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Top court ruling reignites controversy over Lee Jae-myung's candidacy
Controversy over whether Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea's presidential nominee, is eligible to run for president resurfaced Thursday, following a 10-2 ruling by the Supreme Court that found Lee guilty of making false claims in his previous run for president in 2022. Thursday's ruling, which remanded Lee's case to the Seoul High Court, found him guilty, but it does not immediately strip Lee of his right to be elected president, because the Supreme Court's decision did n
May 1, 2025 -
Supreme Court’s verdict sours Lee Jae-myung’s presidential bid
The Supreme Court of Korea overturned the lower court’s decision to acquit former Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung on two charges of election law violations, sending the case back to the Seoul High Court. The top court’s 10-2 ruling Thursday reversed the Seoul High Court's verdict from late March, which found the evidence presented against Lee regarding false statements "did not prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt." Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said in the televised proceed
May 1, 2025 -
Major parties reach compromise over W13.8tr extra budget bill
South Korea's parliament is set to pass a 13.8 trillion won ($9.7 billion) extra budget bill at its plenary session Thursday, to aid recovery in regions affected by the massive wildfires in March and address uncertainties posed by US tariff threats. It would be the first supplementary budget greenlighted by the parliament for this year. The plenary session was scheduled at 8 p.m. Thursday. This followed a bipartisan compromise reached between the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and conservativ
May 1, 2025 -
Credit card spending by foreign residents in Korea jumps 65% in 4 years, hitting W56tr
Foreign nationals living in South Korea are a growing force in the country’s consumer economy, spending 56.3 trillion won ($39.3 billion) on locally issued credit cards in 2023, according to a December 2024 report from the Migration Research and Training Center based on Shinhan Card data. That’s a 65 percent increase from 34.1 trillion won in 2019. The figure only includes transactions made by foreign nationals living in Korea who hold credit cards issued by Shinhan, one of South Korea’s largest
May 1, 2025 -
Deadline passes for medical students to return to class
A mass repeat of academic years for South Korean medical students has become a reality after the deadline for returning to classes passed at midnight Wednesday, with only a small number of last-minute returns. As a result, a rare “tripling” scenario — where three cohorts of first-year pre-medical students take the same classes simultaneously — now appears inevitable. All 40 medical schools across the country had finalized their lists of students who failed to return to class as of midnight, acco
May 1, 2025 -
Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol indicted for abuse of power
The prosecution investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 declaration of martial law on Thursday indicted Yoon on charges of abuse of power. Yoon has been accused of obstruction of the exercise of rights through the abuse of power, a violation of Article 123 of the Criminal Act, when he declared martial law in December, according to the prosecution’s Special Investigation Team led by Park Se-hyun, chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. The prosecutor’s Special Invest
May 1, 2025 -
Young diabetics in Korea double in 10 years: study
The number of Koreans in their 20s and 30s diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has more than doubled in a decade, with approximately 370,000 people in this age group now living with the disease, a recent study shows. According to research published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal of the Korean Diabetes Association, 2.02 percent of Koreans aged 19-39 had Type 2 diabetes in 2020, up from 1.02 percent in 2010. The increase of diabetes cases among young adults is especially noticeable among those
May 1, 2025 -
Seoul’s monthly transit pass to cover more of Seongnam
Seoul’s all-inclusive monthly transit pass, dubbed the “Climate Card,” will be available for use at subway stations on the Suin-Bundang Line and the Gyeonggang Line in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, starting Saturday, according to the municipal government on Thursday. The Climate Card is a rechargeable monthly transit pass that gives commuters access to public transport systems within the administrative boundaries of Seoul as well as select neighboring cities on the city's outskirts. From Saturday
May 1, 2025 -
As unused homes increase in rural South Korea, govt. mobilizes nationwide response
South Korea on Thursday announced a pangovernment plan to tackle the growing problem of unused houses, as rural areas face the looming threat of extinction amid population decline. While there are an estimated 134,000 so-called empty houses nationwide, making up 7.9 percent of all residential buildings, the problem is particularly acute outside metropolitan areas. As of 2023, 42.7 percent of these empty houses, or 57,223 homes, were concentrated in 89 regions experiencing population decline. The
May 1, 2025 -
Acting president urges watertight readiness posture against N. Korea-Russia military ties
Acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday called on security-related ministers to maintain a watertight readiness posture against strengthening military ties between North Korea and Russia, saying there must be "no compromise" when it comes to national security. Han also instructed ministers to keep a vigilant defense posture and "leave no gaps" in protecting the lives and property of the people, amid growing speculation that he may soon resign before announcing his bid for the June 3 presidenti
May 1, 2025 -
Navy holds maritime defense drills in waters off western, southern coasts
The Navy said Thursday it conducted maritime drills in waters off the western and southern coasts earlier this week as part of efforts to maintain defense readiness. The four-day exercise designed to train against North Korean maritime threats began Monday, mobilizing some 20 surface ships and about a dozen aircraft from the Second and Third Fleets, according to the Navy. The Second Fleet, in charge of defending the Yellow Sea, deployed the 3,100-ton ROKS Seoul frigate among other warships for t
May 1, 2025 -
Road bridge linking N. Korea, Russia to bolster economic cooperation: KCNA
North Korea said Thursday the construction of a road bridge linking the North and Russia across the Tumen River will provide a "substantial guarantee" for bolstering economic cooperation between the two nations. North Korea and Russia held a ceremony simultaneously in their respective border cities of Rason and Khasan on Wednesday to launch the construction of the motor bridge linking the two nations, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In June last year, North Korea and Russia a
May 1, 2025 -
Main blaze in wildfire in Daegu contained
The main blaze in a wildfire that reignited on a mountain in the southeastern city of Daegu has been contained, forest service authorities said Thursday. About 40 helicopters and 900 personnel were deployed to put out the wildfire that reignited on Mount Hamji in Daegu, with firefighters trying to extinguish smoldering fires, according to officials at the Korea Forest Service. The fire, which began Monday afternoon, was extinguished nearly 23 hours later on Tuesday afternoon after scorching 260
May 1, 2025 -
Supreme Court set to rule on Democratic Party presidential candidate's election law violation case
The Supreme Court is set to make a ruling on Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's election law violation case Thursday. The top court's full bench will deliver the ruling at 3 p.m., which will be televised live to the public. Lee will not appear in court, as a defendant's attendance is not mandatory at the top court. The ruling comes after prosecutors appealed a high court ruling last month that acquitted Lee of lying as a presidential candidate during the 2022 election campai
May 1, 2025 -
US senator stresses S. Korea's capital, expertise for rebuilding US shipbuilding industry
A US senator said Wednesday that South Korea and other allies can help revitalize America's shipbuilding industry with their capital and expertise, as US President Donald Trump's administration is looking to deepen cooperation with the allies in the sector. Republican Senator Todd Young from Indiana made the remarks during a forum hosted by the Washington-based Hudson Institute, noting that the CHIPS and Science Act can serve as a "model" for collaboration with allies to help rebuild the US ship
May 1, 2025