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Ex-president photographed for first time at insurrection trial

Under a barrage of camera flashes, former President Yoon Suk Yeol made his first photographed appearance as a defendant on Monday, for the second hearing of his insurrection trial. The session was held at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, exactly one week after the first. It was the same courtroom where four other former presidents — Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye — underwent criminal trials for charges ranging from insurrection to corruption. Unlike the first session, the court permitted filming inside the courtroom when the former president made his entrance. Wearing a red tie and a suit, Yoon entered with a stern expression and took a seat in the defendant’s section, closest to the bench. "Taking into account public interest and the right to know, we have permitted courtroom filming before the start of the trial, following previous precedents," the court's chief judge said before commencing the proceedings. As opposed to his first trial session a week ago, where the former president defended his position for nearly 90 minutes, Yoon r

Apr 21, 2025By Anna J. Park
Ex-president photographed for first time at insurrection trial

Police begin probe into deepfake videos targeting former DPK leader

Police have launched an investigation into deepfake videos targeting Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, Park Hyun-soo, acting chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said Monday. The probe into six deepfake videos and 14 suspects has been initiated by the agency's cyber investigation unit after the main opposition party filed complaints against them with the police, Park said in a media briefing. Earlier, the DPK filed complaints against some YouTubers on defamation and election law violation charges, saying it confirmed a consistent distribution of deepfake videos containing false information about Lee.

Apr 21, 2025By Yonhap
Police begin probe into deepfake videos targeting former DPK leader

Yoon attends 2nd insurrection trial hearing under flash of press cameras

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the second hearing of his insurrection trial Monday in what marked the first time he was photographed in the defendant's seat. Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court via the underground parking as he did for the first hearing last week and appeared in the courtroom dressed in a dark suit and a red tie. Under the flash of press cameras, Yoon showed no expression and looked across the room at the prosecutor's seat, sometimes speaking into his lawyer's ear. As the hearing began, the judge announced the court's decision to allow the press to photograph and film the opening of the session in consideration of the public's level of interest and right to know. The court had prohibited filming during the first hearing citing a lack of time to ask for the defendant's opinion and follow other necessary procedures. The photographers were asked to leave the room before the hearing formally got under way. Yoon, a former top prosecutor, faces charges of leading an insurrection through his brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 that saw the deployment o

Apr 21, 2025By Yonhap
Yoon attends 2nd insurrection trial hearing under flash of press cameras

Ex-interior minister questioned overnight in martial law probe

Former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min returned home Saturday after an overnight police interrogation over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law late last year. The former minister appeared before a special police investigation team at around 2 p.m. Friday as a suspect in the ongoing probe. He was released about 18 hours later at approximately 7:40 a.m. Saturday. He is suspected of directing the National Fire Agency to cut off power and water supplies to multiple media outlets critical of the former president following Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3. Lee reportedly denied the allegations against him. He is said to have spent more than three hours, beginning around 4 a.m., reviewing and making revisions to the official record of his statement. Investigators are seeking to determine whether the utility disruptions were initially ordered by then President Yoon, and whether Lee carried out those instructions. The ongoing investigation includes testimony from fire department personnel as well as forensic analysis of mate

Apr 19, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-interior minister questioned overnight in martial law probe

Comedian Lee Jin-ho referred to prosecution without detention over online gambling

Comedian Lee Jin-ho, 38, who publicly admitted to illegal online gambling, has been referred to the prosecution without detention, police said Thursday. According to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, Lee was forwarded to prosecutors Tuesday on charges of habitual gambling, about six months after the investigation began. Lee revealed in a post on social media last year that he had started gambling through an illegal online gaming site in 2020, which eventually left him with overwhelming debts. “After difficult advice from friends and the fear of losing the job I love, I was finally able to stop gambling,” he wrote. “Though I’ve received financial help from many people, I’m steadily repaying the debt every month and promise to repay every last cent on my own — even if it takes a lifetime.” Lee is known to have borrowed hundreds of millions of won from acquaintances, including fellow comedian Lee Soo-geun, BTS member Jimin and singer Young Tak, to fund his gambling. The police launched a preliminary investigation after receiving a complaint through the national petition system

Apr 18, 2025By KTimes
Comedian Lee Jin-ho referred to prosecution without detention over online gambling

Daughter of ex-president fined $10,580 over drunk driving, illegal Airbnb business

A Seoul court on Thursday slapped a 15 million won ($10,581) fine on the daughter of former President Moon Jae-in on charges of drunk driving and illegally operating an Airbnb business. The Seoul Western District Court delivered the fine to Moon Da-hye, citing her high blood alcohol level and large profits stemming from the accommodation business as unfavorable grounds. Moon, 42, is accused of driving her car into a taxi while trying to change lanes in Seoul's Itaewon district last October. Her blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.149 percent at the time, exceeding the 0.08 percent threshold for driver's license revocation. Separately, she is accused of running an Airbnb business without official registration at three locations in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district and on the southern resort island of Jeju. The prosecution earlier demanded a one-year prison term for Moon. Prosecutors plan to review the court verdict before deciding whether to file an appeal.

Apr 17, 2025By Yonhap
Daughter of ex-president fined $10,580 over drunk driving, illegal Airbnb business

100 people, companies transferred to prosecution for selling college entrance exam questions

Police said Thursday they have transferred 100 people and companies, including many current teachers, to the prosecution on suspicion of selling questions on the annual college entrance exam. The National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the National Police Agency announced the result after wrapping up a 20-month investigation into allegations that dozens of teachers designed questions for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and sold them to private education companies or instructors between 2019 and 2023. Police said they booked 126 people and companies and transferred 100 of them to the prosecution, including 72 current teachers. The rest consisted of three private education companies, 11 instructors, nine heads or employees of private academies and five employees or professors of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), which administers the CSAT. Police said each question was priced at between 100,000 won ($70) and 500,000 won, and sold in sets of 20 to 30. The most a teacher received in exchange for the questions was 260 million won, while the most an instr

Apr 17, 2025By Yonhap
100 people, companies transferred to prosecution for selling college entrance exam questions

Man kills five family members over debt fears; police request arrest warrant

Police have requested an arrest warrant for a man in his 50s who they allege murdered five members of his family, including his parents, wife and two daughters, because he believed his debts would ruin their lives. The Yongin Seobu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said on Wednesday that the suspect was arrested the previous day on charges of parricide. He is accused of strangling his parents in their 80s, his wife in her 50s and his teenage and twenty-something daughters while they were asleep at his apartment in Suji District, Yongin, Monday. After the killings, he left a note at the scene stating his intention to “kill everyone, then myself.” He fled to an officetel in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, early the next morning but was apprehended later that day after a family member, who had received a suicide-related message from him, alerted authorities. The man told police that he was overwhelmed with debt after being sued for fraud by buyers involved in a real estate development project. “I was buried in debt and facing civil lawsuits over accusations of fraudulent apartment sales

Apr 17, 2025By KTimes
Man kills five family members over debt fears; police request arrest warrant

Gov't to bolster IP protection efforts amid global tech war

The government will strengthen its cooperation with related authorities to better protect industrial technologies and intellectual properties (IPs) amid fierce global competition in advanced technologies, the industry ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy discussed joining hands with the Korean Intellectual Property Office to strengthen their capabilities in IP protection in a joint forum on economic security, according to ministry officials. The move comes amid a continued increase in technology leak cases, the ministry said. Over the past five years, Korea identified some 100 technology leakage cases, which are estimated to have led to a combined financial damage of 23 trillion won ($16.2 billion), according to data compiled by the National Intelligence Service. "Robust protection of technologies and IPs is crucial to strengthening economic security," Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo said. The government will put in "all-out efforts" to advance core national strategies and enhance capabilities to protect them by actively utilizing patent information, Cheong adde

Apr 17, 2025By Yonhap
Gov't to bolster IP protection efforts amid global tech war

Constitutional Court accepts injunction against acting President Han's nomination of court justices

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday unanimously accepted an injunction suspending acting President Han Duck-soo's recent nominations of two Constitutional Court justices. The decision comes just eight days after Han nominated two judges — Lee Wan-kyu, minister of government legislation, and Ham Sang-hun, a justice of the Seoul High Court — to replace two retiring ones. In its ruling, the court said it cannot definitively conclude that a prime minister acting on behalf of the president has the authority to nominate and appoint Constitutional Court judges. It also noted that if the injunction were denied and a petition for constitutional review is later accepted after the justices have already been appointed, it would lead to confusion, including questions over the validity of Constitutional Court rulings. Han's nomination of the two judges has sparked controversy in the legal community, with some experts criticizing it as an overreach of authority. Following the National Assembly's vote to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law bid in December, Han as

Apr 16, 2025By Yonhap
Constitutional Court accepts injunction against acting President Han's nomination of court justices
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