The Korea Times

President rejects blanket punishment for troops mobilized for martial law

Korea’s military pledged Thursday that it would never again be used as a president's tool to impose martial law. The pledge came after a policy briefing by the Ministry of National Defense with President Lee Jae Myung. The ministry outlined measures aimed at preventing any recurrences of the martial law incident that plunged the country into political and social turmoil last year. When former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law last December, troops were mobilized to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting to lift the decree. “Our military offers a deep and painful reflection on its involvement in the illegal martial law of Dec. 3, 2024, which caused national confusion and damaged the constitutional order,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said during a press briefing following the report. “We will ensure that the armed forces are never again consumed or exploited as a tool of illegal martial law.” He added that the ministry would pursue sweeping institutional reforms while maintaining full-spectrum defense readiness. “We will strengthen democratic and inst

Dec 18, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

President rejects blanket punishment for troops mobilized for martial law

Politics

New Coupang CEO’s ‘empty’ pledge for compensation stokes outrage

Coupang’s founder Kim Bom-suk came under bipartisan fire Wednesday after refusing to appear at a National Assembly hearing on the company's massive customer data breach affecting more than 33 million people, with lawmakers lashing out at him for evading responsibility. The much-awaited hearing took place without the presence of the company's founder, also known as Bom Kim, who is the chairman of Coupang Inc., the parent company of its Korean unit, Coupang Corp. He said days earlier that he would be unable to attend because he lives overseas and was busy with commitments in his capacity as chief executive of the global company. Instead, the top executive to attend was Harold Rogers, who was appointed as the Korean unit’s interim CEO only a week earlier, after his predecessor Park Dae-jun resigned — an appointment and attendance widely interpreted as a shield for Kim. Lawmakers on the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee condemned Kim for showing a "disregard for both the Assembly and Korean consumers." "We will take steps to launch a full parl

Dec 17, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

New Coupang CEO’s ‘empty’ pledge for compensation stokes outrage

Society

Overseas AI models outperform Korean rivals in CSAT math tests

Korean artificial intelligence (AI) models being developed under the government’s bid to assert technological sovereignty were found to lag behind leading overseas systems in tests modeled on the College Scholastic Ability Test and in advanced, essay-style mathematics questions. The comparison was conducted by a research team led by Kim Jon-lark, a professor of mathematics at Sogang University, which asked 10 large language models to solve a total of 50 questions. The set comprised 20 advanced CSAT mathematics problems, covering calculus, probability and statistics, geometry and common subjects, along with 30 essay-style questions drawn from top South Korean universities, Indian entrance examinations and graduate-level tests at the University of Tokyo. Overseas models took the top spots. Google’s Gemini 3 Pro Preview ranked first with 92 points, correctly solving 46 of the 50 questions. Claude Opus 4.5 from Anthropic followed with 84 points, while Grok 4.1 Fast from xAI scored 82. GPT-5.1 from OpenAI earned 80 points, and China’s DeepSeek V3.2 posted 76 points. By contrast, the per

Dec 16, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Overseas AI models outperform Korean rivals in CSAT math tests

Politics

Yoon prepared martial law plan as early as October 2023: special counsel

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol spent more than a year laying the groundwork for his martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, with preparations beginning as early as October 2023, a special probe team said Monday. He chose the timing of the declaration to minimize intervention by the U.S., as the country would be undergoing a political transition after the presidential election, it said. The investigation team led by special counsel Cho Eun-seok announced the final results of its probe into the martial law case, wrapping up its six-month investigation. During that period, investigators indicted 24 people, including Yoon, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Cabinet members, senior military officials and political figures on charges related to insurrection and foreign interference. The decision to declare martial law was not an incidental or improvised response to the main opposition party's budget cuts and impeachment of government officials, which Yoon publicly claimed as his justification for declaring martial law. Rather, investigators found that he mentioned martial law multipl

Dec 15, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Yoon prepared martial law plan as early as October 2023: special counsel

Defense

Seoul, Washington diverge over joint drills as Korea signals flexibility, US stresses readiness

The differences between Seoul and Washington over joint military exercises have become more pronounced. South Korean leaders have publicly suggested scaling down the exercises to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, while U.S. officials oppose the idea and emphasize their importance for alliance readiness. Scaling down or postponing joint military exercises has been proposed by previous governments, mainly liberal ones, to create a reconciliatory environment with North Korea, as the North has often called the drills “a rehearsal of war.” President Lee Jae Myung and other officials in his administration have raised the issue as they seek to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang, as communication channels are currently severed. “If necessary, and if it helps the United States exercise strategic leverage, even the issue of joint military drills can be discussed and considered,” Lee said in a press conference on Dec. 3. “Simply saying such discussions are possible can help to open conditions for negotiations.” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young echoed this view, repeatedly say

Dec 14, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Seoul, Washington diverge over joint drills as Korea signals flexibility, US stresses readiness

Defense

Return to Cheong Wa Dae triggers wave of defense headquarters relocations

The presidential office is moving ahead with its plan to return to Cheong Wa Dae by the end of this month, setting in motion a series of relocations involving the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). If the schedule holds, the two organizations are expected to move back into the buildings they occupied prior to the presidential office’s transfer to Yongsan in 2022. Military officials say this would restore the layout that existed three years and seven months ago, although the exact timetable has not yet been finalized. According to defense officials, the ministry is preparing to return to the 10-story building in Yongsan that currently houses the presidential office. This building served as the ministry’s headquarters from 2003 until the Yoon Suk Yeol administration relocated the presidential office there shortly after taking office. Since then, the ministry has been operating out of the adjacent JCS building and the two organizations have shared the facility for more than three years. Several ministry units and direct-reporting commands have also been d

Dec 12, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Return to Cheong Wa Dae triggers wave of defense headquarters relocations

People & Events

Heritage program opens new paths for ethnic Korean from Central Asia

For Yoon Esther, 26, a fourth-generation ethnic Korean from Kazakhstan, a recent heritage program in Seoul was much more than just a chance for a short visit. “It felt like a chance to understand where I come from,” she said, recalling the five-day program hosted by the Overseas Koreans Cooperation Center. Through campus tours at Seoul National University and Inha University, and in conversations with others like her working in Korea, she said she began to see the country not as a distant place but as “a home we can still return to.” One remark in particular stayed with her: the notion that the experience of the Koryo-saram is “not immigration but a homecoming.” Koryo-saram, who are also known as Koryoin, are ethnic Koreans from the former Soviet Union. Hearing it framed that way, she said, helped her understand their return to Korea not as a move to a foreign country but as a restoration of ties severed by history. The idea, she added, prompted her to rethink her own sense of belonging. Yoon works as a project manager at one of Kazakhstan’s largest college prep institutes

Dec 10, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Heritage program opens new paths for ethnic Korean from Central Asia

Politics

Seongdong District chief ascends in Seoul mayoral race as Oh Se-hoon faces legal hurdles

The race for Seoul mayor — among the most closely watched contests in next year’s June 3 local elections — is entering a volatile stretch, as leading contenders from both major parties gain momentum while confronting new political hazards. Within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Seongdong District Chief Chong Won-o has vaulted to the forefront in a field of at least eight potential contenders. At the same time, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) faces fresh uncertainties after being indicted without detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Within the DPK, a diverse range of candidates is emerging, including Reps. Park Hong-keun, Seo Young-kyo, Park Ju-min, Kim Young-bae, Jeon Hyun-heui, as well as former lawmakers Park Yong-jin and Hong Ihk-pyo. Chong, who is currently serving his third term as Seongdong District chief, recently became more prominent in internal polls, closing the gap with the frontrunner, Park Ju-min and establishing himself as a strong contender for the party’s nomination. His rise adds another l

Dec 9, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Seongdong District chief ascends in Seoul mayoral race as Oh Se-hoon faces legal hurdles

Politics

Liberal bloc's push to repeal National Security Law ignites political firestorm

Ruling party lawmakers are facing mounting political backlash after 31 members of the broader pro-government bloc introduced a bill to abolish the National Security Act (NSA), reigniting a decadeslong debate over how South Korea should balance civil liberties with national security. Supporters of the bill describe the NSA, enacted in 1948 to penalize individuals for "praising, encouraging, disseminating or cooperating" with North Korea, as an outdated instrument that has enabled the state to silence political dissent and unjustly prosecute activists. But opponents argue that eliminating the law would erode South Korea’s capacity to defend itself against espionage. The proponents of the bill — lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party and two smaller groups — argued that the law has “restricted democracy and freedom of expression for 77 years” and that many of its provisions merely duplicate articles in the Criminal Act or other statutes governing inter-Korean relations. Civic groups have also rallied behind the proposal. At

Dec 8, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Liberal bloc's push to repeal National Security Law ignites political firestorm

Politics

Clash over judicial reforms deepens as filibuster limits, special court proposal gain traction

Korea’s rival political parties are bracing for a tense year-end showdown, with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) pressing ahead with a slate of judicial reform bills and the opposition People Power Party (PPP) preparing a filibuster-driven counteroffensive. The standoff between the legislature and the courts intensified as the judiciary voiced rare constitutional concerns, while the DPK accused court leaders of shirking responsibility amid declining public trust. The DPK supports a revision to the National Assembly Act that would empower the parliamentary speaker to halt a filibuster if the number of attending lawmakers falls below 60 — a threshold often difficult to maintain during prolonged sessions. The DPK describes the measure as a necessary check on the excessive use of the procedural delay tactic, seeking to ensure legislative efficiency before the current session concludes. The PPP says it will launch a filibuster as soon as the measure is put forward, even though it would terminate automatically at midnight. Once the extraordinary session opens Wednesday, the DPK

Dec 7, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji

Bahk Eun-ji

Read more

President rejects blanket punishment for troops mobilized for martial law

New Coupang CEO’s ‘empty’ pledge for compensation stokes outrage

Overseas AI models outperform Korean rivals in CSAT math tests

Yoon prepared martial law plan as early as October 2023: special counsel

Seoul, Washington diverge over joint drills as Korea signals flexibility, US stresses readiness

Return to Cheong Wa Dae triggers wave of defense headquarters relocations

Heritage program opens new paths for ethnic Korean from Central Asia

Seongdong District chief ascends in Seoul mayoral race as Oh Se-hoon faces legal hurdles

Liberal bloc's push to repeal National Security Law ignites political firestorm

Clash over judicial reforms deepens as filibuster limits, special court proposal gain traction

Top 5 stories