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Ex-spy chief summoned in Marine death probe
Former National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong appeared before a special counsel team Tuesday for questioning over allegations of government interference in an initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine. Cho arrived at special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's office in southern Seoul as a suspect in the case over power abuse allegations in connection to the Marine Corps' investigation in 2023. As he entered the building, the former NIS director said he would "diligently" take part in th
July 29, 2025 -
Police under scrutiny over delayed response in rare family shooting
A fatal shooting in which a father shot and killed his son during a family gathering has sparked widespread public criticism over what appears to be a delayed and disorganized police response in a country where gun violence is extremely rare. The Korean National Police Agency has launched an internal investigation into how officers handled the incident, including their response to multiple emergency calls. The shooting occurred on July 20 at the victim’s home in Incheon's Songdo during a birthda
July 28, 2025 -
South Koreans are sleeping less, spending more time on screen
South Koreans are getting slightly less sleep and spending more of their free time in front of screens, according to new data released Monday. The 2024 report from Statistics Korea found that the average daily sleep time was 8 hours and 4 minutes, down 8 minutes from 2019. It marks the first decline in average sleep since the country began tracking how people spend their time in 1999. Back then, South Koreans slept an average of 7 hours and 47 minutes a night. That figure gradually rose, peaking
July 28, 2025 -
Drunk driving streamer caught live on air
A woman in her 40s was caught driving under the influence Friday while livestreaming on a highway, police said Monday. After receiving a report from one of her viewers, the highway patrol tuned into her live broadcast to track her exact location and intercept her. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police, the livestreamer is currently under investigation for drunk driving but has not been detained. Her blood alcohol concentration at the time was within the range of 0.03 to 0.08 percent, a rang
July 28, 2025 -
Special counsel seeks warrant to detain former interior minister
The special counsel team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol applied for a warrant to detain former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min Monday, citing evidence-tampering concerns, the seriousness of the allegations and a risk of repeated offenses. During a press briefing, assistant special prosecutor Park Ji-young said, “The special counsel filed a request for a detention warrant for the former Interior Minister Lee on suspicion of crimes including participation in insurrection, abuse of aut
July 28, 2025 -
Heat wave, tropical nights to persist
Heat waves and tropical nights are expected to continue across the country through July, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The degree of health risks posed by the heat wave in most parts of the country for Tuesday and Wednesday was assessed to be at the "warning" level, the third-highest in its four-tier system, according to the impact-based forecasts by the KMA on Monday morning. A "warning" level is declared when the highest apparent temperature is forecast to exceed 35 deg
July 28, 2025 -
Teen girl killed after car crashes into yard in Yangpyeong
A teen girl who was playing outside at her grandmother's house was killed after being struck by a car that drove into the property, police said Monday. The victim was visiting her grandmother in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, while on summer vacation. The incident occurred around 6:40 p.m. on Sunday, when the vehicle, driven by a woman in her 80s, unexpectedly accelerated into the yard of the detached house. After hitting the victim in the front yard, the car crashed into the building. According
July 28, 2025 -
Migrant worker tied to forklift for ‘smirking,’ suspect says
A Korean man who tied a Sri Lankan migrant worker to a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, told police he did so because the worker “let out a giggle,” according to a human rights group on Monday. A migrant worker’s human rights network based in South Jeolla Province said the Korean suspect told investigators, “I told him to teach his colleague well, but he let out a giggle, so I did that.” The victim, however, said he neither laughed nor understood what the supervisor wa
July 28, 2025 -
Ex-Gyeonggi lawmaker found dead amid probe into alleged ties to ex-President Yoon
A former member of the Gyeonggi provincial assembly was found dead Monday amid an investigation into his alleged ties to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, police said. Choi Ho was found dead on a hill in Pyeongtaek, 75 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 3 a.m., about an hour after his family reported him missing. Police said they believe he left his home around 5 p.m. Sunday and took his own life. No suicide note was found. Choi won the nomination of the then ruling People Power Party to run for
July 28, 2025 -
Special counsel raids home of minor party leader in probe into ex-first lady
A special counsel team raided the home of minor party leader Lee Jun-seok on Monday as part of its investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged election meddling. Investigators from special counsel Min Joong-ki's team arrived at the home of the New Reform Party leader in Seoul's northern Nowon district to seize documents and computer files. Lee is a reference witness in the election meddling case, which centers on allegations former first lady Kim, the wife of former President Yoo
July 28, 2025 -
At least 11 deaths linked to scorching heat wave
Amid an intense heat wave in South Korea that shows no signs of abating, a government estimate suggested Sunday that the number of suspected heat-related deaths has reached 11, almost triple the number last year. From May 20 until Saturday, the government's daily estimate showed that 11 deaths were suspected to be heat-related, compared to four in the same period last year. In the latest incident, a pedestrian in his 50s died at around 3 p.m. Friday after he collapsed in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Provi
July 27, 2025 -
Korea may be more 'lenient' toward child-killers than parent-killers: report
South Korean courts tend to give lighter sentences to those who killed their offspring than those who killed their parents or grandparents, an analysis of court data by a local media outlet indicated on Sunday. Yonhap News Agency said it analyzed court rulings involving 85 individuals convicted of related charges from 2022 to January of this year, finding that those who killed their ascendants -- individuals directly above them in the family tree, such as parents or grandparents -- were sentence
July 27, 2025 -
Furor after college art competition asks entrants to 'depict pilot's face before crash'
A local university on Saturday was embroiled in controversy over its recent art competition for high school students, in which one of the topics asked candidates to "depict the face of a pilot just before a crash." The University of Suwon held the competition on July 19-20, with participating students asked to choose one of two topics for their art piece. This included the crashing pilot, which was chosen by 39 participants. The subject sparked uproar, as it reminded many of the public of the De
July 27, 2025 -
S. Korea's foreign population reaches all-time high of 2.73 million
South Korea’s foreign population has reached an all-time high of more than 2.73 million, data showed Sunday. The number of foreign nationals staying in the country for purposes including education, employment or tourism stood at just under 2,733,000 as of the end of June, marking a 1.5 percent increase (40,068 people) from the previous month, according to data from the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice. Of the total, some 1.55 million were long-term foreign residents stayin
July 27, 2025 -
Man appeals 10-year jail term for kidnap and rape of woman, claiming the sentence 'too harsh'
A defendant recently challenged a 10-year prison term handed down by a local court for the kidnapping and rape of a woman in her 30s, whom he lured with a false advertisement. The 22-year-old defendant surnamed Ahn appealed last week to the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court, claiming that his punishment was too harsh. The prosecution did not challenge the ruling, as the court handed a heavier punishment than the seven-year prison term it had requested. Ahn is believed to have kidn
July 27, 2025