Court under pressure as political turmoil continues to grip the nation The Constitutional Court is expected to deliver its ruling on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol on either Thursday or Friday, legal experts said Monday. As of Monday, the Constitutional Court had heard and deliberated on the case for 93 days since it received the impeachment motion against Yoon passed by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Dec. 14. The deliberation process on Yoon’s case is the lengt

Two South Korean Air Force jet pilots were booked Thursday, charged with occupational negligence over their accidental bombing of a civilian village last week, the Defense Ministry said. The Defense Ministry recently confirmed pilot error as the main cause of the accident on March 6, in which two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs on a village in Pocheon, located near the inter-Korean border. The pilots failed to drop the bombs on the training range, which was located in the border cit

Two KF-16 fighter jet pilots blamed for accidentally dropping bombs on a village in Pocheon last week could face criminal charges, experts said Tuesday. South Korea’s Air Force on Monday reaffirmed pilot error as the cause of the accident that left 31 people injured, including 19 civilians, in the village of Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon, near the inter-Korean border, last week. The Air Force stressed that the pilots failed to follow the mandatory procedure of checking the coordinates of their

Prosecutors decided to release suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol from custody on Saturday afternoon despite the organization being heavily divided over the matter, according to a report in Yonhap News, Saturday. The move to comply with the Seoul Central District Court’s decision that ruled in favor of Yoon’s request to cancel his detention, rather than appeal it, is mainly to avoid the risk of being accused as “unconstitutional,” some observers say. “The Constitutional Court in 1993 and 2012 rul

The Korea Herald republishes a weekly legislative report by local law firm DR & AJU LLC to provide the latest information on bills approved, proposed, pending and set to be promulgated. -- Ed. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Insurance Business Act Proposed by Rep. Cha Gyu-geun (Rebuilding Korea Party) ● This amendment mandates that stocks issued by affiliates of an insurance company and held by the company be valued at market prices rather than acquisition costs. It also sets a cap on th

Addition of new judge could increase likelihood of Yoon's impeachment being upheld, but could also delay proceedings The Constitutional Court is set to deliver its ruling Thursday on whether acting President Choi Sang-mok’s move to withhold the appointment of a ninth justice, recommended by the liberal opposition, is in accordance with the Constitution. Observers say there is a higher chance of the court upholding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment by the National Assembly if opposition-recom

● Updated law: Motor Vehicle Management Act What it does: Allows government to manage and track EV batteries to bolster safety Took effect: Feb. 17 Starting Feb. 17, automakers are required to obtain government certification of the safety of batteries used in their electric vehicles. In addition, automakers must assign an identification number to each individual EV battery. The system will allow the government and automakers to manage and track each battery from production to disposal. The syste

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Sale of Building Units Proposed by Rep. Eom Tae-young (People Power Party) ● This amendment alleviates the consent rate required to change the use of partially constructed hotels and accommodation facilities from the current 100 percent to 80 percent. It also grants unit purchasers who do not agree to the change of use the right to request contract termination. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives Act Pro

Kim Jae-gyu, then South Korea's spy chief, shot and killed President Park on Oct. 26, 1979 and was executed in May the following year More than four decades after his execution for assassinating President Park Chung-hee, South Korea’s former intelligence chief, Kim Jae-gyu, has been granted a retrial. The Seoul High Court ruled on Wednesday in favor of reopening the case, nearly five years after Kim’s family first petitioned for a review. The decision comes 45 years after Kim was executed in May

Proposed Bill: Special Act on Regulatory Support on Biomanufacturing CDMOs Proposed by Rep. Han Zee-a (People Power Party) ● This bill establishes the definition of an export manufacturing business and promotes biomedicine exports. It implements a system for the production of biomedicine source materials and quality certification, establishes import procedures of raw materials and source medicines used in biomedicine CDMOs, and provides tailored technology support for establishing CDMO manufact

The opposition-led National Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution calling for the appointment of an additional justice to the Constitutional Court by acting President Choi Sang-mok. The move came as the court had postponed its ruling on the constitutionality of acting President Choi's decision to withhold the appointment of the ninth justice to the bench. Choi appointed two justices to the court in December but held off on the appointment of opposition-recommended Justice Ma Eun-hyuk, citing t

The head of an investment consulting firm was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday over a massive stock manipulation scheme that rocked local financial markets. The Seoul Southern District Court said it also ordered Ra Deok-yeon, the head of the unregistered firm, to pay a fine of 146.5 billion won (US$101 million) and a forfeit of 194.4 billion won. Ra was indicted on charges of pocketing 737.7 billion won from 2019 to 2023 by selling off the stocks of eight listed companies after raisin

A Seoul court on Thursday held the first preparatory hearing for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who has been charged with insurrection and abuse of power over his alleged key role in the president's botched martial law imposition last month. During the first preparatory hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, Kim, who is currently under detention, appeared with his legal representatives. Kim’s attorneys engaged in an intense argument with prosecutors in discussing how the trial woul

A shaman allegedly involved in the presidential campaign of now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on charges of taking illegal political funds from a politician who ran for the 2018 local elections, officials said Friday. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said it indicted Jeon Seong-bae without physical detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Jeon, better known as Geonjin, is suspected of receiving about 100 million won ($69,027) in illegal political

The Constitutional Court of Korea stated Thursday that it remains "unshaken" by attempts by various parties to influence or manipulate public opinion outside the courtroom. “As an independent adjudicative body, the Constitutional Court is not swayed by public opinion battles outside the courtroom and is proceeding with a fair trial,” Cheon Jae-yeon, spokesperson of the court, told reporters regarding the ongoing public opinion battle between the National Assembly and President Yoon Suk Yeol’s le