The latest trending issues in Korea, updated every day.
Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on Oct. 16 the party has begun discussing every option, including impeaching Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae. The opposition People Power Party countered that if an impeachment motion is filed, the public will cry ‘impeach Lee Jae-myung.’
South Korea’s KOSPI closed down 7.57% at 5,554.22 on Oct. 15 amid worries over the profitability of AI investment, as level-1 circuit breakers were triggered on both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ. On Oct. 16 the index rose 2.05% to 5,668.05, its first gain in eight sessions, though analysts remain cautious about a sustained recovery.
A fire broke out on the morning of Oct. 16 at a metal parts coating factory in Naedong, Ojeong District, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, injuring six firefighters and two factory workers. Two of the injured firefighters are in serious condition, and one was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest.
Choi Chung-rak, 59, who injured eight people in a knife attack at a large shopping complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong District, Incheon, on Oct. 13, was formally arrested and publicly identified on Oct. 16. A 19-year-old woman among the victims has yet to regain consciousness.
Fans lined up overnight ahead of a new merchandise drop at the Chiikawa shop in Seoul’s Yongsan I’Park Mall, with more than 1,200 people in line at the peak. Limited-edition keychains are being resold at more than five times retail, prompting calls for a reservation system.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s second plan to move central government bodies to Sejong includes 44 agencies in the Seoul metropolitan area, among them the Overseas Koreans Agency. Opposition is growing in Incheon after the agency, which opened in Songdo in 2023, was listed for priority relocation in the first half of 2027.
President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rose 2 percentage points to 39% in Gallup Korea’s third-week October poll. Disapproval also rose 1 point to 52%, with real estate policy the most cited reason.