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Top Court Upholds License and Safety Gear Rules for Electric Scooters

Top Court Upholds License and Safety Gear Rules for Electric Scooters

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld provisions of the Road Traffic Act requiring users of electric scooters and other personal mobility devices to hold a driver’s license and wear protective gear, ruling that the measures do not violate the Constitution. According to legal officials on Monday, the court unanimously dismissed [...]

Supreme Court to Create Special Tribunal for Insurrection and Treason Cases

Supreme Court to Create Special Tribunal for Insurrection and Treason Cases

SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court said Thursday it would install a dedicated tribunal to handle charges of insurrection, treason and mutiny amid the ruling party’s push to create a special bench for insurrection cases stemming from former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed imposition of martial law. The announcement comes as the [...]

New Law Blocks Absent Parents From Claiming National Pension After Child’s Death

New Law Blocks Absent Parents From Claiming National Pension After Child’s Death

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has moved to close a long-criticized legal loophole that allowed parents who abandoned or failed to care for their children to later claim financial benefits after the child’s death. The National Assembly has passed an amendment to the National Pension Act that blocks such parents from receiving survivor [...]

Korea Says Training AI on Full News Articles and Textbooks Violates Copyright Law

Korea Says Training AI on Full News Articles and Textbooks Violates Copyright Law

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean authorities have concluded that artificial intelligence systems that train on entire news articles or textbooks without permission are infringing copyright, marking the government’s strongest stance yet on data use in the AI era. At a public briefing on Thursday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the [...]

S. Korea Abolishes Statute of Limitations for Familial Sexual Violence Against Minors

S. Korea Abolishes Statute of Limitations for Familial Sexual Violence Against Minors

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has abolished the statute of limitations for sexual violence committed by family members against children and adolescents, a sweeping legal reform aimed at strengthening protections for young victims and increasing accountability for offenders. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday that the National Assembly passed revisions [...]

Constitutional Court Upholds Army Rules Limiting Officers’ Leave

Constitutional Court Upholds Army Rules Limiting Officers’ Leave

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld an Army regulation that restricts officers’ off-base leave to areas from which they can return to their unit within two hours, ruling the policy constitutional amid longstanding security concerns on the peninsula. In a unanimous decision delivered Nov. 27, the court rejected a petition [...]

Court Acquits Security Guard in “Choco Pie Theft” Case After Nearly Two Years

Court Acquits Security Guard in “Choco Pie Theft” Case After Nearly Two Years

JEONJU, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean appeals court on Thursday overturned the conviction of a security guard accused of stealing a 1,050-won snack — a case that drew widespread attention as a modern-day “Les Misérables” story and raised questions about prosecutorial discretion. The Jeonju District Court’s criminal appeals division acquitted the 41-year-old defendant, [...]

Top Court Rules That Possessing a Box Believed to Contain Drugs Is Punishable—even If It Holds None

Top Court Rules That Possessing a Box Believed to Contain Drugs Is Punishable—even If It Holds None

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled for the first time that a person can be criminally punished for possessing or transferring a package they believe contains illegal drugs, even if the package in fact contains no narcotics. The decision broadens the scope of liability under the country’s narcotics laws and [...]

Seoul’s Gwangjang Market Engulfed in Dispute as Shop Owners Plan Lawsuit Over Price-Gouging Fallout

Seoul’s Gwangjang Market Engulfed in Dispute as Shop Owners Plan Lawsuit Over Price-Gouging Fallout

SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — A long-running controversy over price-gouging at Seoul’s iconic Gwangjang Market has escalated into a legal battle, as brick-and-mortar shop owners move to sue street vendors for damages, arguing that repeated scandals have driven customers away and caused significant financial harm. According to interviews conducted by Yonhap News Agency, the Gwangjang [...]