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  • Society

    Police officers' decadeslong local ties fuel calls for wider rotation

    About 17,000 police officers have worked at the same station for more than 10 years, amid a government push to expand its police rotation policy over concerns about local cronyism. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 5,209 senior inspectors, 8,697 inspectors, 3,211 assistant inspectors and 13 senior patrol officers had worked at the same station for over 10 years as of this month. At the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 8.4 percent of 31,302 officers at the rank of senior inspector or below had worked at the same station for over 10 years. The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency in North Jeolla Province posted 23.8 percent of 5,136 officers, and the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency in North Chungcheong Province posted 21.7 percent of 3,954 officers. Senior inspectors and inspectors, the two ranks that lead frontline operations, made up 18 percent and 24.2 percent of their ranks nationwide, giving officers local familiarity that aids community policing but could also breed collusion between officers and lo

    2 MIN READBy Park Ung
    Police officers' decadeslong local ties fuel calls for wider rotation
  • Politics

    72 turnout corrections reported to election watchdog on June 3 election day

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    72 turnout corrections reported to election watchdog on June 3 election day
  • Defense

    Korea named inaugural chair of ISO drone cybersecurity working group

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    Korea named inaugural chair of ISO drone cybersecurity working group
  • Law & Crime

    Former Cheongju city councilor questioned over alleged sexual abuse of minor

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Former Cheongju city councilor questioned over alleged sexual abuse of minor
  • Defense

    Korea to participate in US-led int'l cybersecurity exercise

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea to participate in US-led int'l cybersecurity exercise
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Society

Teen who jumped into sea to save friend found dead

A 19-year-old who went missing after jumping into the sea to save a friend was found dead three days later in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. The Gunsan Coast Guard said the body of the teenager, identified only as A, was discovered around 3:40 p.m. on Sept. 29 near Dongbaek Bridge in Haemang-dong, Gunsan. According to authorities, A entered the water at around 6:50 a.m. on Sept. 26 after calling for help when his friend, a teenage girl identified as B, fell into the sea near the bridge. While B was safely rescued by coast guard officers who responded to the scene, A disappeared. The coast guard deployed patrol boats and other resources to search the area. His body was later found approximately 4 kilometers west of the spot where he was last seen. An official from the Gunsan Coast Guard said, “We confirmed A’s identity through fingerprint analysis and are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.” This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

Sep 30, 2025By Hankookilbo
Teen who jumped into sea to save friend found dead
Law & Crime

Ex-prosecution chief summoned in Marine death probe, ex-defense minister's alleged flight to Australia

A special counsel team investigating the death of a Marine conscript in 2023 said Monday it has summoned former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung for questioning, particularly in his role in the alleged flight of a former defense minister involved in the case to Australia. Shim, who also served as vice justice minister, has been called in by the team for questioning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. He is under suspicion of involvement in the series of decisions in March last year that led to former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's appointment as Seoul's ambassador to Australia. In particular, Shim is alleged to have lifted Lee's travel ban, ultimately allowing Lee's departure from the country. The charges include aiding flight of a suspect and abuse of authority. Lee had faced a travel ban after being named a key suspect in allegations of exerting undue influence over the probe into the death of the Marine corporal, surnamed Chae, who died during a search operation in July 2023. Despite the restriction, Lee was appointed ambassador to Australia and was allowed to leave the country after the ban was

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-prosecution chief summoned in Marine death probe, ex-defense minister's alleged flight to Australia
Defense

Captain of US command ship says S. Korea-US alliance has 'never been stronger'

The captain of the command ship of the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said Monday the decadeslong alliance between South Korea and the United States has "never been stronger," as the warship has made its first port call in nearly six years in the South. Captain Louis Catalina, commanding officer of the USS Blue Ridge, made the remarks in a press tour aboard the command ship at a major naval base in the southeastern city of Busan. The 19,600-ton USS Blue Ridge made a port visit at the naval base on Thursday to replenish supplies and provide rest for crew members. It marked the first port call of the U.S. warship in Busan since February 2020. Catalina said the warship's visit was a demonstration of the U.S.' "ironclad" commitment to the Seoul-Washingon alliance. "Being the commanding officer of USS Blue Ridge, the strength between the Republic of Korean Navy and the Republic of Korea and the U.S. has never been stronger," Catalina said. "We continue to execute joint exercises, exchanges and collaborative responses between our nations and it was on display during Freedom Edge," he added, referring to

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Captain of US command ship says S. Korea-US alliance has 'never been stronger'
Society

NIS raises nat'l cyber alert level to 'caution' amid public service outage

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Monday raised the country's cyber alert level by one notch to "caution" in the wake of a major outage of public online services due to last week's fire at the state data management agency. The second-level alert of a four-tier system took effect as of 6 p.m. due to concerns of possible cyber attacks taking advantage of the government administrative system outage, according to the NIS. Hundreds of public administration systems have been suspended due to Friday's fire at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul. The NIS also cited the need to strengthen monitoring of cyber threats ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit set to open in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 31. Under the "caution" alert, government agencies must immediately notify cyber threats or network paralysis to the National Cyber Security Center or the Office of National Security once detected. The government expects the relocation of 96 systems burned down from the fire to another data center located in the s

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
NIS raises nat'l cyber alert level to 'caution' amid public service outage
Morning Calm Tales

MORNING CALM TALES From taboo to trendy: Korea's slow proliferation of tattoos

When I first arrived in Korea in the early 1990s, tattoos were about as rare as a white tiger — and nearly as misunderstood. You might catch a glimpse of one on a U.S. serviceman in Itaewon or see the telltale ink of a gang member hanging around a bar or street corner. In 1990s Korea, tattoos weren’t just frowned upon — they were viewed as antisocial, criminal and culturally offensive, a visible rebellion against the status quo. At the time, I was the proud owner of three faded service tattoos from my Air Force days in Panama. I made no effort to hide them — especially the one on my forearm: a blurry airplane propeller with “USAF” scrawled above it. I vaguely recall getting it during a night fueled by Ron Cortez rum (in the form of Cuba libres), Cerveza Panamá and the invincibility that only young men and the military can produce. Despite the cultural taboo, no one ever told me to cover them up. Perhaps my students assumed tattoos were just part of the standard foreign teacher package. If they were alarmed, they kept it to themselves — out of politeness, curiosity or per

Sep 29, 2025By Jeffrey Miller
[MORNING CALM TALES] From taboo to trendy: Korea's slow proliferation of tattoos
Politics

Lee appoints second spokesperson, reshuffles presidential secretariat

President Lee Jae Myung has appointed Kim Nam-joon, his personal secretary, as a second spokesperson to serve alongside incumbent spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, the presidential office said Monday. The dual spokesperson system is part of a reshuffle aimed at strengthening public communication, Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, said in a written briefing. Kim is considered a close confidant of Lee, having served as his chief secretary during Lee's time as a lawmaker and as press secretary when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province. As part of the reshuffle, Kim Hyun-ji, the presidential secretary for general affairs and a longtime aide to Lee, was be promoted to head of the personal secretariat, a senior presidential official said. Yoon Ki-chun, the personal secretary to the first lady Kim Hea Kyung, will assume the role of secretary for general affairs, the official noted.

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Lee appoints second spokesperson, reshuffles presidential secretariat
Law & Crime

Special counsel questions Unification Church leader, lawmaker over alleged bribery

A special counsel team questioned the leader of the Unification Church and a lawmaker Monday over allegations of bribery linked to the former administration of Yoon Suk Yeol. The team led by special counsel Min Joong-ki summoned Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja and People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong to be questioned separately about allegations Han and a former church official gave 100 million won ($71,600) to the lawmaker in 2022 in exchange for his help gaining favors for the church from the future Yoon administration. Yoon took office in May 2022 and Kweon was considered one of his close confidants. Han appeared for the second time after being placed under arrest last week, while Kweon appeared for the third time following his arrest on Sept. 16. The special counsel team is reportedly considering indicting the lawmaker before the extended Chuseok holiday, which begins Friday, given that his pretrial arrest is set to expire early next month. In addition to the two, the team also questioned on Monday Lee Ki-hoon, former vice chairman of Sambu Construction, who has been ch

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
Special counsel questions Unification Church leader, lawmaker over alleged bribery
Politics

KCC chief says will file constitutional petition against gov't reorganization push

The head of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said Monday she will file a constitutional petition over a bill recently passed by the National Assembly to shut down her organization. KCC Chairperson Lee Jin-sook made the remark after the National Assembly on Saturday passed the bill to close down the watchdog and create a new body to oversee the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, which would automatically remove her from office once it takes effect. "If Korea's Constitution is still functional, those who interpret the law will find that the legislation was targeted and unconstitutional," Lee said during a press briefing in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Lee said if the legislation is approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, she will file a constitutional petition the following day, when it will formally take effect. The bill came amid the presidential office's move to dismiss Lee from her post on the grounds that she breached her duty to remain politically neutral through a series of social media posts. Lee was appointed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in July 2024 to a

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
KCC chief says will file constitutional petition against gov't reorganization push
Defense

US military confirms deployment of MQ-9 Reaper drones in S. Korea

The U.S. military in South Korea on Monday launched an expeditionary reconnaissance squadron at the U.S. air base in Gunsan, formally confirming its deployment of MQ-9 Reaper drones on the Korean Peninsula, according to the U.S. Seventh Air Force. Lt. Col. Douglas J. Slater formally assumed the command of the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, the Seventh Air Force said in a statement. The U.S. military has deployed MQ-9 Reaper drones on a rotational basis on the Korean Peninsula. But it marked the first time that the squadron in charge of MQ-9 operations has been activated here. "MQ-9 operations will support U.S.-Korean priorities in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance across the lndo-Pacific theater enhancing the joint capability to respond to threats and emerging situations while strengthening our alliance," the Seventh Air Force said. The MQ-9 is designed for both surveillance and attack missions and is capable of long-distance flight. Once deployed, it is believed to be capable of conducting surveillance on North Korea and monitoring China's activities in the Ye

Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
US military confirms deployment of MQ-9 Reaper drones in S. Korea
Politics

PPP stirs xenophobia as Seoul welcomes Chinese tourists visa-free

Members of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) are raising security and public safety concerns, as the Korean government on Monday began a visa-free entry program for Chinese tour groups. They claim the country will be vulnerable to visa overstays and illegal employment of Chinese nationals, especially as major government data networks remain offline following Friday’s fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) facility in Daejeon. Under the new policy, in place until June 30 next year, groups of three or more Chinese nationals are allowed to enter Korea without visas and stay for up to 15 days. Authorities are betting on the new influx of tourists, estimated to add around 1 million extra visitors, to provide a much-needed economic lifeline to the tourism and retail sectors. Upon the launch of the program, Rep. Na Kyung-won of the main opposition party called for its postponement, citing the disruption to administrative services caused by the fire. “Resident registration certificates cannot be issued, internal networks for civil servants are down and even mobile

Sep 29, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
PPP stirs xenophobia as Seoul welcomes Chinese tourists visa-free
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