South Korea

A special prosecution team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law late last year sought a 10-year prison sentence on Friday, accusing him of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant and abusing his authority while in office. The sentencing request, made during closing arguments at the Seoul Central […]

High on the slopes of Mount Jangrak, Cheon Jeong Gung rises from the hills of Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province like a fortress of white stone and quiet ambition. For years, it served as the secluded residence of Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, until her detention in September left its halls largely silent. Once a sanctuary for the […]

South Korea is formalizing preparations for potential inter-Korean dialogue, moving to establish a specialized task force of veteran negotiators despite North Korea’s continued silence. The Ministry of National Defense said Friday that the new task force will focus on maintaining “professionalism and continuity” in future military talks, including […]

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday paid his respects to the sacrifices of fallen officers in the line of duty as he met their families. Lee held a luncheon meeting with families of police officers, firefighters, Coast Guard personnel and others who died while protecting the public during disasters and emergencies. "I've often heard that it is hard to find a […]

President Lee Jae Myung commuted to the presidential office in Seoul's Yongsan district for the last time on Friday before next week's formal move back to Cheong Wa Dae, his office said. The office released photos of Lee heading into work as he prepared to host a luncheon with the families of police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty. […]

The joke I’m translating today mixes a literary sensibility with an earthy and crude sense of humor. The setup is that three women are expected to celebrate their father-in-law’s upcoming birthday by miming the shapes of Chinese characters (also called sinographs, or “hanja” in Korean) with their bodies. Chinese characters were introduced to Korea […]

The Navy's 1,000-ton Gwangmyeong corvette is set to retire next week after 36 years in service protecting the nation's coastal area, the armed service said Friday. Ahead of the Pohang-class warship's official retirement Wednesday, the Navy held a ceremony marking its discharge earlier in the day at a naval base in Jinhae, some 310 kilometers southeast of […]

Former top security officials from former President Moon Jae-in's administration were acquitted Friday on charges of involvement in an alleged cover-up of the 2020 murder of a South Korean fisheries official by North Korea. The Seoul Central District Court found former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon, former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director […]

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will launch an internal committee focused on inter-Korean peace to support the government's engagement efforts with North Korea, party chairman Rep. Jung Chung-rae said Friday. The liberal party leader said the move is intended to support the Lee Jae Myung administration's push for rapprochement with Pyongyang. […]

A special counsel team on Friday indicted former Vice Land Minister Kim Oh-jin and a former presidential secretary, surnamed Hwang, on charges linked to favoritism allegations surrounding the 2022 relocation of the presidential residence. Kim and Hwang, placed under arrest on Dec. 17, are accused of involvement in helping 21 Gram, an interior design company […]

Incheon’s new bridge toll exemption policy, which The Korea Times previously reported had drawn criticism for discriminating against foreign residents by excluding them under a city ordinance, has yet to prompt a substantive response from authorities or city council members. But as backlash has intensified around the discriminatory policy, some council […]

The weather agency on Friday issued a cold wave alert across the majority of the country as temperatures dropped to the lowest point this season. The morning temperature stood at minus 10 degrees Celsius — the coldest this season — with the apparent temperature dropping to around minus 20 degrees Celsius due to wind chill as cold air descended from the […]

Sharp differences have emerged between business groups and labor unions following the government’s release of new guidelines on the so-called “Yellow Envelope Law,” a measure intended to protect striking workers from crippling liability lawsuits. Historically symbolized by the yellow envelopes of cash donations used to support penalized workers, the […]

Welcome to the newsletter’s first end-of-year quiz. Test yourself on culture, technology and assorted political chaos – and check back on 26 December to see how you faredGood morning, and happy whatever-you’re-celebrating today. There may come a moment later – perhaps shortly after someone has eaten their body weight in roast dinner – when the […]

Gaming was once compared to drugs, gambling and alcohol in South Korea. Now its gaming academies offer a chance to earn a six-figure salary – if you make the grade Son Si-woo remembers the moment his mother turned off his computer. He was midway through an interview to become a professional gamer.“She said when I played computer games, my personality […]

MPs vote to investigate crash amid accusations from victims’ relatives of cover-ups and delaysSouth Korea’s parliament has launched an independent inquiry into the deadliest air disaster on its soil amid accusations of investigation delays and cover-ups of last year’s Jeju Air crash.On 29 December 2024 all but two of the 181 people onboard a Jeju Air […]

In the first 10 months of this year, South Korea imported $159m worth of kimchi, almost entirely from China, while exporting $137mThe pungent scent of red chilli powder hangs in the air at Kim Chieun’s kimchi factory in Incheon, about 30km west of Seoul. Inside, salted cabbage soaks in large metal vats in the first stage of a process that Kim has followed […]

Medical professionals and some in conservative circles feel argument of Lee Jae Myung may be a bit thinSouth Korean president Lee Jae Myung has instructed his government to consider extending public health insurance to cover hair-loss treatments, arguing that baldness has become a “matter of survival” rather than a cosmetic concern for young people.The […]

Digital facilities that track wastage down to the gram have brought about behavioural change among users Min Geum-nan walks towards a metal bin beneath her apartment block in Gangdong district, eastern Seoul carrying a small bag of vegetable peelings. She taps her resident card on the reader, the lid swings open, she empties the contents and scans again and […]

Big K-pop stars and a teen-skewed subtext aims this squarely at a particular audience but this fantasy never really levels upStarring the actor (Ahn Hyo-seop) who voiced the lead boy-band bad guy in KPop Demon Hunters, and one of the singers (Kim Ji-soo, also known mononymically as Jisoo) from real-world girl-band Blackpink, this Korean sci-fi-fantasy […]

Government says arrangement will bring in extra £400m on top of more than £15bn of existing annual trade with KoreaThe UK has signed a new trade deal with South Korea designed to increase exports of cars, Scottish salmon and Guinness canned in Britain.Keir Starmer described the deal, which replaces an existing agreement, as “a huge win for British […]

The storytelling is brittle, but there is still enjoyment to be had from this story of a mother and child and rescue from a catastrophic flood in SeoulKim Byung-woo’s chimeric but not unenjoyable sixth feature begins like a normal apocalypse movie, with a deluge inundating Seoul. Then it flirts with taking on social stratification baggage as a beleaguered […]

Has east Asia replaced the US as the world’s cultural centre? With Jeff YangFrom matcha and bubble tea to manga and Studio Ghibli, east Asian culture has become mainstream culture for millions of young people around the world.Jeff Yang, the co-author of Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now, describes to Nosheen Iqbal how after […]

Notoriously difficult entrance exam is regarded as gateway to economic security and even a good marriageThe chief organiser of South Korea’s notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has resigned – after complaints that an English test he designed was too difficult.Passing the exam, known locally as the Suneung, is essential for admission to […]

Co-founder of Singapore-based Terraform Labs given more jail time by US judge than prosecutors soughtDo Kwon, the entrepreneur behind two cryptocurrencies that lost $40bn (£29.8bn) three years ago and caused the sector to crash, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud.The South Korean, 34, had pleaded guilty to two counts of US charges of […]

Yang extorted £153,000 from former Spurs playerCo-conspirator receives two-year sentence in Seoul courtA woman has been sentenced in Seoul to four years in prison for blackmailing South Korean football star Son Heung-min.The woman, identified only as Yang, was charged with extorting 300 million won (£153,000) from Son in 2024 after sending him an […]

Gus Poyet’s assistant says ‘moment of misunderstanding’ led to his being punished by the K LeagueJeonbuk Hyundai Motors had their “La Decima” banners ready on the second weekend of November to celebrate a 10th South Korean title won in style by the head coach, Gus Poyet. Their game with Daejeon Hana, however, turned out to be the most […]

President Lee praised South Koreans for overcoming ‘an unprecedented democratic crisis in world history’ but some fears its society is becoming increasingly polarisedSouth Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has marked the anniversary of an attempt to impose martial law by declaring that those behind the bid to topple its democracy must face justice, […]

Decision announced at Cop30 climate conference signposts risks for Australia’s reliance on fossil fuel exports, analysts sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government has been urged to prepare for a shift away from thermal coal exports and accelerate green […]

Chinese leader says ‘check if there is a backdoor’ in reply to Lee Jae Myung’s quip about security of Xiaomi devices It would take someone with nerves of steel to joke about the security of Chinese smartphones in front of Xi Jinping.Step forward the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, who, after being given a pair of smartphones by the Chinese […]