Prosecutors on Wednesday sought a 7 1/2-year prison term for a man who killed nine people after ramming his car into pedestrians near Seoul City Hall. In July last year, the 69-year-old driver, surnamed Cha, pulled his car out of a hotel parking lot and darted into a nearby one-way road in the reverse direction before plowing through a sidewalk guardrail and striking pedestrians. Prosecutors requested the sentence during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, saying the driver continues

Political division in South Korea is nothing new, but the constant clashes between the extreme factions on both right and left, in parliament and even on the streets, has become overwhelming for many ordinary Koreans. "It's happening everywhere," says Lee Soo-hyun, pointing out how people are shouting in defense or condemnation of President Yoon Suk Yeol day and night on the streets. Lee, a cram school teacher in Gangnam-gu, who considers herself a centrist, feels particularly overwhelmed by the

'Only the beginning': Concerns about S. Korea’s political future still linger despite Yoon’s detention With South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol taken into custody by investigators on Wednesday, mixed voices among protesters for and against Yoon’s detention echoed in front of Yoon’s residence at Hannam-dong in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. From around 5 a.m., the streets of Hannamdaero began to swell with pro- and anti-Yoon protesters, with one side demanding he be detained and the other chanting h

Martial law imposition was 'high-level political act': Yoon's statement to court With suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol taken into custody by the joint probe team Wednesday morning, it is likely that Yoon's second hearing in his impeachment trial scheduled for Thursday will take place without his attendance. According to police, Yoon can be held and questioned for up to 48 hours from 11 a.m. on Wednesday, making it unlikely that Yoon will appear in court for his hearing scheduled for Thursday at

President Yoon Suk Yeol will appear before the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials today, his lawyer said Wednesday hours after the joint probe team entered the presidential residence in an attempt to detain him. Seok Dong-hyeon, Yoon's lawyer, made a statement on Facebook that the president has made an "unavoidable decision to appear," to prevent a physical clash between the security team and the police, and citizens being injured outside the residence. Seok added that th

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials announced Tuesday that the 55th Security Brigade, a military unit responsible for guarding the perimeters of the presidential residence, agreed to grant investigators access to the presidential compound. The authorities revealed that an official letter was sent to the 55th Security Brigade, requesting access to the presidential residence for the members of the joint investigative unit -- comprising the CIO, the Korean National Police

The new head of South Korea's largest group of doctors kept a hardline stance, despite a recent conciliatory gesture from the government, dampening hopes for renewed dialogue addressing the ongoing and almost yearlong medical crisis. The Korean Medical Association announced that Kim Taek-woo, a surgeon, was appointed as its new leader on Tuesday, following his election on Jan. 8. The KMA leadership had remained vacant since late last year after the impeachment of former head Lim Hyun-taek. The K

Free high school education to be funded locally: government Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok exercised his veto power Tuesday to reject an amendment that would extend government subsidies for free high school education. The bill, led by the opposition, sought to extend temporary state financial support for free high school education by three years to Dec. 31, 2027. The vetoed amendment to the Local Education Subsidy Act had been passed by the opposition-led National Assem

Court dismisses request from Yoon's lawyers to exclude Justice Jung Gye-seon from trial The Constitutional Court of Korea on Tuesday began President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial with its first formal hearing, which concluded in just four minutes due to Yoon’s absence. “Due to the absence of the defendant, we will not proceed with the hearing in accordance with Article 52 of the Constitutional Court Act. The next hearing will be on the 16th at 2 p.m., and based on Clause 2 of Article 52, the

Situations requiring emergency response to be shared with local authorities; drones to be deployed for effective safety response The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Tuesday that alerts sent through the Emergency Ready App will soon be available in 19 languages from August 2025, as part of the ministry’s key policy plans to make emergency information more accessible. The Emergency Ready App is run by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, which provides multilingual support for 36 emergen

A series of car accidents were reported across Seoul and its surrounding roads on Tuesday morning, which traffic authorities suspect were caused by black ice, a thin layer of ice on the road surface. At least 14 people were injured in two major accidents, involving 44 and 43 vehicles, respectively. At 5:16 a.m. on Tuesday, the 44-vehicle pile-up occurred near the Gusan Interchange on Jayuro-ro motorway in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province heading toward Paju. The Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Head

Five nightclub employees in Gangnam, Seoul, are facing prosecution for spreading false rumors about South Korean soccer star Son Heung-min. The employees claimed on social media that Son had visited their club with Bayern Munich players after a match last year and spent 30 million won ($20,490) on drinks. According to police and Son’s management agency, these claims were entirely fabricated, and the Tottenham Hotspur forward did not visit the club or pay for any drinks. The case has now been han

Higher wages are the top priority for Korean employees in the new year, according to a report by Embrain Public. The survey, which polled 1,000 salaried employees over the age of 19, was commissioned by Workplace Gapjil 119, a group of labor experts and lawyers focused on protecting employees’ rights and eliminating workplace abuse. The report reveals that 77.7 percent of respondents prioritized higher pay, followed by 25.8 percent who desired less intense work or reduced work hours. Additionall

Gangnam, known among locals for its hefty home prices and among foreigners for Psy’s famous tune, shows a remarkable uptick in births among Seoul’s 25 districts Amid grim forecasts of South Korea's self-extinction due to low birth rates, Seoul stands at the epicenter of the crisis, with a fertility rate of just 0.52. This means that, on average, a woman in Seoul is projected to have only 0.52 children in her lifetime. Yet, one particular Seoul district is showing remarkable progress in boosting

A disturbing pattern of online hate speech and misinformation has emerged in the wake of the tragic Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport, targeting the victims and their grieving families. Since the crash on Dec. 29, social media platforms and online communities have been inundated with hateful comments and false narratives about the victims and their families. Among the most notable instances was a derogatory post suggesting that the victims' families were "delighted" about receiv