South Korea - The Korea Times

BTS member Jungkook’s home targeted by intruder on day of military discharge

A Chinese woman in her 30s was caught attempting to break into BTS member Jungkook’s residence on the very day he completed his military service. According to police on Thursday, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul apprehended the woman on Wednesday night on charges of attempted housebreaking. At approximately 11:20 p.m. on June 11, she was found repeatedly trying to enter the door code of Jungkook’s apartment in Yongsan District. Police responded after a local resident reported the suspicious activity. The woman reportedly told officers that she had traveled to Korea to see Jungkook upon his discharge from the military. Authorities continue to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident. Jungkook was discharged on Wednesday after completing his 18-month mandatory military service in the Army, which he began in December 2023. This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

Jun 12, 2025By Xportsnews

BTS member Jungkook’s home targeted by intruder on day of military discharge

Prosecutors indict duo accused of blackmailing Tottenham's Son Heung-min

Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a duo accused of blackmailing Korean football star Son Heung-min with fake pregnancy claims to extort money from him. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it indicted a woman in her 20s on charges of extortion and attempted extortion, and a man in his 40s on charges of attempted extortion. Both have been detained. The woman surnamed Yang is accused of approaching the Tottenham Hotspur captain last June claiming she was pregnant with his child and demanding money in exchange for staying silent. She reportedly sent Son an ultrasound image of a baby and received over 300 million won ($215,000). Investigations found Yang spent the proceeds of the crime on luxury goods and attempted to extort an additional 70 million won from Son with the man, surnamed Yong, whom she was dating at the time, but failed. Police initially suspected the man had blackmailed Son alone, but the prosecution later found leads suggesting Yang was also involved in the attempted extortion. Son allegedly handed Yang the money over concerns that his social reputation and career a

Jun 10, 2025By Yonhap

Prosecutors indict duo accused of blackmailing Tottenham's Son Heung-min

Korea seizes 70 kilograms of illegal drugs in joint crackdown with Thai authorities

Korea's customs authorities said Tuesday they have seized more than 70 kilograms of illegal drugs smuggled from Thailand as part of a joint operation with the Southeast Asian country. A total of 72.7 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated in 45 smuggling attempts during the fourth phase of a joint crackdown launched with Thai authorities from March to May, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS). Since the operation began in 2022, the two countries have conducted four phases of joint enforcement, seizing a cumulative total of 385.5 kilograms of drugs in 156 cases, an amount large enough to be used simultaneously by approximately 11.61 million people, the KCS said. During the latest operation, cannabis accounted for 21 kilograms of the total haul, a significant jump from just 0.8 kilogram detected during the third phase. Authorities attributed the surge to Thailand's recent legalization of cannabis, which may have led to increased trafficking. "We will continue to expand bilateral and multilateral joint crackdowns with key countries and strengthen cooperation with relevant domestic a

Jun 10, 2025By Yonhap

Korea seizes 70 kilograms of illegal drugs in joint crackdown with Thai authorities

Court again postpones Lee's election law violation retrial

The Seoul High Court said Monday it has again postponed President Lee Jae-myung's retrial on election law violation charges. The court said the first hearing scheduled for June 18 was postponed to an undetermined future date in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution, which exempts a sitting president from criminal prosecution except in the case of insurrection or treason. Lee was elected president on June 3 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his botched imposition of martial law in December. The Seoul High Court previously postponed the first hearing from May 15 citing the need to guarantee a "fair electioneering opportunity" to then-presidential candidate Lee. The retrial comes after the Supreme Court remanded the case in May, overturning the Seoul High Court's decision to acquit Lee of a suspended prison term in connection with alleged false statements he made ahead of the previous presidential election in 2022.

Jun 9, 2025By Yonhap

Court again postpones Lee's election law violation retrial

Comedian Lee Kyung-gyu under police probe for alleged DUI

Comedian Lee Kyung-gyu is being investigated by police for allegedly driving under the influence with someone else's car earlier this week, officials said Monday. The 64-year-old veteran comedian reportedly drove the vehicle, which was the same model as his own, on Sunday after a valet mistakenly gave him the wrong car at a building in Seoul's southern ward of Gangnam. After police arrived at the scene over a report of a possible stolen vehicle, they conducted a preliminary drug test on Lee, which came back positive. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station is currently looking into charges of violating the Road Traffic Act against Lee. Lee has said he only took medicine prescribed for his panic disorder, denying the allegations. A National Police Agency official told reporters that they plan to verify Lee's claim, while noting that people should still not drive even when taking prescribed medication if it can lead to impaired driving. A representative at Lee's agency, ADG Company, told Yonhap News Agency that Lee has been taking his panic disorder medicine for more than 10 years, adding that Lee

Jun 9, 2025By Yonhap

Comedian Lee Kyung-gyu under police probe for alleged DUI

‘We risk our safety’: Inmate assaults on prison officers rise sharply

The number of assaults in South Korean correctional facilities has more than doubled over the past decade, with incidents on correctional officers by inmates nearly quadrupling and a growing number of officers suffering from physical and mental health issues. According to Ministry of Justice data released on June 5, correctional incidents — including escapes, attempted escapes, violations of court orders, sudden deaths, suicides, fires and assaults — rose from 837 cases in 2014 to 1,795 in 2023. Assaults on staff by inmates jumped from 49 in 2014 to 190 in 2023. A ministry official said the rise stems from the increasing number of inmates compared to the relatively stagnant number of correctional officers. “The imbalance in personnel is contributing to this trend,” the official said. Health concerns among correctional staff are also widespread. Working in confined spaces under a shift system that requires close, around-the-clock contact with inmates appears to be a major factor. In 2017, 71.7 percent of all correctional officers were found to have health abnormalities during gen

Jun 7, 2025By Hankookilbo

‘We risk our safety’: Inmate assaults on prison officers rise sharply

POLL 7 in 10 Koreans back prosecutorial, judicial reforms led by new president

Nearly seven in 10 Koreans support prosecutorial and judicial reforms spearheaded by newly elected President Lee Jae-myung, according to a poll commissioned by The Korea Times. The survey found that 67 percent of respondents believe in the necessity of the reforms the president has pledged to implement in the country’s prosecution service and judicial system, while 31 percent consider them unnecessary. In particular, an overwhelming 90 percent of respondents who identified as liberals expressed support for the reforms. Among self-identified centrists, 68 percent also regarded the changes as necessary. Similarly, 92 percent of those who said they support the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) believed the reforms are essential, with only 7 percent opposing them. Those on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum held opposing views. Sixty-five percent of those who support the conservative People Power Party and 58 percent of supporters of the minor conservative Reform Party said prosecutorial and judicial reforms are unnecessary. Prosecutorial and judicial reform has long

Jun 7, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

[POLL] 7 in 10 Koreans back prosecutorial, judicial reforms led by new president

'Quit being an idol': Ex-girlfriend who threatened K-pop singer with sex video gets suspended sentence

The ex-girlfriend of a 26-year-old active K-pop boy group member has received a suspended prison sentence after threatening to release an intimate video of the singer. According to legal platform LawTalk News on Wednesday, the Seoul Eastern District Court’s Criminal Division 12 sentenced the woman, identified as B, to one year in prison with two years of probation for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (coercion using video recordings) and for property damage. The court also ordered her to complete 40 hours of sexual violence counseling and imposed a four-year employment restriction at institutions involving children, teenagers and people with disabilities. She dated the singer, referred to as A, for approximately one year and four months starting in November 2020. When the relationship deteriorated, she allegedly engaged in retaliatory threats. In December 2021, she reportedly created a social media account using the singer's photos and sent a message saying, “Quit being an idol. The only path left for you is the military,” along with a p

Jun 5, 2025By Xportsnews

'Quit being an idol': Ex-girlfriend who threatened K-pop singer with sex video gets suspended sentence

Supreme Court upholds acquittal of ex-top immigration official in travel ban case

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of a former chief of the Korea Immigration Service charged with approving an illegal travel ban on a former vice justice minister in 2019. The top court confirmed the not-guilty verdict for Cha Gyu-geun, currently a lawmaker of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, citing no errors in the previous ruling. Cha was indicted in 2021 on abuse of power and other charges in connection with the travel ban imposed on former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui in March 2019. At that time, prosecutors sought to reinvestigate allegations that the former vice minister received sexual favors from a local businessman more than a decade ago. Cha, who served as the commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service during former President Moon Jae-in's administration, was accused of approving the exit ban despite being aware that the prosecution requested it using fabricated documents. The district and appeals courts both acquitted Cha, saying abuse of power charges cannot stand given the urgency of the situation at the time. The Supreme Court also upheld the acquit

Jun 5, 2025By Yonhap

Supreme Court upholds acquittal of ex-top immigration official in travel ban case

Supreme Court confirms prison term for ex-Gyeonggi vice governor

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's sentence of seven years and eight months in prison and other penalties for former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young convicted of accepting bribes from underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group and involvement in an unauthorized remittance case to North Korea. The Suwon High Court handed down the prison term to Lee in December last year, along with a fine of 250 million won ($184,300) and a forfeit of about 326 million won. Lee served as vice Gyeonggi governor from 2018 to 2020 under then governor and new President Lee Jae-myung. Lee Hwa-young was indicted in October 2022 on charges of receiving political funds and bribes amounting to about 334 million won from Ssangbangwool between July 2018 and July 2022 and colluding in the group's transfer of $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020.