Death penalty sought for culprits in 'Pattaya barrel murder' case

South Korean prosecutors are requesting the death penalty for two Korean men accused of murdering a Korean tourist in Thailand and discarding the body, court officials said Wednesday. The prosecution requested the Changwon District Court in South Gyeongsang Province to hand down capital punishment to the 39-year-old man surnamed Kim and his 27-year-old accomplice surnamed Lee for charges including murder during robbery, discarding of a body and attempted extortion. Officials requested a life s

Dec. 18, 2024

Address to be removed from inoculation records to protect children from abusive parents

The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it is seeking to remove addresses from inoculation documents, in a bid to prevent abusive parents from tracking down their separated children. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency issued a notification regarding a legislative proposal on revising the Enforcement Decree of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, which it says will help protect children who have left abusive homes. According to the agency, there had been

Dec. 18, 2024

Military brought live ammunition to parliament during martial law: report

Troops mobilized under the Dec. 3 martial law decree brought with them thousands of rounds of live ammunition for their operations, reports revealed Tuesday. The 707th Special Missions Group of the Army's Special Warfare Command brought 3,960 live ammunition rounds, 1,980 blank rounds and 100 cartridges for stun guns when they were deployed to the National Assembly, the National Election Commission and other areas across Seoul on the night of Dec. 3-4. It was also reported by local broadc

Dec. 18, 2024

Martial law, treason, insurrection: When news suddenly felt like foreign language

For many young Koreans, the events following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration were not only bewildering in their context, but also jarring in terms of the language being employed. Terms that once seemed confined to history books and law textbooks -- "martial law," "treason," "insurgency," "insurrection," "anti-state forces" -- suddenly crossed over into daily news. The vocabulary felt foreign to many young Koreans, while th

Dec. 18, 2024

Number of immigrants in S. Korea hits record 1.56 million in 2024

The number of immigrants in South Korea, which includes foreign nationals residing here as well as naturalized citizens, reached a record high of over 1.56 million in 2024, according to government data released Tuesday. Similarly, the number of employed foreign nationals also hit an all-time high at 1.01 million. The number of those having resided in South Korea for at least 91 days, aged 15 and above, reached about 1,561,000 as of May, compared to 1.48 million tallied a year earlier, according

Dec. 17, 2024

'Report IU to the CIA': Bizarre online trolling of celebs who support Yoon impeachment

Users of local websites with politically conservative inclinations are encouraging each other to file online reports to the US Central Intelligence Agency against K-pop star IU and other celebrities who publicly supported protests calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. The anonymous users have posted screenshots of their reports to the US federal agency that collects and analyzes foreign intelligence. "IU can't go to America now," read the title of an anonymous po

Dec. 17, 2024

Parental leave benefits to increase in January

Starting next year, the upper limit for parental leave benefits in South Korea will increase to 2.5 million won ($1,740) per month, up 1 million won from the current cap, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced Tuesday. The changes, approved at a Cabinet meeting, will take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Workers will also be able to apply simultaneously for parental leave, used by those raising young children, and maternity leave, used by the parents of newborns. If employers do not approve parental

Dec. 17, 2024

Yoon impeachment trial’s presiding justice under spotlight

With South Korea’s Constitutional Court prioritizing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment proceedings, concerns surfaced over the role and potential influence of Justice Jeong Hyeong-sik, the chief justice in Yoon’s trial. Jeong, 63, was directly appointed by Yoon in December last year for a six-year term. Though the president seems to have no direct ties with the justice, they are connected through Park Sun-young, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Park was app

Dec. 17, 2024

Yoon to appear in court, lawyer decries investigation 'frenzy'

  President Yoon Suk Yeol will head to the Constitutional Court to deliver his stance on the impeachment resolution, his lawyer told reporters on Tuesday, calling the ongoing investigations into the alleged insurrection a "frenzy." Seok Dong-hyun, a known confidant of Yoon who was appointed as his lawyer, said that Yoon will “convey his stance in court confidently and with conviction,” stating that the insurrection charges cannot be established. Though the date for pub

Dec. 17, 2024

Ministry unveils workplace safety pictograms for foreign workers

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, in collaboration with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, announced Tuesday the rollout of 20 safety signs, or pictograms, designed to help foreign national workers easily identify workplace hazards and precautions, regardless of proficiency in the Korean language. These pictograms will be distributed to workplaces employing foreign workers particularly in manufacturing industries. Those pictograms were created based on feedback collected from m

Dec. 17, 2024

Cold snap to hit S. Korea from Wednesday

The prolonged cold temperatures are set to intensify nationwide starting Wednesday, with temperatures feeling as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius set to continue until the end of December. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, morning lows on Wednesday will range between minus 12 C and 1 C nationwide, with temperatures in some parts of the Greater Seoul area feeling as low as minus 14 C. Daytime temperatures will hover between minus 1 C and 7 C -- but such temperatures are expecte

Dec. 17, 2024

Government to citizens: Relax and enjoy year-end gatherings

Politicians and government officials alike are encouraging South Koreans not to cancel their regular year-end meetings, after the Dec. 3 martial law and subsequent political turmoil brought a fall in the country's restaurant sales. Reports have indicated that small enterprises in particular have been hit hard in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent declaration of martial law. The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise on Sunday released a statement that small business owne

Dec. 17, 2024

Seoul Plaza ice rink to reopen Friday

The iconic seasonal ice skating rink at Seoul Plaza is set to reopen Friday and operate until Feb. 9 next year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday. The city government has opened an ice rink every winter since 2004, except during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rink operates every day -- 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from Sunday to Friday with hours extended until 11 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays. The entrance fee has remained unchanged at 1,000 won (70 cents) for 20 years, covering skate rental,

Dec. 17, 2024

[Graphic News] 9 in 10 small merchants impacted by martial law crisis

A recent survey found that nearly 9 out of 10 small merchants in South Korea saw a decrease in their sales following the martial law crisis initiated by President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises released the results of an online survey conducted over three days starting Dec. 10. The survey sampled 1,630 mom-and-pop merchants across the nation in the food, lodging, retail and personal service industries. According to the findings, 88.4 percent of respondents said their

Dec. 17, 2024

President impeached. What happens to all the perks?

In South Korea, former presidents are entitled to various retirement privileges, including a pension equivalent to 95 percent of their annual presidential salary, a staff of up to four people, lifetime health care benefits as well as logistical support. However, President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspended from his duties following his impeachment by the National Assembly on Saturday, will lose most of these benefits should the Constitutional Court confirm his removal from office. Under the Former

Dec. 16, 2024

Army's special warfare chief arrested in martial law probe

A military court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for the head of the Army Special Warfare Command over his alleged role in the short-lived imposition of martial law this month, prosecutors said. The court issued the warrant for Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, who is accused of playing an "integral" role in an insurrection and abusing his powers in connection with President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. With the court's decision, Kwak is the second military

Dec. 16, 2024

Operator of infamous K-drama, webtoon pirate sites indicted

The person behind the operation of Noonoo TV, a recently shut down online video streaming network that distributed pirated K-dramas, has been indicted on charges of large-scale copyright violations, the government said Monday. According to the Culture Ministry's Copyright Bureau, the unnamed Korean national is currently in custody, with the first court hearing scheduled for Jan. 6. The suspect was caught on Nov. 9, in an anti-piracy crackdown which saw collaborations between domestic and

Dec. 16, 2024

After 24 years behind bars, convicted father-killer seeks to clear her name

A 47-year-old woman claiming to have been wrongly jailed for patricide for over two decades is seeking to clear her name in a retrial, with a verdict expected to be reached on Wednesday. The Haenam branch of the Gwangju District Court will hold a sentencing hearing on the case in which Kim Shin-hye is challenging the Supreme Court ruling that sentenced her to life in prison for the murder of her father and the disposal of his body in 2000. In the retrial, the prosecution has requested the cour

Dec. 16, 2024

Momentum for education, medical reforms slows upon Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s suspension from office by the National Assembly has thrown his administration’s ambitious, flagship education and medical reforms, such as expanding medical school enrollment quotas and introducing AI-powered digital textbooks, into uncertainty amid the political upheaval. The government had positioned education reform as one of its four major policy pillars, but the political fallout from the impeachment may weaken the momentum for these initiatives, acco

Dec. 16, 2024

Constitutional Court to hold Yoon’s first preparatory hearing on Dec. 27

The Constitutional Court of Korea announced Monday that it would prioritize President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial, setting the first preparatory hearing for Dec. 27 at 2 p.m. Lee Jin, director general for the Constitutional Court's Public Information Office, said in a press briefing Monday that justices Lee Mi-sun and Jeong Hyung-sik have been chosen as the two lead justices to oversee the evidence examination and arguments. The chief justice, who leads the ruling by drafting th

Dec. 16, 2024