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  • Society

    Paichai High School baseball team suspended 6 months over 'Tank Day' chant against Gwangju school

    The Paichai High School baseball team has been suspended from national tournament play for six months after a chant evoked Starbucks Korea's controversial "Tank Day" promotion during a national tournament match against a school from Gwangju. The Korea Baseball Softball Association held a sports fair play committee meeting Wednesday to review the incident and imposed the suspension after determining the chant violated the spirit of sportsmanship and disrupted order on the field. During Monday's match against Gwangju Jeil High School at the 81st Cheongnonggi National High School Baseball Championship in Seoul's Mokdong Baseball Stadium, some Paichai players repeatedly chanted “Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks” in unison. One student even shouted “Tank Day.” The chant was a direct reference to Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion launched on May 18 — the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising — which used the phrase in a reference widely condemned as denigrating the pro-democracy movement. The backlash at the time drew responses from consumers and politicians alike

    2 MIN READBy Park Ung
    Paichai High School baseball team suspended 6 months over 'Tank Day' chant against Gwangju school
  • Society

    New PM orders thorough measures with heavy rain forecast to hit southern region

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    New PM orders thorough measures with heavy rain forecast to hit southern region
  • Politics

    Presidential unification body adds over 2,000 advisers, plans overseas expansion

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Presidential unification body adds over 2,000 advisers, plans overseas expansion
  • Defense

    Navy chief to visit Hawaii this week for RIMPAC exercise

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Navy chief to visit Hawaii this week for RIMPAC exercise
  • South Korea

    Seoul unveils master plan to transform Yeouido Park into cultural hub

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    Seoul unveils master plan to transform Yeouido Park into cultural hub
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Law & Crime

Special counsel seeks 15-year prison term for ex-interior minister in insurrection appeal

A special counsel team on Wednesday sought a 15-year prison term for former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min in an appellate trial over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid. Lee is charged with playing a key role in an insurrection by giving orders to cut off water and power to media outlets critical of the Yoon administration after the then president declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. He has also been indicted on charges of giving false testimony during Yoon's impeachment trial last year. In February, a lower court found him guilty of both charges and sentenced him to seven years in prison. "He took part in a crime that destroyed the constitutional order," a member of special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team said during the final trial hearing at the Seoul High Court. "The only reason power and water were not cut off was that the emergency martial law order was swiftly lifted as a result of citizens' resistance, and the military and police's half-hearted fulfillment of duties." Cho's team had requested a 15-year prison term during the initial trial as w

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Special counsel seeks 15-year prison term for ex-interior minister in insurrection appeal
Law & Crime

Appeals court cuts battery maker CEO's prison term from 15 to 4 years over deadly plant fire

An appeals court on Wednesday reduced the prison sentence for lithium battery maker Aricell's chief executive officer (CEO) to four years over a deadly fire at the company's plant in 2024. The Suwon High Court handed down the significantly reduced term to Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan from a 15-year sentence by a lower court in connection with the blaze in June 2024 that killed 23 workers and injured nine others. In September, the Suwon District Court delivered the heavy punishment for Park, who had been indicted on multiple charges, including failing to secure workplace safety and violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The appeals court recognized the "grave" consequences of the fire, but it found insufficient grounds to determine that Park intended to evade liability under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. It also rejected the prosecution's argument that the company failed to install an emergency exit on the second floor of the plant, saying safety regulations do not specify whether it should be installed on each floor. The court also sentenced Park's son, a company general ma

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Appeals court cuts battery maker CEO's prison term from 15 to 4 years over deadly plant fire
Defense

USFK commander warns against 'political expediency' in rushed OPCON transfer

Remarks by the top U.S. military commander in South Korea have prompted a fresh round of debate over the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, with experts cautioning against letting political timelines override military conditions. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), emphasized a conditions-based approach to OPCON during testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday (local time), urging that “political expediency does not outpace the conditions.” His use of the phrase “political expediency” — a departure from his earlier, broader references to conditions — is being interpreted by analysts as a message aimed at slowing the momentum for OPCON transfer under Seoul’s current policy direction. The Lee Jae Myung administration has made completing OPCON transfer within its five-year term a policy priority, with 2028 widely discussed as a possible target year. That timeline has raised concerns that political considerations could begin to shape what has traditionally been a conditions-based p

Apr 22, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
USFK commander warns against 'political expediency' in rushed OPCON transfer
Global Community

Commonwealth veterans of Korean War to visit Korea this week

Veterans and bereaved families from four Commonwealth countries will visit Korea this week to mark the 75th anniversary of a key battle during the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans ministry said Wednesday. Their visit comes on the occasion of the anniversary of a battle in the northern county of Gapyeong in April 1951, in which some 2,000 troops of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade engaged in three days of fierce combat against Chinese forces at the height of the three-year war. As part of their itinerary, the veterans and bereaved families from Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will attend ceremonies marking the battle as well as visit the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, the ministry said. To mark the anniversary and honor Commonwealth troops who fought in the Korean War, the Army chiefs from the four countries will also visit Korea this week. Also among those visiting the country will be a 97-year-old Australian veteran who served in the Korean War as a petty officer in the Royal Australian Navy, according to the ministry.

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Commonwealth veterans of Korean War to visit Korea this week
Law & Crime

Yoon's constitutional petition against insurrection tribunal law referred to formal review

A constitutional petition filed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol to challenge a new law on the establishment of a dedicated tribunal to handle charges of insurrection has been referred to a formal review by the Constitutional Court, judicial officials said Wednesday. The Constitutional Court decided Tuesday to refer the case to its full nine-member bench for review, the officials said. Yoon filed the complaint on March 31 against the insurrection tribunal law that was passed by the National Assembly in December and took effect the following month. In accordance with the law, the Seoul High Court designated two divisions as benches specializing in insurrection cases related to Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024. Yoon claimed that the insurrection tribunal law infringes upon the right to a fair trial and the right to equality by imposing disadvantageous procedures that are significantly different from general criminal procedures. His lawyers also said that it constitutes a serious limitation on the principle of the presumption of innocence for the state to design the stru

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Yoon's constitutional petition against insurrection tribunal law referred to formal review
South Korea

Physics breakthrough born in Korean lab wins global recognition

A specialized field of physics born in a Korean laboratory received a definitive seal of global recognition, marking a rare instance where a locally pioneered theory has been elevated to an international reference standard. The Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday that a comprehensive review of two-dimensional van der Waals magnetism, led by Park Je-geun, a professor at Seoul National University's department of physics and astronomy, has been published in Reviews of Modern Physics. Issued by the American Physical Society, the journal is widely regarded as the most selective in the field, typically reserved for senior authorities whose work defines the trajectory of entire subdisciplines. The 88-page paper synthesizes more than 15 years of inquiry into a fundamental question: Can magnetism survive in materials only one atomic layer thick? While the theoretical possibility was first proposed in 1943 by the Nobel laureate Lars Onsager, a Norwegian American theoretical physicist and physical chemist, the hypothesis remained unproven for decades, languishing as a classic problem of co

Apr 22, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Physics breakthrough born in Korean lab wins global recognition
Law & Crime

Notorious drug kingpin indicted month after repatriation from Philippines

Investigators indicted an infamous drug trafficker, Park Wang-yeol, on Wednesday, about a month after he was repatriated from the Philippines to undergo an investigation and face possible charges in his home country. A joint government narcotics investigation team indicted Park with physical detention on aggravated drug charges, with plans to charge him further based on the results of its ongoing probe. Park is accused of trafficking methamphetamine into Korea from overseas, including 317 grams from Mexico and the Philippines in 2020, 1,482.7 grams from the Philippines in June 2024 and 3,079 grams from South Africa. Park returned to his home country in handcuffs last month in a temporary repatriation under an extradition treaty between Seoul and Manila. He had been serving a 60-year prison sentence in the Philippines for the murder of three Koreans in 2016. Authorities believe Park continued to carry out his drug trafficking operation in Korea even after being put behind bars in the Philippines, using messaging apps, such as Telegram. Investigators plan to indict Park on additional charge

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Notorious drug kingpin indicted month after repatriation from Philippines
Society

No more memories: Overnight trips disappear as teachers fear criminal liability

Nearly half of South Korean schools have cut back on traditional overnight field trips, driven by educators' growing fears of criminal liability if a student gets hurt. According to a survey released Tuesday by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, only 53.4 percent of elementary, middle and high schools organized overnight field trips over the past year. The remaining institutions opted for day trips (25.9 percent), conducted on-campus activities only (10.8 percent) or halted all experiential learning (7.2 percent). The union polled 789 branch heads nationwide from March 23 to 30. The respondents represented elementary schools (41.95 percent), middle schools (27.76 percent) and high schools (23.07 percent). When asked why they are reluctant to organize the trips, 89.6 percent of teachers cited fear of criminal liability if an accident occurs. Among them, 54.8 percent described the pressure as "very high." Additionally, 84 percent pointed to excessive administrative burdens and prior site inspections. Although 72.2 percent of respondents said teachers’ opinions are reflected

Apr 22, 2026By Hankookilbo
No more memories: Overnight trips disappear as teachers fear criminal liability
Society

Prime minister honors late independence fighter at repatriation ceremony

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Wednesday reaffirmed Seoul's pledge to ensure that all independence fighters are laid to rest at home. The renewed pledge came in a ceremony marking the repatriation of the remains of late independence fighter Lee Ha-jun, who fought for Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The centenarian died at his home in California in February at the age of 104. His remains arrived here Tuesday and will be laid to rest alongside his deceased wife at Daejeon National Cemetery. "Even amidst the horrendous torture that he suffered daily, he endured the flogging while thinking only of the independence of his homeland," Kim said during the repatriation ceremony at Seoul National Cemetery, referring to the 3 1/2 years Lee was imprisoned in Japan. "Even after the independence of his homeland, he did not speak of his fight for independence or the pain he suffered as a result to anyone and endured the long years alone." Born in Pyongyang in 1921, Lee was 17 years old when he organized a secret society to fight for Korea's independence. Following Korea's liberat

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Prime minister honors late independence fighter at repatriation ceremony
Environment & Animals

Power demand forecast to increase nearly 30% by 2040

Korea's annual electricity demand is expected to jump nearly 30 percent from the current level by 2040, the climate ministry said Wednesday. In 2040, annual power consumption is forecast to reach a minimum of 657.6 terawatt-hour (TWh) and a maximum of 694.1 TWh, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said. The estimates were made at a policy forum on the 12th basic plan for electricity supply and demand for the 2026-2040 period, which is being devised by the government. The figures represent a 26 percent increase from the annual power consumption of 549.8 TWh tallied in 2024. The peak electricity demand is also expected to reach a minimum of 131.8 gigawatts (GW) and a maximum of 138.2 GW in 2040, compared with the current level of 100 GW, according to the ministry. It said the forecast was based on two scenarios, one where the current economic growth level continues and the country implements the nationally determined contribution (NDC) goal for 2035. The other, reflects a faster pace of growth than previously expected thanks to the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) and suc

Apr 22, 2026By Yonhap
Power demand forecast to increase nearly 30% by 2040
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