Yoon greeted in Turkmenistan with veal, Korean songs

SEOUL/ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol was greeted with "special and respectful courtesy" Monday in Turkmenistan on the first leg of his weeklong trip to Central Asia on a mission to expand cooperation in critical minerals and other key sectors. Principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo said at a press briefing that South Korea "was welcomed with the highest courtesy befitting a state guest," describing Turkmenistan's welcome. Upon arrival i

PoliticsJune 11, 2024

Prosecution launches investigation into former first lady's trip to India

The prosecution has recently launched an investigation into accusations that former first lady Kim Jung-sook spent an “excessive” amount of taxpayers’ money to fund her 2018 trip to India, which has resurfaced in recent days, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday. The decision to open the investigation comes nearly six months after the complaint was filed. In December last year, Lee Jong-bae, a People Power Party member on the Seoul Metropolitan Council, fi

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024

Assembly split as Democratic Party of Korea snatches control of key committees

The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday protested the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally picking the chairs of key standing committees of the National Assembly late Monday. The Democratic Party once again used its majority in the Assembly to convene a plenary session and appoint the chairs of 11 out of the 18 committees without involving the ruling party. Last week, the Democratic Party left out the ruling party in electing the Assembly speaker, marking the first such instance in the histor

PoliticsJune 11, 2024

Anti-corruption watchdog accused by ex-head of bias toward Yoon

South Korea’s anti-corruption watchdog was slammed by the Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday over its decision to strike down a petition against First Lady Kim Keon Hee. The petition, filed with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in December last year, claimed that Kim had accepted bribes. The commission said in a previously unannounced briefing Monday that it was closing the case against the first lady as the existing laws have no provisions for holding spouses of elected p

PoliticsJune 11, 2024

Yoon urges speedier cooperation as S. Korean firms eye $6b deals in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for speedier economic cooperation with Turkmenistan, as South Korean companies were working to secure up to $6 billion in construction bids in the Central Asian country's rich gas sector. Speaking at a business forum to mark the South Korean leader's state visit to Turkmenistan, Yoon said the two countries have many opportunities for collaboration, stressing Turkmenistan's status as the world's fourth-largest

PoliticsJune 11, 2024

First tropical night of the year hits Gangneung, week earlier than last year

South Korea's first tropical night of 2024 hit Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Monday night, a week earlier than last year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday. Tropical nights are defined as ones in which the temperature remains above 25 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day, according to the KMA. As of 6:50 a.m. Tuesday, the KMA announced that temperatures remained above 25 C in Gangneung and would remain the same or higher until 9 a.m. It is the

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024

Patients feel let down by doctors' strike

Four months into the prolonged medical standoff, patients, once again, are left on edge as medical professors and private practitioners are set to take a day off next week, after the largest lobbying group for doctors voted to go on strike on June 18 to protest the government's drastic medical school quota expansion. Waiting in line in front of Severance Hospital's Diabetes Center on Tuesday morning to pick up a prescription, Jung Ok-bun, a 67-year-old with diabetes from Gimhae, South

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024

Company accused of ‘illegal’ dissection classes: doctors group

A South Korean doctors group said Tuesday it has filed a complaint with local police against a company for providing what it claimed were illegal cadaveric dissection classes for nonmedical personnel with a body donated to a local medical school. The group Gonguimo, or Doctors' Association for Fair Society, filed the complaint with the Seocho Police Station in Seoul related to a local company's recent anatomy lessons conducted at the Catholic Institute for Applied Anatomy, an affiliate

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024

[Bridge to Africa] Egypt aims to strengthen ties with Korea on digital capacity building, AI

Egypt aims to boost cooperation with Korea in digital capacity-building, artificial intelligence, electronics design and manufacturing, according to the Egyptian minister in charge of communication and information technology. Speaking with The Korea Herald on Wednesday, Minister Amr Talaat expressed optimism about creating synergy with ICT potentials between the two nations, after a forum held on the sidelines of the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit last week where he met his South Korean counterpa

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] North Sulawesi's links with Korea, win-win, says governor

North Sulawesi Gov. Olly Dondokambey cited links between North Sulawesi-South Korea as a win-win for both Indonesia and South Korea during an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday. "Direct flights between Jeju and Manado, taking approximately four hours, are crucial. Indonesian citizens can visit Jeju without a visa, enhancing tourism and business travel," Dondokambey said referring to the strategic importance of direct flights between the two countries. According to Dondokambey

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

Sweden recalls historical bonds with Korea

Sweden marked its National Day on Wednesday, celebrating 501 years of independence since the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, and the 50th anniversary of Carl XVI Gustaf's reign, Sweden's longest-serving monarch. Delivering remarks at the event, Johannes Andreasson, charge d'affaires at the Swedish Embassy, highlighted the deep historical ties between Sweden and Korea. "We are celebrating 65 years of diplomatic relations, but our contacts date back over 300 years,"

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kazakh deputy minister hopes to boost economic diplomacy with Korea

Nazira Nurbayeva, Kazakhstan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, expressed a strong commitment to boosting economic diplomacy with South Korea to shape future potential and mutual benefits. The term refers to promoting a state's economic interests through the use of economic tools in trade and investment, leveraging a comparative advantage to achieve specific foreign policy objectives. "Kazakhstan has resources, low production costs and affordable utilities, while Korea brings

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

Police say debt likely behind Paju murder-suicide

The South Korean police said Monday it plans to close the investigation into a murder-suicide in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with evidence suggesting that the victims were killed during an attempt by the perpetrators to pay off their debts. The police found that the two men responsible for the deaths both had sizeable debts, and the investigators believe that they had lured the two female victims to extort money from them. The April 10 case made headlines after police investigating a missing person

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024

S. Korea, China to hold '2+2' high-level diplomatic security talks next week

South Korea and China are expected to hold "two plus two" talks of their senior foreign and defense officials early next week, diplomatic sources said Tuesday, amid rising tensions from North Korea's provocations and the prospect of another summit between the North and Russia. The vice-ministerial diplomatic and security dialogue is expected to take place in Seoul early next week, and the two sides are fine-tuning the details on the arrangement, the sources familiar with the matte

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

N. Korean soldiers briefly cross inter-Korean border, return after warning shots

About 20 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean land border earlier this week and went back to the North's side after the South's military fired warning shots, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday. The North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in the central section of the border at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South Korean military conducted warning broa

DefenseJune 11, 2024

[Graphic News] Korea’s average salary ranks 19th among OECD members

South Korean workers’ average yearly salary has surpassed 90 percent of the OECD average, according to a recent report. The country’s salary has also consistently exceeded that of Japan for the past decade. The report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reveals that the average annual salary for South Korean workers in 2022 was $48,922, which is 91.6 percent of the OECD average. This marks significant growth since 1992, when the ratio was just 63.8 percen

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024

Democratic Party takes key Assembly committee chair posts

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday took 11 of the total 18 standing committee chair positions for the first two years of the 22nd National Assembly, which began its four-year term on May 30, in voting boycotted by the ruling People Power Party. The opposition-led Assembly elected representatives from the main opposition to chair 11 standing committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the House Steering Committee, in a plenary session held in the evening

PoliticsJune 10, 2024

Seoul ranks 9th in global startup ecosystem: report

Moving up one spot from 2022, Seoul ranked 9th in the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report released Monday by Startup Genome at The London Tech Week. GSER 2024, informed by data across 300 global ecosystems in 100 countries, includes a top 100 ranking of global startup ecosystems. Seoul ranked ninth out of 300 cities worldwide, its highest ranking ever. Seoul was previously ranked 10th in 2022 and 12th in 2023. Four Asian cities are included in the top 10 ranking of global startup ecosystems, in

Social AffairsJune 10, 2024

Leaders of Korea, Turkmenistan discuss economy, energy

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- The leaders of South Korea and Turkmenistan on Monday agreed to deepen the "mutually beneficial partnership" of the two countries, which could allow more South Korean companies to join the Central Asian country's construction and infrastructure projects. At a summit held in the capital of Turkmenistan, President Yoon Suk Yeol and his counterpart Serdar Berdymukhamedov also agreed to diversify bilateral cooperation through eight documents signed to boost b

PoliticsJune 10, 2024

South Korea, US review joint guidelines against North Korean nuclear threats

South Korea and the United States completed a review of joint guidelines for responding against a possible nuclear attack by North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. After holding a third meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group in Seoul on Monday, the ministry said the South Korea-US joint guidelines, in the process of being finalized, would touch on the alliance's policies and principles for nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. The ministry described th

DefenseJune 10, 2024