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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.

Illegal fishing by foreign vessels to face tougher punishment

Illegal fishing by foreign vessels in South Korean waters will face tougher punishment under revised laws, the maritime ministry said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the cap in fines on unlicensed vessels operating in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) will be raised to 1.5 billion won ($1 million) from the previous 0.3 billion won. The move came as President Lee Jae Myung has instructed maritime police to take stern measures against illegal fishing by Chinese vessels in South Korean waters, known as the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Lee has asked the Korea Coast Guard to take stern measures against Chinese fishing boats when they operate illegally in South Korea's EEZ in the West Sea.

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
Illegal fishing by foreign vessels to face tougher punishment

Court issues arrest warrant for truck driver for running into people at rally

A district court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for a truck driver who drove into a group of rallygoers in the southeastern city of Jinju this week, killing one and injuring two others. On Monday, the 2.5-ton truck struck participants of a cargo worker rally under the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union near a CU convenience store logistics center in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. The Jinju branch of the Changwon District Court issued the warrant for the driver, a non-union member in his 40s, citing risk of flight and destroying evidence. Police have applied a murder charge against the driver after determining he acted recklessly. Authorities believe the collision happened as rallygoers tried to block the vehicle from exiting the site. The fatal incident sparked outcry from the union, with one of the members driving into a police barricade outside the logistics center, injuring a police officer. The court also granted a warrant for the arrest of the union member, a man in his 60s. Unionized cargo workers had staged the rally to call for negotiations with BGF Retail,

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
Court issues arrest warrant for truck driver for running into people at rally

Mother sentenced to life for brutal abuse, death of 4-month-old son

A woman who brutally beat her four-month-old son and left him to die in a bathtub was sentenced Thursday to life imprisonment in a child abuse case that stunned the nation. The Suncheon branch of the Gwangju District Court ruled that the mother, in her 30s, had "cruelly" abused her child for half of his short life before ending it. The woman was indicted for indiscriminately beating her son and leaving him in a running bathtub at their home in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on Oct. 22. The infant died of multiple fractures and internal bleeding. The court also sentenced the child's father to four years and six months in prison on charges of neglecting the abuse and threatening a witness in the case. "Despite the defendants having the infinite responsibility of raising their child safely as parents, the child died 133 days after being born due to the abuse from his own parents, who should have been the world to him," the court said. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for the mother and a 10-year term for her husband. Investigators earlier determined that the woman had abused her child on

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
Mother sentenced to life for brutal abuse, death of 4-month-old son

Samsung heiress's ex-husband serving prison term in deception case

The ex-husband of Lee Boo-jin, the eldest daughter of late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, has belatedly been revealed to be serving a one-year prison sentence for deceiving authorities in a bizarre case involving his shaman girlfriend, legal sources said Thursday. Im Woo-jae, a former consultant at Samsung Electro-Mechanics who was married to Lee from 1999 until their divorce in 2020, was found guilty of obstruction of official duties by deception after he attempted to shield his girlfriend following an elaborate scheme that involved the confinement and assault of a woman in her 80s last year, according to the sources. The case dates back to last April, when the elderly woman was confined and beaten by her grandson in the border county of Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. According to the sources, authorities determined that Im's girlfriend, a shaman in her 40s, orchestrated the assault to force an apology from the grandson's father, with whom she had a falling out over his refusal to follow her advice on land transaction issues. The man at the center of the disagreement was an acquaint

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
Samsung heiress's ex-husband serving prison term in deception case

Prosecution raided over ex-prosecutor general's alleged role in martial law bid

A special counsel team raided the top prosecutors office Thursday over former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung's alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in 2024. The team, tasked with investigating uncovered allegations surrounding Yoon and his short-lived decree, sent investigators to the Supreme Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul to carry out the search and seizure. Shim is suspected to have played a key role in the failed martial law attempt, which has been ruled by a district court as an insurrection, by reviewing the possible dispatch of public prosecutors to a joint martial law investigation headquarters on Dec. 3, 2024, when Yoon declared martial law. Shim allegedly held three phone calls with then Justice Minister Park Sung-jae at the time, raising suspicions that Park may have instructed him to send prosecutors to the martial law organ. The special counsel team is also investigating Shim over his decision not to appeal a court decision in March 2025 that led to Yoon's release from custody following his arrest in January that sparked a cou

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
Prosecution raided over ex-prosecutor general's alleged role in martial law bid

80,000 rally behind young woman who died after police dropped sexual assault case

More than 80,000 people have signed a petition calling for a renewed investigation after a 19-year-old woman died by suicide in late February following a police decision to drop her sexual assault case. As of Thursday, the petition posted on the National Assembly site on April 16 has collected 80,900 signatures, surpassing the 50,000-signature threshold that obligates the Assembly to formally review it. The case centers on a woman who filed a criminal complaint in December 2025 against her employer at a bar in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, accusing the owner, a man in his 40s, of quasi-rape. She told police that she had drunk heavily, blacked out and later came to her senses to find him on top of her and engaged in sexual activity. Police, however, accepted the owner’s claim that it was consensual and decided not to send the case to the prosecution, citing CCTV footage that showed the two smiling and talking to each other before and after the encounter. Days after being informed of the conclusion, the woman, who had been an aspiring police officer, according to her family, fell to her deat

Apr 23, 2026By Jung Min-ho
80,000 rally behind young woman who died after police dropped sexual assault case

25 people indicted in $6.7 bil. starch sugar price-fixing case

Prosecutors said Thursday they have indicted 25 people over an eight-year starch sugar collusion scheme worth more than 10 trillion won ($6.7 billion) that marks the country's largest food price-fixing case to date. A total of 21 employees and executives at three food companies — Daesang, Sajo CPK and CJ Cheiljedang — and four others, including the head of the Korea Corn Processing Industry Association, face charges of violating the fair trade law, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office. The suspects are accused of fixing prices and rigging bids of starch sugar products, such as glucose syrup, and other byproducts in the local market from July 2017 to October 2025. The scheme is estimated to be valued at 10.15 trillion won. Prosecutors blamed the collusion for higher prices, noting that the price of starch rose as high as 73.4 percent and the price of sugar products by up to 63.8 percent over the cited period. In February, prosecutors raided the sugar companies over the allegations before filing for arrest warrants for the chief executives of Daesang and Sajo CPK

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
25 people indicted in $6.7 bil. starch sugar price-fixing case

Korea, Thailand, Cambodia seize over 650 kg of narcotics in Q1 in joint crackdowns

Korea's customs authorities said Thursday it seized more than 650 kilograms of illegal drugs coming from Cambodia and Thailand at the border in the first quarter, during joint crackdown operations with customs agencies of the two countries. A total of 657 kg of narcotics were confiscated in the January-March period, an amount that could supply some 1.8 million people, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS). Methamphetamine, marijuana and etomidate, an anesthetic agent used to induce sedation, were included among the drugs seized in the 32 cases uncovered by the two collaborative investigations, the agency said. By country, 28 cases involving 651.4 kg of narcotics were caught under a joint crackdown, dubbed "TRIDENT," with Thai authorities. The amount of drugs seized marked the highest for a single crackdown, since the two countries started carrying out such operations in 2022, the agency said. An aggregate 14 cases, involving 1,037 kg of illegal drugs, were uncovered during the past five joint investigations conducted so far, the agency said. On the Cambodia front, authorities have

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, Thailand, Cambodia seize over 650 kg of narcotics in Q1 in joint crackdowns

6 paper manufacturers fined $228.8 mil. for price fixing

The head of the antitrust watchdog said Thursday the agency has decided to impose a combined fine of 338.3 billion won ($228.8 million) on six paper manufacturers for price fixing. Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Ju Biung-ghi reported the decision to a meeting of ministers related to managing market prices affecting people's livelihoods, noting that the watchdog will also order the companies to reset their prices independently and refer them to the prosecution. Hansol Paper and five other companies were found to have colluded to fix prices of printing paper used in the education and publishing sectors for nearly four years. The decision comes as the government intensifies its efforts to crack down on collusion and unfair practices in markets for essential items. During Thursday's meeting, the FTC said it will push for stronger punitive measures against companies that get involved in collusion cases repeatedly.

Apr 23, 2026By Yonhap
6 paper manufacturers fined $228.8 mil. for price fixing

WINNER's Song Min-ho could face 102 days of mandatory 'reservice' if convicted

Song Min-ho of K-pop group WINNER could be required to return to military service if found guilty of violating Korea’s Military Service Act, drawing renewed attention to fairness in the country’s mandatory enlistment system. A report by the Financial News Wednesday said that if Song is convicted, he is likely to be subject to “reservice,” meaning he would have to complete the period he failed to serve. The length of that period — currently estimated at 102 days — has become a key point of public interest. The case has also fueled confusion online, with some claiming that Song could be required to serve up to five times the number of days he was absent, or around 500 days. However, that interpretation does not apply to his case. Under Korean law, the penalty depends on the length of unauthorized absence. For absences of fewer than seven days, additional service of up to five times the missed period may be imposed. But for absences exceeding eight days, as in Song’s case, Article 89-2 of the Military Service Act applies, allowing for criminal punishment — up to three years

Apr 22, 2026By Xportsnews
WINNER's Song Min-ho could face 102 days of mandatory 'reservice' if convicted
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