Opposition parties slam Yoon's explanation for Dior bag scandal

President Yoon Suk Yeol faced a firestorm of criticism from the main opposition and several minor parties on Thursday, a day after he opened up about the luxury bag scandal involving the first lady. The parties either demanded a solid apology from Yoon on behalf of his wife or brushed off his explanation as insincere. In a special New Year's interview with KBS aired late Wednesday, Yoon called the anti-graft violation accusations made against first lady Kim Keon Hee a "political maneuv

PoliticsFeb. 8, 2024

Doctors, government lock horns over medical school expansion

Medical circles continue to lock horns with the government following the announcement of an increase in medical school enrollment quotas by 2,000 from the current 3,058, as they mull joint action in protest of the decision. In response, the Health Ministry said Thursday afternoon it had issued orders to prohibit doctors from engaging in collective action and specialists from resigning en masse. The ministry raised the national health crisis level to alert -- the third highest in the four-tier

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

Yoon pledges support for small business owners with debt burden

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged on Thursday to implement various policy support measures aimed at assisting small business owners and vulnerable groups struggling with loan repayments due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yoon made the remarks during a government-public debate, the 10th in a series of sessions addressing people's livelihood issues, with business owners in Seoul. "During the COVID-19 period, small business owners and self-employed individuals suffered from restric

PoliticsFeb. 8, 2024

N. Korea renews call for combat readiness on military founding anniversary

North Korea on Thursday urged its armed forces to be equipped with full combat readiness as the country marked the 76th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army. In an editorial, the North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, claimed the KPA is well-equipped with "overwhelming" military capability to deter war schemes by imperialist powers and called on the military to further beef up its combat power against hostile forces. In a separate article, the newspaper said the K

North KoreaFeb. 8, 2024

US envoy urges N. Korea to begin 'reform' process to improve human rights

The US special envoy for North Korean human rights called on Pyongyang Wednesday to launch a "reform" process to enhance its rights situation, stressing promoting respect for human dignity in the reclusive state remains a "top" priority for Washington. Ambassador Julie Turner made the remarks as she marked the 10th anniversary of the release of a landmark UN Commission of Inquiry report that accused North Korean officials of "systematic, widespread and gross" human

North KoreaFeb. 8, 2024

[Graphic News] Majority of adults just want to rest over Lunar New Year’s holiday

More than half of South Korean adults would like to rest at home during the upcoming Lunar New Year’s holidays, according to a survey. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would rest at home, while 31.3 percent said they would visit their hometowns or parents’ homes. Roughly 14.3 percent said they would travel. Some people chose possible activities in a short period, such as a day trip (14.1 percent), or meeting acquaintances or friends (11.4 percent). The survey was conducted

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

S. Korean president opens up about first lady's Dior bag scandal

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday opened up about a scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee that has shaken up South Korean politics, about two months after a video of Kim receiving a purse by luxury brand Christian Dior worth 3 million won ($2,260) on a hidden camera was released. "(The visitor who gifted the pouch) attached a hidden camera to a wristwatch, so we can say the scheme was deliberately arranged," Yoon said, referring to Korean-American pastor Choi Jae-young as the vi

PoliticsFeb. 8, 2024

S. Korea's nuclear envoy discusses NK threats with Swedish counterpart

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy vowed unwavering efforts to stop North Korea's missile provocations and make it return to dialogue during his talks with his Swedish counterpart Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. Kim Gunn, special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the point in the meeting with Peter Semneby, who was visiting South Korea this week, the ministry said in a release. Kim reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to creating conditio

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Defense minister back from Middle East with $3.2b deal

Shin Won-sik, South Korea’s Minister of National Defense, wrapped up his three-country Middle East trip with large defense industry deals. Shin struck a deal to export some $3.2 billion worth of ballistic missile interceptor system known as Cheongung II in a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. The deal -- first floated about a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Saudi Arabia in October last year -- was finalized at the meeting of the defens

DefenseFeb. 7, 2024

Number of international students grows to 182,000 last year: ministry

South Korea saw up to 182,000 new international students in 2023, an increase compared the 167,000 in 2022, said the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. To enhance Korean universities’ management of the increasing numbers of international students and to respond to the problem of illegal immigration among international students, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice annually examine the universities' internationalization competencies. In 2023, among the universities th

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Foreign nanny plan put on hold as Philippines suspends worker deployment

A moratorium set by the Philippine government on sending their workers to South Korea has put the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan to bring in foreign domestic workers on hold, while also leaving some local farms with a shortage of workers as they will have fewer seasonal workers from the Philippines than in previous years. The Seoul city government said last year that it would bring in around 100 Filipina domestic helpers during the second half of 2023 in a pilot program to tackle the

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Race for med school heats up after hike in student quota

The race for medical school enrollment has kicked off nationwide following the government’s decision on Tuesday to increase the quota by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to ease the staffing problem and improve access to healthcare services, according to experts on Wednesday. Woo Youn-cheol, a team leader at Jinhak Educational Assessment Research Institute, pointed out that there would be a particular increase in the number of retakers for the Suneung, or the country’s national college e

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Ruling party leader denounces hidden recording of first lady

The ruling party leader on Wednesday criticized the usage of a hidden camera against the first lady for 2022 footage that shows a Korean American pastor giving her a luxury bag, which has sparked suspicions of anti-graft law violations. “The incident is quintessentially a vulgar operation involving a spycam,” People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said during a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists in Seoul. In footage uploaded by liberal news outlet

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

China invites S. Korean top diplomat, calls for ‘positive, objective’ policy

South Korea's newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul received an invitation to visit China from his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during their first phone call Tuesday, according to Seoul. Beijing concurrently revealed that Wang expressed expectations for South Korea to adopt a "positive, objective and friendly policy" toward China. Cho and Wang engaged in a 50-minute phone conversation, discussing matters of mutual interest, including high-level exchanges, supply chain coop

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Criticism mounts over DJ's deadly drunk-driving

South Koreans across the country have been angered by the news that a drunk-driving DJ who hit and killed a motorcyclist did nothing to help the victim a the time of the accident. The 20-something DJ surnamed Ahn is accused of hitting a 54-year-old delivery man on a motorcycle with her vehicle last Saturday while driving under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested Monday on suspicion of death due to dangerous driving. A police investigation found that Ahn's car moved for 100 meters aft

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Pentagon stresses 'unprecedented' level of security cooperation among S. Korea, US, Japan amid NK threats

A Pentagon spokesperson on Tuesday cast the current level of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan as "unprecedented," as concerns have arisen over North Korea's continued missile launches and tough rhetoric. The spokesperson made the remarks after Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported recently that the three countries shared radar information for the first time when the North fired a ballistic missile on Jan. 14, and that despite three-w

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

Yoon's approval rating inches down to 34 percent

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating inched down to 34 percent from a month ago, according to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV on Wednesday. The survey also indicated that the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party would secure 33 percent and 35 percent of the vote, respectively, if the scheduled April 10 parliamentary elections were held tomorrow. Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV jointly commissioned the survey to gau

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2024

FM Cho discusses visit to Beijing in 1st phone talks with Chinese counterpart

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Tuesday to discuss North Korea and other pending bilateral issues, his office said, the first such talks between the top diplomats since Cho's inauguration. Wang Yi also extended an invitation for Cho to visit Beijing, saying he hopes to cooperate closely with each other in the future to further advance their bilateral ties, the ministry said in a press release. Cho thanked Wang for the invitation and ag

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

German Embassy, Herald co-host mini-concert for cultural exchange

The German Embassy in Seoul and The Korea Herald co-hosted a cultural event featuring members of the Berlin Philharmonic and Korean musicians Thursday, fostering cultural exchange and strengthening diplomatic ties through music. Delivering remarks at the event, German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt highlighted the significance of music as a bridge connecting the hearts of Korea and Germany. "Music is one of the many links between our two countries and certainly one of the most joyful,&rd

Foreign AffairsFeb. 6, 2024

South Korea to set up command for defense against North Korean nuclear threats

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense is mulling a plan to establish a new command for countering North Korean nuclear threats in Seoul. The plan would involve expanding the existing Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters for responding to nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats to South Korea, according to the Defense Ministry on Tuesday. The JCS headquarters was set up in January last year. The Defense Ministry said the new command would oversee South Korea’s “three-

DefenseFeb. 6, 2024