Dispute heats up over dispatch of scandal-ridden envoy to Australia

A dispute over the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s recent decision to greenlight the lifting of the travel ban on South Korea's new ambassador to Australia intensified Monday, as the ruling party chief and the state-affiliated corruption investigation agency expressed their disapproval of the move. The latest conflict follows the Justice Ministry’s decision earlier this month to allow the departure of the recently appointed envoy and former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup to Austra

PoliticsMarch 18, 2024

Man who mourned NK leader's death gets suspended term

A South Korean man has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year, for internet posts he made advocating for the dictatorial regime of North Korea, a court said Monday. Ulsan District Court found the defendant in his 50s guilty of violating the National Security Act, which bans any activities that are seen to be compromising the safety of the state. "The defendant wrote posts of anti-state sentiments that present a clear threat to the existence of South Korea and its dem

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Fostering hydrogen, mobility technologies, investor protection

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Strengthening the Competitiveness of, and Protecting National High-tech Proposed by Rep. Lee Won-wook (New Reform Party) ● Hydrogen and mobility technologies have recently gained global prominence as a way to tackle climate change and environmental problems. This amendment aims to provide national support to foster the development of hydrogen and mobility technologies by including them in the scope of national high-tech strate

PoliticsMarch 18, 2024

Study finds decline in young workers' job satisfaction and sense of meaning

Korean workers are experiencing decreased job satisfaction, amid an increasing tendency to value financial gains and a healthy work-life balance, a report showed Sunday. According to research conducted in 2023 by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, which surveyed 1,500 individuals aged between 18 and 64, Koreans rated the importance of their jobs in their lives at an average of 4.58 out of a possible 7, down by 0.87 point from 5.45 reported in 2007. In terms of

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2024

US condemns N. Korea's ballistic missile launches

The United States on Sunday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launches this week as a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and called for the recalcitrant regime to return to dialogue. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday morning, days after Seoul and Washington concluded their major springtime military exercise. "The United States condemns the DPRK's March

North KoreaMarch 18, 2024

Son of S. Korean pastor detained in N. Korea to urge repatriation at UN session

A son of Choe Chun-gil, a South Korean pastor detained in North Korea, plans to call for international cooperation for North Korea's repatriation of his father and other detainees at a UN session in Switzerland, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday. Choe is one of six South Koreans currently detained in North Korea for years, including two other pastors, Kim Jung-wook and Kim Kuk-gi, with their whereabouts or fates unknown. Choe's son will visit Geneva for a four-day trip thro

North KoreaMarch 18, 2024

Health minister voices grave concern about looming resignations of medical professors

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Monday expressed grave concerns about a decision by medical professors to resign en masse in support of junior doctors' walkout that has crippled medical services for nearly a month. About 90 percent of 13,000 interns and resident doctors have stayed off the job since late February in protest of the government's decision to increase enrollment at medical schools by 2,000 spots from the current 3,058. With the labor action by junior doctors showing littl

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2024

PPP leader urges return of top envoy to Australia amid corruption probe

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon urged law enforcement Sunday to summon the ambassador to Australia home amid the ongoing investigation into his alleged interference in a military probe into the death of a Marine. Han Dong-hoon, the interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, made the remarks as criticism is growing over the controversial departure of Ambassador Lee Jong-sup to the host country last week despite him being a subject in the investigation. "The Corruption Investigation O

PoliticsMarch 17, 2024

Summit for Democracy opens in Seoul in mega-election year

South Korea is set to launch the three-day Summit for Democracy on Monday, with a focus on fostering democracy for future generations, particularly in this pivotal year of elections -- a fundamental pillar of democracy. South Korea is the first country outside of the United States to host the Summit for Democracy singlehandedly. Pioneered by the Biden administration, the international gathering brings together governments and nongovernment stakeholders from around the world with the goal of adva

Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2024

Only half of S. Koreans willing to marry: data

Only half of South Korea's adult population is willing to get married, with fewer than half expressing intentions to have children in the future, according to the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy on Sunday. The presidential committee shared findings from a survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, which polled 2,000 respondents aged between 19 and 49 in August last year. The survey revealed that among the 1,059 unmarried respondents

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2024

Koreans, Americans differ on prestigious jobs: lawmakers vs. firefighters

Individuals from South Korea, China, and Japan perceive lawmakers as holding the highest societal status job, whereas those from the United States and Germany consider firefighters to have the highest social status, according to survey results released Sunday. The Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training conducted the survey from July to August 2023. The survey involved 7,500 employed individuals aged between 18 to 64 across five different countries: South Korea, China, Ger

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2024

Disgraced ex-minister rises as major threat to ruling party

The political party recently launched by a disgraced ex-minister has become a major threat to the ruling party ahead of the April 10 legislative election, and a force that “needs to be stopped” alongside the main opposition, according to People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon on Sunday. “The main opposition party has become more toxic ... due to the current Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung and the forces of (ex-Justice Minister) Cho Kuk, which works as a shield for

PoliticsMarch 17, 2024

Med professors to resign starting March 25

South Korea’s healthcare system faces yet another challenge as medical professors announce they will submit their resignations autonomously starting March 25, ending their involvement in patient care and surgical procedures. The medical professors, often juggling dual roles as physicians in hospitals, have filled the void left by trainee doctors to mitigate disruptions in medical services following a month-long period of junior doctors’ walkout in protest of the government’s ex

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2024

S. Korean convicted for bringing in and selling NK books

The Seoul Central District Court handed down a verdict of guilty to the chair of a civic organization who had been accused of bringing in and selling North Korean novels, officials said Sunday. The court found Jung Ik-hyeon, 60, chair of the South and North Korean Economic Federation Unification Farming Cooperative, of breaching the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, sentencing him to pay a fine of 3 million won ($2,250). Jung was accused of bringing North Korean novels and USB flash dri

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2024

S. Korea conducts large-scale military exercises near border islands

South Korea has conducted large-scale military exercises around western border islands to practice deploying forces in the event of North Korean provocations, the military said Sunday. The maneuvers took place Friday around the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong near the Yellow Sea border with the North, involving the Marines' quick maneuver force, the Navy landing ship (LST-II), the MUH-1 Marineon helicopter, and the Korean Assault Amphibious Vehicle, according to the North West Islands

DefenseMarch 17, 2024

Blinken set to arrive in S. Korea to attend democracy summit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to arrive in South Korea on Sunday to attend a session of the Summit for Democracy, a US-led multination gathering formed to boost solidarity and shared values among democratic countries. Blinken is expected to arrive at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, for a two-day visit that will also include talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, their second meeting in less than a month after the earlier one held in Washin

Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2024

N. Korea replacing ambassador to Cuba after establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul, Havana

North Korea's ambassador to Cuba has paid a visit to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel before concluding his mission, the Cuban presidential office said, as Pyongyang is preparing to replace the envoy after Cuba's surprising establishment of diplomatic ties with South Korea. Diaz-Canel shared a brief video of Friday's meeting with Ambassador Ma Chol-su on X, the former Twitter platform, saying he reassured the ambassador that Pyongyang could always rely on Cuba's support, sol

North KoreaMarch 17, 2024

[Weekender] A new equation in sharing costs of marriage

“The groom provides the home, and the bride furnishes it" has been a long-standing custom in Korean marriages. But, with evolving perspectives on gender roles, and home prices virtually beyond reach for average Korean men of marrying age, the way couples manage the finances of their marriage is undergoing severe changes. Newlyweds, single men and single women interviewed by The Korea Herald generally envisioned an equal partnership founded on equal contributions -- be it financially,

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2024

Man jailed for shooting stray dog with arrow to ‘avenge his chickens’

A South Korean man who shot and injured a stray dog with an arrow has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, the Jeju District Court said Thursday. The defendant was accused of shooting the dog with an arrow on Aug. 25, 2022, in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, in an apparent act of revenge against the dog, who the man said killed his chickens in the past. The incident made headlines after the dog was found the next day wandering around an area 10 kilometers away with an arrow lodged in his spine. "

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2024

68% of Korean adults living with parents won't move out until marriage

A recent survey showed that the vast majority of South Korean adults living with their parents in apartments have no plans to move out until they are married. A local elevator display company Focus Media Korea conducted a survey of 196 individuals between 25 and 39 who are still living with their parents. Of the respondents, 68 percent said they will not move out until they are married, 24 percent said they will move out after one year and 4 percent said they would do so within a year. The last

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2024