October 2026

A special counsel investigating the insurrection case asked the appeals court to sentence former President Yoon Suk Yeol to death on the charge of leading the insurrection, the same penalty sought at his first trial. The request was made at Yoon's appellate hearing.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election, becoming the country's first four-term president. He defeated Jair Bolsonaro by 3.52 percentage points in a result described as a comeback.

South Korea marked the fourth anniversary of the October 29 Itaewon crowd crush with a memorial ceremony on Thursday. President Lee Jae-myung attended the memorial for the first time, YTN reported. A bereaved family member asked that the public remember the life that lay ahead of 'a son who loved Korea.'

A police seizure of material at a pediatric emergency room during patient care has become a dispute between the medical community and the police. Doctors' groups say the search disrupted treatment and threatened patient safety, while police say the operation was carried out lawfully and kept to a minimum. The Korean Medical Association said the search threatened patient safety, and police countered that it was executed with minimal disruption.

The Supreme Court began a hearing on an additional arrest warrant for Kim Keon-hee, with her existing detention due to expire in four days. Kim said she would "calmly comply with the questioning procedure." A decision on whether her detention is maintained was expected as early as the evening.

President Lee Jae-myung said South Korea must recover wartime operational control early, framing the handover as a return rather than a transition and saying negotiations with the US side are going well. He spoke at an impromptu press conference, where he also said South Korea ranks fifth in military power excluding nuclear forces and asked whether a war could be fought with nuclear weapons.

The Seoul High Court on Friday acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of political funding law charges tied to free opinion polling, reversing a first-instance conviction. The appeals court said it was hard to believe Myung Tae-gyun's testimony as given. Oh keeps his post as mayor.

A man in his seventies set fires at two patent law firms in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, and was arrested four hours later, police said. He was taken into custody at Dongmyo-ap Station on Line 1 after fleeing by subway.

The special counsel investigating the National Election Commission searched the home of former Supreme Court Justice Roh Tae-ak on Wednesday over allegations that he took overseas trips for personal purposes. The team said it found indications that trip reports were falsely written.

A plan to make income settlement mandatory for community-based health insurance subscribers would require an additional 3.94 million households to pay more in premiums, according to projections reported on Tuesday. The expansion is expected to add 1.5 trillion won to the National Health Insurance finances.

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi sent an offering to Yasukuni Shrine, and her visit to the shrine itself appears to be postponed. South Korea's government responded with "deep disappointment and regret" over the offering.

South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-joo called on the commander of US Forces Korea, General Brunsom, to apologize, saying remarks that infringed on South Korean sovereignty crossed a line. The demand came as the ruling party pressed on the US side's change to the conditions for wartime operational control transfer, arguing the conditions should be met quickly so the transfer can proceed.

The government said the fundamentals of the economy and the stock market remain solid and that it was checking risk factors across financial markets.

Kim Min-seok apologized directly for Choo Mi-ae's remark describing fire service funding as a "fiscal straw," and said he had asked Choo to apologize. Choo apologized after visiting a memorial for fallen firefighters, saying she apologizes wholeheartedly because an apology is wanted. The remarks followed the deaths of firefighters in Bucheon, where ruling and opposition politicians lined up to pay respects.

Anthropic used 21 books by Korean authors, including Han Kang and Kim Young-ha, to train its AI without permission. The titles named in coverage include Han Kang's "The Vegetarian"-era work "소년이 온다" ("Human Acts"). A compensation process has been launched for the affected works.

A South Korean appeals court acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to receiving free polling services from Myung Tae-gyun, reversing a first-instance conviction that had sentenced him to two years in prison. The court found that what Yoon received from Myung constituted 'assistance' rather than a criminal offense. The ruling follows a separate acquittal of Kim Keon-hee in a related case.

Ukraine publicly accused South Korea of supplying petroleum products to Russia, saying the shipments help a country that has lost its own refining capacity. The claim was reported across South Korean outlets including Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun, YTN and Daum.

A North Korean anti-personnel landmine was found at the Demilitarized Zone site where a mine explosion occurred, during a third day of on-site investigation. Military authorities said the wooden mine's type differs from what soldiers had described in their statements, and that its discovery constitutes a violation of the Armistice Agreement.

President Lee said South Korea's "Korean-style green grand transition" is an essential precondition for the success of the "three mega" initiatives, and that the country must become a leader in the green market rather than a follower. The plan, known as K-GX, aims to pursue environmental protection and growth together.

Much of the IP traffic used in the hacking of financial institutions was 'laundered' through intermediary addresses, obscuring the origin of the attacks. Coverage described the campaign as AI-driven and said South Korean society as a whole was targeted, with banks, churches and large companies exposed indiscriminately.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that a North Korean anti-personnel landmine was discovered during an on-site investigation at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where a landmine explosion occurred. The military authorities stated that the discovery constitutes a violation of the Armistice Agreement. The additional mine was identified as a North Korean anti-personnel landmine.

A North Korean wooden anti-personnel mine was found at the site of a mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone during a third day of on-site investigation, and military authorities said the type differs from what soldiers had described in their statements. General Kang Shin-chul said the incident is a clear violation of the armistice agreement and that South Korea will take corresponding measures.

A North Korean vice foreign minister addressed the United Nations and said the country's status as a nuclear-armed state cannot be reversed. The speech was North Korea's second consecutive year of delivering a UN address. The official did not mention dialogue between North Korea and the United States.

The United States has indicated it is willing to ease sanctions if Iran makes concessions on its nuclear program, with the two sides negotiating through mediator countries. Iran is awaiting a final US response, and the talks are at a critical juncture. Discussions have focused on a seven-day ceasefire proposal, with the main gap between the two sides being the Strait of Hormuz versus the nuclear issue.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Ukraine has not yet provided an official response to its demand for an apology over the public disclosure of North Korean prisoner repatriation. The ministry added that communication channels with Ukraine remain open.