Air Force pilots in accidental bombing could face criminal charges: experts

Two KF-16 fighter jet pilots blamed for accidentally dropping bombs on a village in Pocheon last week could face criminal charges, experts said Tuesday. South Korea’s Air Force on Monday reaffirmed pilot error as the cause of the accident that left 31 people injured, including 19 civilians, in the village of Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon, near the inter-Korean border, last week. The Air Force stressed that the pilots failed to follow the mandatory procedure of checking the coordinates of their

March 11, 2025

Why did prosecutors agree to release Yoon Suk Yeol?

Prosecutors decided to release suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol from custody on Saturday afternoon despite the organization being heavily divided over the matter, according to a report in Yonhap News, Saturday. The move to comply with the Seoul Central District Court’s decision that ruled in favor of Yoon’s request to cancel his detention, rather than appeal it, is mainly to avoid the risk of being accused as “unconstitutional,” some observers say. “The Constitutional Court in 1993 and 2012 rul

March 9, 2025

Constitutional Court's Thursday ruling on 9th justice may affect Yoon's trial

Addition of new judge could increase likelihood of Yoon's impeachment being upheld, but could also delay proceedings The Constitutional Court is set to deliver its ruling Thursday on whether acting President Choi Sang-mok’s move to withhold the appointment of a ninth justice, recommended by the liberal opposition, is in accordance with the Constitution. Observers say there is a higher chance of the court upholding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment by the National Assembly if opposition-recom

Feb. 26, 2025

Assassin of military strongman Park Chung-hee granted retrial 45 years later

Kim Jae-gyu, then South Korea's spy chief, shot and killed President Park on Oct. 26, 1979 and was executed in May the following year More than four decades after his execution for assassinating President Park Chung-hee, South Korea’s former intelligence chief, Kim Jae-gyu, has been granted a retrial. The Seoul High Court ruled on Wednesday in favor of reopening the case, nearly five years after Kim’s family first petitioned for a review. The decision comes 45 years after Kim was executed in May

Feb. 19, 2025

National Assembly adopts resolution calling for appointment of 9th Constitutional Justice

The opposition-led National Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution calling for the appointment of an additional justice to the Constitutional Court by acting President Choi Sang-mok. The move came as the court had postponed its ruling on the constitutionality of acting President Choi's decision to withhold the appointment of the ninth justice to the bench. Choi appointed two justices to the court in December but held off on the appointment of opposition-recommended Justice Ma Eun-hyuk, citing t

Feb. 14, 2025

Head of investment consulting firm given 25-yr prison term in massive stock manipulation case

The head of an investment consulting firm was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday over a massive stock manipulation scheme that rocked local financial markets. The Seoul Southern District Court said it also ordered Ra Deok-yeon, the head of the unregistered firm, to pay a fine of 146.5 billion won (US$101 million) and a forfeit of 194.4 billion won. Ra was indicted on charges of pocketing 737.7 billion won from 2019 to 2023 by selling off the stocks of eight listed companies after raisin

Feb. 13, 2025