SOUTH KOREA NEWS HEADLINES 01 Dec 2025 | The Korea JoongAng Daily

 

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Korea will take part in building the pipelines for Alaska’s gigantic $44 billion LNG project, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy says, with a legally binding agreement to be announced by December.

This comes amid Seoul’s continued denials of participation, while dovetailing with comments made publicly by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who argued that a portion of Korea’s $200 billion cash investment in the United States would flow into the Alaska LNG project. 

Police in pursuit of Coupang data leak suspect

Police in the middle of tracking down Coupang data leak suspect

Published: 01 Dec. 2025, 14:25

The picture shows the Coupang headquarters in southern Seoul on Nov. 30. [NEWS1]

 
Police are tracking down a suspect accused of leaking the personal data of 33.7 million users of Coupang, Korea's largest e-commerce platform.
 
An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said during a regular press briefing on Monday that investigators “are currently analyzing server log records submitted by Coupang” and “have identified the IP address used by the suspect and are tracing it.”
 

Related Article

• Coupang received email with threat to expose user data unless security improved: Police

• Hacked user data from Coupang could be used for scams, identity theft: Authorities

• Coupang criticized over lax spending on security in wake of large-scale hack

• Coupang data breach affecting virtually every user draws apology from CEO

• Alarm grows over Coupang data breach that went undetected for 5 months

 

 

National

Busan police investigate cat's death for possible animal abuse

Busan police are investigating the death of a cat found half-buried with a broken leg near a university on Monday, looking into whether the case involves animal abuse.

2025-12-01

Special counsel indicts Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, others for Political Funds Act violations

A special counsel team investigating first lady Kim Keon Hee announced Monday that it has indicted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, former Seoul Vice Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Cheol-won and business owner Kim Han-jung without detention.

2025-12-01

Salt farm owner, three associates charged for allegedly exploiting worker with intellectual disability

Prosecutors charged a salt farm owner in South Jeolla and three associates for allegedly forcing a worker with an intellectual disability to work for 10 years while taking his wages, officials said Monday.

2025-12-01

Korea and Iran hold working-level talks on bilateral cooperation

Korea and Iran have held working-level policy talks to discuss ways to advance bilateral cooperation, the foreign ministry said Monday, as the two countries seek to keep relations on a recovery track following the lifting of the Iranian asset freeze.

2025-12-01

Nearly 1 in 5 Korean women have experienced violence from a current or former partner: Survey

Korea’s rate of intimate partner violence continued to climb last year, a government-commissioned survey showed on Monday, with nearly one in five women saying they had experienced abuse from a current or former partner at least once in their lives.

2025-12-01

Ministry of Justice to conduct retest for prosecutor exam after content leak

The Ministry of Justice will administer a retest for the final exam in a course for prospective prosecutors, conducted at 25 law schools across the country on Saturday, following allegations of a prior leak of exam content, the ministry said Monday.

2025-12-01

A year on from martial law crisis, political polarization is more engrained, survey finds

One year after a blindsiding martial law decree threw Korea into turmoil, a new poll shows that a majority of the public believes the country has grown even more politically divided, with voters split not who to blame and the ensuing landscape shift.

2025-12-01

Jongno District declares Tapgol Park an alcohol-free zone

Seoul’s Jongno District has declared Tapgol Park an alcohol-free zone in an effort to protect its historic setting and improve public safety, district officials said on Monday.

2025-12-01

SM Global Audition scouts for new talent, with preregistration partially opening on Dec. 1

SM Entertainment will host the “2026 SM Global Audition,” a large-scale global audition to search for fresh talent, the K-pop powerhouse announced on Monday.

2025-12-01

Traveler leaves 1.1 million won, note in Japanese in donation box at Gimhae airport

A traveler left 1.1 million won in cash along with a handwritten note in Japanese in a donation box operated by the Korean Red Cross at Gimhae International Airport, airport officials said.

2025-12-01

 

 

Business

Economy Industry Tech Finance In-depth Guest Reports

Korea's export figures hit record high for six consecutive months

Despite steep U.S. tariffs, Korea’s exports from January to November this year rose by 2.9 percent on year, led by a strong upswing in key sectors such as semiconductors and automobiles, which are experiencing “supercycles.”

2025-12-01

Korean companies holding back, cutting back for 2026 due to trade policies and global slowdown

Korean companies are increasingly shifting their business strategies for 2026 from expansion to maintenance, as the economic slowdown and global uncertainty drag on and regulations on businesses tighten.

2025-12-01

Vice trade minister expresses regret over Canada's stronger steel safeguard plan

Vice Trade Minister Park Jung-sung expressed regret Monday over Canada's recent announcement of stronger steel safeguard measures, calling for a swift withdrawal of the plan that he said may place an additional burden on Korea's steel industry.

2025-12-01

Korea's exports rise 8.4% on year to $61.04B in November

Korea's exports increased 8.4 percent from a year earlier in November to over $61 billion, extending the winning streak to its sixth consecutive month on the back of strong demand for semiconductors, government data showed Monday.

2025-12-01

Parliamentary committee passes bill on separate taxation of dividend income

A parliamentary committee on Sunday passed a tax reform bill to create a new bracket for dividend income subject to separate taxation and impose up to 30 percent tax for amounts exceeding 5 billion won ($3.4 million).

2025-12-01

Nominal GDP projected to grow — but not in dollars as won keeps tanking

Korea’s nominal GDP is projected to grow 2.1 percent this year in won terms. However, due to record weakness, the country’s GDP by U.S. dollars seems to have contracted 0.9 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund

2025-11-30

Corporate dollar deposits increase at fastest pace in November

Dollar deposits by companies at local banks rose at the fastest pace of the year in November as firms accelerated efforts to increase their dollar holdings amid a strengthening greenback.

2025-11-30

Korea's industrial output declines in October as chipmaking, construction slide

Korea's industrial output declined in October after a one-month rebound, with steep drops in chipmaking and construction offsetting a pickup in private spending.

2025-11-28

China's manufacturing dominance could grow with U.S. tariff war, posing risks to Korea: BOK

China's manufacturing sector could further strengthen its global dominance amid trade tension with the United States, potentially posing a risk to Korea and other manufacturing-focused countries, Korea's central bank said Friday.

2025-11-28

Foreign currency deposits post biggest drop in nearly 2 years in Oct.: BOK

Outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits held by residents came to $101.83 billion as of end-October, down $5.26 billion from a month earlier, according to data from the Bank of Korea.

2025-11-28