WINNER's Song Min-ho gets suspended prison term for negligence in mandatory service

The Korea Times - Oct 1, 2026

A Seoul court sentenced Song Min-ho, a member of K-pop boy band WINNER, to a suspended prison term Thursday on charges of repeatedly failing to show up to work during his alternative mandatory service. The Seoul Western District Court handed down a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, for Song after finding him guilty of violating the Military Service Act. Song faced charges of failing to appear at his duty station for 102 days, inconsecutively, when he served as a social service agent at a facility in western Seoul from March 2023 to December 2024. "Military service is a duty to ensure the security and existence of the state, and must be faithfully fulfilled. Social service agents are no exception," the court said. Prosecutors had sought an 18-month prison term for Song. Before the ruling, Song said he felt regret for his actions and was apologetic to those who have cared for him. He did not respond to questions about whether he planned to serve his mandatory duty again. All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve at least 18 months in the military. Others are either e

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Gender equality minister says presidential office asked her to 'steady' ministry

Oct 1, 2026

Gender equality minister says presidential office asked her to 'steady' ministry

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong said Thursday the presidential office has asked her to "steady" her ministry, apparently signaling her retention after the nominee to replace her withdrew amid political controversy. Won made the remarks after Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her candidacy last month amid controversy over the former nominee's plans to keep her parliamentary seat if she was appointed as minister. When asked by reporters whether she would keep her post, Won responded that Cheong Wa Dae had requested that she "steady the organization" following Yong's withdrawal. "(I) will make efforts with the staff to steadfastly push for the policy tasks reported to the president and the public in July," she said in a briefing marking the first anniversary of the ministry's reorganization. The ministry was newly launched under a revised government reorganization law in October last year after facing possible disbandment under the previous administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The ministry has pushed for new projects under Won, including launching

Poll finds prosecutors trusted more than police

Oct 1, 2026

Poll finds prosecutors trusted more than police

Nearly half of Koreans say they trust the prosecution more than the police, highlighting the challenge facing the police ahead of the official abolition of the Prosecutors’ Office on Friday. In a poll conducted in September by Media Tomato of 1,035 adults nationwide, 47.5 percent of respondents said they trusted prosecutors more, compared with 28.4 percent who chose police officers. Another 24.1 percent said they were unsure. The prosecution led the police in public trust across every age group except those in their 60s, where the gap was still within the survey’s margin of error. Among respondents in their 20s, 54.1 percent chose the prosecution and 17.2 percent picked the police. The comparable figures were 60.5 percent and 18.3 percent for people in their 30s. The prosecution also held an edge among those in their 40s and 50s — age groups viewed as a key support base for the liberal governing bloc. Among those in their 40s, 43.7 percent chose the prosecution, compared with 33.3 percent for the police. Among those in their 50s, the figures were 42.9 percent and 34.4 percent, res

Seoul city urges gov't to slash red tape stifling culture and tourism

Oct 1, 2026

Seoul city urges gov't to slash red tape stifling culture and tourism

Seoul city officials have formally petitioned the central government to dismantle three bureaucratic hurdles that they argue are stalling the capital’s push to become a top-tier global cultural and tourism hub. The proposal, submitted Thursday by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to the Office for Government Coordination, targets outdated administrative requirements spanning international concert permits, online hotel verification and virtual reality content classification. Municipal leaders argue these rules impose unnecessary delays on local creative industries and undermine tourist trust. At the center of the push is a long-standing mandate requiring pre-approval from the Korea Media Rating Board for any live show featuring non-Korean performers. Under current law, even a single foreign guest artist on stage subjects the entire event to review, punishable by up to three years in prison or fines reaching 30 million won ($22,077). While intended to police foreign performers, the rule routinely entangles classical, traditional Korean music and K-pop concerts. Officials pointed out tha

President keeps NK dialogue push amid DMZ mine dispute

Oct 1, 2026

President keeps NK dialogue push amid DMZ mine dispute

President Lee Jae Myung pledged Thursday to continue taking practical steps to reduce military tensions with North Korea and urged Pyongyang to join efforts to restore dialogue. The message, delivered in his Armed Forces Day address, signaled that Lee intends to keep his engagement policy intact despite renewed friction over the latest land mine incident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). “The knots in inter-Korean relations are extremely complex, but we will steadily, patiently strive to untie them, one by one,” Lee said during a ceremony marking the 78th Armed Forces Day at Gyeryongdae, the military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province. “I hope that the North joins us now on the path of restoring trust and resuming dialogue, following a long interruption,” he added. The president went onto say that Seoul would “consistently pursue practical measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas,” stressing that the surest form of security is creating peace that makes fighting unnecessary. Lee’s remarks came a day after the South Korean military formally blamed Nor

Seoul prepares for driverless future with 500 autonomous buses by 2030

Oct 1, 2026

Seoul prepares for driverless future with 500 autonomous buses by 2030

In a move that could permanently reshape urban transit in one of Asia’s most densely populated metropolises, Seoul city officials announced an ambitious strategy, Thursday, to integrate 500 fully autonomous buses into regular city transit routes by 2030. The initiative took a major step forward when the Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a landmark agreement with Hyundai Motor Company and the Seoul Bus Transportation Business Association at City Hall. The tripartite partnership aims to bridge the gap between niche technological trials and full-scale public utility, laying the groundwork for driverless Level 4 automation across the city's bus network. Under the agreement, Hyundai will engineer and manufacture specialized 11-meter buses designed specifically for autonomous integration. Unlike standard vehicles retrofitted with aftermarket sensors, these factory-built models will feature electronic steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems, redundant safety controls and cyberattack defenses, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. "Seoul is taking the lead in connecting cutting-e

President appoints economic growth secretary as new policy chief

Oct 1, 2026

President appoints economic growth secretary as new policy chief

President Lee Jae Myung appointed senior presidential secretary for economic growth Ha Joon-kyung as his new policy chief, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Ha, an economist who has served in the presidential office since the Lee administration took office, will oversee a broader range of economic and social policies in his new role. Ha replaces Kim Yong-beom, who stepped down as policy chief last month amid criticism over the introduction of high-risk single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds and other controversial economic policies. “Ha is a leading scholar who has incorporated fair growth and efforts to reduce polarization into his growth strategy,” senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications Seong Ghi-hong said during a press briefing. Seong said Lee named Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Moon Shin-hak to succeed Ha as senior presidential secretary for economic growth. Lee also appointed Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who previously served as the party’s leader, as a special presidential adviser for peace

University of Seoul's Extracurricular Festa offers hands-on extracurricular experiences

Oct 1, 2026

University of Seoul's Extracurricular Festa offers hands-on extracurricular experiences

The University of Seoul hosted the 6th Extracurricular Festa at its campus on Sept. 22, offering students opportunities to experience a variety of extracurricular programs. The university said the annual event is its signature extracurricular education festival, where students can experience diverse extracurricular programs firsthand and share their achievements. “We will continue to strengthen our extracurricular programs so that students can take initiative in their learning and gain practical experience,” Won Yong-kul, president of the university, said. “We will do our utmost to establish a student-centered education system.” This year’s event featured promotional and hands-on booths for extracurricular programs, an awards ceremony recognizing achievements in extracurricular activities and a prize drawing for students who visited the booths. Twenty booths were set up to allow students to explore a wide range of areas, including academic majors, career paths, employment and personal development. One of the featured booths promoted Seoul Software Academy University Plus, the un

1 in 5 South Koreans aged 65 and older in 2026: data

Oct 1, 2026

1 in 5 South Koreans aged 65 and older in 2026: data

People aged 65 and older took up over 20 percent of South Korea's population this year amid rapid aging and the ultralow birthrate, data showed Thursday. The number of senior citizens stood at 11.12 million in 2026, accounting for 21.6 percent of the country's 51.6 million population, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The proportion makes South Korea a "super-aged society," and is to rise further to 30 percent in 2036 and over 40 percent in 2050, according to the ministry. The number of households headed by senior citizens came to 6.5 million, accounting for 28.8 percent of all households in the country. Of the 6.5 million households, 38 percent were single-person households, which has been increasing since 2015. Households led by senior citizens are forecast to rise further to account for 50.6 percent of the total households in the country in 2052. The remaining life expectancy for those aged 65 was estimated at 21.7 years on average as of 2024, with the figure for men coming to 19.5 years and 23.7 years for women. The net assets of households headed by senior

Court dismisses request to remove statue of ex-President Park Chung-hee in Daegu

Oct 1, 2026

Court dismisses request to remove statue of ex-President Park Chung-hee in Daegu

A regional court on Thursday dismissed a request to remove a statue of late former President Park Chung-hee installed outside a train station in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Daegu District Court dismissed the case filed by the Korea National Railway, a state-owned rail infrastructure management company, against the Daegu metropolitan government, some 21 months after the statue was erected on the plaza outside Dongdaegu Station. The railway corporation had argued that the municipal government installed the statue on state-owned property without proper prior consultation. The city government countered that it holds lawful administrative authority over the plaza and that targeting Park's statue while permitting other structures on the site was unfair. The statue was erected under former conservative Mayor Hong Joon-pyo as a tribute to the former conservative leader, who ruled the country for 18 years following a 1961 military coup until his assassination in 1979. Its presence has divided activists and the local community as conservatives praise Park for driving the nation's rapid indu

Lee's approval rating remains unchanged at 43%: poll

Oct 1, 2026

Lee's approval rating remains unchanged at 43%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating remained unchanged at a record low of 43 percent this week, a poll showed Thursday. In a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from Monday to Wednesday, Lee's disapproval rating rose 2 percentage points to 50 percent from the previous poll conducted three weeks earlier. It marked Lee's highest disapproval rating in an NBS poll. When asked about the direction of state affairs, 43 percent said the Lee administration was heading in the right direction, while 50 percent said it was moving in the wrong direction. Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 4 percentage points to 35 percent, while backing for the main opposition People Power Party stood unchanged from the previous survey at 25 percent. The poll, conducted on 1,000 people aged 18 and older, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Gender ministry to focus on tangible improvements for everyday life

Oct 1, 2026

Gender ministry to focus on tangible improvements for everyday life

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Thursday that it will roll out a range of measures aimed at bringing tangible changes to everyday life. The ministry was expanded and reorganized on Oct. 1 last year with a broader mandate to promote gender equality for both women and men and ensure equal rights and opportunities regardless of gender. “Over the past year, we focused on rebuilding the foundation for gender equality policies and bringing government support closer to those in need,” Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung said. “In our second year, we will focus on delivering tangible changes that people can feel in their daily lives.” The ministry will prioritize protecting victims’ rights amid changes to the criminal justice system, including by expanding free legal assistance from the early stages of investigations. It will also step up efforts to combat digital sex crimes, including deepfake sexual abuse material. It plans to strengthen regulations across the entire process, from the distribution and use of tools used to create such content to its

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