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  Nearly 90% of North Korean defectors satisfied with life in South Korea, survey finds SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - About eight in 10 North Korean defectors say they are satisfied with their new life in South Korea, a survey reveals. The Korea Hana Foundation on Tuesday released its survey of around 2,500 North Korean defectors who arrived in Seoul between January 1997 and December last year. This year's survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews by about 76 specialized counselors, with a response rate of 86.4 percent or around 2,160 respondents, found tha December 23, 2025
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  New phone activations require face verification under pilot program SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - Starting Tuesday, anyone activating a new mobile phone in South Korea must undergo face verification in addition to presenting an ID. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it launched a pilot program for stricter identity checks to prevent phones from being illegally activated for crimes such as voice phishing and smishing. Under the program, face verification will be mandatory for new activations at in-person sign-up counters run by major telecom oper December 23, 2025
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  Unionized rail workers postpone strike for now SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - Unionized railway workers called off their planned all-out strike after receiving a new offer on bonus payments overnight. State-run rail operator KORAIL's workers, who had planned to go on strike starting with the first train on Tuesday unless the agreements are fulfilled, said they would discuss further on performance-based bonuses, as management proposed gradually restoring them from 80 percent of base pay to 90 percent next year and to full pay in December 23, 2025
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  North Korea-linked hackers found distributing malware via word files SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - A North Korea-linked hacking group has been detected running a cyber operation code-named "Artemis," which distributes malware through word files. South Korean cybersecurity firm Genians said on Monday that it traced the operation, which is believed to have been carried out by the group known as APT37. The operation started with spear-phishing emails disguising others to evade detection by security software. When victims opened the files, December 22, 2025
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  No special amnesty planned for Christmas SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - There will be no special amnesty for next week's Christmas and New Year's holidays. According to sources from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Monday, President Lee Jae Myung has not started reviewing year-end pardons. Such special pardons typically take about a month from the Justice Ministry's review to a final decision. In August, just two months after taking office, Lee granted pardons to a total of 836,687 people including Cho Kuk, December 22, 2025
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  Lee set to move into Cheong Wa Dae as renovations near completion SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung is expected to move into Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul soon, as renovations of the sprawling presidential compound are nearly complete. Some staff have already moved in, with the presidential office's daily press briefings resuming there on Monday. Lee's relocation from the current office in Yongsan to Cheong Wa Dae is expected to be completed as early as early as next week. Once moved in, he will have a shared workspa December 22, 2025
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  Frontline units told to assume border farther south to avoid clashes SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - The South Korean military has internally instructed frontline units to consider the more southerly boundary when the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) along the inter-Korean border overlaps or is unclear, to avoid accidental clashes with North Korea. During a regular press briefing at the Ministry of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said the military prioritizes MDL markers set up in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and conducts comprehe December 22, 2025
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  Seoul says it held nuclear talks with Russia despite Moscow's denial SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korea reportedly held talks with Russia to discuss multiple issues including North Korea's nuclear weapons program. According to diplomatic sources, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official handling North Korea-related issues traveled to Moscow and met with Oleg Burmistrov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for North Korea's nuclear issues. Apart from a foreign ministers' meeting in September this year, this was the firs December 22, 2025
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  Lee praises badminton star An Se-young's historic win SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung praised South Korean players for their achievements at the BWF World Tour Finals, which wrapped up over the weekend. Shortly after badminton ace An Se-young's victory late Sunday night, Lee wrote on Facebook that the national anthem was played three times in Hangzhou, China, saying he was "very proud" of her and other players and calling 2025 "the year of South Korean badminton." The world No. 1 in women& December 22, 2025
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  DP to push controversial bill for special tribunal on martial law case SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is expected to push through a bill for a special tribunal to handle insurrection cases related to disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle last year. The DP is set to submit the controversial bill to the plenary session of the National Assembly this week, despite concerns that it may be unconstitutional and could undermine judicial independence and fairness. Amid criticism, the DP earlier made r December 22, 2025