Yoon's spokesperson named vice unification minister

Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson of President Yoon Suk Yeol's office was named as the new Vice Minister of Unification, according to Yoon's office Monday. Kim, 48, has served as Yoon's spokesperson since December. Before joining the presidential office, she was formerly a journalist at the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a social welfare professor at Hanshin University and a secretary for unification in the presidential office. Kim w

PoliticsJuly 15, 2024

Whooping cough cases on the rise: data

Cases of whooping cough are on the rise across South Korea, data showed Monday. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection that can easily spread between humans through coughing, sneezing and breathing in close proximity to another person. A total of 6,986 patients have already been confirmed with the disease this year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as of July 6. The Korea Children's Hospital Association found

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

Memorials across nation set for deceased school teacher

One year after the mistreatment of teachers and the protection of their rights became a major social issue in the wake of the death of a young teacher in July last year, waves of tributes to the deceased have risen across South Korea this week, with many coming from other education workers. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, one of the country's two major teachers' unions, set Monday to July 23 as a period of remembrance, bringing together online and offline spaces t

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

Junior doctors unresponsive as hospitals process resignations

Some 10,000 junior doctors who left hospitals five months ago in protest of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's decision to expand the medical school quota, remained unresponsive on Monday even though hospitals they worked for started to process their resignations under the government's instruction. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said last month that it would allow hospitals to process resignations while withdrawing return-to-work orders by setting the deadline for returning to hosp

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

First lady likely to refuse to testify before Assembly committee

South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee is likely to refuse to testify before the opposition-controlled Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly as they plan to hold a parliamentary hearing to seek an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol. This will be in line with the presidential office's move to decline to receive the committee's written request urging five presidential secretaries to attend the first round of hearings scheduled on Friday. A senio

PoliticsJuly 15, 2024

Driver negligence caused deadly car crash: forensics

The National Forensic Service has concluded in its analysis of the tragic wrong-way accident near City Hall Station in Seoul that the cause of the accident was driver error, the head of Seoul police told reporters Monday. The forensics report counters the claim by the 68-year-old driver, identified by his surname Cha, that the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration. He told investigators that the brakes were not working at the time of the accident. The car stopped after hitting pe

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

Tunisian wins right to refugee status screening on grounds of domestic violence

A Tunisian national recently won a court order to have the South Korean immigration authorities deliberate on granting her refugee status, the Incheon District Court said Monday. The court recently ruled in favor of the plaintiff in an administrative lawsuit she filed last year against the Korea Immigration Service, saying its decision to deny her from being screened for refugee status in December was unlawful. She had requested refugee status on the grounds that she would be subject to severe a

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

Business closures near 1 million last year, highest since 2006

The number of business owners who filed for business closure approached 1 million last year, the highest number since related data began to be compiled in 2006. Business closures stood at about 986,400 in 2023, a near 14 percent increase from the previous year’s 867,200, shows data from the National Tax Service. The tally hovered around 800,000 between 2020 and 2022, before surging last year. The most common reason cited for closures was poor business performance, accounting for about 48

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

63 winners share jackpot in S. Korean Lotto, most ever

A total of 63 people won the jackpot in last week's South Korean Lotto, the highest-ever number of winners in its history, according to Lotto’s operators Donghaeng Lottery. But the large number of winners means they will each receive the second-lowest jackpot winnings ever. The 63 winners will each take home 419.9 million won ($300,000), which is the second-lowest amount on record behind 400.09 million won in 2013. The previous record number of winners was 50 in the 1,019th Lott

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

[Bills in Focus] High-tech industries support, proactive supply chain measures

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Strengthening the Competitiveness of, and Protecting National High-tech Strategic Industries Proposed by Rep. Lee Sang-sik (Democratic Party of Korea) ● The current Act designates key technologies and industries as national high-tech strategic technologies and promotes investment through specialized complexes with government subsidies. However, unlike countries like the US, China, and Taiwan, which fully subsidize industrial in

PoliticsJuly 15, 2024

Civic group files complaint against Yoon for vetoing special probe bill

A civic group filed a complaint Monday against President Yoon Suk Yeol for vetoing a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death. The civic group, known as the "National Action for Judicial Justice," filed the complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, accusing Yoon of abusing his power to block the appointment of a special counsel to look into allegations the presidential office and the d

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korea- Africa Summit sets pathway for future together: Tanzanian President

Tanzania's 1st female president urges cooperation for green growth, women's health, Korean investment The 2024 Korea-Africa Summit held in June in Seoul was a historic event that would set the stage for stronger bilateral cooperation and bridge the geographical gap in the future, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in an interview with The Korea Herald. In a written interview conducted after her trip to Seoul, Hassan, Tanzania‘s first female president said South Korea an

Foreign AffairsJuly 15, 2024

First lady ordered return of luxury bag on same day she received it, aide claims

A close aide to first lady Kim Keon Hee has claimed that Kim ordered the return of a Dior bag she received as a gift from a pastor on the same day it was given, sources said Monday. Kim's aide, surnamed Yoo, made the statement during questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in early July as part of the ongoing investigation into the luxury bag scandal, according to the legal sources. The scandal centers on allegations that Kim illegally received a Dior handbag worth abou

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2024

US Indo-Pacific commander says S. Korea's acquisition of nuclear submarines could be considered in future: Yoon's office

The chief of the US Indo-Pacific Command has said the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines in South Korea could be considered in the future depending on its operational analysis, the presidential office said Sunday. "From the standpoint of submarine warfare, I think it's important as allies and partners to find the most efficient and effective ways to combine our capabilities in ways that most effectively defend our alliances and partnerships," Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo s

DefenseJuly 14, 2024

N. Korean leader's powerful sister slams anti-Kim leaflets

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed South Korean "scum" on Sunday for launching anti-regime propaganda leaflets across the border via balloon, warning they would pay "a very high price." The Korean peninsula has seen tit-for-tat balloon campaigns in recent weeks, with Pyongyang floating trash-filled balloons southward in protest of ones carrying propaganda leaflets sent northward by South Korean activists. Kim Yo-jong, a key regime spokesperson, sai

North KoreaJuly 14, 2024

[Online Predators] Distorted awareness, weak law: How digital sex crimes thrive in S. Korea

South Korea has been taking pride in its high digital literacy, but such technological advancements in recent years have enabled perpetrators to exploit sexually explicit content on the dark web. A report on Korea’s safety published by Statistics Korea showed that 10,605 digital sex crimes were reported in 2022, double the 5,079 reported just a year earlier, thanks to improvements in protections for victims who report them. A total of 243,855 illegally produced and distributed sexual photo

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2024

Illegal sales of fentanyl surge in South Korea

Illegal sales of fentanyl, a potent and highly addictive opioid, have increased significantly in South Korea, raising concerns among authorities and the public alike. Data obtained by Rep. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party reveals that there were 202 online cases of illegal fentanyl sales detected by June 27 this year. This figure is 3.2 times higher than the 62 cases reported throughout the entire previous year. Fentanyl, while used medically as a powerful painkiller, is highly addictive even in

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2024

Yoon 'appalled' over Trump shooting

South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday expressed best wishes to former US President Donald Trump, denouncing the shooting attack during his presidential election campaign rally in Pennsylvania that left him wounded Saturday. "I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence," Yoon noted on his X account. "I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery. The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America." Yoon's spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung sai

PoliticsJuly 14, 2024

Seoul to remove outdated subway wheelchair lifts

Wheelchair lifts, also known as platform lifts will be removed in subway stations across Seoul after some 30 years since their implementation over continuously raised safety issues. Seoul Metro, an operator of the city's subway service from Line Nos. 1 to 8, said Sunday it will demolish lifts, once thought as a mobility support for the physically impaired, issuing a tender notice for the removal of 23 wheelchair lifts in 17 subway stations, including Seoul Station, Sinseoldong Station, Yong

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2024

NATO ramps up pressure on China. What does it mean to South Korea?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's joint declaration issued Wednesday in Washington signaled a change from the Western military alliance's traditional focus on Russia with its rare open rebuke of China, calling it a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war in Ukraine. The rhetoric comes at a time when NATO declared its bid to bolster cooperation with its so-called "Indo-Pacific 4" partners -- namely South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- in their late

PoliticsJuly 14, 2024