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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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Law & Crime

Trial begins for ex-PPP floor leader over martial law involvement

The trial for the People Power Party (PPP)'s former floor leader Choo Kyung-ho began Wednesday on charges he helped former President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly impose martial law. Choo of the main opposition party has been indicted on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection by changing the venue of an emergency party meeting three times on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, when Yoon declared martial law, thus obstructing lawmakers' participation in a parliamentary vote to lift the decree. The Seoul Central District Court held the first preparatory hearing of the trial to hear the opinions of the prosecution and the defendant, and schedule future proceedings. Choo was absent as the defendant's attendance was not required. Choo's lawyers said they could not state their positions as they were not allowed to view the necessary documents until recently and would need until at least the first week of February to fully copy and analyze the records. The special counsel team that investigated the case also requested an additional preparatory hearing though they noted the need to conduct the trial swi

Dec 24, 2025By Yonhap
Trial begins for ex-PPP floor leader over martial law involvement
Society

2025 Top 10 National News Power shifts, nuclear ambitions, issues abroad reshape nation

Korea’s political and social landscape was turned upside down in 2025, as the nation saw a president ousted, his longtime rival swept into power and key institutions pushed to their limits at home and abroad. Koreans lived through a year of high drama that redefined the balance of power in Seoul and reshaped the country’s role on the global stage. At the same time, crises ranging from a paralyzing state data center fire to mass detention of Korean engineers in the United States exposed the vulnerabilities that accompany Korea’s status as a hyperconnected, export-driven democracy. Beyond politics, 2025 also laid bare the human cost of transnational crime and technological change. Rescue operations for Koreans trapped in Cambodian scam compounds, fierce debate over abolishing the prosecution’s headquarters and a surge of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cheating at top universities all forced hard questions about accountability, ethics and the rule of law. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, a green light for nuclear-p

Dec 24, 2025By Lee Hae-rin and Park Ung
[2025 Top 10 National News] Power shifts, nuclear ambitions, issues abroad reshape nation
Morning Calm Tales

MORNING CALM TALES A Christmas story in Korea 1990

I arrived in Korea in 1990, just two weeks shy of Christmas. When my recruiter called in early October to offer me a teaching position at ELS (YBM Sisa) starting in December, she framed the offer as if she were handing me a gift with a tiny catch: Yes, you’ll be far from home for the holidays … but you probably won’t feel homesick. Having spent several Christmases away during my military days, I wasn’t worried. I figured homesickness was like the flu — inevitable now and then, but survivable. What I didn’t expect was that my first Christmas in Korea would become one of the best Christmases of my life. Back in 1990, celebrating Christmas in Seoul was an entirely different experience from the Seoul of December today. There were no Daiso stores displaying shelves of ornaments, no Costco warehouses selling Christmas trees the size of small redwoods, no Starbucks cafes piping out carols as early as November and certainly no holiday plazas, winter festivals or synchronized light shows blanketing the city the way they do now. Hotels didn’t advertise Christmas buffets the size of

Dec 24, 2025By Jeffrey Miller
[MORNING CALM TALES] A Christmas story in Korea 1990
Global Community

Media framing fuels misconceptions about refugees in Korea

The Korean media’s persistent tendency to frame refugees as security risks continues to fuel public fear and distort policy debates, overshadowing the far less visible human stories of people fleeing conflict. That was the conclusion at a special lecture, titled "Portrayal of Refugees in Korean Media," organized by the Human Rights Society (HRS) at Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) in collaboration with the refugee-led initiative Hanokers at Seoul Startup Hub on Nov. 10. The event explored how different media outlets strategically frame news about refugees and how it impacts policies and public perception in Korea, providing a rare opportunity for Korean and international students to gain insight into the lived experience and perspective of migrants living here with a refugee background. The portrayal of refugees in Korean media plays a major role in shaping public perception and political debate. It offers a mix of fear and sympathy, while historically leaning toward risk-focused political narratives, especially conservative ones, that frame refugees

Dec 24, 2025By Bereket Alemayehu
Media framing fuels misconceptions about refugees in Korea
Politics

Ruling party whip apologizes over free hotel accommodation from Korean Air

Rep. Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DPK), apologized Tuesday over revelations that he had used free hotel accommodation provided by Korean Air, the country's flag carrier, in the past. In a statement, Kim said he would exercise greater caution in his conduct in the future and added that he would immediately return the accommodation costs. The apology came after a local daily reported that Kim used a free hotel accommodation invitation from Korean Air in November last year, receiving rooms and services reportedly worth about 1.6 million won ($1,080). At the time, Kim was a member of the National Assembly's political affairs committee, which had jurisdiction over issues related to the then pending merger between Korean Air and rival Asiana Airlines. Kim, however, argued that there was a significant difference between the value of the accommodation cited in the report and the actual cost. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) criticized Kim's past acceptance of the accommodation. The PPP claimed that the country's anti-graft law bans the receipt of goods or

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap
Ruling party whip apologizes over free hotel accommodation from Korean Air
Law & Crime

Families of World War II Korean conscripts file lawsuit seeking removal of names from Yasukuni Shrine

Family members of Koreans forcibly conscripted by Japan during World War II have filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of the names of the deceased from a controversial Japanese shrine that also honors several war criminals, civic groups said Tuesday. Ten descendants of Korean soldiers and civilian employees filed the suit earlier in the day with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking the removal of the names from Yasukuni Shrine, the Center for Historical Truth and Justice and an affiliated civic group said at a press conference. They are also seeking damages totaling 880 million won ($593,700) from the Japanese government and the entity that manages the shrine. It is the first time that a lawsuit on the cancellation of enshrinement at Yasukuni Shrine has been filed in a South Korean court. Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors some 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by the Allies in international tribunals for their roles in World War II. Many Koreans were forcibly mobilized for the Imperial Japanese Army during that time as Korea was u

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap
Families of World War II Korean conscripts file lawsuit seeking removal of names from Yasukuni Shrine
Law & Crime

Yoon denies sending drones to N. Korea to justify martial law in hearing on arrest extension

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday denied allegations he sent drones into North Korea to create a pretext for his failed martial law imposition, citing his phone call with then U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to back up his claim. Yoon spoke before the court himself during a closed-door hearing held to decide whether to extend his arrest, on charges of benefiting the enemy and power abuse in connection with his alleged drone deployment to Pyongyang in October last year. The ousted president has been held in custody since July on charges of obstructing justice by blocking his detention by investigators in January. He is currently set to be released after his six-month arrest expires Jan. 18. Special counsel Cho Eun-seok's team requested an extension of his arrest last month while additionally indicting him over the alleged drone operation, which it claimed was aimed at inciting the North's retaliation and using it as a pretext for the Dec. 3 martial law declaration last year. During the hearing, Yoon reportedly claimed that the charge of aiding the enemy cannot hold because he ha

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap
Yoon denies sending drones to N. Korea to justify martial law in hearing on arrest extension
Law & Crime

Gov't launches task force for Coupang data breach probe

Korea on Tuesday launched an interagency task force (TF) to carry out an investigation into the recent data breach at U.S. e-commerce giant Coupang that affected 33.7 million users. The new TF, comprising officials from the science and labor ministries, along with the media watchdog, financial authorities, the police and the spy agency, held its first meeting on the day to investigate facts behind the breach, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. The task force will discuss ways to protect users and revamp data protection policies, the ministry said. "The government considers the Coupang incident a major social crisis that has damaged public trust," Second Vice Science Minister Ryu Je-myung said in a release. "Through the government-wide TF, we will investigate the cause of the incident and identify accountability, while protecting users and strengthening corporate social responsibility," Ryu added. Ryu said the government will "take stern measures" if the investigation reveals any legal violations by Coupang. In November, Coupang said the personal information of its customers had

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap
Gov't launches task force for Coupang data breach probe
Health

How to survive year-end party season without getting drunk

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. As year-end gatherings swing into full gear, alcohol often takes center stage. Office dinners, reunions with old classmates, family get-togethers, workplace parties and New Year’s celebrations tend to pile up in quick succession. Before long, drinking can start to feel like part of everyday life. But behind the festive mood is a set of health and safety risks. According to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol consumption during the year-end holiday season increases by as much as 25 percent compared with usual levels, accompanied by a rise in alcohol-related accidents and hospitalizations. Binge drinking, in particular, becomes more common, driving up traffic accidents and alcohol-related crimes and potentially turning casual drinking into a broader social problem. In South Korea, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority reported a total of 13,042 drunk-driving accidents in 2023. Of those, 4,025 occurred in December alone, about 18 percent higher than the monthly average. Around 100 people were killed in drun

Dec 23, 2025By Kormedi.com
How to survive year-end party season without getting drunk
Defense

US military in Korea stages 'steel rain' live-fire drill with new rocket launchers

The U.S. military stationed in Korea has conducted a "steel rain" live-fire drill with new multiple rocket launchers, according to the Eighth Army on Tuesday. The drill involving a new multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) called M270A2 was conducted on Dec. 11 at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, the U.S. military said in a statement. Titled "'Steel Rain' on the Peninsula: M270A2 MLRS Conducts Inaugural Live Fire in Korea," the statement reads that the drill highlighted the U.S. military's "readiness and reinforced the unit's ability to rapidly execute operations when called upon." U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Han, commander of the artillery battalion, said, "To be able to (be the first battalion to shoot the new launcher systems) in Korea sends a strong signal of how the U.S. Army is continuing to modernize, continuing to transform, with more modern up-to-date capabilities in technology." "It also tells our allies, the ROK Army, that as they're modernizing their long range precision shooter platforms ... we're right there side by side with them going through the same type of tr

Dec 23, 2025By Yonhap
US military in Korea stages 'steel rain' live-fire drill with new rocket launchers
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