South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung visited Sanchang Market in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on the afternoon of the 13th, meeting with merchants and citizens as part of his focus on livelihood issues. Market officials welcomed him, and crowds packed the alleyways to greet the president, who was described as

Seoul police have opened a direct investigation into what has been described in Korean media as a “prosecution drop trade” case, linked to discussions over whether prosecutors’ decisions could be traded for reforms. The inquiry centers on allegations that political actors sought to influence prosecutions in exchange for changes to

On the 13th, Lee Jeong-hyeon, chairman of the People Power Party’s (PPP) nomination management committee, announced his resignation, saying he has concluded he can no longer pursue the direction he had envisioned. He said that during the nomination process he strongly felt the need for change and reform and

On December 12, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, and the Jeollanam-do Police’s forensic science division inspected debris stored behind the airport fire station at Muan International Airport. Officials said 24 of the debris items were among those estimated to be

Kakao Mobility, the operator of Korea’s largest taxi-hailing platform KakaoT, says it will accelerate a shift from a mobility service to a “physical AI”-based technology company, leveraging its vast mobility data and digital-transformation capabilities. In a letter to all employees delivered on the 12th, CEO Ryu Geung-seon said

South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. is poised to appoint an external CEO, with Hwang Sang-yeon, head of private equity at HB Investment, widely regarded as the leading candidate to take the helm. If confirmed at the company’s shareholder meeting on the 31st, he would be the first chief

A new Korean-language book, Health Subscription Society by pharmacist Jeong Jae-hoon, published by Epike, runs about 320 pages and is priced at 20,000 won. It starts from the premise that health today is less a matter of treating disease and more a daily, self-managed project. The book asks whether

The National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee has approved the National Medical School Establishment Act, a bill that would create a government-funded national medical school. President Lee Jae-myung welcomed the committee’s move and praised the lawmakers who led the bill, particularly Park Ju-min, chair of the Welfare Committee.

Naver, South Korea’s internet-services powerhouse, disclosed its 2024 annual report on compensation for its executives and key staff. Chief executive Choi Soo-yeon earned a total of 30.29 billion won in compensation last year, a roughly 54% rise from 2024’s 19.69 billion won. Her pay included a

A parliamentary hearing into the Itaewon disaster opened in Seoul on the 11th to determine what happened and who is responsible. The session, the first of its kind in years, seeks to establish accountability for the crowd crush that overwhelmed Seoul’s nightlife district more than three years and five