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Coupang data breach fuels calls to expand class action lawsuits

A massive customer data breach at Coupang has revived a long-running call to expand the country’s limited class action system beyond the brokerage industry — a reform that experts say is long overdue among developed nations. The call was renewed not only among citizens but also by President Lee Jae Myung, who on Friday urged the swift introduction of a broader class action system. "Every Korean has been affected. It makes no sense to ask each victim to file an individual lawsuit," Lee said. His comments came as public anger mounted over the leak of personal information belonging to 33.7 million Coupang users — roughly two-thirds of Korea’s population of 51.7 million. Under current Korean law, victims may bring joint civil lawsuits, but only those named as plaintiffs are eligible for compensation even if a case succeeds. That limitation has made legal redress difficult in cases involving widespread data breaches or consumer rights violations, where individual losses are often small. "Korea and Turkey are the only OECD members that do not operate a comprehensive class action system,

Dec 15, 2025By Lee Hae-rin
Coupang data breach fuels calls to expand class action lawsuits

Retired general gets 2-year sentence over martial law involvement

A court on Monday sentenced retired Army Maj. Gen. Noh Sang-won to two years in prison for collecting the personal information of military intelligence officers in connection with last year's martial law. Noh, a former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC), was also ordered by the Seoul Central District Court to forfeit 24.9 million won ($17,000) for accepting bribes from subordinate officers. This is the first court sentence among cases handled by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition on Dec. 3 last year. Cho's team demanded a three-year imprisonment for Noh in the previous hearing. Noh was indicted for receiving military intelligence, including personal information of DIC agents, from military commanders between September and December last year in order to create an organization to investigate allegations of election fraud. He was also charged with accepting 20 million won in cash and department store gift certificates worth a total of 6 million won between August and September last year from a brigadier g

Dec 15, 2025By Yonhap
Retired general gets 2-year sentence over martial law involvement

Unification Church leader named suspect in bribery case involving politicians

Police on Monday identified Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja as a suspect in a bribery case involving politicians from both ruling and opposition parties as it carried out sweeping raids for the investigation, officials said. Han, who is currently in custody and on trial for allegedly providing luxury gifts to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, is suspected of providing bribes to multiple politicians and violating the Political Funds Act, according to a search warrant. Earlier in the day, police investigators were sent to search the church's Cheonjeonggung complex, known as Han's residence, in Gapyeong County, the church's headquarters in Seoul, the Seoul Detention Center, where Han is currently held, and seven other locations as part of the probe. Other locations under police searches include former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo's residence and office and the homes of former Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Jong-seong and former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Gyu-hwan. Chun is suspected of receiving 20 million won ($13,600) in cash and a luxury watch worth 10 million won in 2018, while t

Dec 15, 2025By Yonhap
Unification Church leader named suspect in bribery case involving politicians

Special counsel to announce result of 6-month probe into ex-President Yoon's martial law bid

A special counsel team will announce the results this week of its monthslong investigation into insurrection charges related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law, officials said Sunday. Over the past six months, the team has indicted Yoon and 23 others for their alleged roles in the December 2024 martial law and has worked with military prosecutors to indict three additional military officials. Investigators sought arrest warrants in 11 cases, with courts approving five of them. Special counsel Cho Eun-seok is scheduled to announce the findings on Monday, officials said, marking his first public briefing since the probe was launched on June 18. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was indicted just six days after the investigation began, and Yoon was taken into custody on July 10, about four months after his release from detention. While Yoon had already been indicted by prosecutors on charges of leading an insurrection through his martial law bid, the special counsel additionally charged him with aiding the enemy, accusing him of ordering the dispatc

Dec 14, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel to announce result of 6-month probe into ex-President Yoon's martial law bid

Ex-defense minister faces added charge of leaking confidential info in connection with martial law

A special counsel team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid additionally indicted former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Saturday, on charges of leaking military secrets. Kim is accused of conspiring with Moon Sang-ho, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC), and two other military officers to hand over the personal information of more than 40 DIC personnel to former DIC commander Noh Sang-won, according to the team. The special counsel team believes Kim and Noh planned to use the list to form a special investigation unit that would probe alleged election-rigging in the wake of the Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Kim was first indicted last December for his alleged role in the short-lived imposition of martial law, and again in June for allegedly deceiving the Presidential Security Service, Dec. 2, to be issued a secure phone that he later delivered to Noh. Saturday's indictment is expected to be the last case the special counsel will refer to trial before the team's term expires Sunday.

Dec 13, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-defense minister faces added charge of leaking confidential info in connection with martial law

EXPLAINER Unification Church lobbying probe roils Korean politics

An expanding, politically fraught investigation into alleged illicit ties between the Unification Church and Korean politicians has become one of the farthest-reaching influence-peddling scandals in recent years. The widening probe, led by a special prosecution team headed by Min Joong-ki, has drawn in figures from across the political spectrum — including lawmakers from both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) — and has unexpectedly extended into President Lee Jae Myung’s inner circle. The scandal threatens to disrupt an already delicate political balance, placing mounting pressure on both major parties to demonstrate transparency and distance themselves from the controversial religious organization. At issue are longstanding allegations that senior officials of the Unification Church — officially named the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification — engaged in systematic lobbying by providing money, campaign assistance or gifts to politicians and government officials. Investigators say the allegations span mult

Dec 12, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
[EXPLAINER] Unification Church lobbying probe roils Korean politics

107 nationals repatriated from Cambodia over suspected online scam crimes

Korea has repatriated 107 nationals suspected of involvement in online scam crimes in Cambodia since October, the presidential office said Friday, as part of a sweeping crackdown launched following the death of a Korean student in the Southeast Asian nation. The pan-government campaign began in October to curb a surge in scam crimes targeting Koreans, after President Lee Jae Myung ordered the launch of a special response team to work with the Cambodian authorities to track down suspects, arrest them and bring them back to Korea. As of end-November, the cumulative number of Korean suspects arrested in Cambodia, including those still awaiting repatriation, stood at 154, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters The crackdown has also led to a sharp decline in reports of Koreans confined or going missing in Cambodia, with the number falling from 93 cases in October to just 17 in November, Kang said. The government pledged to continue taking a tough stance on transnational crimes that threaten the safety of Koreans abroad. "The government will continue take stern, firm action agai

Dec 12, 2025By Yonhap
107 nationals repatriated from Cambodia over suspected online scam crimes

Police book ex-oceans minister over alleged money from Unification Church

Police have booked former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo and two former lawmakers on suspicions of taking illegal money and other gifts from the Unification Church, sources said Friday. A dedicated investigation team at the National Police Agency booked Chun, former ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim Jong-seong and former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Gyu-hwan on Thursday following an internal probe into the allegations, according to the sources. The three were booked as suspects and face charges of bribery or violating the Political Funds Act. All three have also been banned from leaving the country. Chun resigned as oceans minister on Thursday after a former church official named him and four others as previously undisclosed recipients of money from the church. Chun, Lim and Kim have all denied wrongdoing. People Power Party Rep. Na Kyung-won and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young — the other two people named — have not been booked.

Dec 12, 2025By Yonhap
Police book ex-oceans minister over alleged money from Unification Church

Special counsel confirms ex-church official mentioned 5 politicians who allegedly received bribes from Unification Church

A special counsel team confirmed Thursday that a former Unification Church official embroiled in a corruption case mentioned five politicians from both ruling and opposition parties who allegedly received funds from the church. The confirmation came after Yun Young-ho, former head of the church's global headquarters, testified during his trial Friday that the team did not investigate his claim the church had sought to support not only the People Power Party (PPP) but also the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) ahead of the 2022 presidential race. Special counsel Min Joong-ki, mandated to investigate corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee, has focused on the church's alleged links to Kim and the PPP affiliated with former President Yoon Suk Yeol. "Those mentioned during Yun's testimony at the time were not politicians from a particular party but five politicians from ruling and opposition parties," assistant special counsel Park Noh-soo said in a briefing, while rejecting the accusations of a biased investigation. Park said there was no dispute within the team that

Dec 11, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel confirms ex-church official mentioned 5 politicians who allegedly received bribes from Unification Church

Top court upholds ruling ordering Nippon Steel to compensate family of late wartime forced laborer

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering Nippon Steel to pay compensation to the family of a late Korean forced into wartime labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule. It marked the top court's first ruling on cases involving forced labor victims filed since its landmark 2018 ruling that Japanese companies are liable for damages to such victims. The top court upheld the order for Nippon Steel to pay 100 million won ($67,900) in compensation to the family of the Korean victim. The latest ruling came after the four children of the late victim, Jeong Hyeong-pal, filed the lawsuit against Nippon Steel in 2019, seeking 200 million won in damages. Jeong had said he was forced into labor at a steel mill in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, from 1940 to 1942. The case underwent years of legal wrangling, with Nippon Steel arguing the statute of limitations had passed. The statute of limitations for most civil claims is 10 years but exceptions apply in the event there are "objective reasons that make it impossible to resolve an incapacity." While a lower court sided against Jeong'

Dec 11, 2025By Yonhap
Top court upholds ruling ordering Nippon Steel to compensate family of late wartime forced laborer
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