President Lee begins France visit with technology and culture talks ahead
The state visit opens with the Lumiere Summit before a Macron meeting focused on advanced industries and bilateral cooperation
US ends sanctions on Korean company seven months after nonproliferation action
The State Department decided to terminate measures against JS Research well before the original two-year period
About one-third of prosecuted police officers received light internal sanctions
Current reports are prompting scrutiny of how police discipline cases are handled when alleged misconduct is serious enough to reach prosecutors

The essential events and decisions ahead
WEEK 37 >
The stories that changed Korea this month
SEP 2026 >
Clear answers for living and working in Korea
EXPLORE >
Concerts, exhibitions, festivals and events across Korea
EXPLORE EVENTS >DAILY LEADS
Won strengthens by 250 won in two months as dollar deposits hit a record
Seoul weighs Hormuz military support as alliance pressure rises
Korea plans sweeping public-sector overhaul, splitting LH and merging utilities
Six missing after tugboat capsizes off Busan, one dead
Korea proposes record 820.9 trillion won budget for 2027
Han Hak-ja gets two years in first ruling on Unification Church political ties
ESSENTIAL STORIES
Yeouinaru Station skips stops as Seoul fireworks crowds surge
Seoul Metro temporarily sent trains through the station without stopping as festival crowds packed the Yeouido riverfront
Insurance policy loans approach 48 trillion won as borrowing rises among older Koreans
Growth among people in their 50s and 60s highlights how households are using insurance contracts as a source of liquidity
Korea debt interest bill projected to top 53 trillion won by 2030
Government projections show debt-service costs rising quickly as spending and borrowing expand through the end of the decade
Nepal blocks foot search in area where nine Koreans are missing
Nepalese forces have restricted ground access to the flood-hit search zone because of dangerous terrain, complicating efforts to find nine missing Koreans.
Samsung union blacklist case sent to prosecutors
Six people are accused of using data tied to about 100,000 Samsung Electronics employees to create a union-related blacklist.
Four shortlisted to lead Korea's new serious-crimes agency
The government has narrowed the race for the first chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency ahead of its October launch.
Judge Ji Gui-yeon indicted over 4.09 million won entertainment
Prosecutors charged Ji under the Anti-Graft Act while reports say they did not pursue a bribery charge.
Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won faces scrutiny over past DUI
Kim apologized after reports disclosed a 2008 drunk-driving conviction, adding a personal-conduct issue to his confirmation process.
Korean rescue team joins Nepal search as weather blocks helicopter access
Nine Koreans remain missing after Nepal's deadly floods, while a Korean response team has begun joint searches with Nepalese forces.
Korea narrows strike scope with new guidance on bonuses and business decisions
The Labor Ministry says profit-linked bonus demands and core management decisions are generally outside mandatory bargaining, while employment effects can still become labor disputes.
Lee and union leaders seek 2026 agreement on extending Korea's retirement age
President Lee Jae-myung and the heads of Korea's two major labor federations agreed that legislation on retirement-age extension should produce a result this year.
HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk referred to prosecutors over alleged 263.1 billion won gain
Police sent Bang and four others to prosecutors over allegations that investors were misled before HYBE's IPO and sold shares to affiliated private-equity vehicles.
US prepares targeted chip tariffs tied to domestic production
Washington says companies producing semiconductors in the United States would be treated differently from importers.
Lee defends softer property-tax plan after reform criticism
President Lee Jae-myung rejected claims that the revised property-tax package amounts to a retreat from reform.
Korean frigate design enters reported US Navy competition
The Chungnam-class frigate is reportedly among allied designs being considered for a new U.S. Navy program.
Korea replaces 14 of 18 regional police chiefs in sweeping reshuffle
Government reverses non-resident single-home tax deduction cut
Kim Yong-beom resigns as presidential policy chief amid broader economic reset
Two missing as heavy rain spreads damage across North Jeolla
Jeongeup and Gochang reported missing people, flooding and evacuations as the latest southern downpours shifted west
Jeju police say missing woman’s cause of death remains undetermined
The finding undercuts an earlier public emphasis on suicide and adds pressure to an already troubled review of missing-person cases
