Comfort woman's family wins compensation suit against Japan in South Korean court

The family of a late comfort woman has won a damages suit against the Japanese government in South Korea, a local court said Friday. The Cheongju District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Lee Man-young, the son of the late Gil Gap-soon, ordering the Japanese government to pay 200 million won (approximately $139,000) in compensation. This marks the third time a Korean court has issued a ruling recognizing the Japanese government's liability for compensating comfort women victims and their f

April 26, 2025

South Korean assembly speaker Woo heads to Mongolia for parliamentary diplomacy, climate cooperation

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik departed for Mongolia on Saturday to engage in discussions on parliamentary diplomacy and climate cooperation, his office said. During his five-day visit, Woo is scheduled to meet with top Mongolian officials, including President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and his parliamentary counterpart, Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan. The talks will focus on strengthening economic and infrastructure cooperation between South Korea and Mongolia, as well as exploring joint responses

April 26, 2025

North Korea launches 5,000-ton warship

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the launch of a new 5,000-ton destroyer on Friday in Nampho Shipyard, underscoring his ambition to transform the country into a maritime power capable of extended-range operations. The destroyer, named Choe Hyon after a revered anti-Japanese revolutionary figure, was revealed during a high-profile ceremony marking the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Attend

April 26, 2025

North Korea unveils new destroyer, pledges to strengthen naval power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has participated in a launching ceremony of a new destroyer for the country's navy, touting the military's efforts to enhance its maritime power, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Saturday. North Korea unveiled its new 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer at the ceremony held at a shipyard in North Korea's western port city of Nampho on Friday, the 93rd founding anniversary of the People's Revolutionary Army, according to the report by the KCNA. Kim a

April 26, 2025

Chinese national indicted for obtaining military secrets

A Chinese national has been indicted for bribing a South Korean soldier in an attempt to obtain military secrets, the prosecution said Friday. According to the prosecution, the Chinese national and an active duty soldier have violated the military secret protection act. The Chinese national, arrested on the southern resort island of Jeju last month, approached South Korean soldiers in a group chat room by posing as a soldier himself. He offered to pay the soldiers in exchange for military secret

April 25, 2025

Debate between conservative presidential hopefuls dissolves into mudslinging, blame game

The debate between two presidential hopefuls vying for the ruling People Power Party’s nomination held Friday transformed into a mudslinging match, as both brushed off accusations against each other as “lies.” Tensions escalated during a televised one-on-one debate between former People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon and ex-Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, part of the second round of the conservative party’s primary. Hong, during the debate, claimed that former President Yoon Suk Yeol had planned to

April 25, 2025

DP presidential nomination likely on Sunday; Lee Jae-myung maintains poll lead

The liberal Democratic Party of Korea could complete its presidential nomination as early as Sunday if any of the party's candidates wins a majority of votes, as the party's partially open primary is to end Sunday. Ahead of the race among Democratic Party candidates is former party chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung. He has maintained a wide lead in the presidential election predictions since former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment due to his martial law declaration in December. The vote count for th

April 25, 2025

Coex fire contained, no casualties reported

The fire at Seoul's Coex convention center Friday morning has been completely extinguished, a little over two hours after it broke out at 11:06 a.m., with no reported casualties. According to the rescue authorities, the fire was brought under complete control at around 1:14 p.m., after 121 firefighters and 33 fire engines contained the main flames at around 11:40 p.m. Events, including the World IT show 2025, inside the center resumed at around 1:20 p.m. The fire is suspected to have originated

April 25, 2025

Ex-President Moon criticizes indictment against him as ‘unjust’

Former President Moon Jae-in on Friday called the indictment on bribery charges against him “unjust,” while accusing the prosecutors of abuse of power and being “political.” The remarks came during his meeting with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik ahead of attending a celebratory event marking seven years of the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, which was an outcome of the April 2018 inter-Korean summit between then-president Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “The indictment itself w

April 25, 2025

[Exclusive] NIS tried to lobby to regain investigative powers after Yoon's martial law

The National Intelligence Service asked the Democratic Party of Korea to restore its authority to investigate crimes of North Korean and foreign espionage, which were transferred to the police early last year, after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched imposition of martial law. According to a Democratic Party lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, a high-level NIS official visited him on Dec. 20, 2024, less than three weeks after Yoon's martial law declaration, and asked for the

April 25, 2025

Mental distress on the rise among Gangnam children: data

Mental health concerns, including depression and anxiety, have been rising sharply among children in Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu, Seoul’s southern districts known for intense academic competition. In the three elite education hubs, the number of cases covered by the national health insurance system in which children under nine were treated for depression and anxiety jumped from 1,037 in 2020 to 3,309 in 2024 — nearly tripling over the five-year period, according to data from the Health I

April 25, 2025

Disgraced sports heroes receive jail terms on same day

Korean sports heroes Kang Dong-hee and Lim Chang-yong each received jail terms for their crimes on Thursday, cementing their fall from grace after decorated careers in their respective fields. Kang, aged 58 and former point guard in the Korean Basketball League, was found guilty of embezzlement and breach of trust by the Incheon District Court and sentenced to jail for 14 months. Four people involved in the operation of his basketball class also received punishment, ranging from a suspended term

April 25, 2025

Police bust a 800 billion won illegal gambling site operator after tailing a 'suspicious car'

Officials of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday they caught a 37-year-old man wanted for operating a gambling website handling around 800 billion won ($557.3 million), after checking a car roaming around a local velodrome. The bust took place Wednesday after patrolling police officers grew suspicious of a car that was circling the outside of a track cycling arena in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. The officers ran the license plate through the police system and found that it belonged to a suspec

April 25, 2025

Prosecution to reopen Kim Keon Hee's stock manipulation case

The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office will reinvestigate former first lady Kim Keon Hee's involvement in a 63.6 billion won ($44.3 million) stock manipulation case, about six months after she was cleared of allegations. In a note to reporters Friday, the prosecution said the case will be reopened in response to a complaint filed by former liberal Rep. Choe Kang-wook in November with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Kim is the wife of former conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who w

April 25, 2025

Murder suspect arrested after 4-hour standoff with police

Incheon District Court on Thursday issued a warrant for the arrest of a man in his 50s, who is believed to have killed his partner and engaged in a four-hour standoff with police before being taken into custody. The suspect is believed to have killed a woman in her 50s, who was in a common-law marriage with him, at a park in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 11:12 p.m. Monday. He then fled to Seoul Grand Park in the adjacent city of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which was some 30 kilometers away fr

April 25, 2025