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On the 20th, a senior official from the Cargo Truckers Solidarity under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions was killed after being struck by a vehicle during a riot in front of the CU Jinju Logistics Center in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.

According to the union, at around 10 a.m. that day, a 2.5-ton truck collided with three union members. One official was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest but later died, while the other two are receiving treatment. The vehicle involved is believed to have been a replacement truck deployed to carry out logistics operations.

Police stated that “some claims that the vehicle ran over union members are not true,” adding that “the accident appears to have occurred as individuals approached the driver’s side to protest.”

In contrast, the union argued that excessive police response and poor on-site management were the causes of the accident. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity has been demanding direct negotiations with BGF Logistics and has been blocking the entry and exit of vehicles at the logistics center since the 5th.

Meanwhile, following the incident, a vehicle believed to be from the union side rammed into a police barricade and drove toward the main gate, injuring a riot police officer in the head. The clash between police and union members further escalated. Police have arrested two individuals in the vehicle on charges of obstruction of official duties and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is reported to have newly identified Kusong City in North Pyongan Province as the location of a North Korean uranium enrichment facility, after which the United States is said to have partially restricted the sharing of satellite intelligence on North Korea.

According to a compilation of reports including those by Hankyoreh on the 19th, the U.S. has halted intelligence sharing—previously amounting to around 50 to 100 items per day—starting about a week ago. The move followed remarks made by Chung on the 6th of last month during a session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, where he referenced Kusong City as a site of uranium enrichment activity in North Korea.

At the time, Chung stated, “There was a very serious report delivered by Rafael Grossi at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on March 2,” adding, “There are currently uranium enrichment facilities in Yongbyon, Kusong, and Kangson. While Iran’s enriched uranium reaches 60%, North Korea is reported to be producing weapons-grade uranium enriched to 90%.” He further noted that President Lee Jae-myung had said, “Halting this should be the top priority.”

This marked the first time a senior South Korean government official publicly mentioned Kusong—alongside the previously known sites of Yongbyon in North Pyongan Province and Kangson in Nampo—as a location of North Korea’s uranium enrichment facilities.

Following Chung’s remarks, the U.S. reportedly conveyed its objections to multiple South Korean ministries and agencies involved in foreign affairs, national security, and intelligence.

In addition, the U.S. is said to have restricted part of the satellite intelligence it had been sharing with South Korea. Washington collects intelligence on North Korea through a range of assets—including satellites, signal interception, and reconnaissance—and shares portions of it with Seoul. However, Chung’s comments are believed to have raised concerns that the disclosure could compromise intelligence networks and undermine trust between the allies.

A government official told Yonhap News Agency on the 19th, “If intelligence matters are made public, the assets or methods used to obtain that information could be traced back. If North Korea takes countermeasures based on that, it could make further surveillance and reconnaissance more difficult.”

[Anchor]

More people are saying these days that even grocery shopping or ordering delivery food feels burdensome.

And as expected, import prices surged sharply last month.

They are now nearly at levels seen during the IMF financial crisis.

The spike is attributed to rising oil prices and the exchange rate amid tensions in the Middle East.

[Reporter]

At a fried chicken shop, ordering one boneless seasoned chicken and two soft drinks comes to nearly 30,000 won.

While this is a burden for consumers, shop owners are also struggling with rising ingredient costs.

[Chicken Shop Owner]

“(Chicken) supply is tight, and prices have gone up, but we haven’t been able to raise our prices yet. It’s very difficult.”

Shopping districts with clothing stores are facing a similar situation.

They say customer traffic has declined as prices for clothes and bags rise due to higher raw material costs.

[Bag Shop Owner]

“Fabric is made from petroleum, so there are all kinds of ripple effects. Something that used to cost 10,000 won is now 12,000 won.”

[Clothing Consumer]

“These days, even a single T-shirt costs 99,000 won. If it’s expensive, you just don’t buy it.”

People are even saying grocery shopping has become intimidating.

Prices of imported fish and meat have also jumped significantly.

[Mart Customer A]

“Look here. There’s hardly any price difference between domestic and Australian products.”

[Mart Customer B]

“I end up buying less than I used to and think twice before making a purchase.”

According to a report by the Bank of Korea, the import price index rose 16.1% month-on-month last month.

This marks the largest increase in 28 years, comparable to levels during the IMF financial crisis.

Due to higher oil prices and the exchange rate, prices of imported crude oil and other mining products, as well as coal and petroleum products, surged 44% and 37%, respectively.

A man in his 60s who was indicted for spreading false information about victims of the October 29 Itaewon disaster and their bereaved families has been found to have previously been one of the ringleaders in the “Seoul National University civilian torture case.”

The man was arrested and put on trial on charges of disseminating conspiracy theories claiming the Itaewon disaster was a “drug terror attack,” and for posting hundreds of defamatory messages about the victims.

According to reporting by News1 on April 17, Cho (67), who is currently on trial at the Seoul Western District Court on charges including defamation of the deceased and violations of the Basic Telecommunications Act, entered Seoul National University’s Department of Korean History in 1977. He was one of the individuals who led assaults during the 1984 Seoul National University civilian torture case. He was sentenced to one year and six months in prison on April 11, 1986 for his role.

The incident is also known as the “Seoul National University informant (쁘락치) case.” At the time, student council members at the university suspected civilians of being informants, detained them on campus, and subjected them to group violence, including water boarding, to extract confessions. The four victims—university students, civil service exam candidates, and repeat college applicants—were detained for periods ranging from at least 22 hours to as long as six days and were tortured.

Around 20 student council members were taken into custody in connection with the case. Writer Yoo Si-min, a member of the class of 1978 and then head of the returning students’ association, was also identified as a key perpetrator and arrested. Cho was likewise identified as a ringleader. He was apprehended only after being on the wanted list for one year and two months following the incident. Yoo and Cho, along with four others, were sentenced to prison terms.

During the second hearing held the previous day (April 16) at the Seoul Western District Court under Judge Sung Joon-kyu, prosecutors pointed out that “the defendant is someone who graduated from Seoul National University and even holds qualifications as a certified judicial scrivener, placing him in a position to clearly distinguish between fact and opinion and to understand legal principles better than the general public.”

Before his arrest, Cho had worked as a judicial scrivener and had also taught preparatory courses for the certification exam. On an online lecture platform, he introduced himself as a “study-focused judicial scrivener,” promoting his lectures as “easy explanations that even high school students can understand.” On his YouTube channel, he stated that his monthly revenue amounted to 3.9 million won and that his lectures had established themselves as part of the judicial scrivener exam market.

Cho is accused of posting 362 pieces of content—including 299 videos and 63 written posts—on online communities such as Naver blogs and DC Inside, as well as on overseas video platforms, containing defamatory remarks about Itaewon victims or false information. Some of the videos reportedly included personal donation account details.

According to prosecutors, Cho repeatedly denied the fact that 158 people died in the Itaewon disaster due to crowd crush, instead posting claims such as “terrorists intentionally pushed people” and “deaths were caused by a drug terror attack.” He also argued, citing CPR scenes, that some victims collapsed due to unrelated causes, and claimed that victims removing clothing was due to drug effects. In some posts, he even described victims as “looking like real dolls.”

Cho has denied all charges. At the first hearing held on March 24, he argued that his posts were merely expressions of opinion rather than statements of fact. His defense attorney claimed that “most of the posts did not identify specific bereaved families and were simply expressions of opinion about the incident,” adding that “since the cause of the disaster had not been clearly determined at the time, he did not recognize the posts as false.”

Cho is the first individual to be detained since the National Police Agency established a dedicated investigation team in July last year to combat secondary victimization related to large-scale disasters. Even after police applied for an arrest warrant, he reportedly continued to post photos of victims and rescue scenes online while spreading false claims.

The National Office of Investigation’s Secondary Victimization Crime Unit transferred Cho to prosecutors in custody on January 9. A joint prosecution-police task force for investigating the Itaewon disaster also formally indicted him in detention on January 16.