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PM orders task force to probe sexual abuse allegations at group home for disabled

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered Friday to launch a government task force to investigate sexual abuse allegations at a group home for disabled people west of Seoul, amid growing calls from civic groups to uncover the truth behind the suspicions. Police are investigating allegations that the head of the Saekdongwon group home for people with severe disabilities, located in Ganghwa County, Incheon, raped and molested at least four women staying at the facility. The unidentified suspect has been booked and is under investigation on rape and sexual assault charges. Kim instructed officials to form an interagency joint task force to swiftly and thoroughly uncover the truth behind the allegations, his office said. Kim called for authorities to ensure full protection and relief for the victims and to come up with measures to address any blind spots in related policies. The task force, to be led by Kim's office, will comprise officials from the health ministry, the National Police Agency and local governments. Kim called on the police to organize a special investigative team made up of officer

Jan 30, 2026By Yonhap
PM orders task force to probe sexual abuse allegations at group home for disabled

New guidelines allow suspending indictments for trivial offenses after 'Choco Pie theft' case

The prosecution said Friday it has established new guidelines to allow prosecutors to suspend indictments for trivial offenses, following last year's high-profile case of a man acquitted of stealing snacks from a company refrigerator. Under the new guidelines, prosecutors may suspend indictments against suspects of minor property offenses if criminal punishment is deemed unnecessary and there is no risk of repeat offenses, according to the Supreme Prosecutors Office. The guidelines, however, only apply to offenses involving theft or embezzlement of consumption goods, such as foodstuffs, and when the losses are trivial. The move comes after an appellate court in November last year acquitted a 41-year-old man accused of stealing a 400-won ($0.28) Choco Pie — a chocolate-covered marshmallow-filled snack — and a 650-won Custard cake from the company in 2024 in a case that drew public outcry. After facing widespread criticism over its indictment of the defendant who had been fined 50,000 won in a lower ruling, the prosecution said it would not appeal the appellate court's verdict.

Jan 30, 2026By Yonhap
New guidelines allow suspending indictments for trivial offenses after 'Choco Pie theft' case

Ex-Supreme Court chief justice sentenced to suspended prison term over power abuse

An appellate court on Friday sentenced former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae to six months in prison, suspended for one year, for abusing his power through wrongful interference in trials. The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence, reversing a lower court ruling that acquitted Yang of all 47 charges mostly related to his alleged abuse of judiciary power. Yang, who headed the top court from 2011-17, was accused by prosecutors of having used trials as bargaining chips in dealings with the then administration of President Park Geun-hye. The aim was to promote his bid to establish a court of appeals, according to prosecutors, who demanded a seven-year prison term for the former chief justice. Park Byong-dae and Ko Young-han, two other former Supreme Court justices, were indicted in the same case and also acquitted by the lower court. The appellate court on Friday sentenced Park to a six-month prison term, suspended for a year, while upholding Ko's acquittal. The bench convicted Yang of two of the 47 charges, saying the judiciary under his leadership abused its power by meddling

Jan 30, 2026By Yonhap
Ex-Supreme Court chief justice sentenced to suspended prison term over power abuse

Coupang CEO questioned over data breach case

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, appeared before police on Friday for questioning over allegations that the e-commerce giant tampered with evidence related to its massive personal data leak. Rogers arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency headquarters in central Seoul at about 2 p.m. and left shortly after 2:20 a.m. Saturday. He did not respond to reporters’ questions about whether he admitted to the allegations or planned to leave the country. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s special task force on the Coupang case summoned Rogers on suspicion of obstructing official duties and business operations related to the data breach that allegedly affected the personal information of more than 33 million customers. "Coupang has fully and will continue to fully cooperate with all of the government investigations that are now looking into us. We will also fully cooperate with the police investigation today," Rogers told reporters before entering the agency building. He did not answer any questions from reporters about the data breach. Rogers had defied two previous summonses e

Jan 30, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Coupang CEO questioned over data breach case

Supreme Court confirms Japan company should pay $69,500 to forced labor victim

The Supreme Court has finalized a ruling that ordered a Japanese construction company to pay 100 million won ($69,500) in compensation to the family of a Korean victim of Tokyo's wartime forced labor. The family filed a compensation suit against the firm, Kumagai Gumi, in April 2019, claiming the victim, a 22-year-old surnamed Park, was conscripted into forced labor at its Fukushima office in October 1944 and worked there until his death the following February. Park was one of many Koreans mobilized for forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the appellate court ruling that ordered the company to pay 100 million in compensation to the family, which was a reversal of a district court ruling that the statute of limitations had already passed. In overturning that ruling, the appeals court had deemed that the base year for calculating the statute of limitations should be 2018, when the top court confirmed the right of forced labor victims to seek compensation for damages.

Jan 30, 2026By Yonhap
Supreme Court confirms Japan company should pay $69,500 to forced labor victim

Prosecution-police team raids Shincheonji sect over suspected collusion with politics

A joint prosecution-police team launched recently to investigate suspected collusion between politics and religion raided the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, on Friday as part of a probe into its alleged ties to the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). Prosecutors and investigators from the team searched Shincheonji's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and a church training center in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in the morning to seize data related to church members' collective affiliation with the PPP years ago. The church's founder, Lee Man-hee, and others are suspected of forcing church followers to join the PPP with the aim of influencing the results of the party's presidential primary in 2021 and the party's candidate nominations for the 2024 general elections. The search and seizure warrant reportedly lists Lee, among others, as a suspect accused of obstruction of business and violating the Political Parties Act. The joint investigation team is said to have secured statements from former Shincheonji officials that the church encouraged it

Jan 30, 2026By Yonhap
Prosecution-police team raids Shincheonji sect over suspected collusion with politics

Coupang CEO Rogers to appear for police questioning Friday

Harold Rogers, interim chief executive officer of Coupang Corp., is scheduled to undergo police questioning this week over allegations related to a massive data breach at the e-commerce company, sources said Thursday. Rogers, who defied two previous police summonses, is set to appear before a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency team at 2 p.m. Friday after returning to Korea last Wednesday, according to the sources. He had left the country on Jan. 1, a day after attending a two-day parliamentary hearing on the leak of the retail giant's personal information of about 33 million users. Police have been investigating Coupang over its announcement that the suspect behind the breach had saved personal information of only around 3,000 users, a claim the science ministry criticized as one-sided. Police are expected to question Rogers about the company's internal probe into the data breach and examine whether there were attempts to destroy evidence. Rogers is also accused of violating a law on testimony before the Assembly over his remarks during the hearing that the company met the suspect at the Na

Jan 29, 2026By Yonhap
Coupang CEO Rogers to appear for police questioning Friday

Police raid Coupang in probe into ex-DPK lawmaker's alleged wrongdoings probe

Police on Thursday raided Coupang's headquarters as part of an investigation into alleged wrongdoings by former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Byung-kee. Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched Coupang's head and social contribution affairs offices, both in southern Seoul, in the morning to seize data related to the allegations that Kim requested personnel disadvantages for his former aide who moved to the e-commerce giant. Kim is suspected of asking former Coupang CEO Park Dae-jun to give unfavorable personnel treatment to his former aide-turned-Coupang executive during their dinner meeting in September last year. The former aide, whose identity is withheld, has disclosed various wrongdoings allegedly committed by the lawmaker, including those related to his sons' university transfer and employment, triggering suspicions that Kim abused his status as a member of the National Assembly for personal revenge. The former aide reportedly suffered some personnel disadvantage, but Kim has denied his involvement. The police already questioned Park as a witness Jan

Jan 29, 2026By Yonhap
Police raid Coupang in probe into ex-DPK lawmaker's alleged wrongdoings probe

Ex-first lady sentenced to 20 months in prison for receiving luxury items from Unification Church

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison on Wednesday after being convicted of receiving luxury gifts from a figure linked to the Unification Church in exchange for political favors. The verdict, which was broadcast live, comes after ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years in prison in a separate case on Jan. 16. It marked the first time in Korea’s history that both a former president and spouse have been convicted. Judges at the Seoul Central District Court ordered Kim to pay a fine of more than 12 million won ($9,000). They also ordered the confiscation of a Graff diamond necklace that had been seized by the investigation team under special counsel Min Joong-ki. Kim had been indicted on three sets of charges: taking part in a Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation scheme between 2009 and 2012; violating the Political Funds Act by receiving opinion polls free of charge from political broker Myung Tae-gyun between June 2021 and March 2022; and accepting high-priced gifts from Unification Church figures in return for

Jan 28, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Ex-first lady sentenced to 20 months in prison for receiving luxury items from Unification Church

AI-based anti-phishing platform prevents $13 mil. in financial damage

A new platform based on artificial intelligence (AI) has prevented some 19 billion won ($13 million) in financial losses from voice phishing scams over the past three months, the financial regulator said Wednesday. The country launched the platform, dubbed the AI-based Phishing Sharing and Analysis Platform (ASAP), in late October to enhance anti-fraud efforts. According to the Financial Services Commission (FSC), 148,000 cases of voice phishing-related information have been shared among financial institutions between Oct. 29 and Jan. 21, and transfers from 2,705 accounts have been halted. The platform allows 130 financial firms to share phishing-related information, such as victim accounts and suspicious transactions. The country has been intensifying efforts to crack down on rising phishing crimes. The ASAP highlights the country's growing commitment to protecting financial consumers and restoring trust in digital financial systems, the FSC said. Phishing is a type of crime where victims are conned into transferring money to scammers or sharing their personal information, thus allowing f

Jan 28, 2026By Yonhap
AI-based anti-phishing platform prevents $13 mil. in financial damage
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