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  • Politics

    Soon-to-be PM Han carries high expectation for AI transformation

    Han Seong-sook, Korea’s soon-to-be prime minister, arrives at the post with high expectations that she will leverage her technological expertise to help accelerate the country's artificial intelligence (AI) transformation. The parliamentary confirmation hearing committee approved a report, Tuesday, clearing Han as qualified for the post, with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leading the approval after she was nominated on June 7. Han is now just one step away from officially taking office, with her appointment to be finalized once the National Assembly approves the confirmation motion at a plenary session. The process leading to Han’s likely appointment comes as President Lee Jae Myung pushes to position Korea among the world's top three AI powers, alongside the United States and China. The blueprint has become increasingly concrete since Lee outlined the vision last year, with initiatives such as the government's allocation of a record 9.9 trillion won ($6.3 billion) for AI this year and public-private plans to build four new semiconductor plants in southwestern Korea to m

    2 MIN READBy Yi Whan-woo
    Soon-to-be PM Han carries high expectation for AI transformation
  • Defense

    Defense minister backs push for unified military academy as fundamental reform for future

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Defense minister backs push for unified military academy as fundamental reform for future
  • Law & Crime

    Outgoing North Chungcheong governor raided over bribery allegations

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Outgoing North Chungcheong governor raided over bribery allegations
  • Education

    Kookmin University student wins 2nd place at IBM Bob Hackathon

    2 MIN READBy Park Yoon-bae
    Kookmin University student wins 2nd place at IBM Bob Hackathon
  • Defense

    Ukrainian outlet's critique exposes gaps in Korea's counter-drone strategy

    3 MIN READBy Bahk Eun-ji
    Ukrainian outlet's critique exposes gaps in Korea's counter-drone strategy
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Defense

3 Army officers dismissed from military service; 1 removed over martial law involvement

The defense ministry said Tuesday it has dismissed three Army officers from military service and removed another from service over their involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration. The decision came after the ministry convened a disciplinary committee meeting last month to review the cases of the four Army officers accused of involvement in the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law bid. Brig. Gen. Kim Jeong-geun; Col. An Mu-seong, who had been awaiting promotion to brigadier general; and Col. Kim Se-un were dismissed from military service, the highest level of disciplinary punishment, according to sources. The punishment carries a 50 percent cut in military retirement benefits. Brig. Gen. Kim and An are accused of deploying troops to the National Assembly on the night martial law was declared, while Col. Kim is accused of transporting the troops to the National Assembly building. Col. Kim Sang-yong, former deputy chief of the Defense Ministry's Criminal Investigation Command, was removed from military service, the second-highest level of disciplinary punishme

May 5, 2026By Yonhap
3 Army officers dismissed from military service; 1 removed over martial law involvement
Society

Over 50,000 back petition to restrict life-size sex doll imports into Korea

More than 50,000 people have signed a National Assembly petition calling for strict curbs on the import and distribution of life-size sex dolls, saying they violate women’s human dignity. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an importer in April, confirming that adult-shaped sex dolls are not obscene materials under the Customs Act and can be legally brought into the country. As of Sunday, the petition had gathered 53,500 signatures, surpassing the threshold for a formal review. The petition was posted on the Assembly’s site on April 7, three days after the ruling. The petitioner argued that hyperrealistic dolls pose broader social harms and said imports should be halted, at least until a clear social consensus is reached. “Real (sex) dolls realistically replicate women’s bodies and treat them as sexual tools. This runs counter to the values of gender equality our society strives for and carries a high risk of encouraging people to see women not as persons, but as possessions or instruments,” the petitioner wrote. “Although the latest verdict was premised on t

May 5, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Over 50,000 back petition to restrict life-size sex doll imports into Korea
South Korea

Presidential office discusses response to HMM-operated vessel fire in Strait of Hormuz

The presidential office convened a meeting Tuesday to discuss its response to a fire that broke out after an explosion aboard a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by Korea's HMM in the Strait of Hormuz, an official said. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and other senior officials attended the meeting, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. No details were immediately available. The explosion occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Monday (Korean time), while the HMM Namu was anchored in waters off the United Arab Emirates, HMM said. The fire began in the engine room, and crew members used carbon dioxide to fight the blaze for about four hours. No injuries were reported, the company said Tuesday. HMM said security camera footage showed the fire had been put out and said it would later inspect the engine room to assess the damage. The freighter had 24 crew members on board — six Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. No one was injured, the company said. The cause of the explosion and fire, as well as the extent of the damage, is currently under investigation. "It remains unclear whether t

May 5, 2026By Yonhap
Presidential office discusses response to HMM-operated vessel fire in Strait of Hormuz
Society

Korea's early education frenzy puts children's rights at risk, human rights chief warns

Korean children may excel in the classroom, but many are falling behind when it comes to physical and mental well-being, the country’s top human rights official warned Monday, sounding the alarm over the extreme culture of early private education that has come to define childhood for many families. In Korea, children as young as 4 are being funneled into English-language preschools, while many others enter private cram schools years before elementary school graduation to gain an edge in the country’s notoriously cutthroat college admissions race. Calling the spread of so-called “Entrance exams at age 4 and 7” a serious violation of children’s rights, Ahn Chang-ho, chair of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, warned that childhood is being consumed by an unhealthy obsession with competition. “Children should grow not according to the speed of competition, but through the depth of time in which they are respected,” he said in a statement released ahead of Children’s Day on Tuesday. The warning comes as the country’s educational success masks deeper vulnerabilit

May 5, 2026By Park Han-sol
Korea's early education frenzy puts children's rights at risk, human rights chief warns
Others

'Came for the food, baseball was a bonus': Inside Korea’s ballpark food culture

“I came here to eat, and they’re showing me baseball and playing music.” A post on social media joking that food is the main reason to visit a baseball stadium is a surprisingly accurate depiction of Korean baseball stadium culture these days. Stadium concessions have become such an essential part of the ballpark experience that a newly coined term, “yapu” — a blend of the Korean word for baseball, "yagu," and the English word "food" — is now widely used among fans. Food matters as much as the game According to an April 13 report by social data analysis service Sometrend, mentions of the keywords “watching baseball” and “attending games in person” on Naver blogs in March increased 73 percent from a year earlier. Stadium concessions have been drawing increasing attention recently. In September last year, during the latter part of the season, blog mentions of “baseball food” or “yapu” reached an all-time high of 1,506, with some fans even saying they were “more excited about the baseball food than the baseball itself.” This enthusiasm for food was also found

May 5, 2026By Hankookilbo
'Came for the food, baseball was a bonus': Inside Korea’s ballpark food culture
Law & Crime

Court to broadcast live appeals trial of ex-PM Han this week

A court said Monday it will broadcast live the appellate trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo set for later this week over allegedly playing a key role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law. The Seoul High Court decided to allow a live broadcast of the ruling at 10 a.m. Thursday, in line with precedents permitting such coverage in high-profile cases of public interest. The former prime minister was indicted without physical detention in August last year for playing a key role in an insurrection by abetting Yoon. Han was sentenced to 23 years in prison in January, in what marked the first ruling that confirmed the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, and the ensuing actions constituted an insurrection. He was immediately arrested in court following the ruling. The court at the time also found Han guilty of signing a revised martial law proclamation after the decree was lifted, in a bid to enhance its legitimacy, discarding the document and lying under oath at the Constitutional Court. In the final hearing of the appeals trial held last month, a s

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Court to broadcast live appeals trial of ex-PM Han this week
Defense

Defense chief inspects readiness posture of special security unit under Capital Defense Command

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Monday visited a special unit under the Capital Defense Command to inspect its readiness posture, the defense ministry said. Ahn made the visit to the security unit in charge of guarding the outskirts of Cheong Wa Dae, where he was briefed on operational updates from commanders at the command and control center, according to the ministry. During the visit, Ahn inspected the major security facilities of the designated special security zone, and urged troops to always maintain the "utmost" surveillance posture. The defense chief also visited an air defense position and inspected the troops' readiness posture against air defense operations, calling for their thorough adherence to all processes in principle. Citing the growing importance of air defense operations amid emerging threats from unmanned aircraft and drones, Ahn called on troops to maintain a "watertight" air defense readiness posture capable of responding immediately under any circumstances.

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Defense chief inspects readiness posture of special security unit under Capital Defense Command
Politics

Lee to host Children's Day celebration with 200 kids, parents at Cheong Wa Dae

President Lee Jae Myung will host a Children's Day event this week, inviting around 100 children and their parents to Cheong Wa Dae, his office said Monday. Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung will meet the invited children and parents at Cheong Wa Dae and give them a tour of the halls at the main presidential building during the Children's Day event on Tuesday, according to the presidential office. Children from regions designated as depopulation-prone, multicultural families, neighborhoods near Cheong Wa Dae and welfare facilities, along with their parents, have been invited, the office said. The event will also take place in the main garden of Cheong Wa Dae, where a playground with swings and other amusement park-like equipment will be set up. Other activities, including a cupcake-making class, will also be offered to the young guests, the presidential office added.

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Lee to host Children's Day celebration with 200 kids, parents at Cheong Wa Dae
Law & Crime

Arrest warrants issued for 2 men over fatal assault of film director

A court on Monday issued arrest warrants for two men accused of fatally assaulting film director Kim Chang-min, more than six months after his death. Kim was assaulted outside a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 20 in a dispute over noise, before later dying in a hospital on Nov. 7 after being declared brain-dead. The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court issued the warrants for the two 31-year-old suspects, surnamed Lee and Lim, citing risks of flight and destruction of evidence. The case received belated nationwide attention following revelations that earlier requests for the suspects' warrants had been rejected. The court earlier dismissed the requests, saying the suspects did not pose flight risks. Last month, the prosecution formed a special team to handle the case and re-filed the warrant requests based on a revamped investigation that included witness questioning of Kim's son, who has a developmental disability and was present at the scene of the assault. The late Kim directed the 2016 short film "No one's Daughter," which earned him Best Director at the Pol

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Arrest warrants issued for 2 men over fatal assault of film director
Law & Crime

Presidential chief of staff orders action on biz abuses by ex-public employees

Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, on Monday ordered action on suspected business abuses by retired employees of public institutions and state-run companies. "Illegal and unjust preferential treatment for retirees of public institutions has burdened the public for decades," Kang said while presiding over a meeting with chief presidential aides. Kang ordered the finance ministry to look into such cases across all public institutions and devise measures to eradicate them. The presidential chief of staff, in particular, pointed to a retirees' association at the state-run Korea Expressway accused of reaping excessive profits by improperly operating expressway service stations. "Efforts are needed to restore public trust, including the retrieval of unjust proceeds and an investigation into illegal acts," he noted.

May 4, 2026By Yonhap
Presidential chief of staff orders action on biz abuses by ex-public employees
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