S. Korean appeals court dismisses inmates' COVID-19 lawsuit against government SEOUL, April 25 (AJP) - A South Korean appellate court has dismissed a damages lawsuit filed by inmates against the government over a massive COVID-19 outbreak at a Seoul detention center in 2020. A Seoul Central District Court appellate panel upheld a lower court's ruling against 33 inmates and their families who sued the state and then-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday. The plaintiffs had argued that the government and correctional April 25, 2026

Canada evaluates South Korean weapons for major army modernization SEOUL, April 25 (AJP) - Canada is in discussions with South Korean defense contractors regarding its largest army modernization project in over 25 years, the commander of the Canadian Army said, explicitly naming Hanwha Aerospace's artillery and armored vehicles as potential candidates. Lt. Gen. Michael Wright told Yonhap News Agency in an interview published Saturday that Ottawa is actively exploring avenues to rapidly upgrade its military capabilities amid growing defense co April 25, 2026

South Korean nightclub worker arrested for attempted murder of teenager SEOUL, April 25 (AJP) - A 20-year-old employee of an adult entertainment establishment has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a teenager during a dispute that began while soliciting customers, police said Saturday. The Namyangju Nambu Police Station said the suspect, identified only as A, is accused of stabbing a male teenager in the chest and abdomen at approximately 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The incident took place in an underground parking garage April 25, 2026

Prosecutors seek 30-year prison term for ex-president over drone-related allegation SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Friday sought a 30-year prison term for disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol in a separate trial related to his botched martial law debacle in 2024. During a final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, prosecutors led by Cho Eun-suk asked the court to sentence Yoon to 30 years in jail over allegations that he ordered the dispatch of drones to Pyongyang in October 2024 several times, about two months before his Dec. 3 declaration of m April 24, 2026

South Korea's foreign patient arrivals top 2 million for first time SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - South Korea welcomed more than 2 million foreign patients last year, the first time the figure has breached that threshold since record-keeping began in 2009. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday 2,011,822 patients from 201 countries sought treatment in 2025, capping a three-year streak of record highs after arrivals cratered to about 110,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese nationals accounted for 30.8 percent of the total, overtaking Japan April 24, 2026

Kookmin University to hold third ceramic craft exhibition and sale SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - Kookmin University will host the 2026 3rd Ceramic Craft Fair from May 14 to May 17 to showcase the work of emerging artists and facilitate the sale of student and alumni projects, the university said Thursday. The four-day event will take place in the lobby of the Kookmin University (KMU) Administration Hall in Seoul, South Korea. Students and alumni from the Department of Ceramic Craft within the College of Design are set to participate in the exhibition, April 23, 2026

Harim to rescue Homeplus Express, completing farm-to-fork empire SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - South Korea's poultry giant Harim Group has been named preferred bidder for Homeplus Express, the supermarket arm of the country's No. 2 retailer Homeplus, in a deal that could throw a lifeline to the creditor-protected hypermarket chain and complete Harim's long-pursued vertical integration from chicken farm to checkout counter. Homeplus said on Tuesday that Harim Group affiliate NS Shopping was selected as the preferred bidder for its smaller-fo April 23, 2026

Matchmaking firm Duo slapped with fines for massive data breach SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - Matchmaking firm Duo was slapped with heavy fines over a massive data leak affecting nearly 430,000 users, a state-run privacy watchdog said on Thursday. The Personal Information Protection Commission imposed about 1.2 billion won (US$810,000) in penalties and fines on the company after a Duo employee's computer was hacked in January last year, exposing sensitive personal information of some 427,464 paid members. The leaked information included names April 23, 2026

Prosecutors seek 15-year prison sentence for ex-interior minister in appeals case SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Wednesday again sought a 15-year prison term for former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min in his appeals trial over allegations related to disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle in December 2024. Lee was sentenced to seven years in prison in his first trial in February this year. During a hearing at the Seoul High Court, prosecutors said Lee played a key role in carrying out Yoon's botched declaratio April 22, 2026

Korea's birth rate crawls near 1 in February on record births in the month SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) -South Korea's fertility rate edged closer to the 1.0 threshold in February as births grew at a record pace, lifting the monthly tally to its highest level in seven years. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics Wednesday, the number of births reached 22,898 in February, up 2,747, or 13.6 percent, from a year earlier — marking the highest February figure in seven years since 2019. The increase was the third-largest on record in absolute April 22, 2026