Former President Roh, a key man in military coup and witness to democratization

Former President Roh Tae-woo, who served as the 13th president of South Korea, died at the age of 88 on Tuesday. Roh, who had been ailing for a long time with chronic conditions, had recently been hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital due to worsening health and was in an intensive care unit. Leaving a mixed legacy, he was the first president to be elected after the June 1987 democratization movement and was also a leading force behind the military coup in 1979 along with his

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Late President Roh credited for post-Cold War diplomacy, dialogue with N. Korea

Despite a complicated assessment of his political career, the late former President Roh Tae-woo is widely credited for opening a new chapter in South Korea's diplomatic ties with communist nations under his signature Nordpolitik and laying the groundwork for promoting inter-Korean relations. Roh, who died at the age of 88 Tuesday, was the country's first president to establish diplomatic relations with the traditional allies of North Korea in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the Sovie

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Main opposition mourns death of late President Roh, vows to not repeat faults in his legacy

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) expressed condolences over the death of former President Roh Tae-woo but also promised not to repeat the faults of his political legacy. Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, died Tuesday at 88 after failing to recover from health problems. The former general who succeeded Chun Doo-hwan as president has been credited for building ties with socialist states, including the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1990 and C

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Controversial policies to continue in Gyeonggi Province even without Lee Jae-myung

Lee Jae-myung has left the Gyeonggi provincial government to focus on his campaign as the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, but his controversial policies are to continue, at least until July. The presidential candidate’s resignation -- announced during a televised press conference Monday -- officially took effect Tuesday, putting Oh Byoung-kwon, the vice governor for administrative affairs, in charge until a new governor is elected to serve starting in July 2022. It

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Ex-President Roh Tae-woo dies

Former President Roh Tae-woo, the country's first directly elected president, died Tuesday at age 88, leaving behind a checkered legacy as well as a list of diplomatic accomplishments intended to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. Roh’s aides announced Tuesday that Roh, who served as the 13th president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993, died at around 1:45 p.m. while receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital. He was brought to the hospital's emergency room at 1:10 p.m.

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Moon congratulates Lee on candidacy, asks for focus on policies

President Moon Jae-in met with Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of Democratic Party of Korea, at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday, marking the ruling liberal bloc’s formal consolidation for next year’s presidential election. Their tea meeting that lasted for about 50 minutes early in the day started as the president congratulated Lee for being elected the party’s presidential nominee.  “After finishing a fierce competition, it is also important to heal the scars and

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Weapons maker accused of neglecting to pay bonuses

Workers at South Korea’s chief weapons developer were offered no incentive pay, despite their efforts that President Moon Jae-in hailed as marking a new milestone in the country’s decadeslong drive to mount a self-reliant defense. The Agency for Defense Development -- which recently tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, making South Korea the first non-nuclear state to do so -- has yet to prepare guidelines on compensating those who build strategic assets like SLBMs, a

DefenseOct. 26, 2021

Poland supports EU membership: Polish ambassador

Poland’s ambassador to Korea stressed his country’s commitment to the European Union in an interview with The Korea Herald, and ruled out any prospect of an exit from the bloc. Ambassador Piotr Ostaszewski said there was no basis to claims Poland was eyeing a “Polexit” from the EU. “Brexit had a leader who led the whole issue but (talk of) ‘Polexit’ is simply propaganda,” he said, drawing contrast with the United Kingdom’s exit from the bl

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 26, 2021

Military to open its first hydrogen charging station for vehicles

South Korea's military said Tuesday it will open its first hydrogen charging station this week, helping accelerate the country's drive to promote the use of renewable energy sources. The government has been proactive in efforts to boost the hydrogen economy under the goal of going carbon neutral by 2050. The charging station will open in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, also for use by civilians, according to the defense ministry. It has the capacity to power 60 sedans and

DefenseOct. 26, 2021

Former President Roh Tae-woo dies at 88

Former President Roh Tae-woo, who accepted popular calls for a direct presidential election system at the start of South Korea's democratization and sought to broaden diplomatic ties with socialist nations while in office, died Tuesday, his aides said. He was 88. Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, was recently admitted to a hospital after his health deteriorated but failed to recover, they said. Roh, a former general, succeeded former President Chun Doo-hwan after helping the latter se

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

S. Korean culture sector in high spirits ahead of 'living with COVID-19' mode

Concert organizers, movie theaters, singers and other members of the cultural sector are gearing up to resume long-suspended shows, concerts and performances after the government unveiled a roadmap for a gradual return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the roadmap, most coronavirus restrictions, such as nighttime curfews on cafes, restaurants and other multi-use facilities, will be phased out starting next week as the country's vaccination rate surpassed the key milestone of

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2021

Changing the fate of ‘dog meat’ Jindos

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Until a few weeks ago, they were eating food waste in small, dirty cages, helplessly watching their friends die. The 65 Jindo dogs were destined to die as Boknal approached. Those are the three hottest days of summer, during which South Koreans typically eat ginseng chicken soup or dog soup, although the latter is becoming rarer. But the dogs survived because nearby residents of Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, reported the situation to the authoritie

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2021

Samsung heir Lee sentenced to W70m fine for illegal use of propofol

Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong was sentenced to a 70 million won ($60,055) fine Tuesday for illegally using propofol, an anesthetic medication, dozens of times over a period of years. The Seoul Central District Court also ordered an additional forfeiture of 17 million won as it convicted Lee of violations of the Narcotics Control Act. The fine and the forfeiture are the same as what prosecutors had demanded for Lee. In June, prosecutors indicted the Samsung Electronics Co. vice chairman on

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Police to prohibit late night questionings under rights panel recommendation

Police will ban late night questionings and minimize the use of handcuffs and ropes in an effort to improve human rights of detainees, officials said Tuesday. The measures are among the recommendations that a civic human rights panel made to police as part of a program that the National Police Agency (NPA) launched in 2018 to study ways to improve rights conditions throughout the police institution. In announcing the results of the program, police said they have decided to prohibit in princip

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

S. Korea, US to establish senior-level dialogue channel for semiconductor cooperation

South Korea and the United States have decided to set up a new director-level dialogue channel for regular discussions on semiconductor issues, Seoul's industry ministry said Tuesday. The agreement was reached during a video conference on Monday between Choi Woo-Seok, director general for materials and components industries at Seoul's industry ministry and Monica Gorman, US deputy assistant commerce secretary for manufacturing, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. "Giv

Foreign AffairsOct. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korea to be supplied with first batch of locally-manufactured Moderna doses

Some 2.4 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that Samsung Biologics has helped manufacture are being supplied for domestic use for the first time, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. The ministry said the 2.4 million doses are among the first batch of Moderna’s vaccine from the plant in Incheon. The country’s drug regulators authorized the Samsung Biologics-produced doses for emergency use Monday, the ministry said, which differs from th

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2021

Lee registers as preliminary presidential candidate

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), registered with the national election watchdog as a preliminary presidential candidate on Tuesday. Lee's aides, DP Reps. Park Hong-keun and Park Chan-dae, filed the registration on the candidate's behalf at the National Election Commission's office in Gwacheon, 18 kilometers south of Seoul. The move came the same day Lee stepped down as governor of Gyeonggi Province to focus on his presidential campaign. "I begi

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Court questions prosecutor linked to opposition's political meddling scandal

A Seoul court questioned a prosecutor Tuesday to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant for him over allegations he conspired with the main opposition party to investigate pro-government figures when opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl was in office as prosecutor general. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) sought the warrant for Son Jun-sung on charges of asking a prosecutor-turned-lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party to file co

PoliticsOct. 26, 2021

Military reports 6 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported six additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,017, the defense ministry said. A Navy officer and a draftee stationed in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive after a virus case was reported at their base, according to the ministry. An officer of a unit under the direct wing of the defense ministry in Nonsan, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive after a family member was infected.

DefenseOct. 26, 2021

FM Chung set to visit Russia for talks on regional security, bilateral ties

South Korea's top diplomat will visit Russia this week to discuss recent developments related to regional security and bilateral ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong plans to embark on a three-day trip to Moscow later in the day to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, the ministry said. They will hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a wide range of topics, includi

Foreign AffairsOct. 26, 2021