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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.

Ex-commander indicted over negligent death of Marine in 2023

A special counsel team indicted a former Marine commander on Monday on charges of negligently causing the death of a young Marine in 2023. The indictment of Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, marks the first time the team, led by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon, has filed charges against a suspect since its launch in July. Lim is accused of ordering search operations for victims of heavy rains in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in July 2023 without providing life vests and other safety equipment. Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was involved in the search operation, died after being swept away in a swollen stream. The special counsel team also charged Lim for allegedly disobeying orders to transfer operational control to the Army. It said the former commander appeared to have pushed for the risky operations to promote and publicize his accomplishments. Four other military officials involved the operations were also indicted on charges of causing negligent death, it said. The results reverse findings by the police and then the prosecution that Lim could not be foun

Nov 10, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-commander indicted over negligent death of Marine in 2023

Special counsel additionally indicts ex-President Yoon on charges of aiding enemy

A special counsel team additionally indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday on charges of aiding the enemy with his alleged dispatch of drones to North Korea last year. The team, led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, also charged Yoon with abuse of power in connection with the order, which was allegedly given to provoke the North's retaliation and use it as a pretext for his declaration of martial law in December. The special counsel team has been investigating various allegations surrounding Yoon's failed bid to impose martial law and previously charged him with obstructing his detention by investigators in January and violating the rights of Cabinet members in the process of declaring the decree. Separately, Yoon was indicted by prosecutors on charges of leading an insurrection through his martial law bid and has been jailed since July while standing trial. The special counsel team said it also indicted former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, on charges of aiding the enemy and abusing their power in the dro

Nov 10, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel additionally indicts ex-President Yoon on charges of aiding enemy

YouTuber’s sexual assault confession sparks renewed #MeToo movement in Korea

A 22-year-old YouTuber publicly revealed that she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver last year, prompting an outpouring of support and reigniting discussions about sexual violence and victim solidarity in Korea. Kwak Hyeol-soo, known for her diet and lifestyle videos, uploaded a video titled “It Took Me a Long Time to Say This” on Nov. 2, sharing her story for the first time. In the 17-minute video, she said she was assaulted by a taxi driver in the early morning of May 23, 2024, after a night out with a friend in Seoul. “I got into a taxi around 2 a.m. because all public transport had stopped,” she said. “I was drunk and passed out in the back seat. When I woke up, the driver had parked in my apartment’s parking lot and climbed into the back seat to assault me.” Kwak, who said she had no prior sexual experience, described the attack as “painful and terrifying.” “I’m not the one who committed a crime, yet I felt like I had to hide,” she said tearfully. “I didn’t want people to pity me, so I pretended everything was fine and kept uploading videos.” Known

Nov 9, 2025By Youn Ye-jin
YouTuber’s sexual assault confession sparks renewed #MeToo movement in Korea

Seoul chief prosecutor offers to resign following decision not to appeal development scandal case

Jung Jin-woo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, offered to resign Saturday, the office said, a day after prosecutors decided not to appeal a ruling in a high-profile development scandal case. His offer came just four months after taking office, in what is seen as a protest against the prosecution's decision not to file an appeal, reportedly in line with the justice ministry's opinion that the case did not warrant one. Last Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced five figures to prison in connection with the development corruption scandal linked to President Lee Jae Myung, stemming from his tenure as the mayor of Seongnam, a city south of Seoul. Those convicted included Yoo Dong-gyu, the former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., and Kim Man-bae, a major shareholder of asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu, as well as two lawyers and an accountant. The scandal centers on allegations that a small number of little-known private asset management companies, including Hwacheon Daeyu, were allowed to reap astronomical investment profits from the re

Nov 8, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul chief prosecutor offers to resign following decision not to appeal development scandal case

Ex-President Yoon refuses to appear for questioning by special counsel

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol did not appear Saturday for questioning by a special counsel team over his alleged interference in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine. Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team summoned Yoon, Monday, ordering him to appear for questioning at 10 a.m. Saturday. The special counsel team previously demanded his appearance on Oct. 23, but the former president did not comply, citing the trial schedules of his lawyers. As Yoon defied a second summons, the investigation team notified him again to appear for questioning Tuesday. Yoon, who is in custody over his failed bid to impose martial law in December, is separately accused of abusing his power and aiding a criminal's flight in connection with the Marine's case. Investigators suspect he ordered the presidential office and the defense ministry to reverse the initial findings of a military probe into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun in order to relieve a then Marine commander of responsibility. The former president is also suspected of helping former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup evade responsibility

Nov 8, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-President Yoon refuses to appear for questioning by special counsel

Seoul mayor appears before special counsel probe for cross-questioning with power broker

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon appeared before special counsel investigators Saturday for face-to-face questioning with self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun over corruption allegations. Oh arrived at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki shortly before 9 a.m. to be questioned over alleged violations of the political funds act linked to transactions involving unpublished opinion polls during his 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election. The mayor was previously questioned by prosecutors in May, but it marks his first appearance before the special counsel. The investigation centers on allegations that Kim Han-jung, a supporter of Oh, asked a polling company effectively operated by Myung to conduct 13 unpublished opinion polls during the by-election and paid 33 million won ($22,650) for them on Oh's behalf. Before entering office, Oh showed reporters a printed copy of a news report indicating that the unpolished opinion polls Myung claimed to have provided to his campaign were largely fabricated and not regularly shared, citing a forensic investigation. Myung appeared around 9:15 a.m. as a witness

Nov 8, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul mayor appears before special counsel probe for cross-questioning with power broker

Calls for tougher DUI penalties grow after foreigners killed in back-to-back crashes

A string of fatal drunk driving crashes in Seoul that claimed the lives of foreign nationals has sparked public outrage and renewed calls from citizens and experts for tougher penalties and stricter law enforcement. On Sunday, a Japanese mother and daughter visiting from Osaka were hit by an alleged drunk driver while using a crosswalk near Dongdaemun Station in central Seoul. The 50-year-old mother died, and her daughter, in her 30s, was severely injured. The driver, whose blood alcohol level far exceeded the threshold for license cancellation, was taken into custody on Wednesday. The crash occurred just a week after a separate drunk driving incident in Seoul’s Gangnam District on Oct. 25, when a 30-year-old Canadian man of Korean descent was struck while crossing a street. The case only became public recently. The driver was arrested at the scene with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit for license revocation. The victim went into cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital, where he later died. Although Korea’s drunk driving laws are not considered lenient, critics argue that t

Nov 8, 2025By Jung Da-hyun
Calls for tougher DUI penalties grow after foreigners killed in back-to-back crashes

Korean men accused of staying long-term in Laos for sex tourism, driving up rent prices

A Korean civic group has raised concerns over reports that some Korean men are engaging in organized sex tourism in Laos. Some reportedly even rent long-term housing in major cities to facilitate the purchase of sex. The trend, activists warn, has become so widespread that it is reportedly pushing up local rent prices. Lee Hyun-sook, head of the civic group Tacteen Naeil, which works to prevent sexual crimes against minors, revealed the findings during a CBS Radio interview on Thursday. Her group has been monitoring online chat rooms and Telegram channels that share information about prostitution. According to Lee, Korean men have become major customers at sex establishments in Laos. “It’s not difficult to find entertainment venues there with signs written in Korean,” she said. One online review of such venues had over 31 million views, suggesting the scale of interest among Korean users, she added. Lee said more Korean men are now living in Laos for months at a time to purchase sex, often renting apartments for their stay. “Those with money rent very nice places,” she said.

Nov 8, 2025By Hankookilbo
Korean men accused of staying long-term in Laos for sex tourism, driving up rent prices

Ex-President Yoon, wife to appear in court on same day for 1st time

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, were set to appear in court Friday in their separate trials, the first time both have appeared on the same day since their arrests. Yoon is scheduled to attend one of his trials related to his failed martial law imposition in December over his alleged attempt to obstruct his detention by investigators in January and involvement in deleting secure phone records from servers. Kim, the former first lady, is standing trial for corruption and other charges, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and the meddling of candidate nominations for elections. Yoon had not attended his two martial law trials since being placed under arrest a second time in July but recently resumed his court appearances as key witnesses began to testify. Kim has been present at every trial session since the court proceedings began in September. She has been held in custody since Aug. 12. Both trials on Friday were set to begin at around 10:15 a.m., but the couple was not expected to overlap as correctional authorities had arranged to p

Nov 7, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-President Yoon, wife to appear in court on same day for 1st time

Lee approves final extension of special counsel probe into ex-President Yoon over martial law bid

President Lee Jae Myung has approved the extension of a special counsel investigation into allegations surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in December, his office said Friday. The approval was granted the previous day to ensure that the investigation "leads to the settlement of the insurrection and national unity," the presidential office said in a notice sent to reporters, stressing that this is the last extension allowed by law. "The Lee Jae Myung administration will do its best to uphold the Constitution and democracy, and realize the sovereignty of the people," it said. The team, led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, had extended its probe twice before and was set to conclude its investigation Nov. 14. Under the third extension, the investigation will run through Dec. 14.

Nov 7, 2025By Yonhap
Lee approves final extension of special counsel probe into ex-President Yoon over martial law bid
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