South Korea's parliament on Friday passed a bill that will allow law enforcement to release the mugshots of suspects arrested for serious crimes without their consent. The National Assembly voted 215-0 in favor of the bill. Eight abstained. The passage of the law will create legal grounds for the disclosure of an alleged offender's photograph as long as the picture is taken within 30 days of the date it is released to the public. The Justice Ministry said in a statement that citizens' right to k

South Korea's top judiciary post is vacant for the first time in 35 years as the National Assembly, where the opposition holds the majority, voted down the nomination of Lee Gyun-yong for chief justice on Friday. The assembly voted 175-118 against the nomination of Lee as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Korea. Two lawmakers abstained. Lee's approval would have required 148 votes in favor, as 295 lawmakers were present at the plenary session. All 168 lawmakers of the main opposition Democra

Crowd control measures and road closures can be expected in Seoul over the weekend as the capital gets ready for the 2023 Seoul International Fireworks Festival. Ahead of the festival, which is set to take place in Yeouido on Saturday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the government to execute detailed crowd control and put emergency medical arrangements in place near the site. Han said Thursday authorities must work to designate entrances and exits at the venue, set up barriers to dema

South Korea and Japan restored vice-ministerial diplomatic channels for dialogue in Seoul on Thursday for the first time in nine years, in one of Seoul's latest gestures toward improving ties with Tokyo. South Korea's First Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Chang Ho-jin met with Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano in a closed-door meeting at 10 a.m. to seek ways for strategic cooperation, as the bilateral relationship is thawing, the government said in a state

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday ordered South Korea's Cabinet to set up a pan-governmental task force to prevent "fake news" from "manipulating public opinion." The government, based on an estimate by the state-run media watchdog, the Korea Communications Commission, suspects that two foreign internet users left 20 million reactions cheering for the Chinese soccer team within a few hours on an online forum dedicated to the men's soccer match between South K

The basic subway fare in the Seoul metropolitan area is poised to rise 12 percent to 1,400 won ($1.03) from the current 1,250 won, according to the capital city's municipal government on Tuesday. Seoul's public transit authorities define the basic subway fare as the charge to adult holders of a transportation card traveling up to 10 kilometers on a single ride. An additional 100 won is charged for each additional 5 kilometers of travel on the transit system, which allows for travel of up to 200

Lee Myung-shik, paralyzed from the chest down after an adverse reaction to an injection to treat a skin disease, cannot sit for longer than three hours due to the debilitating pain in his legs. It means the 62-year-old, who wishes to bring forward his death, is unable to take the 11-hour flight to Switzerland where assisted suicide is legal. "My legs are not just paralyzed, but they are also suffering pain beyond imagination ... so it's getting harder to withstand the pain," Lee s

A South Korean court on Tuesday found a law banning private entities from sending leaflets or other items by balloon into North Korea unconstitutional. In a 7-2 decision, the Constitutional Court found the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act, promulgated in 2020 during the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, unconstitutional. Scores of North Korean human rights groups filed the complaint with the Constitutional Court immediately after the law came into effect. After the conservative Presid

Despite the Yoon Suk Yeol government's pledge to crack down on crimes against women, concerns are growing over the women's safety following a spate of gender-based violence cases. The tragic death of 38-year-old Lee Eun-chong, who was murdered by her former coworker and boyfriend after being stalked, stirred criticism over a lack of practical protection for victims of gender-based crimes under South Korean law. In Lee's case, she had been granted a temporary restraining order to

Until the 1970s, blatant forms of discrimination against foreign nationals existed in Japan. For example, non-Japanese citizens were banned from entering law school regardless of their qualifications or if they had passed the bar exam, and many ethnic minorities were denied permanent residence, forcing them to reapply for permission to live in Japan every three years. Kim Kyong-duk, a Korean descendant born and raised in Japan, passed the Japanese bar exam in 1976. He was offered the chance to b

President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized his diplomatic outreach with 47 heads of state during his trip to New York last week and amplified commitments to boost government assistance at a Cabinet meeting Monday. These diplomatic efforts are expected to lay a cornerstone for enhancing energy infrastructure using atomic and hydrogen power in countries vulnerable to climate change and boosting the international community's access to digital infrastructure, he said. During the livestreamed meeting,

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced plans for an October visit to Pyongyang following the North Korea-Russia summit earlier this month, intensifying speculation about increased military cooperation between the two nations. "In accordance with the decision of (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we will arrange my talks in Pyongyang, which may indeed take place next month," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency TASS during a

President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech at the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday raised the possibility that Yoon has made it official that North Korea now stands behind Russia in terms of Seoul's priority in foreign relations, which could signal a downturn ahead in the inter-Korean relationship. As the South Korean leader warned North Korea not to pursue information and technology from Russia needed to enhance its weapons-of-mass-destruction capabilities, in ret

A second motion to arrest the main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung was submitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, inching closer to a parliamentary vote on Thursday that could determine his fate. This is the ninth attempt of the government since the last legislative election in May 2020 to push for the arrest of an active lawmaker. Lawmakers have immunity from criminal arrest unless parliament grants approval. Four lawmakers have since been arrested. An earlier attempt to put Lee in d

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday he is willing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of his official visit to attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in China. Han expressed hope for his official engagement, as he confirmed on Tuesday plans for a two-day visit to Hangzhou beginning Saturday. "It would be a great opportunity if I, as prime minister, were to make a visit and send friendly signals ... about the relationship between

South Korea's police authorities announced on Monday plans to reassign 2,900 back-office staff to preventive patrol duties. The organizational reform is aimed at strengthening crime prevention capabilities amid a surge in apparent senseless crimes, the National Police Agency said. Most police officers who perform back-office jobs -- largely dedicated to administrative affairs -- will be given new high-visibility roles in crowded areas and secluded areas like park walking trails This is part of a

The South Korean prosecution on Thursday raided the offices and homes of news reporters who allegedly delivered fabricated news reports in an apparent attempt to discredit President Yoon Suk Yeol during his presidential campaign last year. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dispatched staff to carry out a search and seizure at the offices of broadcaster JTBC and investigative news outlet Newstapa, as well as homes of two Newstapa reporters Han Sang-jin and Bong Ji-wook. Bong was

Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's massive spaceport that is about 5,500 kilometers east of Moscow, drew international attention on Wednesday, as the leaders of two isolated countries, North Korea and Russia, met in a high-profile summit there. The spaceport sprawls across 551.5 square kilometers of land -- outsizing South Korea's state-run Naro Space Center by over 100 times. It began operation as the main spaceport there in 2016, replacing Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which had bee

South Korea apprehended over 10,000 suspected of illegal drug use during the first half of the year as part of the government initiative to stamp out drug-related crimes in what was once considered a drug-free country. The number of suspects caught by law enforcement surged to 10,252, up nearly 20 percent compared with the previous year, according to government data unveiled Tuesday. Throughout 2022, 18,395 were nabbed by law enforcement, hitting an all-time high. The amount of drugs confiscated

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup reportedly expressed his intention to resign on Tuesday, amid increasing demands from the opposition to remove him, citing allegations of his interference in a probe into the death of a Marine. Lee, a 63-year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has served as the defense minister since President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration in May 2022, expressed his intent during a Cabinet meeting at Yoon's office on Tuesday, according to news report