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8 Chinese arrested for attempting illegal entry into Korea

Eight Chinese nationals were arrested Wednesday for attempting to enter Korea illegally by boat off the country's west coast, officials said. The suspects, including a man in his 40s, allegedly departed from China's Shandong Province on a 7-meter-long, 3-meter-wide boat Sunday and tried to enter Korean waters illegally before being intercepted by the Coast Guard the following day near the county of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, according to the Coast Guard officials. The Coast Guard earlier sought arrest warrants on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act, which were subsequently issued by the Seosan branch of Daejeon District Court on Wednesday. Their attempt was motivated by the desire to find a job, and some of the suspects had previously been deported for overstaying in Korea, they added.

Oct 9, 2025By Yonhap
8 Chinese arrested for attempting illegal entry into Korea

Japanese man caught for sexually assaulting ex-girlfriend in Seoul

A Japanese man in his 20s has been detained for allegedly breaking into his former girlfriend's residence in Seoul and sexually assaulting her, police said Wednesday. The suspect, whose identity was withheld, allegedly climbed onto an apartment air-conditioning unit to enter the home of the victim, a Korean woman in her 40s, on Sunday and sexually assaulted her, according to Seoul's Suseo Police Station. The man was caught hours after the incident took place while attempting to break the door lock at her residence and has been under investigation. The two had reportedly been in a relationship after meeting during the victim's trip to Japan but had broken up.

Oct 9, 2025By Yonhap
Japanese man caught for sexually assaulting ex-girlfriend in Seoul

Stalking crimes increase in past 3 years after 2021 enactment of anti-stalking law

Stalking crimes have increased in the past three years since the enactment of the anti-stalking law in 2021, a lawmaker said, citing government data. The number of such crimes stood at 13,283 last year, up 26 percent from 10,545 cases in 2022, according to Office for Government Policy Coordination data submitted to Rep. Huh Young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Meanwhile, 12,995 people were apprehended for such crimes in 2024, up 30 percent from 9,999 in 2022. The anti-stalking law, which took effect in October 2021, punishes perpetrators with up to three years in prison, while offenders who carry weapons face a maximum five-year term. Previously, stalking was classified as a misdemeanor. Huh called for a more active government response against such crimes, noting the justice ministry's execution rate of its budget last year designated for strengthening the response to stalking crimes stood at 20.9 percent. "Stalking crimes are no longer just conflicts between individuals but social disasters that the state must take responsibility for and resolve," he said in a press release.

Oct 8, 2025By Yonhap
Stalking crimes increase in past 3 years after 2021 enactment of anti-stalking law

No thanksgiving food offered to ex-first couple in jail

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, spent their first Chuseok in jail without any special meal, according to the Ministry of Justice, Monday. Until last year, the ministry's Korea Correctional Service provided inmates with special meals during the mid-autumn harvest festival that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, as well as during the Lunar New Year, in accordance with the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Execution of Sentences and Treatment of Inmates. Due to budget cuts for special meals in prisons this year, however, the agency stopped offering special food during Chuseok and the Lunar New Year. As a result, Yoon again missed a special meal during a traditional festival. He spent this year's Lunar New Year in a detention center in January, before he was temporarily released in March before being detained again in July. On Thursday, however, the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is held, provided inmates with rice cakes donated by a non-governmental organization. The Southern Detention Center of Seoul, where Kim is imprisoned, plan

Oct 6, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
No thanksgiving food offered to ex-first couple in jail

KEPCO, KHNP to spend combined $26.1 million in lawsuits over dispute: lawmaker

South Korea's two public energy firms are expected to spend nearly 37 billion won ($26.1 million) on lawsuits filed against each other over a payment dispute involving a major nuclear power plant project in the United Arab Emirates, data showed Sunday. The Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) will spend 14 billion won and 22.8 billion won, respectively, on legal fees over their payment dispute at the Barakah nuclear plant, according to reports submitted to Rep. Kim Dong-ah of the ruling Democratic Party. South Korea won the 20 trillion-won contract to build the plant in the United Arab Emirates in 2009, marking the country's first-ever overseas nuclear power project. Following the project's completion last year, KEPCO, the main contractor, and KHNP, which was in charge of operational support services, have been undergoing a final settlement process. In May, KHNP asked the London Court of International Arbitration to mediate the dispute, demanding some $1 billion in extra costs, citing delays and additional work orders caused by the UAE and KEPCO. "

Oct 5, 2025By Yonhap
KEPCO, KHNP to spend combined $26.1 million in lawsuits over dispute: lawmaker

Hacking attempts against Constitutional Court on rise since 2017: lawmaker

The number of hacking attempts against the Constitutional Court has been gradually rising since 2017, data showed Sunday, raising concerns over cybersecurity at public organizations. Citing data submitted by the Constitutional Court, Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party said there have been around 1.16 million attempted cyberattacks against the court since 2017. The attempts, all of which were detected and blocked, came to 85,000 in 2017 but surged to 187,000 in 2024, the report showed. The figure stood at around 80,000 during the January to August period of 2025. "Cyber threats continue to grow. We need to bolster our alertness and enhance security readiness," Choo said.

Oct 5, 2025By Yonhap
Hacking attempts against Constitutional Court on rise since 2017: lawmaker

Foreign currency smuggling cases jump over tenfold over 4 years: data

Illegal inflows and outflows of foreign currency have soared more than tenfold over the past four years, reaching a record high in the first half of 2025, data showed Sunday. The amount of foreign currency seized in such cases reached 143.5 billion won ($102.14 million) in the January-June period, more than double the 65.5 billion won recorded for the whole of 2024, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service and released by Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party. Seized amounts have been on a marked increase over the years, rising from 14.3 billion won in 2021 to 17.5 billion won in 2022 and further to 46.4 billion won in 2023. The number of cases of illegal foreign currency trade has also grown steadily from 369 in 2021 to 537 in 2022, 678 in 2023 and 751 in 2024. In the first half of 2025, the number reached 316. The countries involved in illegal foreign currency trade have become more diversified. Until 2022, the United States, Japan and China accounted for more than half of all cases, but their combined share fell to 27 percent in 2024, while cas

Oct 5, 2025By Yonhap
Foreign currency smuggling cases jump over tenfold over 4 years: data

Court orders release of ex-KCC chief following legality review

A court accepted a request Saturday from Lee Jin-sook, former head of the now-defunct Korea Communications Commission (KCC), to be released from detention. A judge at the Seoul Southern District Court granted Lee's request for release, saying her arrest is "not justified at this stage." Lee filed for a court review of her detention the previous day. Lee was taken into custody earlier in the week on suspicion of violating the Election Law and breaching political neutrality. The former KCC chief is accused of breaching political neutrality by making partisan remarks on conservative YouTube channels in September last year. The remarks were also deemed to violate the Election Law, as they were allegedly aimed at obstructing the election of President Lee Jae Myung, who was a presidential candidate at that time.

Oct 4, 2025By Yonhap
Court orders release of ex-KCC chief following legality review

Ex-comfort woman urges gov't to act to receive apology from Japan

A former wartime sexual slavery victim on Wednesday appealed to the Korean government to demand an apology and compensation from the Japanese government over its military's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II. Lee Yong-soo, the 97-year-old victim of the Japanese military's sexual slavery, made the plea during the 1,720th weekly Wednesday rally held near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to demand Tokyo's formal apology to former sex slaves, euphemistically called "comfort women." "As long as Japan has not apologized and provided compensation, shouldn't our government take action and enforce it quickly? I'm almost 100 years old, but isn't our government hoping all the grandmothers (former comfort women) will die?" Lee said. "Only then can we achieve complete liberation," she said with a lump in her throat. At the rally, many participants expressed criticism toward the Lee Jae Myung government, saying that there was no clear mention of past issues during his summit talks with outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Busan on Tuesday.

Oct 1, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-comfort woman urges gov't to act to receive apology from Japan

HYBE chairman slapped with exit ban in probe over alleged unfair stock trading

The chairman and founder of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, Bang Si-hyuk, has been banned from leaving the country amid a police investigation into allegations of unfair stock trading, sources said Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police imposed the ban immediately after Bang returned from the United States on Aug. 11 to cooperate with the investigation, according to the sources. Bang is suspected of deceiving investors in 2019 that he had no plans to hold an initial public offering (IPO) for HYBE before inducing them to sell their shares to a special purpose company (SPC). Police suspect that Bang pocketed 190 billion won ($135.3 million) when the SPC sold its shares in the company once the IPO took place under a deal made in advance. Police began investigating the case late last year and summoned Bang for questioning twice last month. Bang's side has maintained that he followed relevant laws and regulations during the IPO process.

Oct 1, 2025By Yonhap
HYBE chairman slapped with exit ban in probe over alleged unfair stock trading
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