Pressure mounting on Yoon to address first lady's bag scandal

President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing mounting pressure to clarify his stance regarding the revelation of an alleged graft case involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. A Gallup Korea's poll on Friday showed that 63 percent of South Korean people disapproved of Yoon's performance in the fourth week of January, up 5 percentage points from the week before. Yoon's disapproval rating has hit its highest point in nine months since April 2023, when his remarks suggested that the past during Japan's colonial occ

PoliticsJan. 28, 2024

Seoul denies avoiding drills near border

The Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Sunday denied reports that the South Korean military was still putting off drills near the shared border, as per the 2018 inter-Korean agreement that North Korea withdrew from earlier. “Our military can hold drills according to its own plan, only there aren’t such plans yet,” a senior defense ministry official told The Korea Herald. “There is no official decision or guidance in place that is preventing our military from conduct

DefenseJan. 28, 2024

Number of newborns halves in 8 years to lowest number

The decline in the number of newborns has continued accelerating, putting a greater burden on the demographic cliff the country faces. The number of children born between January and November last year stood at 213,572, an 8.1 percent drop from the previous year for the same period, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service on Sunday. This is the lowest number of children the stats agency has ever recorded being born within 11 months. On average, the monthly number of newborns last

Social AffairsJan. 28, 2024

North Korean cruise missiles fired near submarine base: JCS

North Korea on Sunday morning fired several cruise missiles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JCS said in a message to reporters that the missiles landed at around 8 a.m. in waters near the North Korean port city of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, on the eastern coast. “Our military is closely coordinating with the US side amid heightened vigilance and surveillance, and watching for further signs and activities

DefenseJan. 28, 2024

Yoon critic vows to stay in PPP

Yoo Seong-min, a former four-term lawmaker, said Sunday he would not run in the April general election but rather protect his party, deflecting speculation that he would leave the party. Yoo, a former lawmaker who is considered a key critic of President Yoon Suk Yeol in the People Power Party, announced in a Facebook post that he will not apply for the election nomination and would continue to wait as he has done. "Twenty-four years ago, I joined the Grand National Party (the predecessor

PoliticsJan. 28, 2024

2 fishermen missing after fishing boat sinks off southern island of Jeju

A small fishing boat carrying one South Korean and two Indonesian fishermen has sunk off the southern island of Jeju, with only one Indonesian rescued and the two others missing, the Coast Guard said Sunday. The rescued Indonesian fisherman is under medical treatment at the Jeju National University Hospital for symptoms of hypothermia. Four Coast Guard aircraft conducted an overnight search operation, using 122 illumination bombs to light up the waters, about 18.5 kilometers off Jeju's sout

Social AffairsJan. 28, 2024

Sullivan voices concerns over N. Korea's weapons tests, ties with Russia in talks with Wang: official

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan raised concerns with China over North Korea's recent weapons tests and growing ties with Russia during his talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, in Bangkok this week, a senior US official said Saturday. During their talks on Friday and Saturday, Sullivan and Wang discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including those concerning North Korea, Russia's war in Ukraine, the Middle East, the South China Sea and Myanmar, the offic

Foreign AffairsJan. 28, 2024

Hashtag 'Today's climb completed': Bouldering boom led by younger generations

Bouldering has become a trendy sport for those in their 20s and 30s. The hashtag "#okeulwan" -- a portmanteau of the Korean words meaning "today's climb completed" and a variation of the massively popular "today's workout completed" -- has been spreading on Instagram with more than 40,000 posts. Bouldering is a style of climbing involving free climbing without a rope and usually only 2-3 meters off the ground. Walk into a bouldering gym, and you will fin

Social AffairsJan. 27, 2024

Ruling party lawmaker leaves hospital after brick attack by teenager

Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was discharged from the hospital Saturday, days after she was hit in the head with a brick by a teenager. Bae described the attack she suffered as an accident that can happen to anybody, vowing to work "harder than ever" to ensure the safety of the people as soon as she fully recovers. "I realized, after becoming a direct victim of an unimaginable incident, that this kind of a terrible thing is a fatal threat to which an

PoliticsJan. 27, 2024

N. Korea's foreign minister meets visiting Chinese vice FM: state media

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met with a visiting senior Chinese diplomat in Pyongyang, its state media reported Saturday, as the North appears to be seeking to strengthen ties with Beijing amid its stepped-up cooperation with Russia. On Friday, Choe met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, who is visiting North Korea this week, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a brief dispatch. Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of

North KoreaJan. 27, 2024

FM Cho discusses bilateral ties, NK issues with visiting US congressman

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with US Congressman Joe Wilson on Friday, and discussed the bilateral alliance and other common issues, including mutual cooperation with Japan and North Korea, Cho's office said. In Friday's talks, Cho noted the bilateral relations between South Korea and the United States have become stronger in all areas from security and economy to people-to-people exchanges, and expressed hope that the two countries will further develop the ties based on close coor

Foreign AffairsJan. 26, 2024

[KH Explains] Assault on lawmaker reignites debate on teens' legal immunity

A Korean lawmaker fell victim to a brutal physical assault by a 15-year-old teenage assailant, who not only carried out the attack but repeatedly -- and incorrectly -- claimed immunity from legal consequences. The incident on Thursday has re-ignited concerns about the issue of juvenile crime and the legal immunity afforded to some teenagers. The law prohibits the punishment of individuals under the age of 14. People Power Party Rep. Bae Hyun-jin was beaten 15 times on the head in a 10-second att

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

Court acquits ex-top justice of all charges in power abuse scandal

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday acquitted former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae of all 47 charges related to his alleged abuse of judiciary power, including allegations that he deliberately delayed a ruling on Japan’s forced labor victims for then-President Park Geun-hye, who had sought to stabilize ties with the country. Yang, who headed the top court from 2011 to 2017, faced multiple allegations of abusing his judiciary power. After 1,810 days since the prosecution&

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

S. Korea records 31.4 drought days in 2023: KMA

South Korea experienced an average of 31.4 meteorological drought days in 2023, ranking 27th since records began in 1974, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Friday. Korea’s southern region recorded an average number of 36.6 meteorological drought days, while the central region recorded 26 days on average. Meteorological drought is determined based on the degree of dryness or rainfall deficit and the duration of the dry period. In the southern region, the winter of 2021 had signif

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

Korea to introduce AI-powered flood warnings for public safety

The Ministry of Environment announced its plan to launch an AI-powered early warning system for floods starting in May, ahead of this year's summer flood season, in a bid to enhance public safety. The announcement comes in the wake of deadly floods last year, which saw the inundation of an underpass in the city of Osong, North Chungcheong Province, resulting in 14 fatalities. "To ensure a golden time for the prevention of casualties through 'smart forecasting,' we will expand

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

Man sprays fire extinguisher at children because 'they were smoking'

Incheon police on Friday are investigating two men believed to have sprayed four elementary and middle school students with a fire extinguisher, allegedly because the children were smoking. According to the Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station, the students reported that one man sprayed them while the other man filmed the incident in the staircase of a Nonhyeong-dong, Incheon, shopping center at around 4:56 p.m. on Thursday. It was reported that the two men were employees at the shopping center. The

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

Second attack on politician amplifies safety concerns as election looms

A teenager's attack against a ruling party lawmaker on Thursday, which came less than a month after a stabbing incident involving the main opposition leader, has fueled worries over the safety of politicians ahead of April's general election. People Power Party Rep. Bae Hyun-jin remained hospitalized as of Friday afternoon after the 41-year-old lawmaker was repeatedly struck in the head with a blunt object by a teenage assailant in Gangnam-gu the previous day. Bae was rushed to hospita

PoliticsJan. 26, 2024

Elderly man jailed for attack on police in front of presidential office

Seoul Western District Court on Friday sentenced a 78-year-old South Korean man to four years in prison for attacking police in front of the presidential office last year and injuring two on-duty officers. The court also ordered the defendant surnamed Park to three years probation, but turned down the prosecution's request for him to wear an electronic ankle tag. Park attacked two officers in front of the presidential office in Yongsan-gu at around 1:20 p.m. on Oct.31, injuring one officer

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

China’s vice foreign minister visits N. Korea

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday, marking the first high-level exchanges of the year as both countries commemorate the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. North Korea's state-run media on Friday reported the arrival of the delegation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry led by Sun via the city of Sinuiju, the capital of North Pyongan Province, but did not share any further details. The meeting notably followed a one-month interval since the

North KoreaJan. 26, 2024

Concerns rise as workplace safety law extends to smaller firms

The business community and President Yoon Suk Yeol conveyed their profound disappointment following unsuccessful parliamentary negotiations on extending the grace period for the country's workplace safety law for small businesses by an additional two years. Labor groups, on the other hand, have embraced the latest developments, viewing them as positive steps in ensuring enhanced worker safety standards. The workplace safety law, known as the Serious Accident Punishment Act is, set to be exp

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024