Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's dominant mobile messenger, has filed an administrative lawsuit against a government fine of 15.1 billion won (US$11 million) over the leaking of personal information on a large scale, according to sources Monday. The Personal Information Protection Commission, the government's personal information watchdog, ordered the fine in May, concluding that Kakao's lax user data scrutiny and protection measures led to the data leak of some 65,000

Pizza Hut Korea Ltd., the South Korean operator of the namesake American pizza franchise, on Monday received approval from a court to proceed with an autonomous restructuring support plan, putting on hold court-mandated rehabilitation proceedings after losing a lawsuit brought by store owners. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court said it approved the ARS rehabilitation plan requested by Pizza Hut Korea earlier in the day. An ARS program is a system where a company negotiates debt repayment plans autonom

Prosecutors on Monday requested an arrest warrant for Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, over allegations of interfering in candidate nominations in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through his ties with then presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. They also filed warrants for Kim Young-sun, a former lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, and two ex-candidates in the June 2022 local elections, citing risk of destruction of evidence, according to the Changwon Dist

South Korean shares declined more than 1 percent Monday as Samsung Electronics fell to an over two-year low amid rising uncertainties over the new Trump administration's trade policies. The local currency sharply fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 29.49 points, or 1.15 percent, to close at 2,531.66, following a 0.14 percent drop on Friday. Trade volume was heavy at 565.2 million shares worth 11.1 trillion won ($7.96 billion), with losers far out

Ukraine's defense intelligence agency has released an audio clip of what it claims to be intercepted radio communications between North Korean soldiers in Russia speaking in coded military terms. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine uploaded a post on Sunday (local time) of what it claimed to be intercepted radio transmissions of a group of North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia's western Kursk region to support Russia's war against Ukraine. In the audio, the soldiers exchange co

The Yoon government has successfully maintained stable macroeconomic conditions to mitigate the impact of multiple global crises, the finance ministry said Monday, highlighting the success of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's economic and fiscal policies over the past 2 1/2 years. The review was presented in a report issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to mark the midpoint of President Yoon's single five-year term, which fell on Sunday. "From the start of the administ

The main opposition Democratic Party said Monday it will submit a revised special counsel bill focused on allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, which narrows the scope of the probe and allows a third party to recommend a special prosecutor. DP spokesperson Han Min-soo said the party will submit the revised proposal focused on Kim's alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and allegations of interference in election nominations during a plenary session of the National Asse

South Korea's exports slid 17.8 percent on-year in the first 10 days of November due mainly to fewer working days and falling demand from major economies, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $14.91 billion in the Nov. 1-10 period, compared with $18.13 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The number of working days during the cited period of this year came to 7 days, compared with 8.5 days a year earlier. Per-day exports only slippe

South Korean stocks opened lower on Monday, as investors sat on the sidelines over policy uncertainties under the incoming Trump administration. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 12.6 points, or 0.49 percent, to 2,548.55 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In Seoul, top tech giant Samsung Electronics moved down 2.11 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix shed 1.8 percent. Top battery maker LG Energy Solution, on the other hand, increased 8.91 percent. Top steelmaker Posco Holdi

Police said Sunday they have identified over 4,700 minors involved in online gambling activities over the past year. The National Police Agency said 4,715 individuals under the age of 19 were discovered during a special crackdown on illegal online gambling conducted from September 2023 to October this year. No arrests of minors have been made. The figure accounts for 47.2 percent of all age groups involved in the crackdown. Initially, police focused on targeting illegal gambling operators and ha

Loans from savings banks, credit unions and other secondary financial institutions rose sharply last month as authorities tightened credit regulations for major banks, officials said Sunday. Loans from savings banks, credit card firms, insurance companies and other second-tier lenders surged over 1.5 trillion won ($1.02 billion) in October, the largest gain since July 2021, according to the officials from the financial sector. In detail, cash advances and other loans from credit card firms and c

A fire broke at a Posco factory in the southeastern city of Pohang early Sunday, leaving one worker injured, fire authorities said. The fire started with multiple explosions at the steel company's third Finex furnace of the plant, located about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at around 4:20 a.m. The blaze was initially contained by around 6:30 a.m. and completely extinguished at around 9:20 a.m. Witnesses reported hearing explosions that felt like an earthquake, and some said they felt the gr

K-pop boy group Seventeen has been honored with a certificate of appreciation from Los Angeles for its contributions to music and youth empowerment within the American city, the group's agency said Saturday. Pledis Entertainment said Joshua, the LA-born member of the 13-piece group, was invited by the LA City Council to receive the certificate on the group's behalf Friday. Joshua was born and raised in LA before moving to South Korea after high school to pursue a career in music. The g

North Korea staged GPS jamming attacks for the second consecutive day Saturday, affecting several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft, South Korea's military said. The jamming attacks were conducted in the North's Haeju and Kaesong areas, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, warning vessels and civilian aircraft operating in the Yellow Sea to beware of the attacks. Military operations and equipment were not affected, according to the JCS. "North Korea should immediately halt the GPS provocatio

More than 3,700 North Koreans visited Russia during the third quarter this year for "study" purposes, marking the highest quarterly figure since 2010, a United States news outlet reported Saturday. US broadcaster Radio Free Asia said a total of 5,263 North Korean nationals visited Russia during the July-September period, citing data from Russia's Federal State Statistics Service. The number is comparable to the 5,591 recorded during the same period in 2019, after which it dropped

President Yoon Suk Yeol will convene an emergency economic and security meeting Sunday to discuss the possible impact of former US President Donald Trump's return to office, Yoon's office said Friday. The meeting will focus on monitoring potential policy shifts under the Trump administration and preparing proactive response measures, the office said. Ministers of economy, foreign affairs, defense and trade along with senior presidential aides will attend the meeting. A second Donald Tr

President Yoon Suk Yeol said a nuclear-based alliance between South Korea and the United States will immediately strike if North Korea attempts a nuclear attack against the South, according to an interview published Friday. Yoon made the remark during an interview with US magazine Newsweek to address growing concerns over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. "I believe that it would be irrational for them to decide to wage a nuclear attack against the Republic of Korea a

The presidential office said Friday cyber attacks by pro-Russian hacking groups against South Korea have increased following North Korea's troop deployment to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine. The National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency intra-agency meeting on Thursday after several government websites, including those of the defense ministry and courts, suffered distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks earlier this week. The NSC said the cyber attacks, mostly DDoS, by

South Korean stocks closed lower Friday as uncertainties over the incoming Trump administration's policies overshadowed a back-to-back rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The local currency sharply rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 3.48 points, or 0.14 percent, to close at 2,571.15. Trade volume was moderate at 440.7 million shares worth 9.63 trillion won ($6.94 billion), with losers outpacing winners 469 to 388. Foreigners sold a net 18.1 billion

Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker at the center of a growing political scandal, appeared before prosecutors Friday for questioning over allegations of receiving illicit funds from a former ruling party lawmaker in exchange for his assistance with her candidacy in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections in violation of political funding laws. Myung, who runs a public polling agency, arrived at the Changwon District Prosecutors Office in the city about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul at