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  • Law & Crime

    Q&A Korea's 'fake news' law is in force — what you need to know

    Korea’s revised Information and Communications Network Act, also dubbed the “fake news” law, came into force on Tuesday, reshaping how unlawful information is handled online. Under the new rules, “false or manipulated” information is defined as content whose whole or partial substance is untrue, or altered in a way that misleads audiences into believing it is factual. The revision also introduced a new category of illegal hate or discriminatory expression which covers posts that incite violence, discrimination or hatred against individuals or groups based on traits such as race, nationality or gender. Amid concerns over vague legal definitions and potential conflicts with constitutional free-speech protections, the state-run Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) provided answers to frequently asked questions to address key issues. Q. What should I do if I suffer harm from false or manipulated information? A. Anyone who encounters information suspected of being false or manipulated can file a report with a large online service provider, including the location of the c

    3 MIN READBy Jung Min-ho
    [Q&A] Korea's 'fake news' law is in force — what you need to know
  • Others

    Gyeonggi Province launches generative AI portal to help immigrants

    2 MIN READBy Lee Kyung-min
    Gyeonggi Province launches generative AI portal to help immigrants
  • Society

    Seoul to transform gritty tech hub into lush green IT district

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    Seoul to transform gritty tech hub into lush green IT district
  • South Korea

    Labor side again lowers demand for hourly minimum wage hike for next year

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Labor side again lowers demand for hourly minimum wage hike for next year
  • South Korea

    Korea's Earth observation satellite launched from US base

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea's Earth observation satellite launched from US base
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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.

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Politics

New insurrection tribunal faces legitimacy questions as Yoon weighs appeal

The passage of a new law mandating dedicated court panels for insurrection-related crimes has thrust Korea into a complex legal debate, as critics and government officials alike weigh whether the special tribunal violates the fundamental principles of the country’s judiciary. Under the law, known as the Special Act on Criminal Procedures for Insurrection, Foreign Aggression and Rebellion Crimes, at least two specialized panels must be established at the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court to hear cases related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The legislation was passed despite repeated objections raised during parliamentary deliberations. Critics note that the Constitution allows only military courts as a special exception, a provision they say the insurrection tribunal may run up against. Article 101 vests judicial power exclusively in courts composed of judges, while permitting military courts as an explicit exception. Opponents contend that creating a tribunal through legislation to hear a specific category of cases

Dec 24, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
New insurrection tribunal faces legitimacy questions as Yoon weighs appeal
Society

Seoul's city bus union threatens to strike Jan. 13 over wage dispute

Unionized intracity bus workers in Seoul said Wednesday they will go on a general strike on Jan. 13, as their wage hike negotiations with the management have shown little sign of progress. The intracity bus union said the decision to strike was reached at a meeting of chapter representatives in the morning. The management has offered to increase hourly wages by 10 percent. But the union has rejected the proposal, saying it effectively amounts to a wage cut in consideration of recent rulings by the Supreme Court and a court of appeals that regular bonuses should be added to an employee's base pay to calculate their ordinary wages. Generally, increases in ordinary wages translate into higher amounts of various allowances for employees. The union has argued that the wage increases should be 12.85 percent, including unpaid allowances calculated based on the new ordinary wage standards. The union has also filed a criminal complaint against the management over the unpaid allowances. The Seoul city government said its annual expenses will be increased by 150 billion won ($103 million) a year if t

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul's city bus union threatens to strike Jan. 13 over wage dispute
Society

President’s return to Cheong Wa Dae draws cheers, concern from nearby residents

For Kim Hyo-sun, life beside Cheong Wa Dae, the longtime presidential office, had been shaped by the quiet rules of a high-security zone. Since her high school years in Seoul’s Hyoja-dong, the 38-year-old’s routines were influenced by the blue-tiled compound that served as the nation’s seat of power for more than 70 years. That proximity carried trade-offs. The neighborhood’s rare calm, set apart from Seoul’s bustle, came with constraints that defined daily life in Hyoja-dong. “There were frequent protests nearby, often causing traffic restrictions and inconvenience,” Kim told The Korea Times. “But the neighborhood felt very safe, with police stationed at every corner around the clock.” The balance shifted in 2022, after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to central Seoul’s Yongsan District, describing the compound as authoritarian and insular. But now, President Lee Jae Myung is returning to Cheong Wa Dae, with the gradual move beginning earlier this week. The return of the presidential office will cost 56 billion won ($38.3

Dec 24, 2025By Park Ung
President’s return to Cheong Wa Dae draws cheers, concern from nearby residents
Society

Population mobility hits 51-yr low in November: data

The number of Koreans relocating to new homes fell to the lowest level in 51 years for any November amid sluggish housing transactions and demographic changes, data showed Wednesday. Around 428,000 people changed residences last month, down 8.2 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This marks the lowest November figure since 1974, when 394,000 people moved. Population mobility has been declining due to an aging and shrinking population. Short-term trends are also influenced by housing transactions and the supply of new apartments. "Housing transaction volumes in September and October, which could affect mobility figures for November, rose slightly from a year earlier, but the number of completed apartment units declined," a ministry official said. The population mobility rate, which refers to the percentage of people relocating per 100 residents, decreased 0.9 percentage point on-year to 10.2 percent, which marked the lowest level since 2000, when the ministry began compiling relevant data. By region, Seoul logged a net outflow of 5,504 re

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Population mobility hits 51-yr low in November: data
Society

Korea's childbirths rise for 16th consecutive month in October: data

The number of babies born increased for the past 16 consecutive months as of October, but the pace of growth slowed to the lowest since the start of this year, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 21,958 babies were born in October, up 2.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the 16th consecutive month of increase since July 2024 but also the slowest on-year growth of the year, the data showed. Cumulative childbirths through October stood at 212,998, up 6.5 percent on-year, marking the highest pace of growth for the cited period since 1991, the agency said. The total number of babies born over the 10-month period, however, was the third lowest after 2024 and 2023. The country's total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, went up 0.02 on-year to 0.81. By age group, the birthrate was the highest for women aged 30 to 34. The number of marriages in October came to 19,586, up 0.2 percent on-year. During the first 10 months of the year, a total of 195,764 marri

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Korea's childbirths rise for 16th consecutive month in October: data
Defense

Korea holds regular defense drills around Dokdo this week: source

Korea conducted regular defense drills near its easternmost islets of Dokdo earlier this week, a military source said Wednesday, in what marked the second such exercise held under President Lee Jae Myung's government. "Our military has conducted East Sea defense drills on a regular basis each year. This exercise was also implemented to fulfill the mission of protecting our territory, people and property," the source said, confirming that the exercise took place Tuesday. The latest exercise was held on a similar scale compared with past drills in terms of training methods and participating assets, the source added, without providing further details. Dokdo has long been a recurring source of tension between Korea and Japan as Tokyo continues to make sovereignty claims in its policy papers, public statements and school textbooks. Following previous drills, Japan has lodged complaints through diplomatic channels. Korea has been in effective control of Dokdo, with a small police detachment, since its liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Korea launched the defense drills in 1986 and ha

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Korea holds regular defense drills around Dokdo this week: source
Law & Crime

Court extends arrests of ex-defense minister, ex-commander over drone deployment

A court on Wednesday issued warrants to extend the arrests of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung over charges related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrants at the request of a special counsel team that investigated various suspicions connected to the December 2024 martial law attempt. Kim's arrest had been set to expire Thursday, while Yeo's had been set to end Jan. 2. In granting the request, the court cited concerns the suspects would destroy evidence. By law, the maximum period of arrest for a first instance trial is six months, but it can be extended if a defendant is indicted on additional charges. Both Kim and Yeo, who have been held in custody since last December over their roles in the martial law plan, were additionally indicted last month on charges of aiding the enemy and power abuse for allegedly ordering the dispatch of drones to Pyongyang around October 2024. The dispatch, according to the team, was aimed at inciting the North's

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Court extends arrests of ex-defense minister, ex-commander over drone deployment
Defense

Arms agency chief cites legality as key reason behind bidding method change for destroyer project

The chief of the state arms procurement agency on Wednesday cited legality as the main factor behind a change in the bidding process for a multi-trillion won contract to build homegrown advanced destroyers. Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Lee Yong-cheol made the remarks after the Defense Project Promotion Committee announced that it will pick the winner of the estimated 7 trillion-won ($5 billion) bid to build six advanced destroyers through competitive bidding. The committee made the decision in a unanimous vote in a meeting Monday, also attended by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back. The landmark project had been long delayed, due mainly to intensifying competition and a legal feud between rival shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries that had respectively taken part in the concept design and basic design of the envisioned destroyer. HD Hyundai was initially expected to be chosen as the sole-source contractor to build the lead ship but faced protest from Hanwha Ocean over an alleged security leak involving HD Hyundai employees in the ship design

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Arms agency chief cites legality as key reason behind bidding method change for destroyer project
Law & Crime

Jailed Unification Church leader again quizzed about bribery allegations

Police again questioned jailed Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja and a former high-ranking church official Wednesday over bribery allegations involving multiple politicians. A special police investigation team visited the Seoul Detention Center, where Han and former church official Yun Young-ho are currently held on bribery charges linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, and questioned them about the allegations that the church gave tens of millions of won and luxury gifts to former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo, former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim Jong-seong and former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Gyu-hwan from 2018 to 2020. The police previously met with Han and Yun at the same detention center on Dec. 11 and 17, respectively, to question them about the suspected bribery but reportedly failed to secure any meaningful statements. Ahead of the second round of questioning, the police raided the church's headquarters and other facilities to secure accounting data and records of visitors linked to the bribery allegations. Last Friday, Chun was summoned to the police to be

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Jailed Unification Church leader again quizzed about bribery allegations
Politics

National Assembly passes anti-fake news bill after opposition's filibuster

The National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), passed a contentious anti-fake news bill Wednesday after the opposition's 24-hour filibuster expired, ending a standoff between the rival parties. The revised Information and Communications Network Act was put to a vote during a plenary session, a day after the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) launched a new filibuster to stall the procedure. The anti-fake news bill defines false or fabricated information and seeks to ban its circulation across telecommunication networks. It also includes a provision holding media outlets and YouTubers liable for punitive damages of up to five times the amount of losses if they spread disinformation for illicit gains and cause harm to others. The bill also stipulates that anyone who defames another individual by stating facts with an intent to slander will be punishable by a prison term of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won ($20,593). The opposition has denounced the bill as an attempt to silence the media and infringe on freedom of expression, while the ru

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
National Assembly passes anti-fake news bill after opposition's filibuster
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