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Coupang's massive data breach sparks growing strain on small businesses
The fallout from e-commerce giant Coupang Inc.'s data breach is increasingly spreading to small businesses that heavily rely on the platform for sales, industry sources said Thursday. Last week, the US-listed company said the personal information of 33.7 million customers had been compromised, including names, phone numbers, email addresses and delivery information. Given that active users in Coupang's Product Commerce division -- which includes its delivery service -- reached 24.7 million in th
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Police disclose identity, mug shots of suspect in murder of woman
Police on Thursday released the identity and mug shots of a man arrested on charges of murder and abandoning the body of a woman who had been missing for weeks before being found dead. The mug shots of Kim Young-woo, 54, were made public by the Chungbuk Provincial Police and will be posted on the agency's website for 30 days. Kim is accused of fatally stabbing the 50-something victim, a former girlfriend, over 10 times on Oct. 14 and abandoning her body the next day at a waste disposal facility
Dec. 4, 2025 -
15-year prison term sought for former first lady
A special counsel on Wednesday sought a 15-year prison sentence and a 2 billion won ($1.36 million) fine for former first lady Kim Keon Hee, accusing her of offenses ranging from stock manipulation to bribery and unauthorized interference in state affairs. Prosecutors, led by special counsel Min Joong-ki, asked the court to impose 11 years for alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act and bribery-for-mediation provisions under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. They req
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Thousands brave bitter cold to mark 1st anniversary of Yoon’s martial law
Thousands packed the street in front of the National Assembly on Wednesday, braving biting winds and subzero temperatures in Seoul to mark the first anniversary of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law decree. Silver thermal blankets snapped in the wind. Protesters wrapped themselves in wool scarves with only their eyes peeking out, yet kept their pickets raised, chanting “End the insurrection!” into the frigid air. Just meters away, rows of police officers in neon jackets and riot gear sto
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Victims to get real-time location of stalkers
The National Assembly has passed a revision to a law that will enable stalking victims to view the exact real-time location of their stalker, government officials said Wednesday. The revision of the Act on Electronic Monitoring will share the exact location of a stalker if they get too close to their victim, according to the Ministry of Justice. The current policy notifies the victim when the convicted stalker is nearby, but only via text messages indicating distance, such as: “The perpetrator i
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Man kills mother, believing 'God will revive her'
South Korean police said Wednesday they have arrested a man in his 30s who turned himself in after fatally stabbing his mother, allegedly acting under the delusion that God would bring her back to life. According to the Goesan Police Station in North Chungcheong Province, the suspect attacked his mother around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday while she was napping, stabbing her multiple times with a knife. He appeared at a police station about an hour later and confessed to the killing. He reportedly told inve
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Cold wave grips Korea; Seoul’s first snow likely Thursday
Temperatures dropped sharply across South Korea on Wednesday as a mass of Arctic air moved south, triggering cold wave advisories for Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and parts of Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong provinces, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Morning lows ranged from minus 11 degrees Celsius to minus 1 C nationwide, with even colder conditions forecast through Friday. A cold wave advisory is issued when morning temperatures are expected to remain below minus 1 C fo
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Seoul plans 5-minute Namsan summit ride amid legal challenge
Namsan is seeing renewed global attention, with foreign visitors to Seoul Tower jumping more than 50 percent from last year — a surge partly fueled by the popularity of the Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters," which prominently features the capital city's central mountain. As tourist interest grows, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced an extensive redevelopment blueprint aimed at transforming Namsan into a more accessible, globally competitive landmark by 2030. Under the city’s plan, visi
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Would you pay $960 for Louis Vuitton's bungeoppang keychain?
A Louis Vuitton bag charm modeled after bungeoppang — a fish-shaped bun beloved as a winter street food staple in Korea — has sparked online debate for its hefty price tag. The French luxury brand's Italian-leather bungeoppang charm costs 1.41 million won ($960.29) — almost the price of a laptop or an iPhone here. The charm is described as a cultural homage to the fish-shaped pastry on the brand's official website, where it is promoted as an ideal gift for travelers, dessert lovers or anyone loo
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Coupang faces wave of joint action lawsuits over data breach
E-commerce giant Coupang Inc. is facing a wave of joint lawsuits over its massive data breach that affected nearly 34 million customers. A law firm named Chung filed the first complaint against Coupang on Monday on behalf of 14 clients, seeking 200,000 won (about $140) per person in damages. Many other law firms have also expressed their intention to participate in the class-action lawsuits and are now recruiting participants. Considering past judicial precedents, however, the compensation award
Dec. 3, 2025 -
PPP Rep. Choo avoids arrest
Former People Power Party Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho walked free from Seoul Correction Center in Uiwang Gyeonggi Province early Wednesday after the court refused a warrant for his arrest. The three-term lawmaker has been subject to an investigation investigation led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, which argued he attempted to support former President Yoon Suk Yeol's illegal declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. Choo, as the then floor leader of the People Power Party to which Yoon belonged
Dec. 3, 2025 -
'They really tried to kill me': YouTuber suffering from PTSD after attempted murder
Ko Jin-ho, better known as YouTuber “Sutak,” recounted the night he says he was abducted and nearly killed in an Oct. 26 attack by a used-car dealer who owed him money, speaking publicly for the first time Monday during a livestream on video platform Soop. “As I struggled with them, one man hit my chest and head with a baseball bat inside the car,” Ko said. “It wasn’t something you could do to another human being. He was swinging with the intent to kill.” The assault occurred around 10:40 p.m. i
Dec. 2, 2025 -
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. 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 for years,” he recalled in an interview with The
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 -
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