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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.

8 student activists detained after attempting to enter US Embassy in Seoul

Eight liberal student activists were apprehended by police Thursday for attempting to enter the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. The students, all members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union, staged a surprise rally around noon in front of the embassy's main gate to denounce Xavier Brunson, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, before attempting to trespass onto the embassy compound. They strongly resisted by lying down on the road in protest against the police, who demanded that they disperse because their rally was not registered in advance. The students were taken to the Seoul Jongno Police Station for questioning on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act. No one was reportedly injured during the process. The student union has claimed that Brunson's remarks regarding the transfer of wartime operational control, made during his appearance before U.S. Congress last month, constituted an infringement on sovereignty. Brunson stated at that time, "Political expediency must not outpace the conditions."

May 7, 2026By Yonhap
8 student activists detained after attempting to enter US Embassy in Seoul

Appeals court cuts ex-PM’s sentence to 15 years, but upholds insurrection conviction

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday after an appeals court overturned a lower court ruling but still found him guilty of playing a key role in an insurrection linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law. A panel of judges, led by Lee Seung-cheol, at the Seoul High Court quashed the original 23-year sentence and reduced it to 15 years, while issuing a strongly worded condemnation that any act aimed at extinguishing the Constitution’s functions can “never be tolerated under any circumstances.” Judges ruled that the martial law decree, declared by Yoon in December 2024, was unconstitutional and unlawful, and said Han helped give it the appearance of legitimacy by proposing a Cabinet meeting that made it look as if the decision had undergone proper deliberation. The court found that by proposing the meeting and trying to have Cabinet ministers sign related documents after the declaration, he performed an important role in the insurrection. The court said an insurrection does not merely paralyze state funct

May 7, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Appeals court cuts ex-PM’s sentence to 15 years, but upholds insurrection conviction

Special counsel raids prosecution, justice ministry over alleged cover-up of ex-first lady's gift case

The second comprehensive special counsel team raided the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) and the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday over an alleged mishandling of the prosecution investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee's acceptance of a luxury handbag from a Korean American pastor. Prosecutors and investigators from special counsel Kwon Chang-young's team began a search of the SPO and the ministry's prosecution service division in the morning, according to legal sources. Kwon's team has been investigating allegations that the prosecution leadership forced prosecutors to acquit Kim in 2024 of charges related to her acceptance of a Dior bag from pastor Choi Jae-young. Voice of Seoul, an internet news outlet, filed a complaint against Kim and her husband and former President Yoon Suk Yeol on suspicions of bribery in December 2023, one month after releasing a hidden camera video showing Choi handing over the luxury handbag gift to Kim in 2022. But the prosecution dropped charges against Kim in October 2024, saying the bag received from Choi appeared unrelated to Yoon's duties and se

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel raids prosecution, justice ministry over alleged cover-up of ex-first lady's gift case

Special counsel team inspects border island detention facility in martial law probe

A special counsel team headed to a border island in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday to inspect a detention facility over allegations that preparations may have been made ahead of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in late 2024 to detain political figures and others there. The team was scheduled to visit the Marine Corps facility on Yeonpyeong Island to check the allegations that largely stem from a notebook belonging to Noh Sang-won, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Command, accused of involvement in martial law planning. In the notebook, Noh reportedly listed now President Lee Jae Myung and others as high-profile detention targets, and mentioned Yeonpyeong Island as a location to hold them. The team believes the notes were referring to the Marine Corps facility. The special counsel team is tasked with reopening investigations into allegations surrounding Yoon, including his failed martial law bid, which have not been fully covered by previous special counsels.

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel team inspects border island detention facility in martial law probe

Tax agency to probe stock market misconduct, with tax evasion at $1.37 bil.

Tax authorities said Wednesday they will launch an investigation into unfair practices in the stock market, with suspected tax evasion estimated to reach 2 trillion won ($1.37 billion). A total of 31 companies will be subject to tax audits, including eight firms listed on the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and 15 on the secondary KOSDAQ market, the National Tax Service (NTS) said. The alleged violations include stock price manipulation, tunneling and the operation of illegal stock advisories through online chat rooms, the NTS said. "No one will be able to make a single benefit through unfair trading in the stock market, and such actions will only result in a heavier tax burden," said Ahn Deok-soo, a senior NTS official. He added that the agency will take a leading role in helping the domestic market restore what is known as the "Korea premium." The investigation comes as the KOSPI index surpassed the 7,000 mark for the first time ever Wednesday, driven by gains in big tech stocks amid expectations of rising demand for high-end chips. The NTS said it will thoroughly ex

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Tax agency to probe stock market misconduct, with tax evasion at $1.37 bil.

Investigators raid Unification Church sites over leader's alleged embezzlement

Investigators on Wednesday launched a raid on more than 10 sites affiliated with the Unification Church over allegations its leader Han Hak-ja embezzled church funds, legal sources said. The prosecution-police team, which has been tasked with investigating corrupt ties between religious and political circles, found indications of Han's embezzlement while tracking the church's cash flows. The team suspects Han may have used the money to create a slush fund and has sent investigators to Cheon Won Gung and Cheon Jeong Gung, the church's sacred sites in Gapyeong, about 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul, as well as its Seoul headquarters and other locations. Han has been under arrest since September pending a trial on bribery charges linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

May 6, 2026By Yonhap
Investigators raid Unification Church sites over leader's alleged embezzlement

Drunk driving again: Monk jailed after 4th offense

A Buddhist monk with a history of drunk driving has been sentenced to prison after being caught driving under the influence for the fourth time. According to legal sources on Sunday, Judge Suh Jin-won of the Suwon District Court sentenced a monk in his 50s to eight months in prison for violating the Road Traffic Act. He was taken into custody immediately following the ruling. The defendant was charged with driving about 200 meters in July last year in Naju, South Jeolla Province, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.172 percent — more than double the 0.08 percent threshold for license revocation in Korea. Authorities said the monk had been drinking with acquaintances after attending a memorial gathering following the death of a temple’s head monk, before deciding to drive home. This was not his first offense. The monk had previously been fined for drunk driving in 2004 and 2008. In January 2020, he was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, for another drunk driving case. He also had multiple convictions for unlicensed driving between 2009 and 2012, including

May 5, 2026By Hankookilbo
Drunk driving again: Monk jailed after 4th offense

Court to broadcast live appeals trial of ex-PM Han this week

A court said Monday it will broadcast live the appellate trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo set for later this week over allegedly playing a key role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law. The Seoul High Court decided to allow a live broadcast of the ruling at 10 a.m. Thursday, in line with precedents permitting such coverage in high-profile cases of public interest. The former prime minister was indicted without physical detention in August last year for playing a key role in an insurrection by abetting Yoon. Han was sentenced to 23 years in prison in January, in what marked the first ruling that confirmed the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, and the ensuing actions constituted an insurrection. He was immediately arrested in court following the ruling. The court at the time also found Han guilty of signing a revised martial law proclamation after the decree was lifted, in a bid to enhance its legitimacy, discarding the document and lying under oath at the Constitutional Court. In the final hearing of the appeals trial held last month, a s

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Court to broadcast live appeals trial of ex-PM Han this week

Arrest warrants issued for 2 men over fatal assault of film director

A court on Monday issued arrest warrants for two men accused of fatally assaulting film director Kim Chang-min, more than six months after his death. Kim was assaulted outside a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 20 in a dispute over noise, before later dying in a hospital on Nov. 7 after being declared brain-dead. The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court issued the warrants for the two 31-year-old suspects, surnamed Lee and Lim, citing risks of flight and destruction of evidence. The case received belated nationwide attention following revelations that earlier requests for the suspects' warrants had been rejected. The court earlier dismissed the requests, saying the suspects did not pose flight risks. Last month, the prosecution formed a special team to handle the case and re-filed the warrant requests based on a revamped investigation that included witness questioning of Kim's son, who has a developmental disability and was present at the scene of the assault. The late Kim directed the 2016 short film "No one's Daughter," which earned him Best Director at the Pol

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Arrest warrants issued for 2 men over fatal assault of film director

Presidential chief of staff orders action on biz abuses by ex-public employees

Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, on Monday ordered action on suspected business abuses by retired employees of public institutions and state-run companies. "Illegal and unjust preferential treatment for retirees of public institutions has burdened the public for decades," Kang said while presiding over a meeting with chief presidential aides. Kang ordered the finance ministry to look into such cases across all public institutions and devise measures to eradicate them. The presidential chief of staff, in particular, pointed to a retirees' association at the state-run Korea Expressway accused of reaping excessive profits by improperly operating expressway service stations. "Efforts are needed to restore public trust, including the retrieval of unjust proceeds and an investigation into illegal acts," he noted.

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Presidential chief of staff orders action on biz abuses by ex-public employees
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