my timesThe Korea Times

South Korea

PoliticsDefenseGlobal CommunityEnvironment & AnimalsLaw & CrimeHealthSocietyEducationOthers
  • Society

    Murder suspect's father evades charges, fueling debate over Korea's family evidence-tampering exemption

    The father of Jang Yoon-gi, a suspect in the murder of a high school girl, allegedly destroyed evidence in the case, renewing debate over Korea's criminal code exemption shielding family members from evidence-tampering charges. Last month, prosecutors indicted Jang, 23, on charges of stabbing and killing the girl in Gwangju in May after following her with intent to rape. He was also indicted on charges of attacking another student with a knife when they tried to intervene. Investigators later found that Jang's father, an active-duty police officer, had disposed of items from his son's residence, including several mobile phones and a sex doll whose chest and neck areas showed concentrated damage. The father was not indicted, however. Under current law, destroying evidence in another person's criminal case carries penalties of up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 7 million won ($4,530), but relatives or family members living with the offender are exempt. Lee Yung-hyeock, a professor of police science at Konkuk University, said the exemption exists in Korea because of questions whe

    2 MIN READBy Park Ung
    Murder suspect's father evades charges, fueling debate over Korea's family evidence-tampering exemption
  • Global Community

    Grand Ole Opry's Mama Kim reflects on 50 years doing business in Itaewon

    5 MIN READBy Matt VanVolkenburg
    Grand Ole Opry's Mama Kim reflects on 50 years doing business in Itaewon
  • Environment & Animals

    From toilet to blanket: 1-meter snake found inside Korean apartment

    1 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    From toilet to blanket: 1-meter snake found inside Korean apartment
  • Society

    Why a Mongolian computer engineering student is leaving Korea for China

    6 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Why a Mongolian computer engineering student is leaving Korea for China
  • Global Community

    How Korea’s birth mothers are exposing the hidden cost of overseas adoption

    3 MIN READBy Anne Mai Bertelsen
    How Korea’s birth mothers are exposing the hidden cost of overseas adoption
Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
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.

Read more

Society

Lee apologizes over deadly fire at car parts plant in Daejeon

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday issued an apology over a deadly fire at a car parts plant in the central city of Daejeon that left 14 people dead and 60 others injured last week. "I offer my deepest condolences to the victims and extend my heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and those affected," Lee said during a Cabinet meeting. "As workplace accidents continue to occur, I feel deeply sorry as the person responsible for state affairs." Lee's remarks came after he visited the site Saturday, a day after the incident, where he met with bereaved families and vowed to thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire and prepare fundamental measures to prevent similar tragedies. He also called on relevant ministries to draw up support measures, including compensation, trauma recovery and assistance for bereaved families, and conduct comprehensive safety reviews on workplaces vulnerable to industrial incidents. "The government should conduct thorough inspections of high-risk workplaces and ensure that safety-related systems are properly functioning," he said. Investigations are current

Mar 24, 2026By Yonhap
Lee apologizes over deadly fire at car parts plant in Daejeon
Society

Gov't to strictly enforce five-day vehicle restriction system for public sector

The government will strictly enforce a mandatory five-day vehicle restriction system for the public sector to respond to possible oil supply disruption amid persisting tensions in the Middle East while implementing additional energy-saving measures, the climate ministry said Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, the government will beef up monitoring of the public sector's compliance with the five-day driving restriction system, under which cars are divided into five groups based on their license plate numbers and each group is prohibited from driving on a designated weekday, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The system has been in place but run loosely. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt from such restrictions. In detail, the ministry will distribute a detailed guideline on the public sector's implementation of the system and push for penalties against public institutions that fail to comply with the rules. The government will advise the private sector to voluntarily participate in the program amid growing uncertainties surrounding crude supplies, and consider

Mar 24, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't to strictly enforce five-day vehicle restriction system for public sector
South Korea

Funeral service begins for some victims of auto parts plant fire in Daejeon

Bereaved families have begun funeral services for some of the 14 victims who died in a fire at an auto parts plant in the central city of Daejeon last week, city officials said Tuesday. The massive fire, which broke out Friday, resulted in 74 casualties, including 60 injured. Authorities have so far identified 13 of the 14 victims who were killed. Funeral services for four of the victims had been set up as of Tuesday morning, with those for the remaining victims to be arranged once city officials finalize details with their families. The city government plans to cover funeral service costs, among other support measures, a city official said. Police and labor authorities raided auto parts manufacturer Anjun Industrial, the factory's operator, on Monday to seize records and check whether the company practiced proper safety measures.

Mar 24, 2026By Yonhap
Funeral service begins for some victims of auto parts plant fire in Daejeon
Politics

5-day driving rotation system to get stricter in public sector amid energy crisis

Korea will strengthen the restriction on which days workers in the public sector can drive their vehicles starting Wednesday, as the prolonged Middle East conflict squeezes global energy supplies. For the private sector, the government decided to leave the fuel-saving measure as a voluntary program rather than forcing it. Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-whan announced the measure during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul Tuesday. Under the rule, drivers of gas-powered vehicles in the public sector must refrain from driving one day each week, with the day determined by the last digit of their license plate. More than 20,000 institutions are included, such as central government ministries and their affiliated organizations, local governments, provincial and municipal education offices, national universities and public elementary, middle and high schools. The system had already been in place in the public sector, but enforcement was largely symbolic and violations carried light penalties such as workplace parking bans. Under the expanded framework, however, public

Mar 24, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
5-day driving rotation system to get stricter in public sector amid energy crisis
Law & Crime

7 of 37 generals punished over martial law file suits against defense ministry

Seven of 37 general-level officers who were slapped with disciplinary actions over their alleged role in the 2024 botched martial law bid have filed lawsuits against the defense ministry seeking to revoke the punishment, a document showed Tuesday. Among those who have filed lawsuits seeking to cancel the punishment, ranging from expulsions to suspension from duties, were former defense intelligence commander Moon Sang-ho and former drone operations commander Kim Yong-dae, according to the document submitted by the ministry to Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party. Another 29 military generals have appealed against the decisions made by the ministry's disciplinary committee, although they have yet to file lawsuits seeking to cancel the disciplinary measures, the document showed. Of the generals who have been severely punished over allegations linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition, only Kwak Jong-keun, former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, have accepted the measure without taking additional measures. Kwak was dismissed from office instea

Mar 24, 2026By Yonhap
7 of 37 generals punished over martial law file suits against defense ministry
Global Community

Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal

A Syrian man facing deportation filed Korea's first-ever constitutional complaint against a court ruling minutes after a landmark legal reform took effect on March 12 — and his lawyer says the case is a rare opportunity to put basic rights and non-refoulement, or not deporting an applicant to unsafe conditions, at the center of judicial practice in asylum cases. The reform allows a person to ask the Constitutional Court to overturn a court ruling that conflicts with existing Constitutional Court decisions or was reached without following required procedures. If the court finds a violation, the ruling is cancelled and the case is sent back for retrial. Lee Il, a lawyer at APIL, a Seoul-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) providing legal services to vulnerable migrants, said the case will show whether the new mechanism becomes a meaningful safety net for foreigners facing life-threatening removals or merely adds another procedural layer to an already strained process. Lee filed the complaint — confirmed by the Constitutional Court as the first under the new system — arguing tha

Mar 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal
Defense

Top operations commander named new Navy chief

The defense ministry on Monday named Vice Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul as the new Navy chief, days after the former top officer offered to resign over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law bid in late 2024. Kim, 55, was tapped as the new chief of naval operations to replace Adm. Kang Dong-gil, according to the ministry. Kim is currently commander of the Republic of Korea Fleet, the country's leading naval operations unit. Kim will be promoted to the rank of admiral to serve in his new role. He is expected to be formally appointed by President Lee Jae Myung following deliberation at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The move comes after the defense ministry decided to impose "heavy" disciplinary action against the former navy chief earlier this month over his alleged involvement in the martial law debacle. Kang is alleged to have instructed his subordinate to support the establishment of the martial law command on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, when he served as chief of the directorate of military support at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He offered to resign on March

Mar 23, 2026By Yonhap
Top operations commander named new Navy chief
Society

Over half of migrant youth pushed into low-wage jobs, study finds

More than half of young adults from migrant families in Korea entered low-barrier occupations immediately after high school, a government-affiliated research institute found, with nationality-based eligibility rules in key support programs identified as a major structural driver limiting access. A study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs analyzed 2022 data from 422 respondents aged 19 to 24 and found that 37.2 percent went into service jobs upon graduating, while 19.7 percent entered sales. These findings reflect broader challenges facing young people from migrant backgrounds who already grapple with language barriers, identity struggles and information gaps, with nationality-based support policies often placing them at a structural disadvantage. The report attributed these outcomes to systemic flaws in the support system, noting that eligibility for the Korea Student Aid Foundation's National Scholarship is tied to Korean citizenship, shutting out those without Korean nationality, including the children of migrants. Vocational training and continuing education, by cont

Mar 23, 2026By Park Ung
Over half of migrant youth pushed into low-wage jobs, study finds
South Korea

3 dead in wind turbine fire in eastern coastal county

A fire broke out at a wind turbine in the eastern coastal county of Yeongdeok on Monday, leaving three workers dead, authorities said. The blaze began at around 1:11 p.m. at the turbine inside a wind power complex in the county, about 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to local fire authorities and the Gyeongbuk Provincial Poilce Agency. Three employees of a wind turbine company died in the blaze while reportedly on duty at the turbine site when the fire broke out. Two of them were initially unreachable, but police later confirmed their deaths. Firefighters are experiencing difficulties in entering the structure as the fire has yet to be fully contained. Two of the turbine's three blades caught fire and fell to the ground. Authorities have deployed 11 helicopters and 148 personnel to put out the blaze, which has spread to a surrounding hill. Around 70 percent of the fire has been contained.

Mar 23, 2026By Yonhap
3 dead in wind turbine fire in eastern coastal county
South Korea

Families call for new underwater search for missing in deadly 2017 cargo ship sinking

A group of bereaved family members of victims of a deadly 2017 Korean cargo ship sinking urged the government Monday for new underwater search efforts for those missing in the disaster. The Stellar Daisy, carrying 260,000 tons of iron ore, sank while sailing in the South Atlantic on March 31, 2017. Among her 24 crew members, only two Filipinos were rescued, while the rest remain missing. A 2019 search discovered partial wreckage of the ship and the victims' belongings, but a second search has yet to take place due to budgetary constraints. "The government should immediately install a taskforce on a second underwater search," the group said in a press conference near the presidential office. The group also called on the government and the parliament to conduct a thorough investigation into the sinking based on an upcoming appellate ruling in connection with the case. In 2023, the Busan Regional Maritime Safety Tribunal recognized negligence by Polaris Shipping, which operated the Stellar Daisy, in its sinking. The company has appealed, with the ruling expected Wednesday.

Mar 23, 2026By Yonhap
Families call for new underwater search for missing in deadly 2017 cargo ship sinking
previous page
183184185186187
next page

Most Read in South Korea