From Yoon’s Arrest to Coupang Data Breach... A Year Marked by Incidents in 2025

The Financial News – This year was marked by great upheaval, with the nation navigating impeachment proceedings and an early presidential election. A series of unexpected incidents and crimes threatened public safety. As the year drew to a close, The Financial News reviewed the major events that shook Korean society in 2025, from the arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Coupang data breach.
The investigation into former President Yoon, who declared martial law on December 3 last year and caused nationwide chaos, intensified after martial law was lifted. The Joint Investigative Unit, composed of the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), summoned Yoon three times as a suspect, but he failed to appear. Consequently, the court issued an arrest warrant. On January 3, the police and CIO attempted to execute the warrant, but security officials blocked access to his residence. However, on January 15, authorities succeeded in entering the Hannam-dong Presidential Residence and arresting Yoon. This marked the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president was apprehended by investigative authorities.

Later that day, the Seoul Western District Court held a pretrial detention hearing for former President Yoon and issued a warrant, citing concerns over evidence destruction. Outraged supporters broke into the court building, vandalized property, and assaulted police officers, resulting in unprecedented chaos. Until the impeachment ruling on April 4, rallies both supporting and opposing Yoon’s impeachment continued across Seoul.
On March 25, a major sinkhole opened at an intersection in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, resulting in the death of a man in his 30s riding a motorcycle. As sinkhole incidents occurred nationwide, fears of so-called 'sinkhole phobia' spread among citizens.
In April, a massive data breach at SK Telecom (SKT) exposed the personal information of 23.24 million users. This led to a 'SIM card replacement crisis' and sparked a wave of class-action lawsuits.

On May 31, Mr. Won, in his 60s, poured flammable liquid and set fire to a train inside the tunnel between Yeouinaru Station and Mapo Station on Line 5. Thanks to the replacement of subway interiors with fire-resistant materials after the Daegu subway fire in 2003 and the swift response of passengers, a major disaster was averted. Won was indicted on charges of attempting to kill 160 passengers and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the first trial.
This year, a series of bomb threats occurred nationwide. In August, a man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, left a false comment on a YouTube news video about the Shinsegae Department Store Main Branch, threatening to bomb the store at 5 p.m. the next day. Over 4,000 employees and customers were evacuated, and 242 personnel, including the Special Operations Unit (SOU), were mobilized. Police arrested Mr. A on charges of public intimidation and filed a compensation lawsuit. Similar threats later targeted schools, public institutions, companies, and the presidential office.

In October, the issue of abductions and detentions of Koreans in the Kingdom of Cambodia came to the forefront after a Korean university student, identified as Mr. Park, was found dead in a car on Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province. Following a surge in reports of missing Koreans, the government faced criticism for its inadequate response. In response, a joint response team comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) was dispatched to Cambodia, and 64 detained Koreans were repatriated by chartered flight. In November, the government launched the Korea-Cambodia Joint Task Force for Koreans and deployed additional police liaison officers to the country.
In December, Coupang suffered an unprecedented data breach that exposed the personal information of 33.7 million users. However, Coupang referred to the incident as an 'exposure' rather than a 'leak,' issued an apology three days later, and resumed advertising, sparking public outrage. The government launched a joint public-private investigation team to probe the cause, but tensions arose when Coupang unilaterally released its own findings on the 25th. Police are currently analyzing evidence seized from Coupang’s headquarters and a suspect’s laptop submitted by the company.
welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter