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

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

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

Police mull releasing mugshot of Cheongju man who killed his ex-girlfriend

South Korean police said Monday they are reviewing whether to disclose the identity of a 54-year-old man suspected of murdering a woman in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, whose body was found 44 days after she was reported missing. The Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency released preliminary findings of the ongoing investigation and said the case may be referred to the Deliberative Committee on Disclosure of Personal Information. If approved, the suspect’s name, age and mugshot would be publ

Dec. 1, 2025

1 in 5 Korean women faces violence in intimate relationships

One out of five Korean women has experienced violence in an intimate relationship, yet South Korea still lacks the statistical and institutional systems needed to understand the scale of the problem or protect victims, according to new findings released Monday by the Korea Women’s Development Institute. Coinciding with the 2025 International Week for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the analysis — based on nationwide surveys conducted in 2021 and 2024 — found that 19.2 percent of women

Dec. 1, 2025

Seoul mayor indicted in illegal poll funding case

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was indicted without detention Monday on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, as special prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team investigates allegations linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee and illicit polling support ahead of Oh’s 2021 mayoral run. Oh is accused of asking a supporter to cover the costs of opinion polls that could influence the outcome of the People Power Party’s internal contest for the Seoul mayoral candidacy. The polls were conducted by pollster My

Dec. 1, 2025

Jeju Air Crash victims’ families call for independent probe

Families of victims of last year’s Jeju Air crash began a sit-in protest Monday outside the Presidential Office in Seoul, shaving their heads as they called for an independent investigation and a delay to the government’s interim report on the accident. In cold winter winds, six of the victims' relatives sat in a line as monks shaved their heads, beginning the protest with a collective head-shaving ceremony. Some wailed as hair fell to the pavement -- an act they described as a plea for truth an

Dec. 1, 2025