Prosecution's failure to appeal Seongnam land corruption case stirs controversy

Controversy has erupted over alleged government interference in the prosecution’s decision not to appeal a high-profile corruption case involving a housing development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The case had drawn public attention due to suspicions of President Lee Jae Myung's involvement. A recent lower court ruling suggested otherwise. The prosecution’s failure to file an appeal before Friday’s deadline has since fueled accusations of political meddling, prompting fierce criticism

Nov. 9, 2025

Another body pulled from power plant tower

The body of another worker was recovered Sunday from the site of the collapsed boiler tower at a decommissioned thermal power plant in Ulsan, three days after the fatal accident. The recovery came as the intermittent and difficult rescue operation at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant briefly resumed Sunday morning, after being suspended Saturday afternoon amid safety concerns and unstable site conditions. The victim was identified as a 44-year-old man surnamed Kim, who had been trapped with his arm

Nov. 9, 2025

South Korea to see cold snap before warm temperatures return Wednesday

South Korea can expect a brief spell of cold weather starting Monday before temperatures return to levels similar to previous years, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday. The KMA attributed the drop in temperatures to a high-pressure system expanding toward the West Sea, bringing in cold, northerly winds into the Korean Peninsula. Compared to morning temperatures from Sunday, Monday’s morning temperatures are projected to be 4-8 degrees Celsius lower, with average nationwide low t

Nov. 9, 2025

North Korean liquor could hit local shelves after safety review

South Korea is moving to revise customs rules to allow imports of North Korean alcoholic beverages, including Koryo Doenjangsul, signaling a rare reopening of private-sector trade with the North in more than a decade. According to the Unificaiton Ministry, a government task force — comprising the ministry, the National Tax Service, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the National Intelligence Service — met earlier this month and agreed that current safety and management standards must be re

Nov. 9, 2025

Yoon receives over W650m in prison funds

Former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently detained at the Seoul Detention Center for his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024, has received over 650 million won ($446,500) in prison deposits over the past three months. The large influx of deposits has sparked concerns that the system may have been exploited as a channel for political fundraising. Yoon collected some 657.26 million won in prison deposits, or personal funds deposited to inmates for their use while incarcera

Nov. 9, 2025

Bus union postpones strike plan until after Suneung, talks to continue

The Seoul bus union said Sunday it would postpone its planned strike until after Suneung on Thursday. The union, which had previously threatened to begin a strike on Wednesday, said it will hold additional negotiations on Thursday instead and will not stop work before then. "To minimize public inconvenience, we will do our best to reach a collective agreement and wage deal as early as possible," the union said. On Suneung day, South Korea goes all out to support millions of college entrance exam

Nov. 9, 2025

Body of another worker recovered after deadly power plant tower collapse in Ulsan

ULSAN -- The body of another worker was recovered Sunday from under the rubble following last week's deadly collapse of a boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan. The boiler tower at the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility, collapsed Thursday while in the process of being demolished, initially trapping seven workers. As rescue operations continued, firefighters pulled the body of a 44-year-old victim from the debris Sunday morning, follo

Nov. 9, 2025

3 missing, 2 in cardiac arrest after Chinese fishing boat capsizes off S. Korea's Gageo Island

MOKPO -- A Chinese fishing boat capsized off South Korea's southwestern Gageo Island on Sunday, leaving three crew members missing and two others in cardiac arrest, Coast Guard officials said. The 98-ton vessel sank in international waters about 80 kilometers off Gageo Island at around 6:50 a.m., according to officials. Of the 11 people on board, six were initially rescued by another Chinese vessel operating nearby. The Coast Guard later rescued two more who were drifting at sea, but both were f

Nov. 9, 2025

4 in 10 ER visits for self-harm, suicide attempts last year were teens, people in 20s: data

Four in 10 patients who visited emergency rooms after attempting self-harm or suicide last year were in their teens or 20s, government data showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 35,170 people sought emergency care nationwide last year after such attempts. While the figure was down 11,189 from a year earlier, they still accounted for 0.8 percent of all emergency room patients — the same proportion for three consecutive years — as overall emergency room visits also declin

Nov. 9, 2025

[Exclusive] Gumi City faces backlash over video featuring blackface

A promotional video posted to the official YouTube channel of the city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province is facing public backlash for featuring what appears to be a character in blackface. The Gumi City Government uploaded the video on Oct. 30 to promote its ramyeon festival, held from Friday to Sunday. In the clip, actors dressed as characters from “Dooly the Little Dinosaur,” a beloved Korean cartoon that first aired in 1983, sing a song celebrating ramyeon. Among the characters is Michael

Nov. 9, 2025

No bomb found after online threat prompts moviegoers' evacuation in Seoul

About 100 people were evacuated from a Seoul department store after a fake bomb threat was posted online, but no explosives were found, authorities said Sunday. The threat appeared late Saturday on the online community DC Inside, warning readers to "bolt out of the Lotte Department Store in Seoul right now" and claiming that five explosives had been planted on the second floor, according to police and fire officials. An anti-terrorism response team and other officers were dispatched to 10 Lotte

Nov. 9, 2025

Seoul chief prosecutor offers to resign following decision not to appeal development scandal case

Jung Jin-woo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, offered to resign Saturday, the office said, a day after prosecutors decided not to appeal a ruling in a high-profile development scandal case. His offer came just four months after taking office, in what is seen as a protest against the prosecution's decision not to file an appeal, reportedly in line with the justice ministry's opinion that the case did not warrant one. Last Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenc

Nov. 8, 2025

Search continues for 2 missing from structure collapse at power plant

Search efforts continued Saturday to locate two workers missing from a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan, with preparations under way to dismantle nearby units to facilitate the operation, authorities said. The boiler tower at the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility, collapsed Thursday, leaving three workers dead and two others presumed dead. The exact location of the remaining two workers remains unknown. Firefighters ha

Nov. 8, 2025

Ex-President Yoon refuses to appear for questioning by special counsel

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol did not appear on Saturday for questioning by a special counsel team over his alleged interference in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine. Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team summoned Yoon on Monday, ordering him to appear for questioning at 10 a.m. Saturday. The special counsel team previously demanded his appearance on Oct. 23, but the former president did not comply, citing the trial schedules of his lawyers. Yoon, who is in custody over h

Nov. 8, 2025

US military calls NK missile launch 'destabilizing,' reaffirms readiness to defend allies

A US military command on Friday reiterated America's readiness to defend its homeland and allies, stressing that North Korea's ballistic missile launch this week underscores the "destabilizing" impact of Pyongyang's actions. The Indo-Pacific Command released a statement after Pyongyang fired one suspected short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Friday (Korean time). "We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners," the command said. "While

Nov. 8, 2025