2026년 10월 26일의 여섯 기사

IN ENGLISHAccording to multiple media reports, episode 6 of SBS drama "Doctor X" (Oct. 24) featured a patient shot in the head during the 1980 Gwangju uprising and a fictional ex-president likened to Chun Doo-hwan. A parliamentary petition to halt the show passed the 100-signature pre-publication threshold, reports said; the petition text, current stage and signature counts are unconfirmed. Article 8(1) of Korea's May 18 law penalizes disseminating false claims through specified means; Article 8(2) exempts acts under paragraph 1 when undertaken for artistic, academic or similar purposes. No outlet we read identified a specific false claim, and we could not obtain an official statement from SBS.

IN ENGLISHThe Seoul High Court on Oct. 23 acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, his former deputy Kang Cheol-won and backer Kim Han-jung of political-funds charges over polls run by Myung Tae-kun's side before the 2021 by-election, reversing a 10-million-won fine imposed in July. The court found Myung's testimony — the only direct evidence — not credible and said Kim's payments alone did not prove Oh requested them. The special counsel said it plans to appeal; the usual deadline is Oct. 30, and no filing record was obtained. Under Article 57, a final fine of at least 1 million won for an offence under Article 45 of the Political Funds Act would remove Oh from office. The charging provisions in this case have not been independently confirmed.

IN ENGLISHNorth Korea's UN envoy wrote to the Security Council president calling the Sept. 21 DMZ mine blast a South Korean fabrication and invoking self-defence under Article 51, state media said on Oct. 26; Media reports said Seoul’s letter was delivered on Oct. 22; we did not obtain either UN letter. Seoul's military had announced on Oct. 5, after a joint probe with the UN Command and forensic tests, that the blast site lay 10m south of the demarcation line and the mine was North Korean. Self-propelled guns opposite Gimpo were reported via a military source and news footage; the 122mm calibre is an estimate. Kim Jong Un visited Dandong on Oct. 24; China's foreign ministry records Wang Huning conveying Xi Jinping's greetings; the ministry’s statement did not record a meeting with Xi.

IN ENGLISHSouth Korea's second-quarter current-account surplus of $116.6 billion exceeded the combined surpluses of Germany ($52.3bn) and Japan ($50.6bn), according to IMF figures carried in the Bank of Korea's database, reports said. It ranks second among the 36 economies with available data, after China — not a full world ranking — and the "first time" claim covers data since 1996. Reported monthly BOK figures indicate that goods trade drove the surplus while imports grew; the IMF and ECOS source tables were not obtained.

IN ENGLISHAccording to media reports, LH chief Lee Sung-hoon told lawmakers on Oct. 23 that house prices would "plunge" once supply ramps up, after saying on Oct. 12 that a sharp fall was likely; reports differ on his exact timing condition, and he called his Oct. 12 loan-rule remark a personal view. The land minister said supply and a crash were not directly linked. Official data show Seoul apartment prices up 0.13% in the week to Oct. 19, a slower rise, while Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa fell.

IN ENGLISHKorea's science ministry said on Oct. 26 it set up a joint public-private team on Oct. 25 to investigate breaches at enterprise software firm Douzone Bizon, after a new statutory review committee judged them "serious." The company reported incidents on Oct. 16 and 21. The ministry gave no damage figures or cause. The company's notices describe two incidents — VPN access to a development server and suspected transfer of encrypted backup data via a backup-software flaw — whose link is still being checked; possibly exposed items include names, ID numbers (last six digits encrypted) and encrypted account numbers.