What you ask AI could land you in court

Police are increasingly examining suspects’ generative artificial intelligence use history as key evidence in establishing intent or motive, according to media reports citing legal experts on Wednesday. In a recent case, investigators said they decided to pursue murder charges — rather than charges of death resulting from bodily injury — against a female suspect accused of serial killings in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, after reviewing her chat logs with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The suspect, a woman in her 20s s

Feb. 25, 2026

Retirement benefits paid to ex-officials facing insurrection probes

Retirement benefits were paid in full to several senior officials from the Yoon Suk Yeol administration who are facing trial or being investigated for involvement in the botched 2024 martial law decree. According to data from the Government Employees Pension Service obtained by OhmyNews on Wednesday from Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for playing a key role in insurrection, received both his lump-sum r

Feb. 25, 2026

Youth journalists challenge ban on minors registering media outlets

Students braved near-freezing temperatures outside Seoul's Constitutional Court on Tuesday to call for legal recognition of youth-led media and to challenge legal provisions they say restrict press freedoms. "We had to stand up against oppression from the school with our bare hands," said Moon Sung-ho, a 15-year-old student at Yeonshin Middle School and editor-in-chief of Tokipul, an independent student newspaper. "Registering our newspaper as an official media outlet would protect us under the

Feb. 24, 2026

[Legal Updates in Korea] South Korea to launch regional doctor program to reduce health care disparities

● Updated Law: Act on the Training and Support of Regional Physicians What it does: Introduces a program to place more doctors in underserved regions Took effect: Feb. 24 South Korea is launching a regional doctor program to reduce disparities in access to medical care between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. The program has two tracks. Service-obligated regional doctors are admitted through designated university admissions programs and must work at regional medical institutions for 10 y

Feb. 24, 2026

Establishment of Real Estate Supervisory Service, superstore online delivery regulation ease

Proposed Bill: Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Real Estate Supervisory Service Proposed by Rep. Kim Hyun-jung (Democratic Party of Korea) Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Distribution Industry Development Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Dong-ah (Democratic Party of Korea) Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Oh Gi-hyoung (Democratic Party of Korea) Promulgated Bill: Special Act on Strengthening Competitiveness of and Promoting Support for the Semic

Feb. 24, 2026

K-pop romance scam surge prompts S. Korea–Brazil police alliance

South Korea and Brazil have agreed to strengthen cooperation to crack down on scams in which perpetrators impersonate Koreans or spread false information about K-pop performances and travel programs. Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-seong of the Korea National Police Agency signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday with Andrei Passos Rodrigues, director-general of the Brazil Federal Police, to expand joint prevention and investigative cooperation between the two countries’ police authori

Feb. 23, 2026

Incheon care facility probe uncovers 8 more suspected victims

Eight more suspected victims have been identified in a widening police probe into Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities in Incheon, where residents were allegedly beaten, confined and sexually assaulted. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that the new cases emerged from a full review of 87 residents who have lived at the facility since it opened in 2008. Police opened a preliminary probe into four employees suspected of involvement in the newly unc

Feb. 23, 2026

Appeals loom after Yoon's life sentence for insurrection

After the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection, Yoon’s lawyers made it clear that his skepticism about an appeal does not mean he will forgo the process. "(Yoon) merely expressed his current thoughts and did not show an intention to decline an appeal,” his lawyers promptly told reporters. Appeals are widely expected from both Yoon and the special counsel, which had sought the death penalty for the forme

Feb. 22, 2026

Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to life for leading insurrection

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment, finding him guilty of leading an insurrection. "It is recognized that Yoon Suk Yeol acted with the purpose of subverting the Constitution by sending the military to the National Assembly to paralyze or limit its function for a prolonged period," presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon said while delivering the verdict. The special counsel, which prosecuted the case, on Jan. 13 requested the death pena

Feb. 19, 2026

Sugar levy introduction, class action on general corporate torts

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the National Health Promotion Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Soo-jin (Democratic Party of Korea) Proposed Bill: Class Action Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Hyun-jung (Democratic Party of Korea) Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Oh Gi-hyoung (Democratic Party of Korea) Promulgated Bill: Enforcement Decree of the Act on Support for Research and Development of Business-Affiliated Research Institutes, etc. Competent Authority: Ministry of

Feb. 19, 2026

Uzbek student sues Hanshin University over forced departure

An Uzbek student who was forced to leave South Korea by officials at Hanshin University in November 2023 has filed a damages lawsuit against the university along with her husband. According to local media reports Thursday, the 23-year-old student and her 32-year-old husband filed the suit with the Suwon District Court, seeking 100 million won ($69,200) in damages. The Uzbek couple claimed the university’s actions caused psychological harm and disrupted the student’s education. On Nov. 12, 2023,

Feb. 19, 2026

Special counsel appeals 7-yr sentence for ex-interior minister over martial law role

A special counsel team on Wednesday appealed a court ruling sentencing former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to seven years in prison for his involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law. The team led by Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk filed the appeal six days after the Seoul Central District Court found Lee guilty of participating in Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, and of perjury during the former president's impeachment trial last ye

Feb. 19, 2026

Ex-President Yoon set to receive 1st verdict on martial law bid

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to receive the first verdict Thursday on whether his 2024 imposition of martial law constituted an insurrection following special prosecutors' recommendation of the death penalty. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to be held at the Seoul Central District Court at 3 p.m. with the jailed former president in attendance and the proceedings broadcast live on national television. Yoon was indicted in January last year on charges of leading an insurrection throug

Feb. 19, 2026

Why Lee Sang-min and Han Duck-soo received starkly different sentences in insurrection cases

Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min nodded during his sentencing on Thursday when the presiding judge asked whether he wished for the court’s not-guilty ruling on the abuse of power charge to be publicly disclosed. Moments earlier, the court had sentenced Lee to seven years in prison for playing what it described as a “key role” in an insurrection and committing perjury. He was acquitted of the abuse of power charge. Lee, who maintained a largely blank expression throughout the hearing, showed

Feb. 13, 2026

Ex-interior minister sentenced to 7 years in prison for playing key role in Yoon Suk Yeol's 'insurrection'

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday sentenced former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min to seven years in prison, finding him guilty of aiding ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s 2024 martial law decree, which the court again characterized as an act of insurrection. “The court finds that the defendant played a key role in the insurrection led by Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Yong-hyun by receiving key documents and relaying them to fire authorities,” Judge Ryu Kyung-jin ruled. The special couns

Feb. 12, 2026