Democratic Party. This tally marks the largest figure since 2012, when the FSS set up a center dedicated to gathering such complaints. In detail, 9,293 cases involved unregiste
March 1, 2026 -
Half of knife crime suspects in their 50s, police data show
More than half of the suspects in knife crimes committed in public places last year were in their 50s or older, according to Seoul police data. Men accounted for 87.9 percent of the suspects. An analysis of 307 cases found that the average age of suspects was 49.7, with 54.7 percent aged 50 or above. At the time of the offense, 50.5 percent of suspects were either intoxicated or in what police described as an “abnormal mental state.” As for motive, 46.7 percent of the cases had no clear motive.
March 1, 2026 -
Door left unlocked blamed for Siberian tiger’s death at Seoul Grand Park
A 13-year-old Siberian tiger named Miho died at Seoul Grand Park after a fight with another tiger, allegedly after a separating door between the enclosures was not properly locked, local media reported Friday. According to News1, citing Seoul city council member Lee Young-sil of the Democratic Party of Korea, Miho died after fighting with 7-year-old Kumgang in a zoo enclosure at around 4:15 p.m. on Feb. 18. An internal investigation by the park found that the two female tigers began fighting sho
March 1, 2026