Journalist

Park Jong-ho
  • Court Jails Influencer’s Husband in Alleged Police Cover-Up; Officer Arrest Denied
    Court Jails Influencer’s Husband in Alleged Police Cover-Up; Officer Arrest Denied A businessman accused of asking a police officer to cover up his influencer wife’s fraud case was arrested, while the officer suspected of helping him avoided detention. Judge Hwang Jung-yeon of the Seoul Southern District Court on April 22 issued an arrest warrant for a man identified only as Lee, who is accused of offering bribes and violating the Capital Markets Act, citing concerns he could destroy evidence after a warrant review hearing. Lee’s spouse, identified only as A, is an influencer who also worked as a model for a Pilates academy. She was accused around July 2024 by franchisees of fraud and violating the Franchise Business Act. In December that year, Seoul’s Gangnam Police Station decided there was no basis to pursue the case. Prosecutors suspect Lee met a superintendent from Gangnam Police Station, identified only as Song, through an officer he knew, treated him at a room salon and provided money and valuables. Prosecutors also suspect Song leaked investigative information to Lee about A’s case, which was being handled by another team. Prosecutors sought arrest warrants for both men. It was prosecutors’ second attempt to detain Lee. Last month, prosecutors sought a warrant on suspicion he conspired with stock price manipulators — including a brokerage firm department head and businesspeople — to rig the share price of a KOSDAQ-listed company, but the court denied the request. With Lee now in custody, prosecutors plan additional investigation into the alleged cover-up and the stock manipulation allegations. The court denied the arrest warrant for Song, who is accused of taking bribes and leaking official secrets. Hwang said there is a dispute over whether the entertainment or money and valuables amounted to a bribe, making it necessary to protect Song’s right to defense. On the alleged leak of official secrets, Hwang said there is also a dispute over whether a crime was established, given the content and importance of the information provided and its impact on the overall investigation. Prosecutors said they will review the court’s reasoning and then decide whether to seek another warrant.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 21:33:19
  • Special Prosecutor Questions Cho Tae-yul on Alleged Martial Law Justification Message to U.S.
    Special Prosecutor Questions Cho Tae-yul on Alleged Martial Law Justification Message to U.S. Kwon Chang-young’s second comprehensive special prosecutor team, which is investigating remaining allegations after three special prosecutor teams (insurrection, Kim Keon Hee, and the late Marine) wrapped up, questioned former Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul as a witness over suspicions that former President Yoon Suk Yeol sought to send allied countries including the United States a message justifying martial law. The team said in a media notice on the 22nd that it questioned Cho about the circumstances in which the presidential office, immediately after the “12·3 insurrection,” allegedly instructed the Foreign Ministry to deliver a message to the United States aimed at justifying the martial law declaration. Investigators said the message included claims such as: “This measure is to defend liberal democracy,” and that the National Assembly had “paralyzed the executive branch” through impeachment motions and budget cuts and sought the “substantial destruction” of South Korea’s constitutional order, prompting a “political demonstration within constitutional bounds.” It also said Yoon “maintains a stance” against “pro-North leftists” and “anti-Americanism,” the team said. The team believes Yoon tried to deliver the message through former National Security Office chief Shin Won-sik and former first deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo. Earlier, on the 8th, the team searched Kim’s home and office. The warrant reportedly cited allegations that Shin and Kim played key roles in an insurrection and abused authority to obstruct the exercise of rights, and that Yoon abused authority.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 21:15:15
  • Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Says It Seized 3 Ships in Strait of Hormuz
    Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Says It Seized 3 Ships in Strait of Hormuz Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on April 22 (local time) it seized three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian military has been tightening what it calls an armed blockade of the strait after a second round of U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks collapsed and U.S. President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire deadline until negotiations are concluded. The Guard’s navy said it detained two container ships — the MSC Francesca and the Defaminodas — and took them into Iranian waters, alleging they tried to slip out of the strait without Iranian military authorization. It also claimed the MSC Francesca is linked to Israel and said the two ships repeatedly violated regulations and manipulated their automatic identification system, or AIS. Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that a third container ship, the Euphoria, was also seized by the Guard’s navy as it attempted to pass through the strait. The navy said it would “continuously monitor” any actions that obstruct enforcement of Iran’s declared rules for passage through the strategic waterway or run counter to safe navigation. The Associated Press reported the Guard fired on the three vessels before seizing them. Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that at about 7:55 a.m. a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked by Guard fast-attack craft. The vessel reported to UKMTO that it had not communicated with the fast-attack craft before being hit, but Iran’s state-run Nour News said the Guard opened fire after the ship ignored military warnings.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 20:57:21
  • Korea to Launch Auto Insurance Discounts for Drivers Joining License-Plate Rationing
    Korea to Launch Auto Insurance Discounts for Drivers Joining License-Plate Rationing Auto insurance products offering discounts to drivers who join the vehicle “5-day rotation” program are expected to be launched next month. Officials also said they will decide whether to implement a fourth round of an oil price cap after weighing market impact, global oil prices and the public burden. The Democratic Party, the government and the presidential office said they discussed those steps and other responses to the Middle East situation at a senior meeting held April 22 at the prime minister’s official residence in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. Kang Jun-hyeon, the Democratic Party’s senior spokesperson, said the nonlife insurance industry will roll out “a special rider” next month that discounts auto insurance premiums for drivers who participate in the 5-day rotation, providing benefits to people who voluntarily join energy-saving efforts. He said officials plan to draw up measures within this month to ease crowding on public transportation and broaden participation in energy conservation. He added they will also prepare steps to promote “green consumption,” including boosting tourism during the May holiday period. On the fourth oil price cap, the party, government and presidential office agreed to make a decision after comprehensively considering market effects, international factors and the burden on the public. During the meeting, the Democratic Party asked the government to respond more actively to minimize supply-chain disruptions affecting naphtha and crude oil. The government said it will manage the smooth import of 273 million barrels of crude oil and 2.1 million tons of naphtha that a strategic economic cooperation envoy team secured in Central Asia and the Middle East. It also said it will actively support crude imports through Yanbu Port in Saudi Arabia and proceed with a 670 billion won program, reflected in the supplementary budget, to cover the gap in naphtha import unit costs to support naphtha imports. Of the 26.2 trillion won supplementary budget, the government said it has selected 25 trillion won for management and plans to execute more than 85% of 10.5 trillion won in projects requiring rapid spending in the first half of the year. The party, government and presidential office said they will continue efforts to stabilize domestic supplies of energy and key raw materials amid rapidly shifting Middle East conditions. They also agreed to strengthen on-site inspections to ensure current measures to stabilize supply chains for naphtha, urea solution and syringes operate effectively. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 20:21:23
  • Unification Ministry Explains Jeong Dong-young’s Mention of Kusong in North Korea Nuclear Remarks
    Unification Ministry Explains Jeong Dong-young’s Mention of Kusong in North Korea Nuclear Remarks The Ministry of Unification said Jeong Dong-young’s recent public mention of Kusong, North Korea, as a location tied to uranium enrichment was based on a broad review of publicly available material, including remarks by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and reports by the Institute for Science and International Security.  In a reference handout distributed to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, the ministry said Jeong’s mention of “Kusong” was made while citing a keynote speech by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on March 2, and was intended to underscore “the seriousness and urgency” of the North Korean nuclear issue. It added that Jeong made a similar point at a ministerial confirmation hearing in July last year, also referring to Kusong as a place where a uranium enrichment facility is believed to be located.  The ministry said an ISIS report identified a site near North Korea’s Panghyon Air Base—including the Janggundaesan area and the Panghyon aircraft factory—as the location of a centrifuge development facility. It said many South Korean media outlets cited that report in reporting that a uranium enrichment facility was likely in Kusong, North Pyongan province.  The ministry also said a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies described how claims have repeatedly been raised that the Kusong area is linked to uranium-related nuclear development activity.  Jeong told reporters on April 20 that Kusong was mentioned in a CSIS report, but Victor Cha, a CSIS senior official, countered that he had not written such a report. The ministry’s handout appeared aimed at clarifying the basis for Jeong’s remarks.  The CSIS report focused on Kusong as a site for high-explosives testing tied to nuclear weapons development, and it did not describe Kusong as a uranium enrichment facility, as Cha said. The ministry said, however, that Kusong was discussed as part of North Korea’s nuclear program infrastructure.  The ministry also cited a 2010 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service that mentioned Kusong as a candidate location for a North Korean highly enriched uranium facility. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 19:51:17
  • LG Display to Invest 1.106 Trillion Won in New OLED Infrastructure
    LG Display to Invest 1.106 Trillion Won in New OLED Infrastructure LG Display is moving ahead with a new facility investment worth about 1 trillion won to bolster its organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, technology competitiveness. The company said it disclosed after a board meeting on the 22nd that it will invest 1.106 trillion won in new OLED infrastructure. It said the move is aimed at advancing OLED technology to strengthen its technological edge and growth foundation. The investment period runs from that day through June 30, 2028. LG Display said that following the OLED production facility investment it disclosed in 2025, it will continue upgrading its business structure around OLED with the latest spending. The company said it plans to focus its capabilities on solidifying technology leadership and strengthening future growth engines. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 19:30:14
  • South Korea Forecast: Rain in Parts of the South; Dust to Ease on Easterly Winds
    South Korea Forecast: Rain in Parts of the South; Dust to Ease on Easterly Winds Thursday the 23rd will be mostly cloudy nationwide, with continued cloud cover in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon Province. Rain is expected to persist in parts of the south. Forecast rainfall over the two days starting on the 22nd is 30 to 80 millimeters on Jeju Island (excluding the north), 10 to 40 millimeters in northern Jeju, 5 to 20 millimeters in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province and along the southern coasts of Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, and less than 5 millimeters in Ulsan and inland areas of South Gyeongsang. Morning lows are forecast at 6 to 12 degrees Celsius, with daytime highs of 14 to 23 C. Inland areas of the central region will see a large day-to-night temperature swing of around 15 degrees. Air quality is expected to be poor through the morning due to lingering yellow dust and fine particles from overseas. PM-10 levels are forecast to be "bad" in the capital region, Gangwon, Chungcheong and North Jeolla, while PM-2.5 is expected to be "bad" through the morning in southern Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong. From the afternoon, easterly winds are expected to move in and lower fine-dust concentrations. Waves are forecast at 0.5 to 2.5 meters in the East and South seas and 0.5 to 1.5 meters in the West Sea. In offshore waters (about 200 kilometers from the coast), wave heights are expected at 0.5 to 3.0 meters in the East Sea, 0.5 to 2.5 meters in the West Sea and 1.0 to 3.5 meters in the South Sea.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 18:24:16
  • Democratic Party lawmaker Park Chan-dae launches Incheon mayor bid, touts ABC+E growth plan
    Democratic Party lawmaker Park Chan-dae launches Incheon mayor bid, touts 'ABC+E' growth plan Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Incheon mayor, said at an official campaign launch news conference on the 22nd that he would “get Incheon’s engine running again” with what he called the city’s “ABC+E” future strategy. After declaring his candidacy, Park visited a biotech site — one pillar of the plan — and unveiled seven biotech pledges. Speaking in the Aetteul Plaza outside Incheon City Hall, Park said Incheon has been “moving backward” because it lacked “a clear vision for the future.” He said the ABC+E strategy would turn Incheon into a place “overflowing with high-paying jobs.” ABC+E combines the initials of artificial intelligence, bio, contents and energy as a mid- to long-term growth strategy for Incheon. His pledges include: promoting AI automation for logistics at Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port; building an AI connected-car hub and a “global AI auto valley” in Cheongna; developing Songdo as a global hub for new drug development; creating a 50,000-seat Munhak K-culture stadium and building 11 content-industry clusters; and moving to secure an offshore wind power ecosystem, push for tiered electricity rates, and restart efforts for a distributed-energy special zone. Park said Incheon’s average total annual pay for wage workers stands at 41.83 million won, ranking 10th nationwide. “Incheon residents should be properly rewarded for the work they do,” he said, pledging to raise the city’s average annual salary by 2030 to the national top five, with an average of 55 million won. After the announcement, Park visited a biotech company in Songdo, calling Incheon’s bio sector both a current and future growth engine. “The perfect opportunity has come to grow it into an industry that surpasses semiconductors,” he said, adding that the city would “pour in every capability it has” during what he called the biotech industry’s golden time. Park said if anchor companies in Incheon — Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, Lotte Biologics and SK Bioscience — focus on biosimilars, the city would focus on creating the best possible environment for developing new drugs. “I will make Incheon a city that excels at both biosimilars and new drugs,” he said. He then announced seven major biotech pledges: establishing the Korea Bio Science and Technology Institute; creating an Incheon bio fund and operating a Boston-style K-bio lab hub to spur startups and investment; improving the biotech business environment; converting the Incheon industrial complex into a key base for biotech parts and equipment; building a public-private cooperation system for the bio industry; attracting a public medical school; and hosting an Incheon Bio Expo. “I will add speed to K-bio innovation,” Park said, vowing to make real what he described as President Lee Jae-myung’s vision of becoming a “top five global powerhouse” in K-bio pharmaceuticals through his seven biotech pledges.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:02:06
  • Mug shots of alleged serial killer released
    Mug shots of alleged serial killer released SEOUL, March 9 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Monday released the mug shots of a suspect arrested for allegedly committing a series of killings. The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office released the suspect's photos along with personal information including her name and age, which will be made public until April 7. Kim So-young is accused of giving drinks containing benzodiazepine-class drugs to three men on separate occasions between mid-December and early February, causing two of them to die and one to lose consciousness but recover after treatment. Prosecutors also suspect she may have committed other crimes with laced drugs and that there could be more victims. During questioning, the 20-year-old admitted, "It's true that I mixed prescribed psychiatric medication into a hangover remedy and gave it to them," but added, "I didn't know they would die." Amid a sharp rise in a series of shocking crimes, such a disclosure becomes possible under relevant laws revised in 2010, which allow the publication of suspects' pictures in grave crimes such as homicide, serial killings, and the abduction or sexual abuse of children, but only when there are reasonable grounds to believe the suspect is the perpetrator and when it is deemed necessary for the public good. 2026-03-09 16:45:02
  • Cha Jun-hwan, Lee Hae-in bring Korean music to Olympic figure skating gala in Milan
    Cha Jun-hwan, Lee Hae-in bring Korean music to Olympic figure skating gala in Milan Cha Jun-hwan of Seoul City Hall and Lee Hae-in of Korea University, two of South Korea’s top figure skaters, took the ice in the Olympic gala show with programs set to Korean music.  They skated in the 2026 Milan-Cortina figure skating gala at Milan’s Ice Skating Arena. The gala is an exhibition in which selected Olympic skaters perform without required jumps and with freedom in costumes and music choices. It features medalists in men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dance, along with specially invited skaters chosen with competition results and fan requests in mind.  South Korea did not have a skater in the gala at the 2022 Beijing Games, but Cha and Lee performed this time.  The show opened with a performance by Italian women’s singles standout Carolina Kostner, who competed in the same era as South Korean star Kim Yuna.  Skating fourth in the second half, Cha performed to musician Song So-hee’s “Not a Dream.” He mixed triple jumps, step sequences and spins, drawing applause from the crowd.  “Falling in love with figure skating was about freedom, and when I heard this song I felt a lot of that freedom, so I chose it for the gala,” Cha said. “At the Olympics, a festival for people around the world, I wanted to perform to a song that could introduce Korea as a Korean representative, and I’m grateful I had the chance.” Cha said his 2018 Pyeongchang gala showed the bright, bold feel he could bring as a teenager, but that eight years later he has grown and took a bigger role in choreography. “I wanted to show my own story and message,” he said. Lee, who has often used K-pop in past gala appearances, skated this time to the theme song of the popular animated series “K-pop Demon Hunters.” Wearing a black gat hat and carrying a fan with a durumagi-style outfit, she delivered a lively performance that drew cheers. Lee said it was “special” to skate in the gala at her first Olympics. “It’s already disappointing that it’s over, and I’m excited to see what I’ll show at the next competition I enter,” she said.   Also performing were the men’s and women’s singles champions, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan and Alysa Liu of the United States.  Spain’s ice dance team of Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck staged a penalty kick with a soccer ball, performing in support of Spain’s national team and its hopes of winning the 2026 World Cup in North America.  Malinin, who had been viewed as a leading contender in men’s singles but missed the medals after repeated jump mistakes in competition, landed a high-difficulty quadruple toe loop and then a backflip, earning loud applause.  2026-02-22 07:27:00