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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.

Court allows media to film ex-first lady Kim's 1st trial hearing

A Seoul court on Monday allowed media organizations to take photos and videos of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's first trial hearing on corruption charges later this week. The Seoul Central District Court said it decided to open the courtroom to the press for filming before the start of the hearing scheduled for 2:10 p.m. Wednesday. The hearing will take place after special counsel Min Joong-ki indicted Kim with physical detention on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation on Aug. 29. The court said press will be allowed to film in designated areas inside the courtroom and they will have to leave when the bench announces an end to the filming. Meanwhile, Min's team summoned Kim for questioning Thursday over allegations of receiving a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan in exchange for supporting a former prosecutor's parliamentary bid. If Kim appears for the session, it would mark her first appearance before the team since her indictment. She has been in custody since a court issued a warrant for her arres

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap
Court allows media to film ex-first lady Kim's 1st trial hearing

Unification Church leader attends arrest warrant hearing over bribery charges

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja attended a court hearing Wednesday ahead of its decision on whether to issue a warrant to arrest her over charges of bribery linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. The hearing was held at the Seoul Central District Court after special counsel Min Joong-ki's team sought the warrant last week on charges of violations of the Political Funds Act and the anti-graft law, subornation of evidence destruction and embezzlement. The court's decision is expected to come late Monday or early Tuesday. Han entered the court building in a wheelchair with her eyes closed. She did not answer reporters' questions. Han is accused of colluding with a former church official surnamed Yun to hand 100 million won ($72,400) to People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in 2022 in exchange for his help in gaining favors for the church in the event of Yoon Suk Yeol's election as president later that year. Yoon went on to win the election. Han is also suspected of involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Yoon's wife, Kim, while requesting favors, embezzli

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap
Unification Church leader attends arrest warrant hearing over bribery charges

Prosecutors demand death penalty for teacher in murder of student

Prosecutors on Monday demanded the death penalty for a teacher accused of stabbing an 8-year-old student to death. Myeong Jae-wan, 48, is charged with brutally killing the girl, Kim Ha-neul, inside a classroom at their elementary school in the central city of Daejeon on Feb. 10. Prosecutors sought the death penalty during Myeong's trial at the Daejeon District Court, saying Kim's parents wish for a heavy punishment and the defendant has shown "no signs of remorse" throughout the investigation. Myeong said in her final statement that she deeply apologizes to the bereaved family. "I apologize that a senseless act was taken by a teacher at a school where it should be safest," she said. "My judgment had weakened while receiving mental treatment, and I will reflect on my wrongdoing for as a long as I live." Prosecutors earlier described the case as an "abnormal motive crime" in which Myeong sought to resolve her anger over family troubles and maladjustment at work by brutally murdering a target weaker than herself. A psychiatric evaluation conducted at Myeong's request found that she was in a s

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap
Prosecutors demand death penalty for teacher in murder of student

HYBE chairman appears for police questioning again over alleged unfair stock trading

Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, appeared for police questioning Monday for the second time over allegations he took about 190 billion won ($136 million) in unfair profits in the process of the company's listing. Bang appeared at the Seoul Metropolitan Police's office in western Seoul to undergo questioning as a suspect over potential violations of the Capital Market Act after being questioned for the first time last Monday over the allegations. 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 in the company to a special purpose company (SPC) established by a private equity fund associated with him. HYBE is suspected to have already been preparing to go public at the time, and police suspect that Bang pocketed 190 billion won when the SPC sold its shares in the company once the IPO took place. Police began investigating the case late last year and searched the Korea Exchange in June to seize documents related to HYBE's listing before raiding HYBE's headquarters

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap
HYBE chairman appears for police questioning again over alleged unfair stock trading

Court set to hold arrest warrant hearing for Unification Church leader

A Seoul court is set to hold a hearing Monday to determine whether to issue a warrant to arrest Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja over charges of bribery linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. The hearing will be held at the Seoul Central District Court at 1:30 p.m. after special counsel Min Joong-ki's team sought the warrant last week on charges of violations of the Political Funds Act and the anti-graft law, subornation of evidence destruction and embezzlement. Han is accused of colluding with a former church official surnamed Yun to hand 100 million won ($72,400) to People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in 2022 in exchange for his help in gaining favors for the church in the event of Yoon Suk Yeol's election as president later that year. Yoon went on to win the election. Han is also suspected of involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Yoon's wife, Kim, while requesting favors, embezzling the church's money to purchase the gifts and ordering the destruction of evidence to Yun ahead of a police investigation into her alleged overseas gambling. The warr

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap
Court set to hold arrest warrant hearing for Unification Church leader

Ex-President Yoon files for bail amid insurrection trial

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol has requested to be released on bail, citing the need to prepare his defense and health concerns, according to legal sources Sunday. The application was filed on Friday with the Seoul Central District Court, which is handling charges against him for obstruction of duties and abuse of authority. A date for the bail hearing has not yet been set. Yoon has been in custody since July and is on trial for allegedly leading an insurrection and abusing his power in connection with his short-lived martial law imposition in December.

Sep 21, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-President Yoon files for bail amid insurrection trial

Only 4-5% of sexual crime suspects formally arrested each year: data

Around 30,000 people have been booked for sexual crimes each year for the past five years but only a handful of them have led to formal arrests, data showed Sunday. Between 2020 and last year, 28,000 to 35,000 cases of sexual crimes, which involved the suspect being booked, had been reported each year, according to National Police Agency data received by Rep. Chung Choon-saeng of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party. The sex-related crimes include rape, indecent assault, illicit filming using cameras, obscene acts through telecommunications media, and trespassing into multiuse facilities for sexual purposes. The number of those booked for such crimes came to 28,135 in 2020, 29,013 in 2021, 35,656 in 2022, 34,996 in 2023 and 31,755 last year. Of them, the proportion of suspects for whom the police sought arrest warrants ranged from 5.35 to 6.62 percent each year. The issuance rate of arrest warrants was even slimmer, ranging from 4.02 to 5.1 percent of the total number of cases booked, the data showed. In particular, suspects of stalking crimes being formally arrested has remained at around the

Sep 21, 2025By Yonhap
Only 4-5% of sexual crime suspects formally arrested each year: data

Former prosecution chief shows up for special counsel questioning over martial law

Former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung on Sunday appeared for questioning by a special counsel team as part of its investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law bid. Shim appeared at the Seoul High Prosecutors Office at around 9:54 a.m. to attend the questioning by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team. He did not respond to questions by the press over allegations of his involvement in the martial law imposition. Cho's team has been investigating allegations that Shim received an order from then Justice Minister Park Sung-jae to send prosecutors to a joint investigation headquarters shortly after Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3. Shim is suspected of having held three phone talks with Park overnight from Dec. 3-4. The special counsel is also reportedly looking into allegations that a prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors Office was dispatched to the National Election Commission (NEC) on the day of the martial law declaration. Earlier this year, Yoon acknowledged that he ordered sending troops to the offices of the NEC during his martial law declaration as

Sep 21, 2025By Yonhap
Former prosecution chief shows up for special counsel questioning over martial law

Special counsel summons ex-chief prosecutor in martial law investigation

A special counsel team said Friday it summoned former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung to appear for questioning as part of its investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. In a notice to the press, special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team said it has notified Shim to appear for questioning, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sunday. Cho's team has been investigation allegations that Shim received an order from then Justice Minister Park Sung-jae to send prosecutors to the joint investigation headquarters shortly after Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3. Shim is suspected of having held three phone talks with Park overnight from Dec. 3-4. The special counsel is also reportedly looking into allegations that a prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors Office was dispatched to the National Election Commission (NEC) on the day of the martial law declaration. Earlier this year, Yoon acknowledged that he ordered sending troops to the offices of the NEC during his martial law declaration as he has suspicions about election fraud. Cho's team is also said to be investigating why

Sep 19, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel summons ex-chief prosecutor in martial law investigation

‘I Am Solo’ contestant given suspended prison term for sexual assault

A former contestant on SBS Plus and ENA dating program “I Am Solo” has received a suspended prison sentence on charges of sexually assaulting a woman. The Seoul Western District Court on Thursday sentenced Park, 35, to 1 year and 6 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, for quasi-rape, defined as the act of having sexual intercourse with a person who is unable to consent. The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment courses and barred him from working at facilities related to children, teenagers or people with disabilities for five years. Park was accused of assaulting a woman in her 20s at a parking lot in Seoul’s Mapo District around 3:30 a.m. on June 21. “The defendant is believed to have engaged in intercourse despite the victim’s refusal, exploiting her intoxicated state,” presiding judge Kim Woo-hyun said. “The victim sustained injuries while resisting and suffered significant psychological trauma.” The court added that Park’s admission of guilt, remorse and settlement with the victim, who expressed she did not wish to seek punish

Sep 19, 2025By Hankookilbo
‘I Am Solo’ contestant given suspended prison term for sexual assault
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