[Wang Son-taek] Roots of the dispute over martial law

The scorching summer of 2024 has finally passed, and South Korea is now entering the autumn season. While the weather has cooled down, the heated political fight continues unabated. A fierce debate revolves around allegations that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is preparing for martial law. The opposition has raised suspicions, claiming that the government's recent actions suggest preparations for martial law. In contrast, the government and ruling party vehemently deny these allegations,

ViewpointsSept. 5, 2024

Yoon makes late night visit to hospital ER

President Yoon Suk Yeol made a late night visit to a hospital emergency room Wednesday to encourage medical staff and promise the government's unwavering support amid growing strains on health care services. Yoon visited a regional emergency medical center in Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul as the government began deploying military doctors and public physicians to hospital emergency rooms across the country the same day. His visit came amid mounting concerns hospital ERs in particular

PoliticsSept. 4, 2024

N. Korea launches more trash balloons toward S. Korea

North Korea again launched balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea on Wednesday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, marking a resumption of its trash-balloon campaign after a near monthlong halt. The JCS said an unspecified number of balloons could travel to northern Gyeonggi Province, just north of Seoul, and advised the public not to touch fallen balloons and report them to the military or police. Since late May, the North has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash in a tit-for-t

North KoreaSept. 4, 2024

Lions slugger Park Byung-ho becomes 3rd KBO player to hit 400 home runs

Park Byung-ho of the Samsung Lions became the third player in South Korean baseball to hit 400 home runs Wednesday. Park belted his 400th homer to lead off the bottom of the second inning against the Doosan Bears in their Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Park drove a forkball from Bears starter Choi Seung-yong over the right-center field fence for the milestone. He has now homered in four consecutive games.

BaseballSept. 4, 2024

S. Korea captain Son Heung-min wants new faces to play with confidence

With the new head coach and a few new faces aboard for South Korea, captain Son Heung-min has a lot to juggle as the Taegeuk Warriors prepare to host Palestine in a World Cup qualifier. He will have to be the bridge between Hong Myung-bo, about to begin his second stint as the senior men's bench boss, and the rest of the team, while also making sure a handful of youngsters can find their footing. Son also has a crucial on-pitch role as the team's offensive engine. The 32-year-old said

SoccerSept. 4, 2024

[Off the Pages] 'Underground' blends sound and darkness in immersive audio experience

The immersive theater experience “Underground” transports audiences into an entirely new dimension of sensory storytelling -- a captivating, pitch-dark descent into the unknown. Based on acclaimed Korean science fiction author Kim Bo-young's short story “Underground” (featured in her collection “The Fifth Sense” in 2022), the Wooran Foundation’s production plunges viewers deep into a labyrinthine underground set in a dystopian future. “Undergr

BooksSept. 4, 2024

Workload and low wages push more young police officers and fire fighters to quit

A growing number of young police officers and firefighters in South Korea are quitting their jobs, citing heavy workloads and low wages, data showed Wednesday. According to data from the National Police Agency submitted to Rep. Shin Jung-hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of police officers with less than ten years of service who resigned voluntarily nearly doubled from 155 in 2022 to 301 last year. Similarly, 125 firefighters with less than ten years of service resigned last year

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2024

Defectors' rise to high posts in Seoul could shake NK elite: Tae

Tae Yong-ho, a former senior North Korean diplomat, said Wednesday that his appointment to a vice-ministerial position in the South Korean government sends a compelling message to the North Korean elite -- the key pillars of the Kim regime's sustainability -- by highlighting their potential for a promising future within South Korean society or a unified Korea. Tae has become the first North Korean defector who once served in the North Korean regime to ascend to a high-ranking South Korean o

North KoreaSept. 4, 2024

Korea launches global green industries conference in Busan

The annual Global Green Hub Korea 2024 conference, organized by the Environment Ministry in collaboration with the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, commenced Wednesday at BEXCO, Busan. Scheduled activities over the three-day conference include a panel discussion on international green goals, private export counseling sessions, briefings on overseas green projects and meetings focused on intergovernmental cooperation, according to Environment Ministry officials. The globa

IndustrySept. 4, 2024

Frieze, Kiaf Seoul starts off on cautious mode

Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul kicked off Wednesday at Coex in southern Seoul with VIP openings for their third collaboration, bringing a festive mood to the city, albeit in a cautious mode amid concerns of a slowdown in the art market. Some 110 galleries are participating in Frieze Seoul, while 206 are represented at Kiaf Seoul. Frieze Seoul runs through Saturday at Halls C and D while Kiaf Seoul will continue through Sunday at Halls A, B and the Grand Ballroom. A single ticket offers admission to

Arts & DesignSept. 4, 2024

[Herald Interview] Yerin returns as healing magician

Yerin is making a return as a soloist with vibrant energy. For her third solo mini album, the singer has embraced the concept of a magician who heals people’s wounds and brings happiness. Yerin shared her thoughts from the early stage of album planning. “Listening to the lyrics of the songs on this album, you'll notice that the tracks are arranged in a way that takes you on a journey — from a resolve to heal someone to the path toward happiness," said Yerin. Upon rece

K-popSept. 4, 2024

[Photo News] Supporting Korea-US-Japan dialogue

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun (center) speaks during the second Trilateral Executive Dialogue, or TED, a leadership seminar between South Korea, the United States and Japan, held at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday. Hyundai Motor Group sponsored this year's TED, which gathered some 100 key figures from the three countries’ governments, assemblies and corporations to discuss strategic trade and investment, biotechnology security, energy cooperation, and the role of tec

MobilitySept. 4, 2024

[Herald Interview] Classic Revolution with flair

For the upcoming Classic Revolution musical festival, five conductors will showcase the distinctive strengths and styles of their orchestras, including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic, Suwon Philharmonic and Gyeonggi Philharmonic. The festival, organized by the Lotte Foundation for Arts, has shifted its schedule from mid-summer to take place from Saturday to Wednesday this year. In line with this change, the festival's focus has shifted from individual composers to high

CultureSept. 4, 2024

IWIK head attends ESG forum in Bhutan

The International World in Korea said Wednesday that its president, Kim Ah-sol, visited the kingdom of Bhutan at the invitation of the Korea-Bhutan Friendship Association, a nonprofit organization authorized by Bhutan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote cultural exchanges between the two nations. Kim's visit was part of the 2024 Bhutan ESG Forum Tour, hosted by the Korea-Bhutan Friendship Association, from Aug. 27 to Monday. On the second day of the tour, Kim visited the National

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Itzy to return next month including Lia: report

Itzy will return in October as a full group, local media reported Wednesday. Lia, as label JYP Entertainment told fans in July, will resume activities starting with the new album as her condition has improved significantly. She has been taking a break due to anxiety. The group’s last album in Korea was its eighth EP “Born To Be” which came out in January. Its latest was “Algorhythm,” its third single in Japan, which came out in May. Itzy wrapped up its second inte

K-popSept. 4, 2024

GS E&C keen to improve profitability, spur growth

South Korea’s leading construction company GS Engineering & Construction is ramping up efforts to enhance financial stability and spur growth in key growth drivers. Currently, GS E&C is exploring various strategic options, including stake sales in its subsidiaries such as GS Inima Environment and GS Elevator, as part of efforts to secure cash for growth. GS Inima Environment, a global water treatment and purification company based in Spain, is a notable asset within GS E&C�

IndustrySept. 4, 2024

Stigma, criticism follow deepfake victims

As hundreds of reports have been recently made to police regarding the distribution and creation of sexually explicit deepfake images and videos, calls for increased protection and stronger punishment of perpetrators are being raised in South Korea. According to the Korean National Police Agency, authorities have seen a giant surge in the number of reports made by victims of deepfake pornography since it declared a seven-month crackdown on digital sex crimes from Aug. 27 to March 31, 2025. As of

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2024

Nvidia sell-off drags down Samsung, SK hynix shares

Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix saw their stock prices tumble Wednesday, following a plunge in Nvidia shares overnight. Nvidia, the world's leading graphic processing unit supplier, continues to experience increased volatility as it faces an antitrust probe and growing fears that the recent artificial intelligence bubble may be about to burst. Having the GPU giant as a major client for advanced AI chip components, it is inevitable for the nation’s top two chipmakers

IndustrySept. 4, 2024

Seoul shares fall over 3% on concerns of economic slowdown

South Korean shares dipped to a month low Wednesday as concerns of an economic slowdown weighed down investor sentiment. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) lost 83.83 points, or 3.15 percent, to close at 2,580,80. Trade volume was heavy at 448.8 million shares worth 11.2 trillion won ($8.35 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 859 to 51. Foreign investors offloaded 986 billion won worth of local shares, becoming net seller

MarketSept. 4, 2024