Over 70% of S. Koreans think N. Korea has no intention to denuke: poll

Seven out of 10 South Koreans believe North Korea has no intention to completely denuclearize, a survey showed Tuesday, amid signs of the recalcitrant regime doubling down on its nuclear and missile programs. Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the conservative People Power Party revealed the results of last year's survey on public security awareness that the Korea National Defense University conducted from Aug. 12 to Sep. 17 on 1,200 citizens. In the survey, 70.6 percent of the respondents gave a negative ans

DefenseMarch 15, 2022

Yoon discusses N. Korea, Ukraine crisis with British PM

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and agreed to deepen cooperation between the two countries, including efforts to denuclearize North Korea, both sides said Tuesday. During the 15-minute call Monday night, Yoon and Johnson shared concern about North Korea's recent missile tests and a need to cooperate with the United States and the UN Security Council for the North's denuclearization, Yoon's spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said in a statement. The tw

PoliticsMarch 15, 2022

2.0 magnitude natural quake hits central N. Korea: KMA

A 2.0 magnitude natural quake struck central North Korea early Tuesday, South Korea's state weather agency said. The quake struck 20 kilometers north of the county of Songchon at 12:22 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 39.42 degrees north and a longitude of 126.19 degrees east at a depth of 12 km.

North KoreaMarch 15, 2022

Top security advisers of US, China meet over N. Korea, Russia

WASHINGTON -- US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Monday with China's Yang Jiechi to discuss various current issues, including North Korea, a senior US official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the meeting was "intense" and seven-hours long. "Obviously, we have serious concerns about the recent escalatory actions that we have seen from the DPRK," the official said in a telephonic press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official

Foreign AffairsMarch 15, 2022

Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan hold talks over N. Korean missile tests

WASHINGTON -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, Japan and the United States held trilateral talks Monday to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches that tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, the US Department of State said. US Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim talked on the phone with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, and Japan's Takehiro Funakoshi, according to department spokesperson Ned Price. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of

Foreign AffairsMarch 15, 2022

S. Korea, US will continue to deepen relations with KORUS FTA, economic framework: trade minister

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States will continue to develop and expand their economic cooperation rooted in their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) enacted 10 years ago and the new US strategy for economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said Monday. He also insisted the Korea-US FTA (KORUS FTA) will help the countries "weather any storm." "It is a fact that KORUS FTA expanded the size of the trade pipe between our two count

Foreign AffairsMarch 15, 2022

President-elect to abolish office for senior secretary for civil affairs

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that he will abolish the post of senior secretary for civil affairs at his presidential office, ridding it of its inspection and intelligence functions. Explaining how the office has played a role in illegal inspections on society, Yoon said he will “clear away the remnant” in his government, in a meeting with the leadership of his presidential transition committee. “In the past, the senior secretary for civil affairs at the presiden

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

NK may soon test ICBM system

South Korean authorities believe North Korea could carry out an intercontinental ballistic missile system test as soon as this week, which would seriously raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the presidential transition gets underway in Seoul. 　 Seoul and Washington have detected signs of an imminent ICBM test, and have been keeping an eye on the developments, according to sources here. 　 National Security adviser Suh Hoon told President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday that a test launch

North KoreaMarch 14, 2022

S. Korea to vaccinate children aged under 11 later this month

South Korea will make COVID-19 vaccinations available to children aged between 5 and 11 later this month, the government announced Monday. According to Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol‘s announcement at a COVID-19 response meeting Monday, the government will begin inoculating children on March 31 at around 1,200 designated medical facilities. The country’s health authorities will take reservations from March 24, Jeon added. Jeon said the government’s decision came amid an i

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2022

Will Lee Myung-bak be pardoned?

Many are now watching to see whether former President Lee Myung-bak will be granted a special pardon before the end of the Moon Jae-in administration, as President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to demand Lee’s pardon. Moon and Yoon are expected to meet at Cheong Wa Dae early next week, and the issue of special amnesty for politicians, including Lee, is likely to be discussed at the meeting. Yoon is in favor of pardoning Lee, who was president from 2008-2013. Earlier, he said Lee shou

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

Democratic Party looks to reform, but discord reigns

Following its defeat in the 20th presidential election, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea is experiencing an extreme leadership divide as it struggles to reform ahead of another election in June. Since its narrow defeat in the presidential election, the Democratic Party has gone into emergency mode, starting with a leadership overhaul. Rep. Song Young-gil stepped down as chairman of the party, and its Floor Leader Rep. Yun Ho-jung took the helm, heading the emergency steering committee, w

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

[Exclusive] Abolishing Gender Equality Ministry ‘premature’ for Korea, warns OECD economist

South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s key election pledge of removing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is “premature,” and would give the “completely wrong policy signal,” according to a senior economist at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In an email response to The Korea Herald’s inquiries about the main conservative People Power Party president-elect’s gender policy promises, Willem Adema, senior economist

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2022

7-yr prison term confirmed for pastor for sexually harassing teenage girls

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed a seven-year prison term for a 71-year-old church pastor convicted of sexually harassing two teenage sisters at a children's welfare center repeatedly in 2008. The pastor has denied the charges that he sexually molested the sisters, 17 and 14 at the time, frequently in his office in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in the summer of 2008, but two lower courts sentenced him to seven years in prison based on consistent testimonies from the victims,

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2022

Yoon picks veteran politicians to head committees for national unity, balanced regional development

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday named two veteran politicians as chiefs of special transition committee panels on national unity and balanced regional development. Kim Han-gil, former head of the Democratic Party, will lead the national unity committee, while Kim Byong-joon, former interim head of the Liberty Korea Party, a predecessor of the People Power Party (PPP), will head the committee on balanced development. Both worked for Yoon's campaign. "Kim Han-gil is a person who

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

Yoon's transition team expected to formally launch as early as this week

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee aims to hold a signboard hanging ceremony as early as this week to mark its official launch, Yoon's spokesperson said Monday. Past transition committees have hung their signboards within seven to 10 days of the election and in the final stages of their composition, the spokesperson, Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the main opposition People Power Party, said during a press briefing. "We are aiming to hold a signboard hanging ceremony as early as late

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

Yoon to recommence operation of special inspector

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to appoint a special inspector charged with preventing corruption involving top officials and presidential relatives after the position was left vacant in the current Moon Jae-in administration. The position was first introduced in 2014 under the Park Geun-hye administration, but it has been vacant since May 2015. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has been demanding the Moon government to name a special inspector. "It is the president-ele

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

Yoon to meet pandemic-hit small merchants in first outreach since election

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will visit a traditional market Monday to meet with pandemic-hit small merchants in his first public outreach since his election, his spokesperson said. Yoon will return to the market he visited last November during the presidential campaign to keep his promise to the merchants there to visit them again after his election, the spokesperson, Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the main opposition People Power Party, said during a press briefing. "During the visit, (Yoon) will l

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022

N. Korea seen preparing for another imminent ICBM system test: sources

South Korea and the United States have detected signs that North Korea is preparing to conduct another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system test as early as this week, informed sources here said Monday. Such indications emerged after Seoul and Washington accused Pyongyang on Friday of having tested a new ICBM system on Feb. 27 and March 5 ahead of a full-range ICBM test. The North has characterized the two launches as "reconnaissance satellite" development tests. South Ko

North KoreaMarch 14, 2022

US envoy calls on China to condemn N. Korea's missile tests

WASHINGTON -- US special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim has called on China to condemn North Korea's continued missile launches, the state department said Sunday. Kim also called on China to help bring North Korea back to dialogue in a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Liu Xiaoming, according to department spokesperson Ned Price. The call was made Thursday, the same day the United States made a rare revelation of its intelligence that North Korea's recent missile tests on Feb. 27

North KoreaMarch 14, 2022

About 53% of respondents expect President-elect Yoon to do good job on state affairs

More than half of South Koreans expect President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to do well on state affairs, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey of 1,018 adults conducted by Realmeter last Thursday and Friday, 52.7 percent of respondents expect Yoon to do a good job on state affairs. In contrast, 41.2 percent say they do not expect Yoon to do well on state affairs, the survey showed. The remaining 6.1 percent say they do not know. Yoon won a tight election last week by a razor-thin margin of 0.

PoliticsMarch 14, 2022