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3 possible ruling scenarios await Lee Jae-myung
With South Korea’s Supreme Court expediting its review of alleged election law violations involving former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, speculation is mounting over whether the court will issue a verdict before the upcoming presidential election on June 3. Lee, the liberal presidential frontrunner, was acquitted by the Seoul High Court in March, overturning a previous ruling by the Seoul Central District Court that had sentenced him to one year in prison. The Supreme Court now has thre
April 24, 2025 -
Man accused of killing 5 family members admits murders were planned
South Korean police on Thursday officially handed over to the prosecution the murder case of five family members, with the suspect admitting that the crime was premeditated. The suspect left his cell at Yongin Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province at around 8 a.m. to be placed in the custody of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. He did not answer media questions, but nodded affirmatively when asked, "Did you plan the murder?" Police said the suspect did not show any signs of antisocial
April 24, 2025 -
With Yoon Suk Yeol stripped of power, probe into young marine's death resumes
South Korea's anticorruption investigative agency has resumed its probe into allegations that the former South Korean leadership exerted undue influence to shape the outcome of the military's investigation into the death of a young marine in 2023. Lim Seong-geun, the former commander of the 1st Division of the Marine Corps. to which the deceased marine belonged, appeared before the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on Wednesday for questioning. The CIO plans to conduct f
April 23, 2025 -
Election in money: What it costs and spending limits running for president in South Korea
Before a single vote is cast in South Korea’s 2025 presidential election, the first battle is already underway — and it is being fought with wallets. According to the National Election Commission, candidates for South Korea’s upcoming 21st presidential election will be allowed to spend up to 58.8 billion won ($41.3 million) on their campaigns. The NEC said the cap was calculated by multiplying the national population as of Feb. 28 by 950 won, adjusting for the consumer price index (13.9 percent)
April 23, 2025 -
Teacher investigated for child abuse after saying women who don't give birth should be jailed
An Incheon high school teacher who suggested that women who do not give birth should be imprisoned is now under police investigation, education authorities said Wednesday. The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it will refer the case to law enforcement on suspicion that the teacher’s remarks may fall under violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes. The controversy erupted after a two-minute audio recording of the teacher’s comments
April 23, 2025 -
Flexible work schedules for S. Korean parents only 1/3 of EU levels, study warns
A new study has found that the number of parents with flexible work arrangements in South Korea is just one-third of that observed in major European countries — a shortfall experts say may be hampering efforts to combat the country’s record-low birthrate. The research, published by Dr. Jung Sung-mi of the Korean Women’s Development Institute on Wednesday, reveals just how far behind Korea is when it comes to giving employees with young children real control over their schedules. The study focuse
April 23, 2025 -
South Korea has least remote work hours, recent study finds
South Korea ranked last among 40 major countries in terms of weekly remote work hours, according to a global survey conducted by Stanford University. The study, which surveyed 16,000 college graduates worldwide, found that South Koreans work from home an average of just 0.5 days per week, the lowest figure among all nations surveyed. At the top of the list, Canada led with 1.9 days of remote work per week, followed by the United Kingdom with 1.8 days, and the United States with 1.6 days, and cou
April 23, 2025 -
Cardinal You mourns Pope Francis, recalls pontiff's 'special affection' for Korea
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik expressed his deep condolences following the death of Pope Francis, noting the pontiff's special attention to the divided Korean Peninsula. "He had a special affection for South Korea, saying he was willing to visit North Korea if it could relieve, even if only slightly, the pain suffered by separated families," the cardinal said in a video message sent to Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday. The pontiff's prayers for the country always included the North as well, he add
April 23, 2025 -
Man kills 1 injures 1 in unprovoked knife attack in store, says 'doctor tried to harm me'
A man in his 30s launched an apparently unprovoked knife attack in a Seoul store Tuesday evening, killing a woman and injuring another, police said Wednesday. The suspect, who had been hospitalized with a finger fracture, went into a store in Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul at around 6 p.m. Footage from a security camera installed outside the store showed a woman fleeing the premises and the suspect running after her about 10 minutes later, catching her and stabbing her again. The victim, a 60-someth
April 23, 2025 -
Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for late pope open until Sat.; Mass set for Thu.
Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for the late Pope Francis will remain open to the general public until Saturday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea has said. In Seoul, the public has been welcomed to pay their respects since 3 p.m. Tuesday at memorial altars at the Apostolic Nunciature and in the underground chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral. The CBCK will not hold an official national memorial Mass. Instead, individual dioceses have set up their own memorial altars and will hold memor
April 23, 2025 -
Doctor sentenced to 16 years for drugging and sexually assaulting patients
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 16-year prison sentence for a doctor who illegally prescribed drugs and sexually assaulted multiple women while they were under anesthesia. The court confirmed a lower court’s ruling that sentenced the doctor, surnamed Yeom, to 16 years in prison and a 5 million won ($3,500) fine for violating the Narcotics Control Act and committing rape by intoxication. Yeom’s illegal prescription of narcotics came to light during an investigation into an August 2023 car a
April 22, 2025 -
Supreme Court takes up Lee Jae-myung’s case in full court session
The Supreme Court of Korea announced Tuesday that it will hear the election law violation case of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung before the "grand bench," moving the case to a full-court review. South Korea's top court started to examine the case Tuesday afternoon, discussing how the upcoming trial would proceed. The Supreme Court exercises its jurisdiction either as a full court, which is convened with more than two-thirds of the justices and the chief justice presiding, or in a p
April 22, 2025 -
Calls grow for resolving interfloor noise conflicts after Seoul apartment fire
Amid speculation that Monday’s apartment fire in Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, may be linked to the arsonist’s ongoing disputes with neighbors over interfloor noise, criticism is mounting over the government’s inaction in preventing such conflicts from escalating into serious crimes. On Monday morning, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a 21-story apartment building in southern Seoul that left six residents injured and the suspected arsonist dead. The suspect, according to authorities, lived o
April 22, 2025 -
Government moves forward with legal groundwork for med school quota freeze
South Korea’s Education Ministry announced Tuesday it will revise a key decree to provide legal backing for its recent decision to freeze the number of medical school seats for the 2026 academic year at 3,058. This matches previous years' admissions quotas before the government’s now-shelved expansion plan, which sought to increase the number to 5,058. The proposed revision would allow university presidents to adjust their 2026 medical school admission quotas to the pre-expansion level of 3,058
April 22, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung pledges new med school, state-funded hospitals
Democratic Party presidential contender Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday he would pursue a broad social consensus on the medical school quota system, open a new medical school and set up more state-funded hospitals. “We must return to square one and begin discussions again — this time with the participation of all stakeholders. The future of health care demands not just numbers, but vision,” he wrote in a Facebook statement posted Monday. But among health care policies announced in the post was the es
April 22, 2025