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Annual report highlights media censorship despite 'no significant changes' in South Korea's human rights situation SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - The U.S. raised concerns over media censorship, restrictions on freedom of expression, and worker's rights in South Korea in its annual human rights report released on Tuesday. Despite "no significant changes in the human rights situation" in the country, the State Department enumerated several cases, that occurred last year, including "credible reports of restrictions on freedom of expression" and some violations of workers' rights and discriminations. "Media outlets and unions expressed concern about restrictions on freedom of the press and expression and questioned the impartiality of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), a quasigovernmental media watchdog whose nine commissioners were political appointees," the report pointed out. Taking the case of the yearlong strikes by doctors protesting the government's medical reform plan to increase medical school admissions and the penalties they face, it also wrote, "The law provides most workers the right to form and join independent unions, conduct strikes within strict limits, and bargain collectively, though certain limitations apply." With the country seeing an increasing influx of foreign workers, the report said, "In general, the government effectively enforced laws on wages and acceptable working conditions in most sectors, but migrants faced discriminatory laws." 2025-08-13 14:30:54 -
South Korean crypto fraudster pleads guilty to fraud charges in US SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Crypto fraudster Kwon Do-hyeong, also known as Do Kwon, pleaded guilty to fraud charges at a federal court hearing in New York on Monday. The so-called "Cryptocrash King" was behind the spectacular collapse of the TerraUSD and Luna cyber that caused over $40 billion in losses to investors in the U.S. and around the world. As part of a plea bargaining deal, the former entrepreneur of Singapore-based Terraform Labs, who faced up to 25 years in prison, admitted to charges of conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud, with prosecutors agreeing not to seek a sentence longer than 12 years while confiscating around US$26.5 billion and other assets. In addition, if Kwon serves half of his sentence and abides by his plea-bargaining agreements, U.S. authorities have also agreed to accept his possible request for their international prisoner transfer program, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison term in South Korea. "I made false and misleading statements about why it regained its peg by failing to disclose a trading firm's role in restoring that peg," Kwon apologized for his conduct in court. "What I did was wrong." Kwon had claimed his innocence since being extradited from Montenegro in January, where he was arrested in March 2023 while attempting to board a flight using several forged passports. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment. The TerraUSD collapse sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency industry, as the stablecoin was designed to maintain a $1 peg through an algorithmic system. Prosecutors alleged that trading firms artificially propped up the token's price, contradicting Terraform Labs' public claims that its autonomous mechanism, known as the "Terra Protocol" restored the coin's value. Kwon's sentencing, which will determine his final prison term, is scheduled for Dec. 11. If he eventually manages to return to Seoul, there remains a chance that he could face separate charges here. 2025-08-13 11:25:51 -
Ex-first lady arrested over multiple charges SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was arrested late Tuesday after a court issued an arrest warrant over a series of allegations. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant around midnight for the wife of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol, citing the risk of tampering with evidence after a hearing earlier in the day. With her arrest, Kim and Yoon became the country's first former presidential couple to be held at the same time, as her husband has been detained at a remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province since early last month over charges related to his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. Allegedly having partly colluded with Yoon, Kim has been accused of accepting bribes including a luxury handbag and jewelry, being involved in a stock manipulation scheme, and interfering in candidate nominations during the 2022 by-elections. Kim reportedly denied all allegations during the hearing, with her lawyers pleading for consideration of her poor health. They also emphasized that she had fully cooperated with the investigation and had no intention of fleeing. However she could not avoid arrest as independent prosecutors presented some evidence of bribery. Kim, who lost all her privileges as an ex-first lady including security details immediately after her arrest, was moved to a different remand prison in southern Seoul from Yoon, with prosecutors allowed to hold her for up to 20 days for further investigation. 2025-08-13 09:49:42 -
PHOTOS: Event showcases beauty of hanbok SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - The beauty of hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, continues to capture global attention, fueled by the huge popularity of South Korean dramas and films overseas. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, a four-day event was held last week in southern Seoul to ride the wave of hanbok's rising popularity, showcasing a diverse range of hanbok from over 150 brands. The collection included elegant, classical styles as well as creative and practical designs with modern touches by young designers, along with bags featuring traditional quilting techniques. The annual event, which marked the eighth time this year, offered participants a chance to learn about hanbok, which represents the country's aesthetic tradition, evolving in contemporary fashion with its sophisticated lines, vibrant colors, and elegant silhouette. Visitors were able to try on and purchase hanbok along with traditional accessories while appreciating the various hanbok on display. Free admission was also offered to those wearing hanbok, encouraging more people to be spotted at the event in traditional dress. Even those who were unable to wear hanbok could explore the event with an affordable admission fee of 5,000 won (about US$3–4). A fashion show featuring various hanbok for children and adults, with themes based on the country’s four distinctive seasons, was also held on the first day of the event last Thursday. Many booths featured their own unique themes including one where visitors could experience ddakji, a traditional paper tile game that gained fame through Netflix's hit series "Squid Game." 2025-08-12 18:08:16 -
Ex-first lady awaits court's decision on arrest warrant SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - The Seoul Central District Court is set to decide whether to arrest former first lady Kim Keon Hee over a series of allegations. The wife of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived at the court in the morning for a hearing that lasted about four hours, before being taken to a remand prison in southern Seoul to await the court's decision. Kim has been accused of accepting bribes including a luxury handbag and jewelry, being involved in a stock manipulation scheme, and interfering in candidate nominations during the 2022 by-elections. Independent prosecutors investigating her said Kim poses a high risk of destroying evidence after denying all charges during her previous questioning last week. But her lawyers insist that she had fully cooperated with the probe, had no intention of fleeing, and was in poor health. Yoon, the impeached ex-president and Kim's husband, is currently detained in a different remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province over charges related to his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. If her arrest is issued, they would become the first former presidential couple in the country's history to be held simultaneously. 2025-08-12 17:22:52 -
Jobseekers face toughest market amid manufacturing slump SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Amid the prolonged economic downturn, the country’s toughest job market meant there were only 0.4 positions available per jobseeker last month, the lowest level seen in more than two decades. According to a monthly report released on Monday by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of jobs available per jobseeker fell to 0.4 in July, down from 0.51 a year ago and also the lowest since July 1999. Job ads posted on government recruitment sites totaled approximately 165,000, down about 16.9 percent from the previous year, while the number of jobseekers rose 5.5 percent to around 411,000 during the same period. The ministry attributed the deteriorating job market to a worsening shortage of manufacturing-sector jobs, exacerbated by challenges in production and exports. Relevant figures reflect this trend, as the number of employment insurance subscribers dropped by some 5,000 workers in manufacturing and 19,000 in construction amid a prolonged industry slump lasting more than two years. But service industries and healthcare and welfare industries managed to add more jobs, among the country's total 15.6 million workers with employment insurance as of July. Applicants for unemployment benefits remained relatively stable at 111,000 in July, down slightly from the previous year. However, total benefit payments rose 3.3 percent to 1.1 trillion won as more unemployed workers and jobseekers have lingered for several more months in finding their new jobs. 2025-08-12 17:01:03 -
Business leaders from South Korea and Viet Nam forge partnership at forum in Seoul SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Business leaders from South Korea and Viet Nam gathered for a forum in Seoul on Tuesday to explore new opportunities for economic cooperation and strengthen partnership between the two countries. Co-hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Vietnamese Embassy, and Viet Nam's Ministry of Finance, the forum took place, coinciding with the visit of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam—the first visit by a Vietnamese top leader to South Korea in about a decade. The forum brought together over 500 participants including business executives from big companies such as Samsung Electronics, SK Innovation, LG CNS and Lotte Shopping as well as senior government officials. Participants from Viet Nam included the deputy prime minister, the ministers of finance and industry, as well as leaders from major companies such as PetroVietnam and Viettel Group. Discussions focused on cooperation in various sectors including digital technology, advanced industries, semiconductors, renewable energy, and supply chains. Companies from both sides also presented plans for collaboration. The forum also featured the signing of 84 memorandums of understanding between 47 South Korean companies and institutions and 37 Vietnamese counterparts covering energy, shipbuilding, aviation, AI, advanced materials and drones. Since diplomatic ties were established in 1992, bilateral trade has grown from $500 million to $86.7 billion in 2023, making Viet Nam South Korea's third-largest trading partner after China and the U.S. South Korea is also Viet Nam's largest foreign investor with $92.5 billion in cumulative investment and about 10,000 South Korean companies operating there. 2025-08-12 16:22:13 -
KT posts record quarterly operating profit driven by robust AI-related business SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Telecom giant KT Corp posted 1.01 trillion won of operating profit in the second quarter, it said on Monday. The highest quarterly profit in its history was driven by its artificial intelligence (AI)-related business that grew 13.8 percent on-year. Its consolidated revenue also stood at 7.43 trillion won (or US$5.4 billion) during the period between April and June, a 13.5 percent increase from the same quarter last year. Even excluding approximately 390 billion won earned from one-off asset sales, its sales performance still exceeded market expectations. Revenues from wireless communications grew by a modest 1.6 percent compared to a year ago, while the AI business division achieved double-digit growth, emerging as the company's key growth engine. Its CEO, Kim Young-shub already declared AI as one of the company's main sources of revenue for the future at the annual Mobile World Congress which was held in Barcelona in February this tear and vowed to integrate it with information and communications technology. As part of such efforts, KT plans to unveil a language-related model in collaboration with Microsoft and also launch a cloud service featuring "confidential computing" technology with enhanced security in the second half of this year, which is expected to improve its sales in the second half of this year. It also hopes to benefit from its deal with American data analytics firm Palantir in March, making it the only South Korean company with strategic partnerships with both Microsoft and Palantir. But challenges remain in the public-sector business after failing to qualify for the government's massive consortium program supporting AI projects. Industry analysts expect that KT could overcome this setback by leveraging private-sector demand through partnerships with the two U.S. tech companies. 2025-08-12 16:04:01 -
Commemorative US coin honoring activist of Korean decent issued this week SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Commemorative 25-cent coins featuring American activist Stacey Park Milbern are now available in the U.S., making her the first woman of Korean descent to appear on U.S. currency. The quarters honoring her life and legacy went on sale starting this week "in two- and three-roll sets, as well as 100-coin bags," according to the U.S. Mint. The issuance came several months after the Mint revealed this year's honorees to be featured on the backs of the coins in November last year. They are available for purchase with prices ranging from US$42 to $63. In its statement last week, the Mint described Milbern as a "visionary leader and powerful activist for disability justice." It added, "Born with physical disabilities, her life experiences led her to inspire and empower others, championing the belief that everyone is inherently valuable." The coins, the fourth in this year's series, come under the Mint's program, which honors "a diverse group of notable American women who made significant contributions in a variety of fields, including suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts." The previous honorees include African-American investigative journalist Ida B. Wells, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low and astronomer Vera Rubin. The front of the coins features the first U.S. President George Washington, as on other quarters, while the back bears an engraved portrait of Milbern sitting in a wheelchair. Born in 1987 to a U.S. Army soldier father and a South Korean mother, Milbern, also known by her Korean name Park Ji-hye, suffered from congenital muscular dystrophy. She began advocating for disability rights as a teenager and later gained recognition by advising the Barack Obama administration on disability-related policies. She died in 2020 after battling complications from a kidney tumor. 2025-08-12 15:29:43 -
Majority of South Korean firms look to reenter Russian market once war ends SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Amid Russia's prolonged war against Ukraine, a majority of South Korean companies that previously operated in Russia hope to return to the market, a new survey suggests. According to a report based on the survey of some 528 companies and released on Tuesday by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), some 79.2 percent of South Korean firms that halted exports to Moscow due to the war expressed their intention to return to the market. The main reasons cited were the potential for recovery in the Russian market and the desire to maintain relationships with existing buyers. The report also showed South Korea's exports to Russia peaked at $10 billion in 2021 before dropping to $4.53 billion in 2024, mainly due to war-related international sanctions. During the same period, the number of South Korean exporters fell sharply from 4,003 to 1,861. These sanctions raised the number of export items requiring specific approval to a staggering 1,431, encompassing not only strategic goods but also some non-strategic items. Firms that halted exports to Russia also struggled to find alternative markets, with only 37.2 percent of such companies have managed to enter other markets. More than half of the surveyed companies or 51.8 percent, remained optimistic about the recovery of the Russian market, saying that if uncertainties are resolved, Russia could once again become a viable strategic market. Nevertheless they cited several obstacles to returning to the market such as payment risks (69.9 percent), difficulties in logistics and transport (44.6 percent), and geopolitical instability (43.2 percent). For these reasons, companies urged the government to provide support related to sanctions. "Russia is a market we cannot afford to miss," said Yu Seo-kyung, a senior researcher at KITA. "It is important to come up with a trade-related roadmap based on recovery scenarios for the war," she added. 2025-08-12 15:01:54