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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.

Police book 4 people in connection to state data center fire

Police booked four individuals Wednesday on suspicion of occupational negligence over last week's fire at the state data management agency, officials said Wednesday. The blaze broke out Friday in a server room at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, after a lithium-ion battery explosion, prompting a police investigation. The booked individuals include an NIRS on-site manager, two workers involved in battery relocation work and an official from the project supervision company, according to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police. The fire is suspected to have started when workers were relocating lithium-ion batteries at the server room. NIRS has said the fire began about 40 minutes after the workers shut down the battery's power. Police have secured CCTV footage to investigate the cause of the fire and have sent six lithium-ion batteries presumed to have first caught on fire to the National Forensic Service. The blaze has caused massive disruptions to online government services, with only 15.1 percent of the services being restored as o

Oct 1, 2025By Yonhap
Police book 4 people in connection to state data center fire

Man in 40s arrested for killing partner, hiding body in kimchi refrigerator for a year

A man in his 40s has been arrested on charges of killing his common-law partner and concealing her body in a kimchi refrigerator for about a year. Police said the man purchased the refrigerator after the crime to store the body. Judge Kim Eun-ji of the Gunsan branch of the Jeonju District Court issued an arrest warrant for the suspect on Tuesday on charges of murder and abandonment of a corpse, citing flight risk and the possibility of evidence destruction. Speaking briefly to reporters before his court appearance, he said only, “I’m sorry.” According to police, the man strangled his partner, a woman in her 40s, on Oct. 20 last year at an apartment in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. He then placed her body in a newly purchased kimchi refrigerator. The case came to light after police received a report on Monday from the sister of another woman, who was also living with the suspect, claiming that he had confessed to killing someone. Officers arrested the man about 20 minutes later at his residence and found the woman's body inside the refrigerator. The body was wrapped in a bag and froz

Oct 1, 2025By Hankookilbo
Man in 40s arrested for killing partner, hiding body in kimchi refrigerator for a year

Ex-President Yoon snubs special counsel summons again in martial law probe

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday failed to appear before a special counsel team for questioning again over allegations related to his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team earlier summoned Yoon for questioning over allegations of attempting to incite foreign aggression after he snubbed their previous summons last week. Yoon remained unresponsive to the team's latest summons, failing to submit any documentation over his nonappearance, according to assistant special counsel Park Ji-young. "As with any ordinary suspect who refuses a special counsel summons, (we) will take (further measures) in line with the Criminal Procedure Act," she said. Her remarks suggested that special prosecutors could consider forcibly bringing him in for questioning. The team had been expected to question Yoon over allegations that he ordered the dispatch of drones to North Korea last October to incite its retaliation and use it as justification for his future declaration of martial law. Meanwhile, Yoon's lawyers demanded a court file for a constitutional revi

Sep 30, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-President Yoon snubs special counsel summons again in martial law probe

Ex-chief prosecutor appears for special counsel questioning over former defense chief's alleged flight

Former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung appeared before a special counsel team Tuesday to be questioned as a suspect for the first time in connection to former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's alleged flight to Australia last year. Shim entered special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's office in southern Seoul without responding to reporters' questions about his suspected involvement in Lee's alleged flight in March 2024, after being appointed as Seoul's top envoy to Canberra. Lee had been under investigation at the time over allegations of government interference in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine. He had been placed under an exit ban, which was quickly lifted after his appointment as ambassador that month. The special counsel team suspects that government officials, including Shim who served as vice justice minister at the time, assisted Lee to avoid investigation through his appointment and the lifting of the exit ban. Lee ultimately returned home soon after his departure amid mounting controversy. The team is expected to question Shim about possible instructions from th

Sep 30, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-chief prosecutor appears for special counsel questioning over former defense chief's alleged flight

Ex-PM Han attends 1st hearing of insurrection trial

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday attended the first hearing of his trial on charges of abetting former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. Han has been indicted on charges of abetting the ringleader of an insurrection in connection with the martial law imposition in December, perjury and falsifying official documents, among other offenses. Upon arriving at the Seoul Central District Court, he entered the building without answering reporters' questions. The hearing will be broadcast online after personal information is anonymized as special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team requested it and the bench approved. Both the special counsel team and Han's side will give opening remarks. An examination of evidence will follow using surveillance camera footage of the presidential office on Dec. 3, when Han allegedly left the Cabinet meeting room with papers printed with the martial law declaration and Yoon's address to the nation. Han was one of the attendees at a Cabinet meeting held shortly before Yoon declared martial law that day. The special counsel team has reques

Sep 30, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-PM Han attends 1st hearing of insurrection trial

Court audit panel defers decision on hostess bar allegations against judge until after CIO probe

The Supreme Court's audit committee has decided to defer a decision on bribery allegations surrounding the presiding judge of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection trial until after the anti-graft agency releases its probe results, officials said Tuesday. Judge Jee Kui-youn of the Seoul Central District Court has been accused of being treated to multiple visits to an expensive hostess bar, prompting an investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). The court audit committee, which convened last Friday, decided to put off the case until after the CIO investigation, citing the difficulty of verifying the facts, according to the office of Rep. Choo Mi-ae, who heads the parliamentary judiciary committee. The committee is tasked with deliberating on potential cases concerning court officials that need to be audited, such as acceptance of bribes, embezzlement of public funds and sexual crimes. The seven-person panel consists of six outside members. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has accused Jee of visiting the hostess bar in Seoul's a

Sep 30, 2025By Yonhap
Court audit panel defers decision on hostess bar allegations against judge until after CIO probe

Ex-prosecution chief summoned in Marine death probe, ex-defense minister's alleged flight to Australia

A special counsel team investigating the death of a Marine conscript in 2023 said Monday it has summoned former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung for questioning, particularly in his role in the alleged flight of a former defense minister involved in the case to Australia. Shim, who also served as vice justice minister, has been called in by the team for questioning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. He is under suspicion of involvement in the series of decisions in March last year that led to former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's appointment as Seoul's ambassador to Australia. In particular, Shim is alleged to have lifted Lee's travel ban, ultimately allowing Lee's departure from the country. The charges include aiding flight of a suspect and abuse of authority. Lee had faced a travel ban after being named a key suspect in allegations of exerting undue influence over the probe into the death of the Marine corporal, surnamed Chae, who died during a search operation in July 2023. Despite the restriction, Lee was appointed ambassador to Australia and was allowed to leave the country after the ban was

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-prosecution chief summoned in Marine death probe, ex-defense minister's alleged flight to Australia

Special counsel questions Unification Church leader, lawmaker over alleged bribery

A special counsel team questioned the leader of the Unification Church and a lawmaker Monday over allegations of bribery linked to the former administration of Yoon Suk Yeol. The team led by special counsel Min Joong-ki summoned Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja and People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong to be questioned separately about allegations Han and a former church official gave 100 million won ($71,600) to the lawmaker in 2022 in exchange for his help gaining favors for the church from the future Yoon administration. Yoon took office in May 2022 and Kweon was considered one of his close confidants. Han appeared for the second time after being placed under arrest last week, while Kweon appeared for the third time following his arrest on Sept. 16. The special counsel team is reportedly considering indicting the lawmaker before the extended Chuseok holiday, which begins Friday, given that his pretrial arrest is set to expire early next month. In addition to the two, the team also questioned on Monday Lee Ki-hoon, former vice chairman of Sambu Construction, who has been ch

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel questions Unification Church leader, lawmaker over alleged bribery

Woman crashes car into Jeju pharmacy while drunk, sparking outrage

A woman in her 20s driving a rented car slammed into a pharmacy on the first floor of a commercial building on Jeju Island on Sept. 23, prompting widespread anger online after a witness, believed to be a store employee, described the driver and her companion’s behavior at the scene. A post titled “Car driven by woman in her 20s crashes into store” appeared on the online community Bobaedream on Friday. The post included security camera footage of the crash as well as a detailed account of the driver’s conduct. The video shows a white sedan crashing into the pharmacy entrance before coming to a stop. According to the poster, the driver was a woman in her 20s, while her passenger was a woman in her 30s. The witness wrote that the passenger “took no action after the accident, instead lighting a cigarette, spitting on the ground and chatting nonchalantly with (the driver).” When the witness confronted the driver, asking, “This is no time to be laughing. Have you been drinking?” she replied, “We didn’t drink and we weren’t laughing. We’ll handle it. Mind your own busine

Sep 29, 2025By Hankookilbo
Woman crashes car into Jeju pharmacy while drunk, sparking outrage

Broadcasts allowed for ex-PM Han's martial law trial

A court on Monday approved a request for broadcasts of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's trial this week over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. Han is scheduled to attend the trial's first hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday after being indicted late last month on charges of abetting the ringleader of an insurrection, perjury and other offenses. The court's approval came after special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team filed for the request on Friday. But in accordance with the team's request, surveillance footage of the presidential office on the day of the Dec. 3 martial law imposition will be excluded from the broadcasts. Lower court hearings of cases indicted by Cho's team must be broadcast under a special counsel bill passed by the National Assembly, but the bench can make exceptions if it determines national security or public order is at risk. The court earlier allowed broadcasts of Yoon's first hearing of his new martial law trial last week.

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Broadcasts allowed for ex-PM Han's martial law trial
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