S. Korea urges China to protect NK defectors' human rights at UN review

South Korea on Tuesday recommended China protect the human rights of North Koreans who defected to the communist neighbor at a United Nations review session here. Yun Seong-deok, South Korean ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, called on Beijing to provide North Korean defectors with the required protections and humanitarian support at China's fourth universal periodic review held under the auspices of the United Nations Human Rights Council. It is the first time for South Korea to rai

Foreign AffairsJan. 23, 2024

FM Cho holds first phone talks with Japanese counterpart

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and other issues, his office said, the first such talks between the two top diplomats since Cho's inauguration. The ministers assessed the improvement in bilateral relations and the rebuilding of trust between the two countries through the series of leaders' summits and foreign ministers' talks that took place last year. In this vein, they agreed that

Foreign AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Bail granted to ex-Ssangbangwool head accused of illegal remittance to N. Korea

A local court on Tuesday granted bail to the former chairman of South Korean underwear maker Ssangbangwool who had been arrested for embezzlement and illegal remittance to North Korea. The Suwon District Court allowed former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae to be released on bail on condition that he pay 100 million won (US$75,000) and carry a real-time location tracking device with him until trials are over. The former chairman is expected to be released late Tuesday evening when the depos

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

S. Korean diplomatic missions under fire for wrong depiction of flag, traditional clothing

Two South Korean diplomatic missions came under criticism Tuesday after they posted wrong images of the national flag and traditional clothing on their social networking services. Earlier in the day, Seo Kyoung-duk, a Sungshin Women's University professor well known for his efforts to promote Korean interests abroad, took issue with a Facebook post by the South Korean Embassy in the Czech Republic that depicted a graphic image of a woman dressed in what appears to be Chinese traditional att

Foreign AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Kim Jong-un nostalgic for engagement approach of 2018: Seoul defense chief

Shin Won-sik, the minister of national defense of South Korea, says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could carry out a nuclear weapons test at any time this year if he believes he could gain what he wants from the next US president by doing so. In an interview with The Korea Herald on Monday, the South Korean defense chief said North Korea’s Kim may seek to leverage the US presidential election in November to get the incoming administration in Washington to accede to his demands. North Kore

North KoreaJan. 23, 2024

Yoon-Han meeting at fire-torn market signals mending ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol and the People Power Party's interim leader Han Dong-hoon met on Tuesday at a traditional market in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, signaling their efforts to mend the political rift that stemmed from differing views toward allegations of graft involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and questions about Han's fairness in the candidate nomination process. Han told reporters at Seoul Station, as he returned to the capital city after the surprise trip, his "deep respect

PoliticsJan. 23, 2024

Man gets suspended jail term for assaulting disabled spouse

A 69-year-old man who assaulted his disabled wife and threatened her with a wooden stick was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, a local court said Monday. The defendant surnamed Choi has been charged with physical abuse against a disabled person and "special threat," which Article 284 of the Criminal Act defines as imposing a threat with a weapon and can be punished by up to seven years in prison or a 10 million won ($7,500) fine. Investigators found that Choi

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Yoon's ex-boss named justice minister nominee

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday picked his former boss Park Sung-jae, who led the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, as the nominee for the minister of justice. The Justice Ministry oversees legal affairs, correctional services, the prosecution service and immigration. The nominee must go through a confirmation hearing in the National Assembly before receiving Yoon's final approval. Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Kwan-sup said Park would be a good fit for the Yoon administration'

PoliticsJan. 23, 2024

[KH Explains] How Dior bag footage shook Korean politics

When a YouTube video of South Korea's first lady receiving a Dior handbag went viral last year, it initially made few waves in mainstream news media. In the weeks before April's general election, the footage has become a wedge that is straining relationships among People Power Party lawmakers, as well as a piece of political ammunition for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Opposition lawmakers have been raising their suspicions that first lady Kim Keon Hee violated anti-gr

PoliticsJan. 23, 2024

S. Korea mandates permit for 'aggressive' dogs

South Korea recently implemented a system mandating owners or would-be owners of particularly aggressive dogs to have their pet ownership permitted by their regional government, as part of the measure to prevent accidents involving pets. The two-part measure for "maenggyeons," or aggressive dogs, will be effective starting in April 27. Those wishing to own any of five breeds of dogs categorized as "aggressive" by the ordinance of the Animal Protection Act must receive a permi

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Nearly 140,000 register as organ donors in 2023, up 18% on-year

Nearly 140,000 South Koreans expressed their intention to donate their body parts and organs after death last year, up 18 percent from the previous year, according to government data released Tuesday. Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that new registrations for the donations of organs, tissue and eyes reached 139,090 in 2023. New donor registrations recorded 115,517 in 2020, 158,940 in 2021 and 117,584 in 2022. In South Korea, the procurement of organs and tissues is restrict

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Cold wave halts airplanes, freezes water meters

  With a heavy snow advisory in effect centered on the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, frozen water meters, canceled flights and restricted ship operations have been reported across the country. No human lives have been lost due to the cold wave and snowfall, but there were damages to facilities across the country as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. There were 58 cases of damage related to water facilities, including water me

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Free condoms at Youth Olympics spark protest

The Gangwon 2024 Organizing Committee’s decision to make 3,000 condoms freely available to some 1,800 athletes aged between 13 and 18 participating in this year’s Youth Olympics has sparked debate, with some arguing that it encourages teenagers to have sex, while others say it is an effective part of safe sex education. The committee said Tuesday that it had distributed 2,500 condoms to the Gangneung-Wonju National University athletes village, while the remaining 500 were sent to the

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Police, media raided for possible leaks involving Lee Sun-kyun case

South Korean police on Tuesday raided the Incheon police agency over allegations of leaks related to the drug investigation into actor Lee Sun-kyun, whose death in December sparked criticism of how the case was handled. A media outlet that revealed detailed information about the Lee case also being investigated, reports said, with the focus on whether the police had given them the information. Investigators from the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency on Monday procured evidence from the Inc

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

227 shops damaged in fire at traditional market

A fire that broke out late Monday at a traditional market in South Chungcheong Province left 227 shops damaged with no casualty reported, South Korean fire authorities said Tuesday. Officials believe the flames broke out at around 11:08 p.m. in the seafood section of a market in Seocheon-gun, a town on the western coast of the peninsula which is some 165 kilometers south of Seoul. It took some 361 firemen a little over two hours to extinguish the fire that triggered a level 2 emergency response

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Seoul doubles personnel to protect vulnerable amid cold

In response to the severe cold, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has doubled its personnel to protect the safety of vulnerable groups, its officials said Tuesday. Since the cold wave warning was issued at 9 p.m. Sunday, a total of 124 city workers, up from the usual 50, have been dispatched to carry out emergency response and relief tasks, with a particular focus on people without homes, who are highly susceptible to harsh weather conditions. The daily low in Seoul plunged to minus 14 degrees

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Age and politics (2)

Across cultures and political systems, a common trait is that those in decision-making roles, particularly in politics and state governance, are often older than the average voter. This observation holds true in the context of South Korea’s unicameral parliament and central government, where the decision-making process is predominantly controlled by people in their 50s and 60s. Before delving into age representations in the parliament and government, here's a quick overview of Korea&#

Social AffairsJan. 23, 2024

S. Korean envoy lambasts N. Korea-Russia cooperation, UNSC resolution breach

South Korea's top envoy to the UN renewed Seoul's criticism of arms transactions between North Korea and Russia during a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, as Russia's top diplomat shifted the blame to the West for the prolonging of the war in Ukraine. South Korean Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook called the weapons transfers between Pyongyang and Moscow "direct" violations of UNSC resolutions during the meeting on the war in Ukraine, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei

North KoreaJan. 23, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Substitute holidays, solid fuel restrictions, tech leak prevention

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Public Holidays Proposed by Rep. Yoo Gyeong-joon (People Power Party) ● The existing law does not specify a deadline for announcing the designation of substitute holidays, which has caused difficulties for people to plan for the holidays. Therefore, this amendment requires the government to designate substitute holidays at least two months (60 days) in advance except in cases where it is "unpredictable." Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to

PoliticsJan. 23, 2024

2 police officers indicted over deadly Itaewon crowd crush

Prosecutors have indicted two police officers over the bungled response to the deadly 2022 crowd crush in the district of Itaewon, officials said Monday. The indictment of the two officers who were overseeing patrol duties at a precinct station in Itaewon came a year and three months after the crowd crush on Oct. 29, 2022, which killed 159 people on a Halloween weekend in the district's entertainment neighborhood. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office has charged them with professio

Social AffairsJan. 22, 2024