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Court approves 'full adoption' of stepdaughter
A recent civil court ruling granted a South Korean man the right to fully adopt his China-born stepdaughter, changing her family name and place of family origin to avoid possible discrimination and confusion on the child's part. The Korea Legal Aid Corp. said Monday that the Cheongju District Court ruled in favor of a plaintiff who sought to give his surname to his stepdaughter. His wife, a North Korean defector, had given birth to the girl with a Chinese man during her time in China before movi
April 28, 2025 -
Interview: Intelligence sharing with US weakened under Yoon, says ex-NIS deputy director
South Korea's intelligence sharing with the US appears to have weakened during former President Yoon Suk Yeol's nearly three years in office, according to Rep. Park Sun-won, who served as the National Intelligence Service's deputy director. Speaking to The Korea Herald on Monday, Park said that the NIS' apparent failure to learn in advance that the US Department of Energy would place South Korea on a watchlist in January could be one indication of poor intelligence cooperation between the allies
April 28, 2025 -
Homeplus, MBK Partners HQs raided over controversial short-term debt sale
Prosecutors carried out a search and seizure operation at the headquarters of Korea’s second-largest supermarket chain, Homeplus, and its largest shareholder, private equity firm MBK Partners, on Monday, as part of an investigation into alleged fraud and violations of the Capital Market Act. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office announced that officials were dispatched to secure financial records in order to trace the flow of funds as Homeplus' financial health began to deteriorate afte
April 28, 2025 -
Water deer the biggest roadkill victim in South Korea
The indigenous water deer is the most frequently-killed animal on the roads of South Korea, local traffic authorities said Monday. A total of 5,300 car accidents involving wildlife occurred from 2020 to 2024, according to the Korea Expressway Corporation, 4,426 of which (83.5 percent) involved water deer. The common raccoon dog, or Asian raccoon dog, placed a distant second to account for 343 (6.5 percent), followed by 277 (5.2 percent) accidents involving wild boars. The KEC explained that the
April 28, 2025 -
Floating hotel coming to Han River: Seoul weighs luxury vs. midscale options
Seoul is moving ahead with plans to build a floating hotel on the Han River, weighing whether to develop it as a three-star or five-star facility. The Seoul Housing and Communities Corp. recently completed a feasibility study and aims to finalize the project’s basic plan by October. Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2028. The proposed hotel will be built near the Floating Stage by Seogang Bridge. Two options are under review: a three-star hotel with 121 rooms across 5,600 square m
April 28, 2025 -
Newly-enacted public intimidation law sparks confusion in law enforcement: report
Despite a revision to the Criminal Act aimed at curbing online threats of random violence, police stations nationwide are scrambling to determine which department should handle reports of the newly designated crime, according to local media reports on Monday. A police official told Yonhap News Agency that the National Office of Investigation, under the National Police Agency, has not yet issued clear guidelines on how to respond to cases under the new "public intimidation" provision. The revisio
April 28, 2025 -
'Sorry I didn't give you a healthy body': baby with rare disease found dead with mother
A woman in her 30s and her six-month-old son were found dead at a home in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, with what appears to be a suicide note apologizing for the child having a rare medical condition. Their bodies were found inside a residential building in Sinhyeon-dong, around 28 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at approximately 9:55 p.m. on Sunday, according to the Gwangju Police Station. The husband reported the incident to the police, who are investigating. The husband told police that he was
April 28, 2025 -
DP presidential candidate Lee keeps wide lead in opinion polls
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, maintained a big lead among contenders for the June 3 election, a poll showed Monday. According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,505 adults aged over 18 from Wednesday to Friday, Lee led the poll with 48.5 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from last week. Lee's support has "dipped slightly, falling below the 50 percent mark due to uncertainty over the outcome of the election law violation case, but he still remains the clea
April 28, 2025 -
Acting president says S. Korea-US issues can be solved in 'non-conflicting way': The Economist
Acting President Han Duck-soo has said South Korea's trade and security issues with the United States can be solved in a "rather non-conflicting way," according to British newspaper The Economist. In an interview with the outlet last week, Han spoke about the "one-stop shop" negotiations US President Donald Trump has pursued with South Korea to simultaneously address trade and security issues. "Through co-operative negotiations with the United States, we will be able to find some win-win solutio
April 28, 2025 -
Karaoke owner inflicts severe injuries to customer, reports victim as 'drunk'
A Korean-style karaoke owner has been sentenced to four years in prison after causing injury to a customer, resulting in death, and falsely reporting the circumstances of the case to emergency responders. Incheon District Court said Monday it convicted the 56-year-old defendant for the violent assault resulting in death that occurred at around 12:22 a.m. on Dec. 1. The defendant was indicted for beating the 64-year-old victim on the head three times after a quarrel over fees. The victim then tum
April 28, 2025 -
Off-duty firefighter contains flames at bowling alley
A veteran firefighter out to bowl with friends used his expertise to helped extinguish a fire that broke out in the alley, fire authorities in Incheon said Sunday. According to the Incheon Fire Service, Cpt. Ji Su-ryong of the Mansu 119 Safety Center was at a bowling alley in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on Saturday when a fire broke out at around 3:40 p.m. He spotted smoke coming out of the equipment room and instructed others to dial the 119 emergency service. He found a fire hose inside the building
April 28, 2025 -
Marine Corps holds large-scale amphibious landing drills in Pohang
The Marine Corps said Monday it staged regular amphibious landing drills in a southeastern coastal city as part of efforts to maintain combat readiness. The drills took place at a coastal area in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, mobilizing some 3,200 troops, KF-16 fighter jets and various Navy vessels, including the ROKS Marado amphibious assault ship, according to the Marine Corps. Troops first scouted the area using reconnaissance drones before landing on the coast aboard amphi
April 28, 2025 -
N. Korea, others have 'perpetuated' Russia-Ukraine war, bear responsibility: State Dept.
North Korea and other third countries have "perpetuated" the Russia-Ukraine war and "bear responsibility," a State Department spokesperson said Sunday, hours after Pyongyang acknowledged its troop deployment to Russia for the first time. The spokesperson also repeated calls for Pyongyang to stop its troop deployment and Russia to end any support to the North. "Third countries, like the DPRK, that have perpetuated the Russia-Ukraine war, bear responsibility," the spokesperson said in response to
April 28, 2025 -
Dutch veteran of Korean War to be laid to rest in S. Korea
A late Dutch veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will be laid to rest in the southeastern city of Busan this week, South Korea's veterans ministry said Monday. The remains of Johannes Horstman will arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Tuesday ahead of a burial ceremony set to take place at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the following day, according to the ministry. The private first class was dispatched to South Korea as part of the Neth
April 28, 2025 -
Student stabs 7 in Cheongju -- school safety back in focus
A high school student in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, went on a stabbing rampage early Monday morning, injuring multiple school staff members and civilians before being apprehended, according to local authorities. The incident began at approximately 8:33 a.m. at a high school in Heungdeok-gu, when an 18-year-old second-year student attacked a special education teacher during a counseling session. According to police and the Chungbuk Office of Education, the student, who had been designa
April 28, 2025