Kim Keon Hee Gets 1 Year, 8 Months in Trial; Key Issues for Appeal A special prosecutor who sought a 15-year prison term for Kim Keon Hee ended up with a first-trial sentence of 1 year, 8 months. The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27 found Kim not guilty of violating the Capital Markets Act (alleged conspiracy in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case) and the Political Funds Act, and convicted her only in part on charges of receiving money or valuables in return for influence under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Cr January 28, 2026

Ruling, opposition parties agree to pass 90 noncontroversial bills; filibuster dropped The ruling and opposition parties agreed to pass 90 noncontroversial livelihood-related bills at Wednesday’s plenary session. The People Power Party said it will withdraw its filibusters on those bills. Cheon Jun-ho, floor operations deputy chief of the Democratic Party, and Yoo Sang-bum, floor operations deputy chief of the People Power Party, said they reached the deal Tuesday during talks at the National Assembly on the plenary agenda. Cheon said that of 175 bills slated for the plena January 28, 2026

Former first lady sentenced to 20 months in prison for bribery charges SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and eight months in prison for accepting bribes, one of multiple allegations against her. In a televised verdict, the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul found her guilty of accepting luxury handbags and jewelry in return for favors from secretive religious sect Unification Church, better known as the Moonies. However, it dismissed charges that she was allegedly involved i January 28, 2026

Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 1 Year, 8 Months; First Case of Ex-President Couple Jailed Together Kim Keon Hee, who was indicted in custody on charges including receiving valuables tied to the Unification Church, was sentenced to prison in a first-trial ruling. The decision came after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of obstructing an arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, marking the first time in South Korea’s constitutional history that a former president and spouse have both received prison terms at t January 28, 2026

South Korea Probes Firm Sanctioned by U.S. Over Nonproliferation Law Allegations South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that relevant authorities are investigating a South Korean company after the United States added it to a sanctions list over alleged violations of laws aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology. The ministry said South Korea and the United States have been in ongoing communication and that Seoul was aware of the move in advance. It added that the government has joined international efforts to prevent January 28, 2026

Kwon Seong-dong Sentenced to 2 Years in First Trial Over Alleged 100 Million Won Unification Church Payment Breaking: Kwon Seong-dong, accused of taking 100 million won from the Unification Church, was sentenced to two years in prison in a first trial.* This article has been translated by AI. January 28, 2026

Special Prosecutor Says Kim Keon Hee Ruling Is Hard to Accept, Will Appeal Breaking: Special prosecutor says Kim Keon Hee first-trial ruling is hard to accept; will appeal* This article has been translated by AI. January 28, 2026

Factory Fire in Siheung’s Geumi-dong Sends Up Thick Black Smoke A fire broke out in Geumi-dong in Siheung, Gyeonggi province. On Tuesday, the Siheung city government said in a disaster safety text alert, "A factory fire has occurred at 554-4, Geumi-dong, and a large amount of black smoke is being generated." It urged nearby drivers to detour and asked residents in the area to close their windows and take other safety precautions. * This article has been translated by AI. January 28, 2026

Trump' tariff threat has nothing to do with Coupang, Science and ICT minister says SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump's post on social media earlier this week about raising tariffs on South Korea has nothing to do with regulating big-tech companies including disputes over e-commerce giant Coupang, Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said on Wednesday. Shortly after Trump's abrupt threat on Monday, it was revealed that Seoul had received a letter from the U.S. about two weeks ago raising concerns over South Korea's push to regulat January 28, 2026

Seoul hails Beijing's move to dismantle dubious structure in West Sea SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - South Korea on Wednesday welcomed China's decision to remove one of a couple of structures installed along the West Sea, calling it "meaningful progress." In a statement, Cheong Wa Dae said the government "has continued talks with Beijing" over the dubious steel structures on the submerged shelf of Ieodo in the West Sea, which overlaps with maritime zones of both South Korea and China. "While actively protecting our maritim January 28, 2026