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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.

Special counsel accuses NIS of actively cooperating in ex-President Yoon's martial law bid

A special counsel team on Monday accused the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of actively cooperating in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed 2024 martial law bid. Special counsel Kwon Chang-young's team said it has recently detected signs that the NIS prepared a list of hundreds of individuals labeled as "security threats" at the time of Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. It did not elaborate on details of the list. "(We) have found signs that the NIS actively participated in emergency martial law," assistant special counsel Kim Ji-mi said in a press briefing. The team is looking into who ordered creating the list, including then NIS Director Cho Tae-yong, Kim said. She added the NIS also chose officials to dispatch to the martial law command following Yoon's declaration. The special counsel team was launched in February to investigate allegations surrounding Yoon, his failed martial law bid and his wife, which were not fully covered by previous special counsel investigations.

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel accuses NIS of actively cooperating in ex-President Yoon's martial law bid

Seoul Metro puts up English warnings at depots after graffiti cases by foreigners

Seoul Metro, one of the two major operators of the city’s subway system, will install English-language warning signs around its depots after a string of illegal graffiti cases by foreign nationals in recent years. The municipally run company said Monday that four graffiti incidents have been reported at its depots over the past five years, including cases at a depot at Gunja Station on lines 5 and 7 in 2024 and 2025. Officials say intruders typically entered in the early morning hours and spray-painted parked trains before soon leaving Korea, causing damage to subway cars and forcing costly repair work. Amid rising concerns, Seoul Metro CEO Kim Tae-gyun instructed staff at an April safety meeting to install new warnings along depot fences, saying clear notices were needed to deter trespassing by foreign nationals. He pointed out that the existing signs varied in size and spacing and had been put up at different times, leaving their wording inconsistent and often out of step with recent legal revisions. The new signs will adopt a standardized design modeled on recent examples at depots

Jul 6, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul Metro puts up English warnings at depots after graffiti cases by foreigners

Migrant workers flood new rights hotline after gov't streamlines abuse filing

A newly streamlined government hotline dedicated to protecting foreign laborers from institutional and workplace abuse has seen a sixfold surge in reported cases during its first month of operation, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. The dramatic influx of reports underscores the precarious conditions faced by the country’s rapidly expanding migrant workforce and highlights a critical gap in access to legal protection that had long gone unaddressed. Enacted on May 27, the policy shift simplified the state-run 1345 immigration helpline by designating the "No. 1" hotkey exclusively for reporting human rights violations. Previously, noncitizens seeking immediate help for systemic issues like wage theft, physical assault or sexual harassment had to navigate a complex labyrinth of disparate administrative bodies, a process frequently stymied by severe language barriers. Under the overhauled system, pressing a single digit immediately routes callers to dedicated counselors fluent in 20 languages, including Vietnamese, Tagalog and Arabic. The ministry reported that average monthly filings

Jul 6, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Migrant workers flood new rights hotline after gov't streamlines abuse filing

Police investigating online death threat against President Lee

Police said Monday they have launched an investigation to track down an online user behind a series of death threats against President Lee Jae Myung on social media. Seoul's Hyehwa Police Station said it was currently working to track down the suspect after authorities received a report of a death threat against Lee on social media at around 9:30 a.m. The online user is suspected of uploading five posts threatening to kill Lee on social media at about 6:30 a.m.

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Police investigating online death threat against President Lee

Foreign delivery workers using borrowed accounts surge 11-fold

The number of foreign workers engaged in illegal delivery services has jumped over 10 times from a year earlier, the justice ministry said Monday. According to the ministry, 734 foreigners were caught between January and May working illegally as delivery persons, using borrowed service accounts, up nearly 11 times from 67 cases recorded in all of 2025. By country, those from Vietnam accounted for the largest share at 61 percent, followed by Chinese at 22 percent and Uzbeks at 12 percent. By visa type, students on D-2 visas made up 56 percent, followed by overseas Koreans on F-4 at 20 percent and job seekers at 14 percent. Among those caught, 68 foreigners were deported and 643 were fined a combined total of 1.62 billion won ($1.06 million). Sixteen delivery agencies are also under investigation for providing their delivery application accounts to unqualified foreigners. To root out unqualified foreign riders, the justice ministry has urged delivery platform companies to implement facial recognition systems within their rider apps and strengthen their oversight of local agencies, according

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Foreign delivery workers using borrowed accounts surge 11-fold

Prosecutors indict HD Hyundai Oilbank in $17 bil. price-fixing case after US-Iran war outbreak

Prosecutors said Monday they have indicted major domestic refiner HD Hyundai Oilbank Co. and two company officials in a price-fixing case believed to be worth 26 trillion won ($17 billion) following the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war. The company is accused of engaging in collusive activities to raise prices of petroleum products after the war triggered sharp rises in global energy prices in late February, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office. Two officials from HD Hyundai Oilbank's pricing department have also been indicted in the case. Prosecutors accused HD Hyundai Oilbank and another refiner SK Energy Co. of direct collusion valued at 14.2 trillion won and two other refiners — GS Caltex Corp. and S-Oil Corp. — of matching the rigged price hikes, undermining market competition by a total of around 26 trillion won. They did not indict SK Energy under a leniency program. The other two companies also did not face charges as the alleged activities did not fall under fair trade law violations. Their investigation found that HD Hyundai Oilbank and SK Energy colluded

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Prosecutors indict HD Hyundai Oilbank in $17 bil. price-fixing case after US-Iran war outbreak

Customs agency uncovers $503 mil. worth of trade security violations

Korea's customs agency said Monday it has detected a total of 770.3 billion won ($503 million) worth of trade security violations in the first five months of this year, in line with the government's efforts to root out illegal activities. The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said the record-high amount marks a sharp rise from 655.6 billion won reported for all of 2025, following its intensive crackdown on exports involving false countries of origin and illegal shipments of strategic items. In detail, the KCS said it has uncovered 527.3 billion won worth of cases involving foreign-made goods brought into Korea and falsely labeled as Korean-made products for export. "Such violations are aimed at taking advantage of the brand image of South Korean products, dodging import regulations and avoiding high tariffs, anti-dumping measures or countervailing duties," the KCS said. The agency added it has also detected 243 billion won worth of attempted unauthorized exports of strategic items over the period, hovering above 198.3 billion won tallied for all of 2025. "Amid intensifying global conflicts and

Jul 6, 2026By Yonhap
Customs agency uncovers $503 mil. worth of trade security violations

Police starting to track down person behind Gwangju high school bomb threat

Police said Sunday they have launched a search for an individual who wrote an online post claiming that an explosive device had been planted at a high school in the southwestern city of Gwangju amid a controversy over baseball trash talk. The Korean National Police Agency said an investigation was launched after police and fire authorities received a report Saturday regarding an online message that claimed a bomb had been placed at Gwangju Jeil High School. "This act is an obvious crime that infringes on students' right to study and undermined the people's peaceful daily life," the police agency said. Police searched the high school Saturday, but an explosive device was not found. A controversy involving school baseball teams erupted after some players of Pai Chai High School in Seoul derided opponents of Gwangju Jeil with insensitive trash talk during a recent high school baseball tournament. Some Pai Chai players were heard yelling toward the Gwangju Jeil dugout, "Let's go to Starbucks!" and "Tank Day!" in reference to a controversial promotion by Starbucks Korea on May 18, the annivers

Jul 5, 2026By Yonhap
Police starting to track down person behind Gwangju high school bomb threat

Police search Gwangju high school after bomb threat amid baseball trash talk controversy

Authorities are conducting a search at a high school in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Saturday after an online post claimed that an explosive device had been planted at the school, officials said. According to the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station, police and fire authorities received a report around 11:50 a.m. regarding an online message that claimed a bomb had been placed at Gwangju Jeil High School. Search operations are under way at the school premises, but no explosive devices have been found so far, they said. The threatening message on an online community also claimed that the "future of Paichai High School has been violated," in what appeared to be a reference to a recent controversy involving school baseball teams. Some players of Paichai High School in Seoul were previously heard shouting such phrases as "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day" toward the Gwangju Jeil dugout during a recent high school baseball tournament, sparking accusations of mockery and regional insults. Amid strong criticism over the incident, the Korea Baseball Softball Association imposed a six-month susp

Jul 4, 2026By Yonhap
Police search Gwangju high school after bomb threat amid baseball trash talk controversy

2 illegal gambling network operators extradited from UAE in joint gov't operation

Two suspects accused of running large-scale, illegal online gambling networks have been extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to South Korea in a joint international operation, the authorities said Saturday. One suspect allegedly ran an overseas gambling site worth 4.8 trillion won ($3.14 billion) based in Southeast Asia and laundered criminal proceeds while evading arrest for 12 years across multiple countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia, according to the pan-government special task force on transnational crime. The suspect is also accused of evading 66 billion won in taxes while operating the gambling site, as well as providing and using drugs, and engaging in prostitution-related offenses. Another suspect is suspected of operating a separate 500 billion-won gambling site that recruited middle and high school students into illegal gambling operations. The two suspects were arrested in the UAE in cooperation with UAE authorities and repatriated to South Korea via Incheon International Airport. The task force said the extradition was made possible through ex

Jul 4, 2026By Yonhap
2 illegal gambling network operators extradited from UAE in joint gov't operation
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