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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 prosecutors again raid Coupang over unpaid severance pay

A special counsel team again raided e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. on Monday as part of its compulsory investigation into allegations of unpaid severance pay for employees and senior prosecutors' intervention in favor of the management. Special counsel Ann Gweon-seob sent prosecutors and investigators to the company's headquarters in the southern Seoul district of Songpa in the morning to secure data related to the payment of severance pay. The company is suspected of changing its employment rules in May 2023 to the disadvantage of its employees and failing to pay their severance pay. Last Tuesday and Wednesday, Ahn's team searched Coupang's head office and Coupang Fulfillment Services, a logistics subsidiary of Coupang, with the search and seizure warrant listing the companies as suspects violating the Act on the Guarantee of Employees' Retirement Benefits. The team suspects that Coupang failed to fulfill its obligation to pay severance pay worth 15.23 million won ($10,620) to seven daily workers who had worked long hours at its logistics centers and were effectively considered "full-ti

Dec 29, 2025By Yonhap
Special prosecutors again raid Coupang over unpaid severance pay

Special counsel team to announce final results of corruption probe into ex-first lady

Special counsel Min Joong-ki and his team were set to announce the final results of their 180-day investigation into corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Monday after their mandated term came to an end. Since its launch in July, Min's team has focused on three key suspicions — Kim's alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme, her alleged acceptance of free opinion polls from a self-proclaimed power broker and her suspected receipt of luxury gifts from the Unification Church. Over the course of the investigation, the team placed 20 people, including Kim, under custody and indicted a total of 66 people, including Kim and her husband, ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Specifically, Kim is accused of conspiring with a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea, as well as a close associate, to manipulate the company's stock price and make 810 million won ($561,000) in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012. She is also accused of receiving free opinion polls worth 270 million won, together with her husband, from the power broker a

Dec 29, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel team to announce final results of corruption probe into ex-first lady

Special counsel concludes 180-day investigation into ex-first lady

Special counsel Min Joong-ki and his team on Sunday wrapped up their 180-day investigation into a host of corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee after placing her under arrest and indicting her on charges including stock manipulation and bribe-taking. Min's team launched in July with a focus on investigating three key suspicions ― Kim's alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme, her alleged acceptance of free opinion polls from a self-proclaimed power broker and her suspected receipt of luxury gifts from the Unification Church. Over the course of the investigation, the team placed 20 people, including Kim, under custody and indicted a total of 66 people, including Kim and her husband, ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Kim appeared for questioning at the team's office on Aug. 6, becoming the first spouse of a former or sitting president to publicly appear as a suspect in a criminal investigation. She denied all the allegations against her, and within days became the first spouse of a former or sitting president to be arrested. On Aug. 29, th

Dec 28, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel concludes 180-day investigation into ex-first lady

Ex-secretary to Unification Church leader quizzed over alleged palm-greasing of politicians

Police on Sunday questioned a former chief secretary to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja as part of a widening investigation into allegations that the church provided illicit money to politicians across party lines. Jeong Won-ju, who formerly oversaw the church's finances and was reportedly the No. 2 figure in the church's leadership, appeared at the national police agency headquarters in Seoul earlier in the day to face questioning as a suspect, police officials said. The Unification Church is currently at the center of corruption allegations involving Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, that the church provided luxury gifts to her in return for favors. Police are currently broadening the investigation into allegations that the church also made illicit payments to several politicians across party lines, including Chun Jae-soo, who resigned as oceans minister earlier this month. It marks the second time Jeong has been questioned in connection with the investigation. Known as one of Han's closest aides, she was previously questioned on Dec. 18 and has sinc

Dec 28, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-secretary to Unification Church leader quizzed over alleged palm-greasing of politicians

Opposition lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon, wife indicted over luxury gift to ex-first lady

A special counsel team on Saturday indicted Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and his wife on charges of giving a luxury gift to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. The team led by special counsel Min Joong-ki indicted Kim and his wife, surnamed Lee, for allegedly delivering a Roger Vivier clutch bag worth 2.6 million won ($1,760) to Kim Keon Hee shortly after the lawmaker was elected PPP chairperson in March 2023. The clutch bag was found at the former first lady's home, along with a thank-you note written by Lee, during a raid conducted by the special counsel team last month. Rep. Kim has acknowledged giving the gift but denied the bribery allegations, saying it was merely a matter of social courtesy.

Dec 27, 2025By Yonhap
Opposition lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon, wife indicted over luxury gift to ex-first lady

Supreme Court confirms ex-NCT member Taeil's 3 1/2-yr term in sexual assault case

The Supreme Court has finalized a prison sentence of 3 1/2 years for Taeil, a former member of the popular K-pop boy band NCT, for sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman, legal officials said Saturday. On Friday the court upheld a lower court's ruling that found the 31-year-old singer and two accomplices, identified only as his friends, guilty of a special quasi-rape charge, dismissing their final appeal, the officials said. The charge applies when two or more people assault a victim who is unable to resist due to unconsciousness or other factors. They were also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and were barred from working at organizations related to children and adolescents and the disabled. The three men were indicted without detention in March on charges of sexually assaulting a foreign woman in Seoul in June last year. The victim was reportedly a tourist who was intoxicated at the time of the incident. During the initial trial in July, the Seoul Central District Court ordered Taeil's immediate detention, citing the gravity of the offense. Prosecutor

Dec 27, 2025By Yonhap
Supreme Court confirms ex-NCT member Taeil's 3 1/2-yr term in sexual assault case

Mongolian diplomat involved in drunk driving collision in Seoul

A staff member of the Embassy of Mongolia in Korea was involved in a three-vehicle collision while driving under the influence earlier this month, police said Wednesday, with the incident only coming to light nearly two weeks later. Gangnam Police Station said an administrative employee, identified only by the initial “A” under Korean privacy rules, caused a three-vehicle crash on a major thoroughfare near Sinsa Station in southern Seoul on Dec. 12 while driving under the influence. Police released the details on Dec. 24. A, a Mongolian national, was driving alone at the time of the crash, police said. Officers at the scene were unable to make an on-the-spot arrest because the individual is covered by diplomatic immunity. After confirming the driver’s identity, police allowed A to return home. A breathalyzer test later showed the driver’s blood alcohol level exceeded the threshold for license revocation, police said. The drivers of the two vehicles struck by A’s car suffered minor injuries, according to authorities. No passengers were reported in any of the vehicles involved. Po

Dec 25, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Mongolian diplomat involved in drunk driving collision in Seoul

Police search Bulgari Korea over Unification Church's alleged watch gift to ex-oceans minister

Police on Wednesday raided the Korean headquarters of Italian luxury brand Bulgari as part of an investigation into allegations that the Unification Church gifted a Bulgari watch to former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo. The raid took place at Bulgari Korea's office in southern Seoul, with investigators seeking to seize records of purchases made by the church's officials and track the whereabouts of the watch Chun allegedly received in 2018. Chun is accused of receiving the luxury watch worth over 10 million won ($6,900) from a former church official, who is also implicated in other bribery cases, including one involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. The former minister, who has been booked on charges of accepting a bribe, has strongly rejected the allegations, denying ever receiving illegal gifts from the church. Police searched Chun's residence and office last week but failed to find the luxury watch. Chun, a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, resigned as oceans minister earlier this month soon after the allegations surfaced.

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Police search Bulgari Korea over Unification Church's alleged watch gift to ex-oceans minister

FTC probes 3 major sanitary pad manufacturers over possible price rigging

The antitrust watchdog has launched an investigation into three major manufacturers of sanitary pads, industry sources said Wednesday, following remarks by President Lee Jae Myung over high prices. The Fair Trade Commission sent investigators to the headquarters of Yuhan-Kimberly, LG Unicharm and Cleanwrap starting Tuesday to examine their pricing practices, the sources said. During a policy briefing last week, Lee instructed officials to "look into the matter," saying sanitary pad prices in Korea are unusually high compared with those in other countries.

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
FTC probes 3 major sanitary pad manufacturers over possible price rigging

Special counsel indicts ex-President Yoon for not paying opinion polls

A special counsel team indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday on charges of receiving dozens of opinion poll results for free in violation of the Political Funds Act. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team announced the indictment in a notice to the press, saying it also indicted Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, on charges of providing the opinion polls to Yoon. Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, have been accused of receiving the results of 58 opinion polls worth 270 million won ($186,000) between June 2021 and March 2022, when Yoon won the presidential election. Kim has already been indicted on the same charge and is set to receive the court's verdict on Jan. 28. The special counsel team had investigated suspicions that the free opinion polls were in exchange for the presidential couple's help with securing candidate nominations for the June 2022 parliamentary by-elections. Those allegations were not listed in the indictment and will likely be transferred to the police for further investigation if a conclusion is not reached by the end of the team's term Sunday.

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel indicts ex-President Yoon for not paying opinion polls
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