경향신문

[Editorial] Court prioritizes Yoon Suk-yeol's human rights, but what about public's right to know?

The Seoul High Court has accepted a request from former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s legal defense team to allow him to appear via the underground parking lot for his first trial on insurrection charges, scheduled for April 14. It is an unprecedented move for a criminal defendant to appear in court through an underground parking lot. Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon’s insurrection case, denied a media request to film inside the courtroom during the first trial. These ...

2025.04.14 17:26

11th anniversary rally honors Sewol ferry victims, demands truth and justice

A memorial rally was held in the center of Seoul over the weekend ahead of the 11th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster. Citizens gathered in a plaza in the spring rain chanted, “We will not forget the tragedy.”The April 16 Sewol Families for Truth and A Safer Society and the April 16 Coalition on the Sewol Ferry Disaster held the “Memorial Rally Commemorating the 11th Anniversary of Sewol Ferry Disaster” near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on April 12. According to organize...

2025.04.14 17:24

Residents and shop owners gripped by fear after tunnel collapse

“I’ve returned home for now, but I can't help but feel uneasy.”This is what Mr. A, a nearby resident in his 40s, said on April 13 in front of a collapsed subway construction site for the Sinansan Line in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Nearby, there is an apartment complex with around 600 households. Mr. A and other residents were urgently evacuated to nearby schools and other facilities on the 11th, the day of the collapse, due to concerns over a potential secondary collapse.Behind th...

2025.04.14 17:21

French musical ‘Don Juan’ returns to Korea after 19 years

Don Juan is an aristocratic young man who lives as he pleases, following his heart and his desires wherever they lead. Arrogant and full of confidence, he lives a hedonistic life, chasing only physical pleasure. . Despite the heartfelt advice of his friends and father, he refuses to change his way of life and instead laughs at others. “Whether it’s a flower of evil or a lily, they both wither all the same,” he sings, “Pleasure, that’s all I want.”In pursuit of the daughter of a respected k...

2025.04.11 18:33

Mayors and governors are on leave to run for president

Following the impeachment of the former President Yoon Suk-yeol, sitting metropolitan and provincial leaders have been declaring their candidacy in the early presidential election on June 3. They will use up their annual leave to travel back and forth between local governments and the political hub of Yeouido in Seoul. Of course, they will continue to receive salaries and allowances during this period.There is little risk in losing a presidential primary race within their parties. They can...

2025.04.11 18:29

Lee Jae-myung declares presidential bid, pledges growth and pragmatism

Former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung on April 10 declared his candidacy for the presidential election on June 3, unveiling his vision for the country called the “K-Initiative,” which can be summarized as focusing on “economic growth” and “pragmatism.” He pointed to economic polarization as the root cause of the deepened social conflict following former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration on December 3 last year, and presented economic growth as the solution...

2025.04.11 18:26

South Korea prioritizes tariff adjustment while downplaying defense cost-sharing after call with Trump

A senior official from the Office of the Prime Minister on April 9 effectively ruled out the possibility of presenting a defense cost-sharing issue as part of a “package deal” in future reciprocal tariff negotiations with the U.S., stating, “It’s not a deal that involves only the defense cost-sharing issue.”Speaking to reporters at the Government Complex in Seoul on that day, the senior official responded to a question asking whether the government was preparing a package deal linking ta...

2025.04.10 18:04

Seoul faces legal pressure over refusal to disclose ‘ground subsidence safety map’

The issue of disclosing the Seoul Metropolitan Government's “ground subsidence safety map” in connection with last month's sinkhole accident in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, is expected to turn into a court battle. While civic groups are calling for the release of the map, the city maintains that “it cannot be released because it is classified and irrelevant to the sinkhole.”On April 9, the New Seoul Preparation Special Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) held a press conference, urgi...

2025.04.10 18:01

Volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung leaves court on high note

When Korean volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung of the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders announced her retirement on February 13, many people asked, “Why retire when you’re still playing so well?” Kim finally gave her answer after winning the 2024-25 V League Championship.Kim, who scored a team-high 34 points in the fifth game of the championship series on April 8 to clinch the title for the Pink Spiders, expressed her joy, saying, “I’ve always imagined retiring at the top, holding th...

2025.04.10 17:58

Samsung posts operating profit of 6.6 trillion won in Q1 exceeding market expectations

Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 6 trillion won in the first quarter of this year, exceeding market expectations. However, it is hard to be optimistic about the second quarter's performance as there are many variables, including the imposition of U.S. tariffs.Samsung Electronics said on April 8 that its consolidated operating profit for the first quarter was estimated at 6.6 trillion won. It is down 0.15 percent from 6.61 trillion won in the same period last year.Sal...

2025.04.09 17:57