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Why animal abusers face lenient punishment in Korea

In 2024, a soldier stationed at a military base in Daegu tortured a cat after it soiled his bedding. He strangled the animal with a combat boot lace and swung it by the neck. He then claimed to be “washing” the injured cat, forcing her to ingest water and hand sanitizer before confining it inside a washing machine that was running. His punishment? A 1.5 million won ($1,050) fine. The Daegu District Court cited the defendant's confession, lack of a criminal record, and past volunteer work at a dog shelter as reasons for leniency. This ruling is not an outlier. Despite public outrage, Korea’s judicial system continues to hand down light sentences for animal cruelty, according to legal experts and data analysis. A recent case in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, shows how far court rulings fall short of justice. A farm owner was sentenced to one year in prison after his negligence allowed a horse to escape, causing a fatal car accident. Investigators revealed that he had also starved eight horses to death. However, the court mitigated the sentence — already near the eight-month leg

Jan 24, 2026By Hankookilbo
Why animal abusers face lenient punishment in Korea

BTS’ V and Jungkook win damages as YouTube channel ordered to pay millions of won

A now-defunct YouTube channel known for spreading rumors about celebrities has been ordered to pay heavy damages after courts ruled it defamed two members of the K-pop group BTS. On Jan. 23, the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Appeals Division ordered the operator of the YouTube channel Talduksooyongso to pay a total of 86 million won ($65,000) in damages for posting false videos about V and Jungkook. The appellate court partially overturned an earlier ruling ordering the defendant, identified only as A, to pay an additional 5 million won each to V and Jungkook. The court said the revised damages better reflected the harm caused to the artists’ reputations. In the original ruling in February last year, the court ordered A to pay 51 million won to BTS’ agency BigHit Music, 10 million won to V and 15 million won to Jungkook. The defendant was also required to cover interest and litigation costs. Both sides later appealed the decision. The lawsuit stemmed from videos uploaded by Talduksooyongso, which gained notoriety in 2021 for producing content centered on unverified allegatio

Jan 24, 2026By Xportsnews
BTS’ V and Jungkook win damages as YouTube channel ordered to pay millions of won

Police raid Nat'l Assembly Secretariat in conflict-of-interest probe involving committee chief

Police raided the National Assembly Secretariat on Friday in a probe over a committee chairperson's acceptance of cash gifts for her daughter's wedding despite concerns of conflict of interest, authorities said. Rep. Choi Min-hee of the ruling Democratic Party came under scrutiny after she held her daughter's wedding at the National Assembly during an annual parliamentary audit period in October last year. The wedding drew criticism after it was revealed that she accepted cash gifts, reportedly as high as 1 million won ($682), from officials at government agencies and companies under her committee's parliamentary oversight. Choi is the chair of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee. In Korea, it is customary for wedding guests to give cash to the newlyweds as gifts. Following the controversy, Choi said she instructed her aides to return the money. The police raid came as authorities are investigating the case following a complaint filed by a civic group accusing the two-term lawmaker of power abuse and violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft

Jan 23, 2026By Yonhap
Police raid Nat'l Assembly Secretariat in conflict-of-interest probe involving committee chief

Ex-President Yoon's lawyers deny charges in his perjury trial

Lawyers for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on charges of perjury in connection with a Cabinet meeting held prior to his martial law declaration, denied the charges in court Wednesday. The lawyers contested the perjury allegations during the first hearing on the case at the Seoul Central District Court, saying Yoon's position from the beginning was that he convened the Cabinet meeting with the intention of actually holding it. Yoon, who is already standing trial on insurrection and other charges stemming from his failed imposition of martial law in December 2024, is accused of giving the false impression that the Cabinet meeting he convened before declaring martial law was planned even before then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo suggested it. Yoon made the controversial testimony as a witness in Han's trial last November, and special prosecutors raised suspicion that he belatedly convened the Cabinet meeting to make the martial law declaration appear legitimate. The defense lawyers said that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun recommended to Yoon from the beginning that th

Jan 21, 2026By Yonhap
Ex-President Yoon's lawyers deny charges in his perjury trial

Over 3 tons of illegal drugs seized at border in 2025, setting record high: customs agency

Korean customs authorities said Wednesday they have seized a record high of over 3,000 kilograms of illegal drugs at the border last year. A total of 3,318 kg of narcotics were confiscated in 2025, more than triple the amount recorded a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS). Cocaine seizures drove the increase, while methamphetamine, historically the most commonly seized drug, declined due to a sharp drop in shipments from Thailand, the agency said. By region, the largest quantities were seized from travelers or shipments originating in Latin America, Asia and North America. Despite a decline in drug shipments from Thailand, Asia remained the leading source of illegal drugs, the KCS added. By method of transport, express shipments increased in number but fell in total weight, while international postal shipments declined in both number and weight. To continue its crackdown, the agency said it will expand cooperation this year with countries identified as major drug-trafficking sources. In addition to existing partnerships with Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United Sta

Jan 21, 2026By Yonhap
Over 3 tons of illegal drugs seized at border in 2025, setting record high: customs agency

Homes, offices of 3 civilian suspects searched over alleged drone flights to N. Korea

A joint team of police and military investigators on Wednesday visited the homes and offices of three civilian suspects accused of flying drones into North Korea, police said. The team carried out search and seizure warrants against the three civilian suspects on charges of violating the Aviation Safety Act at 8 a.m., according to the National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation. The joint investigation was launched last week after North Korea claimed South Korea infringed on its sovereignty with drone incursions in September and on Jan. 4. South Korea's military has denied involvement, saying it does not operate the drone models in question. Police said they would conduct a thorough investigation while keeping all possibilities open but declined to identify the suspects. The search and seizure comes after a 30-something graduate student, surnamed Oh, claimed to have flown the drones himself in a media interview aired last Friday. The team also questioned a civilian suspect over the alleged incursions the same day. The two, who attended the same university in Seoul, were foun

Jan 21, 2026By Yonhap
Homes, offices of 3 civilian suspects searched over alleged drone flights to N. Korea

Court set to deliver verdict on ex-PM Han's insurrection charges

A court is set to deliver a verdict Wednesday on charges former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo played a key role in an insurrection by abetting former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. Han will be the first member of Yoon's Cabinet to be sentenced over the Dec. 3, 2024, emergency order, which was brought to an end after six hours by the National Assembly's vote to lift the decree. The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold the sentencing hearing at 2 p.m. and has allowed it to be televised live. Han has been charged with abetting the ringleader of an insurrection, playing a key role in an insurrection and perjury, all in connection with the martial law imposition. In addition to attending a Cabinet meeting shortly before Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3, he allegedly signed a revised proclamation that was drafted later to enhance its legitimacy, discarded it and lied under oath at the Constitutional Court. Special counsel team Cho Eun-suk's team has sought a 15-year prison term for Han, accusing him of taking part in a series of acts before and after t

Jan 21, 2026By Yonhap
Court set to deliver verdict on ex-PM Han's insurrection charges

8 companies, 11 employees indicted for rigging KEPCO bids

Eight parts suppliers for Korea Electric Power (KEPCO), the state power utility, and their 11 employees were referred to trials on Tuesday on charges of rigging bids worth about 670 billion won ($454 million), the prosecution said. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said four employees from Hyosung Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai Electric, LS Electric and Iljin Electric have been arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Fair Trade Act through bid rigging. The four companies, which led the alleged collusion, and four other small and medium-sized companies that participated in the illegal practice were also indicted under the legal principle of dual punishment, the prosecution said. Seven other employees of the companies have been referred to trials without detention, it added. The indicted companies are accused of unfairly restricting competition by colluding to set bid prices and select the successful bidders in advance in 145 bids for gas insulated switchgear ordered by KEPCO from March 2015 to September 2022. The companies, which account for 90 percent of the nation's

Jan 20, 2026By Yonhap
8 companies, 11 employees indicted for rigging KEPCO bids

Lawmaker appears before police for questioning about alleged bribery

A former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker suspected of receiving illegal political funds from a Seoul city councilor appeared before police for questioning Tuesday. Rep. Kang Sun-woo, who defected from the DPK early this month after her bribery allegations surfaced, arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit in the morning to be questioned as a suspect. The lawmaker said she has principles in life and has lived by them but did not answer reporters' questions about the bribery allegations. Her police appearance came 22 days after a recording of the lawmaker discussing her alleged acceptance of 100 million won ($67,800) from councilor Kim Kyung with another DPK lawmaker was disclosed late last month. Kang is accused of accepting the money via an aide surnamed Nam, which was allegedly given in exchange for Kim's nomination to the city council ahead of the 2022 local elections. Kang has rejected the allegations, claiming she belatedly learned of Nam's acceptance of the cash and ordered it be returned to Kim. The police are expected to question Ka

Jan 20, 2026By Yonhap
Lawmaker appears before police for questioning about alleged bribery

Court allows live broadcast of sentencing trial of ex-PM Han's insurrection-related case

A Seoul court on Monday approved a live broadcast of the upcoming sentencing trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in his insurrection-related case later this week. The Seoul Central District Court said Wednesday's sentencing hearing for Han, who faces charges of abetting former President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law, will be broadcast live. It will mark the second time a sentencing trial has been televised among cases indicted by three special counsels handling matters related to Yoon's insurrection charges, former first lady Kim Keon Hee's corruption allegations and the 2023 death of a Marine. Yoon's sentencing trial on charges, including obstruction of investigators' attempts to detain him last year, was broadcast Friday. Han has been indicted on charges of abetting the ringleader of an insurrection, playing a key role in the insurrection and committing perjury, all in connection with the declaration of martial law. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team demanded a 15-year prison term for Han during the final hearing in November.

Jan 19, 2026By Yonhap
Court allows live broadcast of sentencing trial of ex-PM Han's insurrection-related case
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