
South Korea Jeju Air crash families file criminal complaint against minister, 14 others
Families of 72 of the victims from the Jeju Air crash on December 29 said they were initiating the legal action against officials including transport minister Park Sang-woo alleging negligence in managing safety risks as well as violations of the Aviation Safety Act.
The crash at South Korea's Muan Airport killed 179 people, the deadliest air disaster on the country's soil.
The statement released by lawyers of the bereaved families said a more thorough investigation was needed on the decision to attempt a return to land immediately after a bird strike, on the maintenance of the aircraft's engine, and on whether the construction of a runway embankment was appropriate.
The Jeju Air Boeing (BA.N) 737-800 overshot Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency belly landing and crashed into an embankment containing navigation equipment known as localisers, killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board.

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The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Thaksin-Paetongtarn cases set to reshape political landscape
BANGKOK: The political landscape is at a pivotal crossroads, with the three key legal cases involving the Shinawatra father-daughter duo now under court review. The outcome of these cases could reshape Thailand's political future. Two of the cases involving Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, are in the hands of the Criminal Court and the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders. Meanwhile, a third case involving Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the suspended prime minister and Minister of Culture, is before the Constitutional Court. Political figures, both inside and outside the game, are anxiously awaiting the verdicts, as they will determine the next steps and strategic deals in Thai politics. The first case, scheduled for August 22, 2025, concerns alleged violations under the Criminal Code, Section 112, and the Computer Crime Act, following Thaksin's 2015 interview with South Korean media. The content of the interview was deemed to have insulted the monarchy. The Attorney General pressed charges against Thaksin in June 2024, and the Criminal Court has since ordered that the proceedings be held behind closed doors. The court also imposed restrictions on Thaksin's bail, prohibiting him from leaving the country without permission. On July 16, 2025, Thaksin testified in court, with his legal team stating that no additional witnesses would be called. The court is set to deliver its verdict on Aug 22, 2025, at 10.00am. Thaksin will be eagerly awaiting the outcome, as a conviction could put him at significant legal risk. While he could appeal any verdict, the chance of a royal pardon seems unlikely, as a proposed amnesty bill was rejected by parliament. If the court rules that Thaksin's remarks did not violate Section 112, he will be cleared of charges, but prosecutors could still appeal the decision. On the other hand, if the court rules against him, Thaksin will face sentencing, though he may have the option to seek bail and fight the case in the appellate court. The second case is scheduled for Aug 29, 2025, with the Constitutional Court set to deliver its ruling on a voice recording between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen. A group of 36 senators filed a petition alleging that Paetongtarn acted dishonestly and violated the code of ethics in her capacity as prime minister. Paetongtarn has requested an extension to submit her defence, with the deadline for submitting her statement set for Aug 4. On Aug 21, the Constitutional Court will hear testimony from two key witnesses: Paetongtarn herself and the Secretary-General of the National Security Council. If Paetongtarn is cleared of wrongdoing, she will regain full authority as prime minister, which could bolster her political position. However, if the court decides she violated ethical standards, the process to elect a new prime minister will immediately begin. Among the candidates to be considered are Chaikasem Nitisiri of the Pheu Thai Party, Gen Prayut Chan-O-Cha, and Pirapan Salirathavibhaga of the United Thai Nation Party, Anutin Charnvirakul of Bhumjaithai Party, and Jurin Laksanawisit of the Democrat Party. The third case, scheduled for Sept 9, 2025, concerns allegations of fake illness and the medical treatment Thaksin received at Police General Hospital while in detention. The court has scrutinised the processes involved in his transfer to the hospital, examining the documentation provided by the prison officials and medical staff, including progress notes and nurse reports. The court will focus on whether Thaksin's treatment at the hospital followed legal protocols and whether his condition warranted such care. There are three possible outcomes for the case: If Thaksin's illness is confirmed as genuine and the procedures were followed correctly, he will be cleared of wrongdoing. If Thaksin's illness is genuine but the procedures for his treatment were flawed, the officials involved could face charges, but Thaksin would not return to prison. If Thaksin's illness is deemed fake and the medical procedures were improper, he could face a new sentence, and the case could return to court for a potential prison sentence. The fake illness controversy is a weak point for Thaksin, with significant opposition from conservative factions who oppose his attempts to escape justice under the guise of illness. These three cases will be pivotal in determining the future of the Shinawatra family's political legacy and the course of Thai politics. While the conservative factions may continue to back the current political deal, the handling of these legal cases could shift the balance of power, potentially opening the door for new leadership to emerge. - The Nation/ANN

Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Malay Mail
South Korean crypto fugitive Do Kwon pleads guilty in New York to fraud in US$40b wipeout
NEW YORK, Aug 13 — South Korean cryptocurrency specialist Do Kwon pleaded guilty to fraud charges in front of a New York judge on Tuesday following his firm's multi-billion-dollar bankruptcy, court filings showed. Do Kwon, who founded Terraform and nurtured two cryptocurrencies central to the bankruptcy, had faced nine counts in a superseding indictment filed by prosecutors in January 2025 to which he initially pleaded not guilty. The fallen mogul changed his plea in a hearing before Southern District of New York judge Paul Engelmayer, and will be sentenced on December 11, the docket showed. He was extradited last year from Montenegro to the United States for his role in a fraud linked to his company's failure, which wiped out about US$40 billion (RM169 billion) of investors' money and shook global crypto markets. The crypto tycoon was arrested in March 2023 at the airport in Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital, while preparing to board a flight to Dubai, in possession of a fake Costa Rican passport. Before his arrest in the tiny Balkan nation, he had been on the run for months, fleeing South Korea and later Singapore, when his company went bankrupt in 2022. Do Kwon's Terraform Labs created a cryptocurrency called TerraUSD that was marketed as a 'stablecoin', a token that is pegged to stable assets such as the US dollar to prevent drastic fluctuations. Do Kwon successfully marketed them as the next big thing in crypto, attracting billions in investments and global hype. Media reports in South Korea described him as a 'genius'. But despite billions in investments, TerraUSD and its sister token Luna went into a death spiral in May 2022. Experts said Kwon had set up a glorified pyramid scheme, in which many investors lost their life savings. He left South Korea before the crash and spent months on the run. Cryptocurrencies have come under increasing scrutiny from regulators after a string of controversies in recent years, including the high-profile collapses of exchanges. — AFP


The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Do Kwon pleads guilty in $40 billion crypto fraud case
NEW YORK: Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated $40 billion in 2022, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two U.S. charges of conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud. Kwon, 33, who co-founded Singapore-based Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, entered the plea at a court hearing in New York before U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer. He had pleaded not guilty in January to a nine-count indictment charging him with securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Accused of misleading investors in 2021 about TerraUSD - a so-called stablecoin designed to maintain a value of $1 - Kwon pleaded guilty to the two counts under an agreement with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office, which brought the charges. 'Do Kwon used the technological promise and investment euphoria around cryptocurrency to commit one of the largest frauds in history,' Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. He faces up to 25 years in prison when Engelmayer sentences him on December 11, though prosecutor Kimberly Ravener said the government had agreed to advocate for a prison term of no more than 12 years provided he accepts responsibility for his crimes. Kwon is one of several cryptocurrency moguls to face federal charges after a slump in digital token prices in 2022 prompted the collapse of a number of companies. Prosecutors alleged that when TerraUSD slipped below its $1 peg in May 2021, he told investors a computer algorithm known as 'Terra Protocol' had restored the coin's value. Instead, they said, he arranged for a high-frequency trading firm to secretly buy millions of dollars of the token to artificially prop up its price. Prosecutors said that false claim and others drove retail and institutional investors to buy Terraform products and boost the value of Luna - a more traditional token that fluctuated in value but was closely linked to TerraUSD - to $50 billion by the spring of 2022. In court, Kwon apologized for his conduct. 'I made false and misleading statements about why it regained its peg by failing to disclose a trading firm's role in restoring that peg,' Kwon said. 'What I did was wrong.' Kwon agreed in 2024 to pay $80 million as a civil fine and be banned from crypto transactions as part of a $4.55 billion settlement he and Terraform reached with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Kwon has been detained since his extradition from Montenegro late last year. He also faces charges in South Korea. As part of the deal, prosecutors will not oppose Kwon's potential application to be transferred abroad after serving half his U.S. sentence, Ravener said. - Reuters