my timesThe Korea Times
South KoreaLaw & Crime

Law & Crime

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Supreme Court postpones final ruling on ex-first lady's corruption charges to next week

The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has postponed the sentencing hearing of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's corruption trial to next week after a special counsel team requested more time to submit additional opinions following the conviction of Kim's husband on the same charges facing Kim. The sentencing hearing, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been pushed back to next Friday, the top court said, apparently granting special counsel Min Joong-ki's request made the previous day. Min's team requested the postponement of the final ruling for Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, citing the need for the case to consider Yoon's conviction earlier this week on charges covered by Kim's trial. The couple was indicted separately on charges of receiving 58 opinion polls worth about 270 million won ($181,000) for free from a self-claimed power broker, Myung Tae-kyun, in exchange for their support for a former lawmaker in winning the nomination of the conservative People Power Party for a parliamentary by-election in June 2022. An appellate court had cleared Yoon's wife of the char

Jul 15, 2026By Yonhap
Supreme Court postpones final ruling on ex-first lady's corruption charges to next week

Prosecutors raid Gwangju police agency over alleged mishandling of murder case

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency as part of a probe into allegations that police officers destroyed evidence and leaked investigative information of a high-profile murder case. The Gwangju District Prosecutors Office carried out a search-and-seizure warrant at the agency's headquarters in the southwestern city as multiple officers face investigation over the allegations related to the case involving the fatal stabbing of a high school student in May. The prosecution seeks to secure documents on how senior officers at the agency handled the murder case. Allegations have intensified over possible ties between local investigators and the father of the murder suspect, accused of killing the 16-year-old female victim and attempting to murder a 17-year-old male student. The suspect's father is a serving police officer in the city. A local district court issued an arrest warrant last week for the murder case's lead police investigator, accused of destroying evidence. Separately, a special police team investigating the police handling of the case referred the

Jul 15, 2026By Yonhap
Prosecutors raid Gwangju police agency over alleged mishandling of murder case

Gov't weighs lowering minimum age of criminal responsibility

The government is considering lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility by one year from the current 14 but the final decision will be made after additional opinion-gathering, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Tuesday. Currently, children under the age of 14 cannot be held criminally responsible in Korea. If such children commit offenses, they are referred to community service programs or youth correction institutions. But there have long been calls to lower the age threshold in response to a rise in crimes committed by young teenagers. In February, President Lee Jae Myung instructed the government to gather public opinions on the issue. In a report to the Cabinet, the ministry said it may revise the age range of criminal minority from the current "10 years old or older and under 14 years old" to "10 years old or older and under 13 years old" in cases of violent, serious or repetitive crimes. The ministry presented the results of various public opinion polls to support proposed changes to the current law. In a poll of 199 adults and 43 youths, support for uniformly

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't weighs lowering minimum age of criminal responsibility

58 under investigation for suspected real estate speculative acts in Dongtan

Fifty-eight people are under investigation, with four others referred to the prosecution for possible indictment and another three booked for probes on charges of using illicit means when applying for apartment purchases in the newly developed township of Dongtan, south of Seoul, officials said Tuesday. They are accused of employing illegitimate means, such as falsely shifting the addresses of non-cohabiting family members and registering elderly parents as fake dependents in an attempt to boost their eligibility and chances of winning the highly competitive right to buy apartments in Dongtan 2 New Town, officials said. The real estate oversight team under the Prime Minister's Office announced the results of its efforts to crack down on real estate market-disturbing acts — one of President Lee Jae Myung's key agenda items — and discussed measures to strengthen the clampdown. "Real estate market-disturbing acts, such as illicit applications and rigging home prices, amount to depriving those in real need of homes of chances to buy homes," said Kim Yong-soo, second vice minister for go

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
58 under investigation for suspected real estate speculative acts in Dongtan

$1 ice cream theft by disabled adults sparks debate in Korea

Two adults with severe developmental disabilities who shared a single 1,500-won ($1.10) ice cream without paying have become the center of a debate in Korea after police referred them to prosecutors on aggravated theft charges. The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency defended its handling of the case Tuesday, saying officers had followed the law and had no authority to close the case with a warning or other informal measure. Police said they launched an investigation after receiving a theft report from the convenience store owner, reviewing CCTV footage and questioning the suspects. Based on the findings, investigators concluded that the case met the legal definition of aggravated theft under Article 331 of South Korea's Criminal Act, which applies when two or more people jointly commit theft. Police said aggravated theft carries no fine — only penalty under the law and therefore cannot be handled through summary proceedings. They also said officers have no legal authority to dismiss such cases or issue only a warning, leaving referral to prosecutors as the only available legal procedure

Jul 14, 2026By Hankookilbo
$1 ice cream theft by disabled adults sparks debate in Korea

Korea uncovers $1.61 bil. worth of FX crimes through May

Korea detected 2.4 trillion won ($1.61 bil.) worth of illegal foreign exchange transactions through May as the country stepped up surveillance against related crimes amid the volatility in the currency market, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The Ministry of Finance and Economy announced the findings during a meeting with foreign exchange-related agencies amid growing concerns over illegal transactions following the Korean won's recent slide against the U.S. dollar. During the meeting, the Korea Customs Service said it had referred a total of 84 cases involving illegal foreign exchange transactions to prosecutors through May. The finance ministry, the customs service and the tax agency also vowed to strengthen coordination to root out offshore tax evasion and track illicit foreign currency flows. Lee Hyung-ryul, director general for international finance at the ministry, said the supply-demand balance in the foreign exchange market is gradually improving, supported by foreign currency inflows from exporters. Lee added that Korea is expected to undergo a structural shift in foreign curre

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Korea uncovers $1.61 bil. worth of FX crimes through May

Broker referred to prosecution over fake asylum applications for Vietnamese nationals

A broker and 10 others have been referred to the prosecution on suspicion of arranging fake asylum applications for foreigners living in Korea in exchange for brokerage fees, immigration officials said Tuesday. The 68-year-old Korean broker and 10 alleged accomplices are accused of receiving around 400 million won ($267,000) from 131 Vietnamese who were staying in the country on seasonal worker or short-term visas between December 2024 and October 2025. They allegedly helped the Vietnamese nationals, who did not qualify as refugees, to file for asylum. The broker was sent to prosecutors on charges of violating the Immigration Act, according to the Seoul Immigration Office. The alleged accomplices, including naturalized Korean citizens originally from Vietnam, have been referred to the prosecution without detention. Investigators also found that the broker had instructed the applicants to memorize fabricated information to provide during asylum interviews and submitted applications at 21 immigration offices across the country to avoid suspicion.

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Broker referred to prosecution over fake asylum applications for Vietnamese nationals

Arrest warrant sought for ex-prosecutor general over alleged martial law role

A special counsel team on Tuesday requested an arrest warrant for former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid in 2024. The team, led by special counsel Kwon Chang-young, said it applied for warrants to arrest Shim and former senior prosecutor Jeon Moo-gon on charges of engaging in important duties related to Yoon's alleged insurrection and abuse of power. Shim is accused of reviewing the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint martial law investigation headquarters on Dec. 3, 2024, the night Yoon declared martial law, at the direction of former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae. Shim allegedly had three phone calls with Park at that time. On June 22, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Park to 25 years in prison for his role in the martial law bid, including his instruction to Shim to send prosecutors to the martial law body. Kwon's team also suspects that Shim discussed response measures for crimes subject to military court jurisdiction and was involved in drafting a document outlining trial jurisdiction under ma

Jul 14, 2026By Yonhap
Arrest warrant sought for ex-prosecutor general over alleged martial law role

Religious sect leader indicted over forced PPP memberships

The founder of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, was indicted under detention Monday, over allegations that he forced followers to join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ahead of the political party's elections. The sect's leader, Lee Man-hee, was indicted on charges of obstruction of business and violations of the Political Parties Act, according to the joint police-prosecution task force. The move follows an indictment against Lee in June, which came as the five-year statute of limitations for Lee's alleged forced enrollment of church members into a political party in July 2021 was approaching. The 94-year-old is suspected of forcing at least 56,000 church members to join the PPP between July 2021 and January 2024, in an attempt to influence the outcome of the party's 2022 presidential primary and 2024 general election primaries. Some 6,482 sect followers were found to have joined the PPP in July 2021, followed by 2,873 followers in December 2021 and around 12,044 in August 2023. The period of the alleged forced enrollments largely overlaps with the

Jul 13, 2026By Yonhap
Religious sect leader indicted over forced PPP memberships

Gov't launches task force to tackle stalking murders

A government task force was launched Monday to devise countermeasures against stalking-related murders and incidents of dating violence. The task force jointly set up by the justice ministry, the gender equality ministry, the prosecution and the police announced 20 measures in four areas -- strengthening laws, enhancing interagency collaboration, expanding victim support and raising awareness of relationship-based violence. The TF said it will strengthen the effectiveness of restraining orders against potential perpetrators and provide two private bodyguards to closely protect high-risk victims. The TF said its countermeasures will focus on addressing gaps in laws, systems and on-the-ground responses exposed by recent incidents, such as the stalking murder in Namyangju, just east of Seoul, in March. Kim Hoon, a 44-year-old resident of Namyangju, was arrested in March for stalking and killing his ex-girlfriend while wearing an electronic ankle monitor. The case sparked criticism that the authorities failed to protect the 27-year-old victim even though she was wearing a smartwatch as a sub

Jul 13, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't launches task force to tackle stalking murders
previous page
1314151617
next page

Most Read in South Korea