Opposition leader unable to attend trial over health concerns after stabbing attack: lawyer

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will not be able to attend hearings in his corruption trial for the time being because he has yet to recover from a stabbing attack, his legal representative said Friday. "It seems it will be hard (for Lee) to attend the trials for now," Lee's lawyer said during a preparatory hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court. "On the face of it, he seemed to have trouble even speaking." Lee is standing trial on breach of trust and other cor

PoliticsJan. 12, 2024

Defense chief calls for maintaining capabilities to strike NK leadership

South Korea's defense chief on Friday called for maintaining operational capabilities to eliminate the North Korean leadership in a contingency in order to deter its nuclear threats, his ministry said. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark as he visited the Agency for Defense Development in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he has no intention of avoiding war with the South. "In order to deter North Korea's nuclear thre

DefenseJan. 12, 2024

Ruling party recruits scientists, legal experts for April election

The ruling party on Friday announced its recruitment of two scientists and a legal expert as three new candidates to run in the April parliamentary election. Lee Re-na, a professor of biomedical engineering at Ewha Womans University; Kang Chul-ho, Chairman of the Korea Association of Robot Industry and Jun Sang-bum, former judge who served at the Uijeongbu branch of the Seoul District Court were the latest batch of candidates tapped by the People Power Party. “The three new candidates have

PoliticsJan. 12, 2024

Top priority for new FM: 'Economic-security integrated diplomacy'

The primary strategic focus of the South Korean Foreign Ministry is to strengthen diplomatic capabilities to enhance economic security, especially at a time when security and the economy are intricately entwined amid the US-China tech rivalry, said newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Friday. "I will seek to strengthen the capabilities of economic and security integrated diplomacy, aligning with the contemporary context where the US-China competition for technological hegemony ha

Foreign AffairsJan. 12, 2024

Bikini-clad woman referred to prosecution for obscene exposure

A bikini-clad woman who roamed the streets of central Seoul in a cardboard box was referred to the prosecution on charges of obscene exposure, according to the Seoul Mapo Police Station on Friday. The woman, reportedly a model by the name of Ain, reportedly walked the streets of Hongdae, one of the country’s famous nightlife districts, sporting a scanty outfit which was hidden from view by a cardboard box in September 2023. She is alleged to have repeated a similar act in Apgujeong, a posh

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2024

'Daechi-dong edu consultant' accused of swindling parents

An admissions consultant based in Seoul's affluent southern neighborhood of Daechi-dong, a hub of South Korea's private education sector, has been under investigation by police for allegedly collecting billions of won from parents as donations to universities, according to the police. The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said Thursday that the suspect worked as an admissions consultant in Daechi-dong and allegedly swindled three parents out of money from 2020-2022. Daechi-dong i

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2024

Korean court orders MBC to rectify report on Yoon's hot mic

The Seoul Western District Court on Friday ordered public broadcaster MBC to rectify its report on President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged use of foul language during an informal exchange with then-Foreign Minister Park Jin in New York in September 2022. In response, MBC on Friday said "we will appeal immediately to correct the erroneous ruling of the first trial." The court issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claimed that the video

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2024

JCS chief calls for 'seamless' surveillance at western coastal units

South Korea's top military officer has called for "seamless" surveillance as he visited units on the western coast, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday, in the wake of North Korea's recent artillery firing. JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo inspected a coastal guard unit and a radar base, both located in Taean County, 109 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Thursday. The latest inspection visit came after the North fired hundreds of artillery shells near the western sea border

DefenseJan. 12, 2024

S. Korean, US top diplomats agree to cooperate on N.K. threats, peace in Taiwan Strait, South China Sea

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together to address North Korean threats and support peace in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea in their phone call Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held the first phone conversation with his new South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, since Cho assumed office this week to succeed Park Jin. "Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cho also agreed to continue workin

Foreign AffairsJan. 12, 2024

[News Focus] Will Yoon veto Halloween disaster probe?

The ball is in President Yoon Suk Yeol's court after the passage of a special bill to give the National Assembly the power to launch a new probe into the Itaewon crowd crush incident in October 2022 that killed 159 people. Opposition lawmakers called for a renewed investigation so that a wider range of decision-makers would face consequences for the failure to put in place measures to deal with overcrowding as people flocked to the nightlife district for Halloween. The presidential office, howev

PoliticsJan. 12, 2024

US slaps sanctions on 3 Russian entities, 1 individual over arms transfers with N. Korea

The United States imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual for their involvement in the transfer and testing of North Korean ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The sanctions came after the White House said that the North has provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were used to strike Ukrainian targets on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Saturday. "The entities and individual were co

Foreign AffairsJan. 12, 2024

US notes China's role in curbing N. Korea's 'provocative' activity

The United States on Thursday took note of China's role in curbing North Korea's "provocative" and "harmful" activities amid international criticism over Pyongyang's transfers of weapons to Russia and its evolving military threats. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks in response to a reporter's question over whether China -- with close relations with the North and Russia -- is responsible for its apparent inaction regarding t

Foreign AffairsJan. 12, 2024

Prosecutors seek 3-year prison term for woman who sold baby

South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested a three-year prison term from the court for a 25-year-old woman who is accused of buying a baby from a single mother and selling her to another woman. In a final hearing for the case held at the Incheon District Court, the prosecution said the accused, surnamed Kim, should be jailed for using a child as a means of making profit. Kim is accused of purchasing a 27-year-old woman's newly born daughter for 980,000 won ($750) on Aug. 24, 2019, and

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2024

Mystery deepens in case of woman found in Han River

"There is a person in the river, but they are not moving.” When the report came in Saturday evening, it seemed to be suggesting a tragic accident or yet another case of suicide in the Han River. But when police arrived on the scene around 8:24 p.m., about 17 minutes after receiving the report, the situation took a grim turn. Floating motionlessly near the Olympic Bridge in Seoul’s Gwangjin-gu was a young woman, with a knife lodged in her chest. Despite initial circumstances th

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2024

‘Seoul Smart Life Week’ to be held in October

Seoul will host “Seoul Smart Life Week” on Oct. 7-9 as part of the city’s plans to build an international platform to promote companies with innovative technologies and lead future technology trends. During the 2024 Seoul Innovation Forum in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced that the city government has built a three-year plan to host a global business event to share advanced technologies by securing sales and investment of innovative companies based in Seo

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2024

Spy chief nominee says NIS won’t meddle in politics

Cho Tae-yong, who was nominated by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month for the National Intelligence Service’s top post, said Thursday he would steer clear of meddling in politics if he is confirmed as its director. During the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly, Cho was asked to give his stance on the NIS’ history of getting involved in domestic politics, for which several of its high-level officials had been convicted. “I recognize that there had been such incid

PoliticsJan. 11, 2024

Dog meat ban faces farmer backlash

South Korea's recent ban on the consumption of dog meat has been welcomed by animal rights groups but has drawn the ire of farmers who demand compensation for their loss of business. Since the National Assembly passed the related bill on Tuesday, the local dog meat association has been at loggerheads with the government over how much they should be compensated. Daehan Yukgyeon Hyeophoi (Dog Meat Federation), a group consisting of dog meat farmers and dog meat restaurant owners across the co

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2024

Ex-prime minister quits main opposition to launch new party

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday officially announced that he is leaving the main opposition party and would launch a new party of his own, saying his mission is to reform the Korean political landscape. “I will walk on the path of serving my country in a new way by leaving the Democratic Party of Korea, where I have served for the past 24 years,” Lee said in a press conference held at the National Assembly in Seoul. “The Democratic Party has transformed into a per

PoliticsJan. 11, 2024

N. Korea using Ukraine as 'test site' for nuclear-capable missiles: Seoul

South Korea raised the alarm at the UN Security Council that Russia's use of North Korean missiles has opened the door for North Korea to use Ukrainian territory as a "testing site of its nuclear-capable missiles," posing new security challenges. The 15-member Security Council convened Wednesday to discuss the grinding war in Ukraine after the US disclosed North Korea's illicit transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles t

Foreign AffairsJan. 11, 2024

Secret recording of child abuse 'has no evidential value': Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday said recordings of a teacher obtained by parents through a device hidden in their child's backpack cannot be used as evidence in a criminal child abuse case. The Supreme Court has overturned a original ruling that handed down a fine of 5 million won ($3,800) to an elementary school teacher for violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act, sending the case back to Seoul Eastern District Court. The teacher, whose identity has not been disclosed, was accused of emo

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2024