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Russian envoy stresses restoration of bilateral ties with South Korea amid diplomatic strain SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - Russian Ambassador to South Korea Georgy Zinoviev pushed for repairing relations between Moscow and Seoul during a diplomatic reception Tuesday, pointing to recent remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin to back his stance. Hosting the Day of Russia event at the embassy in Seoul, Zinoviev pointed out that while the two nations have shared decades of strong cooperation, their relationship is currently dealing with serious roadblocks. "Nonetheless, as President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin has emphasized, we continue to count on their restoration," Zinoviev told the crowd. He argued that South Koreans still hold a deep-rooted interest in Russian culture and a broadly friendly attitude toward the country. This underlying goodwill, he said, will help smooth the way for rebuilding relations once the right conditions are met. Zinoviev's speech comes during a particularly low point for Moscow and Seoul. Bilateral ties nosedived after Russia attacked Ukraine in early 2022. When South Korea joined the international community in placing economic sanctions on Moscow, Russia fired back by officially labeling South Korea an unfriendly country. The diplomatic rift widened in 2024 as Moscow tightened its military alignment with Pyongyang. Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership during a summit in Pyongyang, which included mutual defense clauses. South Korea heavily criticized the pact, along with the suspected transfer of North Korean weapons to Russia, calling it a blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Touching on regional security during his speech, Zinoviev said untangling the current issues on the Korean Peninsula will require a group effort. He called for dialing back military tensions and establishing comprehensive security guarantees that actually factor in everyone's concerns. On the topic of the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions, the ambassador did not back down. He argued that the sanctions meant to squeeze the Russian economy have instead fast-tracked the country's economic independence and technological growth. 2026-06-09 21:37:01 -
President Lee: Record Growth in National Income Signals Economic Progress President Lee Jae-myung highlighted the latest national income statistics from the Bank of Korea, stating, "I will do my best to ensure that the leap in the South Korean economy translates into growth for all citizens." In a Facebook post on June 9, President Lee noted that the real Gross National Income (GNI) growth rate reached 9.2% in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter, marking the highest level since the data was first recorded in 1960. He added that the GNI increased by 13.2% compared to the same period last year, the highest in 37 years since 1988. The nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate also saw a significant rise of 10.5% from the previous quarter, the highest in 50 years since 1976. GNI represents the total income earned by residents through domestic and international economic activities and serves as a key indicator of purchasing power and living standards. President Lee emphasized the positive impact of economic growth on fiscal conditions, stating, "This year, the national debt ratio is expected to significantly decrease to the mid-40% range, and tax revenues are projected to increase substantially." He added that this would strengthen fiscal soundness and enhance the capacity for investment in future generations. He also remarked, "Considering the strengthening of the National Pension Fund, our community's finances are much stronger than when the government took office," and noted that growth rates for all quarters since the administration began have been revised upward. "For these achievements to be truly felt in the lives and daily routines of our citizens, we must strive to make South Korea an 'indispensable nation,'" he concluded, reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the economic leap translates into growth for all citizens.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 21:36:00 -
Election Commission Addresses 'Twin Vote' Controversy as Coincidence The Election Commission has responded to the controversy surrounding identical vote counts for major candidates in some regions during the June 3 local elections, stating that these occurrences were merely coincidental. On June 9, the Jeonnam Election Commission released a statement addressing the identical vote counts for Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party and Lee Jeong-hyeon of the People Power Party in certain areas of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special Mayor election. The commission stated, "Analysis of the counting data shows that the overall voting data differed, and the identical vote counts were purely coincidental." According to the Jeonnam Election Commission, in Goheung County's Geumsan-myeon and Gwangju's Songjeong 1-dong, Min received 1,401 votes while Lee received 120 votes, resulting in the same outcome. In Yeosu's Samil-dong and Sinan County's Ha-ui-myeon, Min received 506 votes and Lee 42 votes, which were also identical. Similar results were recorded in Boseong County's Nodong-myeon and Sinan County's Palgeum-myeon, where both candidates received 356 votes and 42 votes, respectively. In Hwasun County's Iyang-myeon and Gangjin County's Byeongyeong-myeon, both candidates received 444 votes and 46 votes, respectively. The Jeonnam Election Commission explained that the identical figures resulted from a manual review and aggregation of ballots that had been flagged for re-examination after the initial sorting by ballot sorting machines. They dismissed any possibility of manipulation, stating, "The results coincidentally matched despite being counted by different people in different locations." Similar instances were noted in the Incheon mayoral election. In the early voting in Incheon's Songdo 1-dong and Songdo 2-dong, Democratic Party candidate Park Chan-dae received 3,030 votes, while People Power Party candidate Yoo Jeong-bok received 1,440 votes in both areas. The Incheon Election Commission also issued a statement, asserting that the total number of voters and the vote counts for other candidates in these two regions were different, thereby refuting any allegations of vote manipulation. The Election Commission emphasized that representatives from each party and candidate were present throughout the entire counting process, ensuring that fraudulent counting could not occur. They urged the public to refrain from spreading baseless allegations simply because of the rare occurrence of identical results.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 20:48:00 -
President Lee Thanks Philippine Authorities for Arrest in 2016 Murder Case President Lee Jae-myung expressed gratitude to Philippine authorities following the arrest of a key suspect in the murder of Korean businessman Ji Ik-joo, who was killed in the Philippines in 2016. On June 9, President Lee announced on social media platform X that a former local police officer, who was involved in the murder of a South Korean citizen, had been apprehended after months of investigation. He thanked the Philippine authorities for their efforts, adding, "I appreciate the hard work of the police, the National Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rafael Dumlao, the main suspect in Ji's case, was arrested by local police in Manila on the same day. Dumlao, a former team leader in the Philippine National Police's Drug Enforcement Agency, is accused of kidnapping Ji from his home in Angeles City in October 2016, along with subordinate officers, and subsequently murdering him at a police facility. He evaded capture during the investigation but was located and arrested nearly one year and nine months later, following the issuance of an arrest warrant in September 2024 and collaborative efforts between the South Korean Embassy in the Philippines, the Korean Desk, and the Philippine police. The case has been highlighted as a significant example of violent crime against Koreans in the Philippines and has been a major diplomatic issue between the two countries. During his state visit to the Philippines in March, President Lee discussed the case at a meeting with the Korean community and urged for swift action in apprehending the suspects. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his commitment to resolving the case, while President Lee mentioned that the South Korean government was considering support measures.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 20:36:00 -
Court Orders Preservation of Evidence in Jamsil Voting Incident A South Korean court has decided to preserve certain evidence related to the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections in the Jamsil area. On June 9, the Seoul Eastern District Court's Chief Judge Kim Ji-yeon partially accepted a request for evidence preservation filed by Kim Jeong-cheol, a senior member of the Reform Party and a candidate for Seoul mayor. The court designated for preservation a box containing 1,900 printed ballots and packaging materials stored at the Jamsil 7-dong Second polling station in Songpa District. Additionally, CCTV footage capturing the interior of the polling stations and the storage of ballot boxes from ten polling places affected by the ballot shortage will also be preserved. Records from group chats, messaging apps, and text messages used by election commission staff are also included in the preservation order. However, the court denied the request to preserve the actual ballots used at the polling stations where the shortage occurred, as well as the ballot boxes that were moved to the Seoul Olympic Park Handball Stadium for counting. Judge Kim is scheduled to conduct an on-site inspection at the Jamsil 7-dong Second polling station on June 10 at 3 PM. The evidence collected during this inspection is expected to undergo a sealing process before being stored by the court. This evidence preservation request was made by Kim Jeong-cheol on June 8, ahead of a planned lawsuit to invalidate the Seoul mayoral election. Earlier, Kim announced on social media on June 8, "Ballots, records, internal communications from the election commission, and videos will disappear over time," and stated that he would submit the 'evidence preservation request' to the Seoul Eastern District Court alongside Cheon Ha-ram, the party's floor leader.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 20:24:00 -
Shortage of Voting Ballots Surges to 7,194, 1.5 Times Initial Estimate During the June 3 local elections, a total of 7,194 voting ballots were reported to be missing from 91 polling stations across the country. This figure is approximately 1.5 times higher than the initial estimate released by the Central Election Management Commission (CEMC). On June 9, Representative Jeong Hee-yong of the People Power Party revealed data obtained from the CEMC, indicating that 7,194 ballots were insufficient on the day of the election at the 91 polling stations. Previously, on June 5, the CEMC had reported a shortage of 4,726 ballots at 50 polling stations nationwide. The number increased significantly after further assessments were conducted. Regionally, Seoul experienced the highest shortage, with 4,206 ballots missing. The polling station with the greatest deficit was the 7th polling station in Jamsil 4-dong, Songpa District, which reported a shortage of 436 ballots. Following that, the 4th polling station in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam District, had a shortage of 383 ballots, the 4th polling station in Ganseok 1-dong, Namdong District, reported 306 missing ballots, the 6th polling station in Guui 3-dong, Gwangjin District, had 278 ballots missing, and the 6th polling station in Jangwi 1-dong, Seongbuk District, reported a shortage of 277 ballots. Additionally, the 2nd polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, which was blocked due to protests on election day, also reported a shortage of 179 ballots. Voting was halted at 26 polling stations due to the ballot shortage, with interruptions lasting from a minimum of 4 minutes at the 4th polling station in Dogok 2-dong, Gangnam District, to a maximum of 105 minutes at the 2nd polling station in Jamsil 2-dong, Songpa District. The shortest interruption occurred at the 4th polling station in Dogok 2-dong, where voting was paused for 4 minutes. In contrast, the 2nd polling station in Jamsil 2-dong experienced the longest disruption, lasting 105 minutes. However, the CEMC noted that the exact duration of voting interruptions could not be confirmed for three polling stations: the 2nd polling station in Munjeong 2-dong, the 5th polling station in Jamsil 4-dong, and the 7th polling station in Jamsil 2-dong. Representative Jeong stated, "The unprecedented shortage of voting ballots has infringed upon the public's right to participate in elections. The CEMC must be held accountable for its incompetence and irresponsibility." He further emphasized the need for a thorough investigation and preventive measures through special investigations, national inquiries, and revisions to relevant laws.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 20:12:00 -
Joint Investigation Team Formed to Address Voting Paper Shortage A joint investigation team has been established at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to investigate the "voting paper shortage incident" that occurred during the June 3 local elections. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced on June 9 that the prosecutors and police will work together to thoroughly and swiftly clarify issues that hindered citizens' exercise of their voting rights during the elections. The team will consist of 27 members, including 12 prosecutors and 15 police officers. Kim Tae-hoon, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, has been appointed as the head of the team. Kim is recognized for his expertise in public security, having previously served as the head of the Election Investigation Support Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and as the head of the Public Investigation Division 3 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. He also served as the spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice last year. The deputy head of the team will be Go Tae-wan, the head of the 112 Comprehensive Situation Room at the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency. Go has accumulated experience in public crime investigations while working in various units, including the Public Crime Investigation Unit and the Violent Crime Investigation Unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Additionally, the police plan to assign one lieutenant and 13 investigators below the rank of lieutenant to the team. The formation of this joint investigation team is a follow-up action based on President Lee Jae-myung's directive. On June 7, President Lee stated via social media that he instructed the establishment of a joint investigation team involving both prosecutors and police to clarify accountability and thoroughly investigate the incident. Following this, the prosecutors and police completed the organization and personnel appointments within two days after practical discussions. However, the establishment of an office, the opening of computer networks, and the review of records are still pending, which may delay the actual start of the investigation. The prosecutors indicated that even before the official launch of the team, dedicated investigation teams from both the prosecutors and police would collaborate to proceed with the investigation.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 20:03:00 -
Nexters Onboards RPG 'Throne of Chaos' to Cross Platform Nexters announced on June 9 that it has onboarded the collectible strategy role-playing game (RPG) 'Throne of Chaos' to the Cross platform. Set in a dark fantasy universe, 'Throne of Chaos' features a seasonal battlefield with a 60-day cycle, offering strategic competition and large-scale guild battles. The game is designed to provide continuous competitive motivation through a structure that refreshes ranking competitions and rewards each season. The game incorporates a tokenomics structure that emphasizes the stability and reliability of in-game currency. Players can earn the core currency, 'TOCC,' through player-versus-player (PvP) battles and seasonal rewards. This currency can be converted into the on-chain token '$TOC' for use within the Cross ecosystem. A positive feedback loop is also established to maintain token value. A portion of the fees generated during the issuance of $TOC will be burned or returned to the seasonal reward pool, aiming to stabilize the long-term value of the token through burning and redistribution. Meanwhile, Nexters has recently upgraded to Mainnet 2.0, transitioning from a holdings-based to a participation-based network and launching the direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform 'Cross Game Hub' to enhance its platform. The Cross Game Hub is a D2C game commerce platform that allows game companies to build their own web shops and sell products directly to global users without going through app markets. By inputting App Store and Google Play URLs, AI automatically generates product listings, themes, and banners, enabling web shop creation within 30 minutes using a no-code builder. Additionally, Nexters restructured its business at the end of last month into three areas: 'GameChain' for Web3 infrastructure, 'GameHub' for connecting user acquisition, payments, and creator rewards, and 'Agent Gaming,' where AI agents participate as players and economic entities. This restructuring allows Web2 game companies to enter the Cross ecosystem without separate Web3 development, suggesting the potential for expanding game economies by combining AI and blockchain.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 19:57:00 -
Trial for Daegu Mayor-elect Choo Kyung-ho Postponed to June 17 The trial of Choo Kyung-ho, the elected mayor of Daegu, on charges of insurrection has been postponed again. In contrast, the trial of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon for violating political funding laws will proceed as scheduled on June 10. According to legal sources on June 9, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 34, led by Judge Han Seong-jin, has rescheduled the hearing for Choo's case, initially set for June 10, to June 17. The change in date follows the submission of an absence notice by Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, who was designated as a witness. Choo's legal team argued that the trial could not effectively proceed without Ahn's presence and requested the change on June 8. Choo's team stated, "We requested the date change due to the possibility of the trial being delayed because of Ahn's absence, not due to any issues on Choo's part." Choo was indicted in December of last year. Prosecutors allege that during a state of emergency, he, as the then-leader of the People Power Party, obstructed a vote on a proposal to lift the emergency declaration by repeatedly changing the location of a party meeting at the request of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Meanwhile, Oh Se-hoon's trial for violating political funding laws will take place as planned on June 10. Oh's legal team initially sought a postponement due to a scheduling conflict with the Seoul City Council, but they decided to withdraw the request after the council's schedule was pushed back. The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22, presided over by Judge Jo Hyung-woo, had previously canceled all trial dates in May to accommodate the local election schedule and postponed the hearings until after the elections. On June 17, the court is expected to conduct a hearing for Oh, including questioning of the defendant and final opinions from the special prosecutor's team led by Min Jung-ki, along with sentencing recommendations. Oh is facing charges for allegedly receiving polling results from political broker Myung-tae Kyun ten times before the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, with related costs covered by a business sponsor.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 19:42:00 -
People Power Party Proposes Special Investigation Law Over Ballot Shortage in Local Elections The People Power Party has submitted a special investigation bill in response to the ballot shortage issue during the June 3 local elections, following a request for a national investigation. On June 9, all members of the People Power Party introduced a bill titled "Special Investigation Law for the Investigation of Allegations of Election Fraud and Infringement of Citizens' Voting Rights during the 9th Local Elections." The lead sponsor is Yoo Sang-bum, the party's floor leader. This move comes after the party submitted a request for a national investigation the previous day, intensifying pressure on the ruling party. According to the bill, the special prosecutor will investigate allegations related to the ballot shortage, forced counting, excessive use of public power, illegal removal of ballot boxes, and tampering with ballot box transport routes and seals. If concrete evidence is found, the investigation could extend beyond the June 3 local elections to other elections. The bill also stipulates that the president will appoint one of two nominees recommended by the People Power Party, and the entire special investigation team will consist of 251 members. The investigation period is set for a maximum of 170 days. During a press conference held on the same day, Joo Jin-woo stated, "An independent investigation free from power is necessary, so we have excluded the Democratic Party's right to recommend a special prosecutor," emphasizing that the situation has made it impossible to trust the Central Election Management Commission's own announcements, and that the truth can only be uncovered through a compulsory investigation. Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk also held a press conference, addressing Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae, saying, "Yesterday (June 8), we expressed our agreement to the special investigation, and there was communication among the floor leadership. Let's meet to discuss advancing the special investigation law." Meanwhile, the People Power Party had previously submitted a request for a national investigation into the ballot situation on June 8. They argue that both parties should have nine members participating, with a member from their party serving as the chair. In relation to this, the Democratic Party also submitted a request for a national investigation on the same day and expressed their willingness to pursue a special investigation if necessary.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-09 19:30:00