Yoon long gone, but Koreans say work isn’t done

On the night of Dec. 3 last year, lawyer Kim Kyoung-ho was sitting at home with his daughters when then-President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared on television and declared emergency martial law. For most, it was an alarming constitutional aberration, a phrase many had only seen in history books. But for Kim, who spent 13 years as a military legal officer, including seven years as an instructor teaching the law of martial rule, it was something closer to disbelief. “I had taught this law to commanders fo

Dec. 2, 2025

President orders probe into Coupang breach

President Lee Jae Myung ordered a swift investigation Tuesday into the massive data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang and signaled that his administration may seek punitive damages to prevent similar lapses, calling the incident “astonishing” in scale and negligence. At a Cabinet meeting, Lee criticized Coupang for failing to detect the breach for nearly five months following the initial intrusion in June, even as personal information belonging to an estimated 34 million users, including names,

Dec. 2, 2025

Lee warns ‘unrealistic’ nuclear armament debate hinders Seoul’s push for fuel-cycle rights

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday criticized "unrealistic claims" that South Korea intends to pursue its own nuclear arsenal, warning that such mischaracterizations are obstructing Seoul’s efforts to secure its uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing rights. Presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, Lee said discussions with Washington have been hindered due to concerns that expanded fuel-cycle capabilities could be diverted for nuclear weapon

Dec. 2, 2025

Assembly passes 2026 budget on time after rare bipartisan deal

The National Assembly on Tuesday approved a budget for 2026 — the first under the Lee Jae Myung administration — after the rival parties reached a last-minute agreement on the final day of the statutory review period. Tuesday’s vote marks the first on-schedule passage of a national budget in five years, since 2020. The 727.9 trillion won ($495 billion) budget, passed during a plenary session Tuesday night just minutes before the legal deadline, is about 1 trillion won smaller than the government

Dec. 2, 2025

Women earn one-third less than men in temporary jobs

Korea’s job market remains far harsher for women, who hold 1.31 million more temporary and part-time jobs than men and earn only about 65 percent of men’s pay in comparable roles. Nonregular jobs, including short-term contracts, part-time roles and subcontracted work, are disproportionately filled by women, contributing to Korea’s gender pay gap, which remains among the widest for an advanced economy globally. According to a report released Monday by the Korea Labor and Society Institute, 5.3 mi

Dec. 2, 2025

Man arrested for breaking into apartment through open window, spotted by firefighter

A man was arrested after breaking into an apartment through a window and stealing valuables, all while a firefighter happened to be watching. According to the Siheung Police Station on Tuesday, the suspect in his 20s was caught entering a first-floor unit of an apartment building in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, at around 1 p.m. on Nov. 28 through an unlocked window. While the suspect was climbing, a firefighter sitting in his parked car nearby quickly alerted police. The suspect, who reportedly h

Dec. 2, 2025

What’s Seoul’s color for 2026? City picks sunrise-inspired ‘Morning Yellow’

Seoul on Tuesday unveiled Morning Yellow as the city's official color for 2026, marking the third installment in a branding project that assigns a distinct hue to each year. The warm tone, drawn from the city’s sunrise, is meant to evoke a fresh start and a wish for “a clear, trouble-free day,” the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. The selection was derived from more than 3,000 citizen-submitted sunrise photos, which the city analyzed using national color-standard guidelines to identify a pale

Dec. 2, 2025

Punitive damages system not working to prevent data leaks, fundamental measures needed: presidential office

The punitive damages system is not functioning in preventing information leaks, as shown by the massive data breach at Coupang Inc., and more fundamental measures are urgently needed, a presidential office official said Monday. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik made the remarks during a senior secretaries' meeting after personal information of over 33 million customers of the e-commerce giant was compromised in South Korea's worst data breach. "The punitive damages system is virtually no

Dec. 2, 2025

Lee calls for stronger penalties, punitive damages amid Coupang data breach

President Lee Jae Myung called Tuesday for strengthening penalties and implementing the punitive damages system in the event of data leaks similar to the massive breach at e-commerce giant Coupang. Lee issued the call during a Cabinet meeting days after the company said the personal information of nearly 34 million customers had been stolen, including names, addresses and phone numbers. "We must swiftly determine the cause of the accident and strictly demand accountability," he said during the m

Dec. 2, 2025

Arirang 7 multipurpose satellite successfully put into orbit

Arirang 7, South Korea's multipurpose satellite, has successfully entered orbit after lifting off from a space center in South America, the country's space agency said Tuesday. Also known as the Korea Multipurpose Satellite 7, the satellite was deployed from the Vega-C rocket 44 minutes after launching from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana at 2:21 p.m. Monday (French Guiana time), or 2:21 a.m. Tuesday (Korean time), according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration. The rocket is operated

Dec. 2, 2025

Court set to hold arrest warrant hearing for PPP lawmaker over alleged martial law role

A Seoul court is set to hold an arrest warrant hearing Tuesday for People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. The hearing is scheduled to take place at the Seoul Central District Court at 3 p.m. to determine whether Choo's arrest is warranted on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection. The charge is related to allegations Choo, then floor leader of the PPP, obstructed his party's lawmakers from taking

Dec. 2, 2025

S. Korea, U.S. agree to swiftly launch working groups for follow-up talks on summit agreements

South Korea and the United States have agreed to swiftly launch working groups for follow-up negotiations on the recent summit agreements, including Seoul's plans to build nuclear-powered submarines and pursue civil uranium enrichment rights, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo shared the need with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau during their talks in Washington on Monday (local time), the first high-level follow-up dialogue since the rele

Dec. 2, 2025

Special counsel indicts Seoul mayor over proxy payment for opinion polls

A special counsel team indicted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Monday on charges of getting a longtime supporter to pay for opinion polls conducted by a self-proclaimed power broker ahead of the mayoral election in 2021. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which is investigating corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee, said it indicted the mayor without physical detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The team suspects Oh got his supporter and businessman

Dec. 2, 2025

[Graphic News] International marriages on the rise in Korea

The number of international marriages in Korea last year reached its highest level since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Births to parents from such marriages also increased by 1,000 from the previous year, marking the first rise in 12 years. According to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, there were 21,450 marriages last year between a Korean national and a foreign or naturalized spouse, up 5 percent from the year before. However, their share of all marriages declined from 10.6

Dec. 2, 2025

Woman in 20s dies after saw-blade cut at Busan woodcraft workshop

A woman in her 20s has died after being cut by a fixed saw blade at a craft workshop in Busan on Monday. According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, the accident occurred at 1:37 p.m. at a woodworking studio in Busan. The woman suffered severe cuts to her face and neck from a stationery saw blade. She was taken to a nearby hospital but died at 3:40 p.m. Police said they are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident and interviewing the workshop owner and witnesses.

Dec. 1, 2025