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Chinese man questioned over alleged murder in Gyeongsan

GYEONGSAN — Police said Wednesday they were questioning a Chinese man in his 30s on suspicion of murdering a female graduate student, also from China, who was found dead in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan. The victim, a local university student in her 20s, was found dead at the suspect's residence Tuesday, five days after all communication with her had been lost and four days after she was reported missing by the man, according to Gyeongsan Police Station. The suspect, surnamed Jeong, was seen in CCTV footage entering his residence with the victim at around 2 p.m. Thursday, the police said. Later, he was seen leaving the premises dressed as a woman and wearing a hat, heading to Dongdaegu Station and changing clothes at a nearby restroom before returning home. He was found to have turned off the victim's phone at one point, according to the police. The police suspect Jeong tried to throw investigators off course and plan to charge him with obstruction of official duties. He was apprehended Tuesday on a street in the city and detained at the police station the same day. The police said

2d agoBy Yonhap
Chinese man questioned over alleged murder in Gyeongsan

Discovered body confirmed to be of woman missing in Jeju: police

JEJU — A body discovered on the southern island of Jeju has been confirmed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, a missing woman whose case was allegedly closed prematurely in May, police said Tuesday. The body was found the previous day in a forest located only about a kilometer away from the long-term accommodation facility where the 37-year-old had stayed until her disappearance on May 12. An autopsy was conducted Tuesday morning, and the teeth were confirmed to match those of Jang, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency said. A separate DNA analysis is under way. "The body was severely decomposed so it is impossible to identify signs of external trauma," the police said. Earlier, police said Jang was presumed to have hanged herself, judging from the body's shape and position when it was found. An investigation is under way to determine the exact cause of death, including through a forensic analysis of her cellphone. The case has drawn nationwide attention after the police officer in charge was found to have closed it hours after her boyfriend reported her missing while allegedly lying to the boyfrie

Aug 25, 2026By Yonhap
Discovered body confirmed to be of woman missing in Jeju: police

Arrest warrant issued for Jeju police officer over mishandling of missing person case

JEJU — The Jeju District Court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for a Jeju police officer accused of wrongfully closing a missing person case that may have led to the woman's death. The court began the officer's arrest warrant hearing at 2:30 p.m. on charges of dereliction of duty, forgery, falsifying public electronic records and obstruction of official duties through deception. The officer is accused of allegedly prematurely closing the case of the missing woman, Jang Mi-ran, in May without confirming her safety and deleting her information from the police's missing persons profiling system. A body discovered on the southern island of Jeju has been confirmed to be that of Jang, police said Tuesday. The officer was placed under emergency detention Saturday but was released Monday after a court reviewed the legality of his detention.

Aug 25, 2026By Yonhap
Arrest warrant issued for Jeju police officer over mishandling of missing person case

4 Jeju police officers suspended from duty over premature closure of missing person case

Police said Tuesday four officers have been suspended from duty in connection with the premature closure of a missing person case on the southern island of Jeju amid allegations of misconduct. The National Police Agency said it placed the head of the Jeju Seobu Police Station, the station's former chief and two senior investigators on standby, with plans to conduct an internal investigation into how they handled the case. The move comes after the presumed body of a missing woman, 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, was found on the island Monday in an intensive search launched belatedly after a police officer prematurely closed the case initially filed in May. The police officer is accused of closing the case without confirming Jang's safety and falsely reporting that he had come into contact with her. Local police on the island have faced further scrutiny after the bodies of other missing persons were discovered since the search for Jang began late last week.

Aug 25, 2026By Yonhap
4 Jeju police officers suspended from duty over premature closure of missing person case

Police bust China-based phishing ring with local police

CHUNCHEON — Six Korean and four Chinese nationals suspected of running a China-based phishing ring have been apprehended in China by a joint police team of the two countries, police officials here said Tuesday. The suspects are accused of defrauding approximately 10 billion won ($7.23 million) from 118 Koreans, mainly those in their 60s and older, between January 2025 and March of this year, according to the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency. The Korean suspects have been repatriated and referred to the prosecution. They allegedly lured the victims by telling them a check card in their name had been issued and installing malicious apps to intercept calls when the victims tried to verify or call the police. The suspects reportedly operated voice phishing call centers in China, posing as card delivery drivers, card company security staff, police officers, Financial Supervisory Service officials and prosecutors. The crackdown was made under a joint investigation by the Gangwon police and China's Jilin Provincial Public Security Department, an official said. Key evidence, including mobile p

Aug 25, 2026By Yonhap
Police bust China-based phishing ring with local police

Court grants bail for power broker in 'free opinion poll' case

An appellate court on Monday granted bail for a jailed self-proclaimed power broker convicted for providing free opinion polls to former President Yoon Suk Yeol between 2021 and 2022, legal sources said. The Seoul High Court accepted Myung Tae-kyun's request for bail, about a month after a lower court sentenced him to an 18-month prison term on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The lower court found Myung guilty of making illegal political contributions by offering the opinion polls for free to Yoon and his wife between June 2021 and March 2022. The district court sentenced Yoon to a two-year prison term in the case. With the Seoul High Court's decision to grant bail, Myung will stand his trial at the appellate court without physical detention.

Aug 24, 2026By Yonhap
Court grants bail for power broker in 'free opinion poll' case

Appeals court upholds 18-month prison term for ex-presidential aide over martial law document

An appellate court on Monday upheld an 18-month prison term for a former presidential secretary for drafting a false document linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. The Seoul High Court upheld the lower court's ruling that found Kang Eui-gu guilty on charges of creating a false official document by drafting a cover of Yoon's martial law proclamation, three days after his declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. The appellate court ruled that Kang had drafted the document and collected the signatures of Yoon, then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, to give Yoon's proclamation an appearance of procedural legitimacy. "The defendant was aware that the date of signing by Yoon Suk Yeol and others differed from the actual date the document was drafted," the court said. A special counsel team indicted Kang over the martial law document in December. He was immediately taken into custody and imprisoned after the lower court ruling in May.

Aug 24, 2026By Yonhap
Appeals court upholds 18-month prison term for ex-presidential aide over martial law document

Body believed to be missing Jeju woman shows no signs of foul play, police say

Police said Monday that a body believed to be that of missing woman Jang Mi-ran, 37, with no signs of foul play found so far. The body was discovered on Jeju Island more than three months after Jang disappeared, amid growing controversy over police handling of her missing-person report. Yoo Jae-sung, acting commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said during a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on Monday that he had received a report from the chief of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency indicating that the presumed cause of death was hanging. Asked by Rep. Chai Hyun-il of the Democratic Party of Korea whether there were any signs suggesting foul play, Yoo said, "Not so far," indicating that police currently consider the possibility of homicide to be low. An autopsy has not yet been conducted, but clothing, slippers and a mobile phone found with the body have been confirmed to match Jang's belongings. Police plan to confirm the identity as quickly as possible through an examination by the National Forensic Service. Police found

Aug 24, 2026By Hankookilbo
Body believed to be missing Jeju woman shows no signs of foul play, police say

Special counsel wraps up 180-day probe after indicting Yoon, 57 others

Special counsel Kwon Chang-young's team said Monday it has indicted 58 people, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol, in its 180-day investigation into wide-ranging allegations involving Yoon, his wife and key administration officials. The team announced the final results of the investigation that officially wrapped up Sunday after launching in February to probe allegations that had not been fully investigated by three previous special counsel teams. Kwon's team reopened investigations into insurrection charges stemming from Yoon's failed 2024 martial law bid, along with corruption allegations tied to former first lady Kim Keon Hee and the 2023 death of a Marine. Through the investigation, Kwon indicted Yoon on charges of abusing his power by instructing officials to justify his failed martial law bid to the United States and other major partner nations. Former National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik and former Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo have also been indicted over their alleged roles in connection with the case. The team also indicted others, including form

Aug 24, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel wraps up 180-day probe after indicting Yoon, 57 others

Man gets 1-year prison term for defaming Sewol ferry, Itaewon crush victims

A man accused of posting false information about the victims and bereaved families of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking and the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022 was sentenced to one year in prison Monday. The Seoul Western District Court handed down the sentence to the man, known only by his surname Kang, after convicting him of defamation. Kang, in his 50s, was arrested and indicted on charges of writing false and insulting posts about people involved in the two disasters on his blog since 2021. He alleged that the Itaewon disaster was an organized and planned incident, and that the bereaved families of the Sewol ferry sinking were the same people as the bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster. The court said the defendant not only caused suffering to the bereaved families by repeatedly posting baseless claims but also misled members of the public. A total of 304 people, mostly students on a trip from a high school in Ansan, near Seoul, died when the overloaded Sewol ferry capsized on April 16, 2014. The crowd crush accident in the central Seoul district of Itaewon killed 159 people in October

Aug 24, 2026By Yonhap
Man gets 1-year prison term for defaming Sewol ferry, Itaewon crush victims
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