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Court grants bail for ex-lawmaker, political broker in election nomination scandal

A local court on Wednesday granted bail to a former five-term lawmaker of the People Power Party and a self-proclaimed power broker at the center of an election nomination scandal. The Changwon District Court approved bail for former lawmaker Kim Young-sun and alleged broker Myung Tae-kyun, nearly five months after arrests on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Prosecutors allege that Kim offered Myung 80.7 million won ($54,432) between August 2022 and November 2023 through the former lawmaker's campaign finance officer in connection with Kim's candidate nomination during the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. Myung is suspected of leveraging his connections with influential figures, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, to solicit bribes by promising nominations. Myung had filed for bail in December, but his request was dismissed at the time. (Yonhap)

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
Court grants bail for ex-lawmaker, political broker in election nomination scandal

Two foreigners caught smuggling 'zombie drug' mephedrone into Korea

Two foreign nationals were caught by customs authorities attempting to smuggle mephedrone — a synthetic drug commonly known as a “zombie drug” for its extreme side effects — hidden inside candles. Incheon Airport Customs said Wednesday it had arrested and handed over to prosecutors a 29-year-old foreign man on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Authorities also issued a wanted notice for a second suspect, a 28-year-old man who has fled to his home country. The investigation began after Incheon Airport Customs officers discovered 61.5 grams of mephedrone concealed in candles during a customs inspection of an express parcel from Ukraine in October 2024. Mephedrone is a new psychoactive substance often used in Central Asian countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan as a substitute for methamphetamine. Despite attempts to evade detection by frequently changing delivery addresses and contact information, the 29-year-old was arrested at Gimpo International Airport just before he attempted to leave the country. Authorities believe he had taken mephedrone and MDMA (a

Apr 9, 2025By KTimes
Two foreigners caught smuggling 'zombie drug' mephedrone into Korea

New Constitutional Court justice vows to rule only based on constitutional principles

Ma Eun-hyuk, a new Constitutional Court justice, vowed Wednesday to uphold constitutional principles, while dismissing concerns raised by the conservative bloc about his "ideological bias." Ma made the remarks during the inauguration ceremony earlier in the day, after acting President Han Duck-soo appointed him Tuesday as the ninth court justice following months of his delayed appointment in the midst of the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. "I am well aware of the worrisome perceptions in our society regarding my appointment as Constitutional Court justice," Ma, the opposition-recommended justice, said at the sworn-in ceremony. "I will translate the Constitution only based on the values prescribed by our Constitution, such as the principle of popular sovereignty, liberal democracy, rule of law, and the principle of social states," he said. Ma also vowed to take on his duties with a balanced view and impartial attitude, adding he would "respect but not blindly obey" the majority opinion, and "listen but not lean toward" the voices of the minority. His appointment came a

Apr 9, 2025By Yonhap
New Constitutional Court justice vows to rule only based on constitutional principles

Former top security adviser indicted for leaking THAAD-related intelligence

Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a former top security adviser under the Moon Jae-in administration on charges of leaking intelligence related to the THAAD U.S. missile defense system to activists and China. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted former National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong without physical detention on charges of abuse of official authority. Chung is accused of informing activists opposed to South Korea's hosting of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system beforehand of plans by U.S. and South Korean forces to replace a THAAD battery missile in Seongju, 215 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in May 2020. Two other officials, including former Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, were also indicted on the same charges. The indictments come after the Board of Audit and Inspection raised suspicions that the Moon government leaked the information as part of attempts to delay the full deployment of THAAD, which the previous Park Geun-hye administration decided to host in 2016 to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. (Yonhap)

Apr 8, 2025By Yonhap
Former top security adviser indicted for leaking THAAD-related intelligence

Rep. Lee Chul-gyu’s son tests positive for marijuana in drug screening

The son of Rep. Lee Chul-gyu of the People Power Party has tested positive for marijuana in a detailed drug analysis following an attempt to purchase liquid cannabis. According to police on Monday, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul recently received the results of a hair sample analysis from the National Forensic Service, which confirmed marijuana use by Lee’s son. An earlier field drug test conducted immediately after his arrest had returned a negative result. Police are currently investigating four individuals in connection with the case. Lee's son, his wife, a third person who accompanied the couple to the attempted drug pickup site and one individual suspected of supplying the marijuana. A police official said, “So far, we’ve only received test results for two of the four individuals from the forensic lab.” Lee and his wife are accused of attempting to buy approximately 5 grams of liquid marijuana last October through a “drop-off” method, in which the drugs are left at a designated location for pickup. The transaction, which was to take place in a flower bed near a build

Apr 8, 2025By KTimes
Rep. Lee Chul-gyu’s son tests positive for marijuana in drug screening

2 Chinese teens booked for illegally filming fighter jets at Suwon air base

Two Chinese teenagers have been apprehended for illegally filming fighter jets near a major air base in Suwon, police said Monday. The two Chinese nationals are suspected of using their DSLR camera and mobile phone to film fighter jets landing and taking off from the Air Force's 10th Fighter Wing at around 3:30 p.m. on March 21, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police. The teenagers face charges of breaching the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act and have been placed under a travel ban, police said. They reportedly attend high school in China and entered the country on a tourist visa three days ahead of the incident. After discovering multiple photos of fighter jets on their devices, police are conducting a forensic analysis to determine whether similar photos were also taken at other military facilities, airports and ports. Both police and the Air Force did not provide further information on the case, citing an ongoing investigation. (Yonhap)

Apr 7, 2025By Yonhap
2 Chinese teens booked for illegally filming fighter jets at Suwon air base

Over 96,000 apply for 20 seats at Yoon's impeachment ruling

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, 96,370 Koreans had applied for a seat at the Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday regarding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his martial law declaration. With only 20 seats allocated to the public, the competition rate has surged to a record high of 4,818.5 to 1, making it the highest in the history of the country’s impeachment rulings. The Constitutional Court began accepting online applications on Tuesday at 4 p.m.; however, the site became inaccessible at times due to heavy traffic. In the history of the country’s Constitutional Court, the highest competition rate to attend a ruling was for the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. At that time, 19,096 people applied online for 24 seats in the courtroom, resulting in a competition ratio of 796 to 1. The competition ratio for the impeachment ruling of former President Roh Moo-hyun was 21.3 to 1, with 1,278 people applying for 60 seats. However, the highest number of online applications to attend a Constitutional Court event was for Yoon’s first hearing in the impeachment tri

Apr 3, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Over 96,000 apply for 20 seats at Yoon's impeachment ruling

Supreme Court confirms conviction of 9 people in Deutsch Motors case

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's conviction of nine people involved in the high-profile stock manipulation scheme involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. The case centers on charges that Kwon Oh-soo, a former chairman of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea, manipulated the price of the firm's shares between 2009-2012 through illegal means, including sham transactions and the use of financial accounts under other people's names. Kim and another individual, surnamed Sohn, allegedly had their financial accounts used in the scheme, though they were not directly involved in the manipulation itself. In September last year, the Seoul High Court sentenced Kwon to an imprisonment of three years, suspended for four years, and a fine of 500 million won ($340,000), while Sohn was sentenced to six months in prison, with the sentence suspended for one year. The Supreme Court said there was no error or misunderstanding of the legal principles in the lower court's verdict on the defendants. The prosecution decided not to indict the first lady last October after looking into her alleged i

Apr 3, 2025By Yonhap
Supreme Court confirms conviction of 9 people in Deutsch Motors case

Chinese national under probe over allegedly bribing soldier for military secrets

A Chinese national is under investigation over allegedly bribing a Korean soldier in an attempt to obtain military secrets, officials at the Korean military's counterintelligence command said Thursday. The Defense Counterintelligence Command has launched a probe after detecting allegations that a Chinese national and an active duty soldier have violated the military secret protection act, the officials said. The Chinese national, arrested on the southern resort island of Jeju last month, is suspected of approaching Korean soldiers in a group chat room by posing as a soldier himself. The suspect is believed to have offered to pay the soldiers in exchange for military secrets in one-on-one conversations. A soldier serving at a unit in Gangwon Province allegedly used an unauthorized phone to take photos of internal documents that include information on joint Korea-U.S. military drills and handed them over to the suspect. The counterintelligence command is reportedly looking into allegations that the suspect is a member of a larger group based in China, led by a ringleader who is possibly lin

Apr 3, 2025By Yonhap
Chinese national under probe over allegedly bribing soldier for military secrets

Korea seizes record 2-ton cocaine transport on foreign ship on east coast

Korea's customs authorities and Coast Guard has seized approximately 2 tons of smuggled cocaine on a foreign vessel docked on the country's east coast, officials said Thursday. At around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Donghae regional office of the Coast Guard and the Seoul Regional Customs deployed around 90 personnel to search the ship docked at a port in Gangneung after receiving a tip-off from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI had warned that a 32,000-ton carrier suspected of carrying drugs was entering Korean waters on the day, according to the officials. The Norwegian-flagged vessel is believed to have departed from Mexico and traveled through Ecuador, Panama and China before arriving in Korea. Authorities discovered 57 boxes containing packages with about 1 kilogram of cocaine each, totaling 2 tons, hidden aboard the ship. The seized drugs have an estimated market value of 1 trillion won ($679.6 million), equivalent to around 67 million doses. According to the Korea Customs Service, this marks the country's largest-ever drug bust in terms of weight. Authorities said t

Apr 3, 2025By Yonhap
Korea seizes record 2-ton cocaine transport on foreign ship on east coast
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