Korea targets youth drug surge with new crackdown

Alarmed by the rapid rise of drug offenses involving younger Koreans, the government is strengthening its anti-narcotics strategy through new reporting mechanisms and a centralized oversight body aimed at curbing youth drug abuse. The measures, which include an anonymous reporting system and a centralized control tower for drug-crime oversight, follow a sharp rise in young offenders, whose share of total drug cases surged from 41.7 percent in 2018 to 61.8 percent in the first 10 months of this y

Dec. 1, 2025

Embattled Unification Church leader denies all criminal charges

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja on Monday flatly denied involvement in alleged bribery and illegal political donations to figures close to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, insisting that a senior church official acted entirely on his own. Han's lawyer placed the sole blame on the church's former global headquarters chief Yoon Young-ho, in the first hearing for the criminal trial for Han and her secretary surnamed Jeong at the Seoul Central District Court. According to Han's side, she was una

Dec. 1, 2025

Top police commander apologizes over unconstitutional role in martial law

South Korea’s top acting police official apologized Monday for the force’s role in imposing martial law late in the evening of Dec. 3, 2024, admitting that police actions such as sealing off the National Assembly were unconstitutional and inflicted “deep harm” on the public and democratic order. Yoo Jae-seong, the acting commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said during an online meeting of senior police leaders that the force “restricted lawmakers’ access to the National Assembly

Dec. 1, 2025

Historic Tapgol Park declared alcohol-free zone

Tapgol Park in central Seoul, known as the first modern park in the country, has been designated as a no-drinking zone as part of district officials' efforts to preserve the prominent historic site. The Jongno District Office said Monday that drinking alcoholic beverages or possessing an open bottle of such drink have been banned inside the park, having taken effect Oct. 20. The grace period for the new policy extends to March 2026. Violators face an administrative fine of 100,000 won ($68) star

Dec. 1, 2025

Runner hit by truck during marathon dies

A 20-something-year-old runner who was run over by a truck during a marathon earlier this month has officially been declared dead, officials at the Cheongju city government said Sunday afternoon. The runner, whose injury left him brain-dead, passed away at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. The driver in his 80s who caused the accident with his truck is being investigated by the police, facing potential charges of causing death by vehicular accident. The incident occurred during a marathon in North Chungcheon

Dec. 1, 2025

Seoul Metro unions begin 'work-to-rule' protest over wage hike

The unions of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, launched a slowdown protest on Monday after their wage hike negotiations fell through. The "work-to-rule" protest by two of Seoul Metro's three unions, which account for three-quarters of all employees, caused no major disruption to commuters, though there were minor train delays at some stations. Protest participants staged a fight for safety by securing more stop times than usual and refused to perform work that is not required by re

Dec. 1, 2025

S. Korea recovers remains of soldiers killed during Korean War after resuming excavation at DMZ battle site

The military has recovered the remains believed to be those of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at a former battlefield in the Demilitarized Zone, in the first such excavation work conducted in the area in three years. In October, the ministry announced a plan to resume war remains excavation at White Horse Ridge in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, in what it called part of measures to reduce military tension between the two Koreas. The project had been halted since 2022. Following a 40-

Dec. 1, 2025

Acting police chief apologizes to nation over police action during martial law declaration

The acting head of the National Police Agency apologized to the nation Monday for police restricting access to the National Assembly on the night of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law last year. Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-seong made the apology during an online gathering of senior police leaders nationwide ahead of the first anniversary of Yoon's failed martial law bid on Dec. 3. "Police restricted lawmakers' entry around the National Assembly on the night o

Dec. 1, 2025

Vice trade minister expresses regret over Canada's stronger steel safeguard plan

Vice Trade Minister Park Jung-sung expressed regret Monday over Canada's recent announcement of stronger steel safeguard measures, calling for a swift withdrawal of the plan that he said may place an additional burden on South Korea's steel industry, already struggling with global oversupply and trade protectionism, Park's office said. Park made the call in a meeting with Alexandra Dostal, senior assistant deputy minister at Canada's Innovation, Science and Economic Development, held just days a

Dec. 1, 2025

[Graphic News] 1 in 3 South Koreans now obese: study

One in three South Koreans is now classified as obese, up from one in four a decade ago, according to a recent study by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The agency reported that 34.4 percent of Koreans were obese in 2024. The World Health Organization defines obesity in Asians as having a body mass index of 25 or higher. In 2015, 26.3 percent of South Koreans were obese, meaning the rate had risen by 8.1 percentage points over the past decade. By gender, 41.4 percent of men and 2

Dec. 1, 2025

Teen dies after shop spreads images of her shoplifting

The death of a high school student in South Chungcheong Province after images of her taking ice cream from an unmanned store circulated among local teenagers has triggered a new public debate over privacy. According to local reports, the 18-year-old, identified as Lee, was found dead at her home in Hongseong on Sept. 23, just a few days after the store owner sent images of her stealing to a local tutoring room. The photos were then shared with students there and quickly circulated among teenager

Nov. 30, 2025

120,000 private cameras hacked, used to record sexual content

Four individuals are under investigation for allegedly hacking around 120,000 internet protocol cameras installed at homes and businesses across the country, with the suspects accused of using them to record sexual content. Two of the suspects each hacked into 63,000 and 70,000 IP cameras, recording hundreds of sexual videos, which they sold to operators of websites based outside of the country. One made 35 million won ($23,800) while the other made 18 million won in the process, according to th

Nov. 30, 2025

Busan struggles with repeated wild boar sightings

A wild boar injured two people after entering an apartment complex in Busan, news reports said Sunday, the latest in a series of boar attacks and sightings that has residents on edge in South Korea's second-most populated city. According to fire authorities and police, the 120-kilogram animal appeared around 2:15 p.m. Saturday in an underground parking area of the complex in Cheongnyong-dong, Geumjeong-gu. An 80-year-old woman who was rammed by the boar was taken to a hospital with cuts on her f

Nov. 30, 2025

Foreign passenger investigated for disturbance on a plane

A foreign national in his 50s is being investigated by police for unruly behavior during a flight, including taking a business-class seat that was not his and refusing to follow the instructions of the flight attendants, airport police said Sunday. The suspect left his assigned economy seat and moved into an empty business-class seat at around 5:50 p.m. Saturday on a Korean Air flight en route from Manila to Incheon Airport. When the crew asked the man to return to his seat, he refused and cause

Nov. 30, 2025

From 'soft no's to hidden anger: Why Koreans communicate indirectly

A few weeks ago, Kim working for a government agency was reprimanded by his boss after a misunderstanding spiraled out of control. The boss, fresh from being scolded by his own superior, turned to Kim with anger in his eyes and demanded, “Do I have to go through this because of you?” Kim froze. He knew the situation had been caused by an unforeseen complication, not by any mistake on his part. He wanted to say, “It wasn’t my fault,” but the words wouldn’t come out. “If I talked back, I thought h

Nov. 30, 2025