Lee Jae Myung reiterates desire for full command back in Seoul’s hands after Donald Trump cuts joint exercises, citing warm ties with Kim Jong-un
TL;DR:
Korea to block access to Polymarket over gambling concerns
The platform is a popular source for staking a position on real-world events, from sports to central bank decisions.
Korea will block access to Polymarket, an overseas prediction market platform that has drawn controversy over concerns that it encourages gambling, according to the Korea Media and Communications Commission on Tuesday.
“Under the Criminal Act, Polymarket constitutes information that facilitates gambling or is intended to provide a venue for gambling, as well as information intended for activities similar to sports betting that fall under the National Sports Promotion Act,” the commission said.
With the decision, internet service providers in Korea will block access to Polymarket.
Gambling is illegal for Korean citizens under the country's Criminal Act, which states that "a person who commits the offense of gambling shall be punished by a fine not exceeding ten million won [$7,000]."
Polymarket is a U.S. prediction market platform where users trade on the outcomes of real-world events. Users can bet on a wide range of topics, from elections in different countries and World Cup matches to different countries’ central bank interest rate decisions, a potential cease-fire in the Middle East and whether the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal. In January, a U.S. soldier reportedly used classified information to win more than $400,000 on the platform betting on the raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“Polymarket’s winner-take-all structure encourages gambling by making users’ financial gains or losses depend heavily on the outcomes of events they cannot control, such as politics, the economy, international affairs, sports, elections and weather,” the commission said.
The platform, however, argued that Korean law does not apply.
During a hearing on July 6, Polymarket said it had removed its Korean-language service and does not allow payments in Korean won. The company argued that it therefore does not fall under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Polymarket also argued that it does not directly collect or manage users’ funds or issue sports betting tickets, and therefore does not meet the requirements for violations of the Criminal Act or National Sports Promotion Act.
“Companies cannot avoid Korean law simply because of technical features or the way they provide their services, such as whether they offer a Korean-language service,” the commission said.
The commission also cited the availability of bets on Korea-specific topics, notably “Seoul rainfall in August,” as grounds for blocking the platform.
Around 30 countries, including France and Australia, have already blocked access to Polymarket.
“We consulted with the Korean National Police Agency, the National Gambling Control Commission and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation before reaching our decision,” the commission said. “The relevant agencies expressed the view that Polymarket’s operations could constitute the operations of a gambling venue or gambling under Korean law.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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Having endured last week’s brutal heatwave, I found it even harder to understand why Europeans despise and regulate air conditioners. In Geneva, Switzerland, residents must prove medical necessity, such as cardiovascular disease, to obtain permission to install an air conditioner. It is reported that households receive an average of only four permits annually. France did not install air conditioners in athletes’ rooms or transportation buses during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since 2023, homes that receive low energy efficiency ratings have been barred from renting out properties. Some have even removed existing air conditioners as a result. This is likely due to greenhouse gas concerns, but it raises questions: Why are heating systems and automobiles still permitted?
Environmentalism and decarbonization are well-intentioned, but excessive measures risk backlash. The UK’s state-led project to build a 23-kilometer road through the Lower Thames Crossing, planned since 2008, required 11 public hearings and was only approved in March last year. The UK’s highway agency prepared 2,383 cases of documents totaling 350,866 pages. Environmental assessments for protecting newts and bats alone spanned 1,800 and 774 pages, respectively. According to the group “Britain Remade,” the approval process cost £267 million (approximately 520 billion Korean won). Despite 80% local approval, environmental groups have blocked construction, citing greenhouse gas emissions, habitat destruction, and air pollution. Many now question whether infrastructure projects in the UK are even feasible.
A friend who recently returned from a month-long stay in Berlin shared an experience: While waiting for a train at a city station, a notice appeared on the screen three minutes before departure canceling the service. Later, they found the 2025 book “Broken Republic” by Bloomberg journalists, which details Germany’s crumbling infrastructure, including railways. The book notes that neighboring countries have severed rail connections with Germany due to chronic delays. Since 2022, Switzerland has turned away German trains delayed by over 10 minutes. In 2024, 11% of Munich-to-Zurich and 12.4% of Freiburg-to-Basel trains were rejected at the Swiss border.
Germany, once synonymous with diligence, efficiency, and reliability, has become a symbol of decline, drawing global concern. This stems from unrealistic energy policies, such as phasing out nuclear power, and overly labor-friendly practices, including union involvement in management. A month ago, Volkswagen announced plans to close four domestic factories and lay off 100,000 workers—15% of its workforce.
In an August 22, 2025, article titled “Europe is Losing,” The Wall Street Journal noted that while the U.S. economy grew 19% between 2017 and 2025, Germany’s grew just 1%. Europe’s share of the global economy fell from 33% in 2005 to 23% in 2024. While 80% of Americans use air conditioning, only 20% of Europeans do. Industrial electricity costs in Germany and the UK are three and four times higher than in the U.S., respectively. The article cited Italian Prime Minister Meloni: “America innovates, China imitates, and Europe regulates.”
Four days before the The Wall Street Journal’s report, European leaders met with President Donald Trump at the White House. Diplomatic custom dictates a circular table for multilateral meetings, but Trump sat alone behind the Resolute Desk, with leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Ukraine, the EU Commission, and NATO seated in a semicircle opposite. Some held notebooks. European media mocked the scene as “students quietly listening to their teacher.” While Trump’s rudeness was criticized, the image also reflected Europe’s diminished stature. When energy moralism and ideological environmentalism become societal shackles, citizens suffer inconvenience, and nations decline.
Source: https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2026/08/10/SZZMS45IVNAKFBWWFCTIM27UGQ/
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In Thailand, a Chinese man who was sentenced to 46 years in prison on suspicion of terrorism after a large cache of military weapons—including explosives, anti-personnel mines, and M4 rifles—was found, intentionally wore a cap featuring the South Korean flag at the time of his arrest. He likely did this to confuse the investigation or to make it look like a crime committed by a South Korean rather than a Chinese national.
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Over 47,000 sign petition demanding death penalty for Gwangju high schooler’s killer
The signatories plan to submit the petition, which was opened on July 20, to the district court ahead of a hearing on Aug. 31.
More than 47,000 people have signed a petition calling for the death penalty for Jang Yun-gi, who allegedly murdered a high schooler in Gwangju, according to a local memorial advocacy group on Tuesday.
T he online petition, first posted on July 20, has garnered a total of 47,268 signatories as of Monday. The petition was prepared by a group with a name that translates roughly to Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity and the family of the 16-year-old girl who was killed.
Jang stabbed the victim, whom he did not know, to death on May 5, according to law enforcement. He later admitted that he had intended to rape her.
Petitioners called for Jang to be sentenced to death to hold him accountable in a manner commensurate with the victim’s unjust death.
Signatories demanded measures to prevent similar crimes and strengthen the social safety net, and called for a rigorous investigation into others implicated in the case, according to comments submitted with the petition.
“We cannot shake the fear that if the perpetrator returns to society, he could target someone else and try to carry out the crime he failed to complete,” the bereaved family said in a notice encouraging people to join the petition. “Please help keep our society safe so that no one else falls victim to such a crime.”
The local memorial group plans to submit the petition document and the results of the online endorsements to the Gwangju District Court ahead of a hearing in the Jang Yun-gi case scheduled for Aug. 31.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
TL;DR:
Over 24,000 foreign-linked accounts sought to deepen Korea’s political, social divides over two decades, study finds
AI-assisted analysis of Naver comments found that coordinated accounts intensified divisive rhetoric, particularly during election periods.
Scientists found some 24,000 foreign accounts, whose nationalities were undisclosed, that posted malicious comments on Korean news boards to fan internal animosity and conflict.
The findings were based on an AI-assisted analysis of 110 million comments posted between 2006 and 2025 on the news section of Naver, one of Korea’s major portal sites , by a joint research team led by KAIST professors Lee Won-jae, Cha Mee-young and Oh Hae-yeon and Thorsten Holz from the German Max Planck Institute.
The analysis started with 70 accounts previously flagged by the Institute for National Security Strategy for suspected links to foreign influence operations. Tracing their activity and follower connections uncovered another 23,998 suspicious accounts. The research team then developed an AI tool to analyze the suspicious 1.1 billion comments.
Most comments posted by the accounts sought to divide Korean society or portray politicians as incompetent and immoral, according to researchers. Typical examples included claims that “Korea’s military conscription is state-led exploitation” and comments attacking U.S. influence around the world.
Patterns observed over the 20 years showed that the accounts were particularly active during election seasons.
An average of 34.19 suspected foreign-linked accounts began operating each week during election periods, namely presidential elections. This was about 51 percent more than the weekly average of 22.61 outside election periods.
Rather than posting comments favoring a particular political camp, however, the accounts attacked both progressives and conservatives. They appeared intent on fueling conflict across the political spectrum.
The researchers did not disclose where the users behind the accounts were from. Besides login locations, researchers identified suspected foreign users based on usernames and nonnative Korean expressions.
“AI allowed us to examine comments ranging from those that read like literal translations to those rendered more naturally by online translation tools,” Prof. Lee Won-jae of KAIST Graduate School of Culture Technology said.
The researchers then classified whether comments posted by the accounts contained emotions such as hatred, contempt or praise, and analyzed whether those emotions were directed at particular countries or targets. They combined those findings with factors that included how long the accounts had been active, how many comments they had posted and recurring behavioral patterns.
The researchers called the technology “explainable AI” because it provides the reasoning behind its assessments, including the specific language that led it to flag a comment as suspected public opinion manipulation.
“Suspicious accounts consistently attacked Korea and its politicians and fueled divisions rather than targeting any particular political camp, a pattern we found across 20 years of data and successive administrations,” Lee said.
“This could help identify which messages warrant closer scrutiny during elections and other periods of heightened social tension.”
Prof. Cha also noted that the AI technology could become “a practical tool for improving transparency and trust in the digital public sphere.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
TL;DR:
'Bugging aircraft communications is my hobby': Two Chinese vets detained in Korea for allegedly collecting military intel
Police say one suspect intercepted fighter pilot communications near Gunsan while another gathered information on U.S. military exercises at Camp Humphreys.
Police have detained two Chinese nationals accused of gathering military information in Korea on two separate counts on Monday. One allegedly intercepted communication between fighter pilots and air traffic controllers at a military airfield, while the other allegedly collected information on military exercises at a U.S. military base. Both are reportedly former members of the Chinese military.
One Chinese man was apprehended on charges of benefiting the enemy and violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police on Tuesday.
The suspect is accused of illegally intercepting communications between an air traffic control tower and fighter pilots at the military airfield at Gunsan Airport in North Jeolla. He allegedly installed a software-defined radio receiver (SDR) at a hotel about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the airport in April and used it to listen in on fighter jet communications. Unlike conventional two-way radios, an SDR only receives signals, which could make it difficult for those being monitored to detect that their communications are being intercepted.
Police found that even though the man had no record of entering Korea before January 2024, he began entering Korea several times during periods when the Korean and U.S. air forces were conducting military exercises.
“My hobby is listening to civilian aircraft communications, and I wanted to listen to fighter pilots’ communications,” the man told police.
Authorities identified him as a former member of the Chinese military who had since retired from service.
Police also detained another Chinese national on Monday for allegedly collecting information about U.S. military exercises at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, where U.S. Forces Korea is headquartered.
The suspect was detained on charges of benefiting the enemy and violating the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act.
The detainee allegedly operated a military surplus store near the main gate of Camp Humphreys from November 2021 through May. The suspect is accused of recruiting a source with access to the base and obtaining classified military information while operating the store.
Police also suspect the individual of taking military supplies out of the U.S. base and selling them secondhand or arranging their sale.
Investigators believe the suspect provided money and other benefits to a Korean woman working at the U.S. base in exchange for military information.
The information allegedly included the workplaces of members of the U.S. military leadership and photographs from inauguration ceremonies for U.S. military commanders. The suspect is also accused of personally observing the movement of weapons inside the base.
“I was not suspicious of the suspect because they had operated a military surplus store since 2021 and had done business with U.S. military personnel,” the Korean employee who gave the suspect the information told the police. “[The suspect] said the information was needed for business, so I provided some of the information requested.”
Police are investigating whether the Korean employee acted as an accomplice.
The suspect in the Camp Humphreys case is also believed to be a retired member of the Chinese military, just as the man accused of intercepting fighter jet communications was.
Police charged the suspects with benefiting the enemy because, under current law, leaking military secrets to a foreign country cannot be prosecuted as espionage. The suspects could only be charged with espionage if prosecutors prove that their actions were carried out for North Korea, according to legal experts.
Police plan to analyze the materials and other evidence seized in the cases to determine the details of the alleged activities.
The National Assembly passed an amendment to the Criminal Act in February that expands the scope of the country’s espionage law from acts committed for North Korea to those committed for a “foreign country or an organization equivalent to one.” However, the amendment will not take effect until Sept. 13.
The offense of benefiting the enemy could land a sentence of at least three years in prison and up to life imprisonment. In comparison, espionage carries the heavier penalties of death, life imprisonment or at least seven years in prison.
Courts have recently taken a tougher approach to alleged espionage by foreign nationals by applying charges of benefiting the enemy.
In May, the Suwon District Court sentenced two Chinese nationals to up to two years in prison for conducting surveillance of major Korean and U.S. military facilities and international airports. They were the first foreign nationals convicted in Korea of benefiting the enemy.
The Busan District Court followed in June and sentenced a Chinese student to 18 months in prison for using a drone to film a U.S. aircraft carrier docked at the Busan Naval Base. The court found the student guilty of benefiting the enemy.
Police plan to analyze the materials and other evidence seized from the two suspects to determine the full circumstances of their alleged activities, especially whether they have any links to North Korea.
“We plan to actively respond to foreign intelligence activities targeting South Korea, with the revised espionage law scheduled to take effect on Sept. 13,” a police official said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
TL;DR:
Women opposing the abolition of the prosecution’s complementary investigation authority took to the streets.
On the 9th at 7 p.m., the Women’s Party held a “complementary investigation authority abolition condemnation protest” at Bosingak in Jongno-gu, Seoul. By 8 p.m. the same day, approximately 200 people had gathered. They condemned the Criminal Procedure Act amendment, which completely abolishes the prosecution’s direct investigation authority and passed the Cabinet meeting on August 4, as a “measure that kills victims twice.”
Participants held placards with messages such as “Condemn the abolition of the complementary investigation authority that ignores the cries of female violence victims” and “President Lee Jae Myung, exercise your veto power.” Most wore hats and masks.
Yu Jihye, spokesperson for the Women’s Party, who took the podium, urged President Lee Jae Myung to exercise his veto power regarding the amendment. Yu stated, “The president did not even properly read it before the amendment passed the Cabinet meeting,” and asked, “Whose voices were heard in creating this law?” She added, “If investigations in female violence cases are conducted poorly, mechanisms to uncover the truth are necessary,” and emphasized, “We aim to clearly convey our urgency in protecting victims’ rights here today.”
Park Jinsuk, head of the Women’s Party’s emergency committee, who then spoke, criticized, “The government says that since prosecutorial reform is complete, police reform should begin,” adding, “This sounds like saying to demolish all the pillars of a house and then remodel it.” This highlighted criticism of the government for removing the prosecution’s direct investigation authority without measures to address weakened investigative capabilities.
Rally participants also jointly chanted slogans criticizing the ruling party’s push for the amendment. These included, “Repeated poor investigations killing victims,” “Stop complaining about investigative authority and improve investigative capabilities,” and “Do not disguise the expanded investigative vacuum as livelihood legislation.”
General female citizens also spoke. One participant, identifying as an office worker, said, “Is it truly the executive branch’s role to eliminate the last national system for victim protection merely because the emergence of political prosecutors is feared?” She added, “In Korea, where there are many cases of violence and murder against women, it is terrifying as a female citizen that police organizations, which unhesitatingly cause secondary harm, will hold the sole investigative authority.”
Another participant noted, “If the police do not investigate, victims must gather evidence themselves, report to the media, and create public opinion.” She continued, “If the prosecution has made mistakes, they can be corrected and controlled,” and condemned, “I want to ask the president and the Democratic Party: Should control mechanisms to prevent poor police investigations be removed simply because the prosecution is disliked?”
Lee Kyungha, a lawyer who spoke later, criticized the amendment as an “unprecedented and unparalleled evil law.” She stated, “The amendment is a law where victims cannot receive any protection unless they become investigative agencies themselves,” and added, “It will drive female victims to the brink.” She continued, “They say President Lee Jae Myung has not even properly reviewed the amendment’s contents. Do the desperate pleas of women to stop the abolition of the complementary investigation authority amuse you?” She added, “Women will not forget the lawmakers and president who overlooked the amendment’s passage and will make them pay the price.”
Meanwhile, the Criminal Procedure Act amendment, which centers on abolishing the prosecution’s complementary investigation authority, passed the Cabinet meeting on August 4. This marks the first time in 72 years since the enactment of the Criminal Procedure Act in 1954 that the prosecution’s direct investigation authority has been abolished.
Source: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/08/09/LHHSYFGC7RBNTHEO3RQZUCAJ2Q/