Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Women in politics (1)

Half of Korea's population are women, yet in the realm of politics, women are a minority group. In the current 21st session of parliament, the representation of female lawmakers stands at 57 out of the total 300 members -- only 19.1 percent. This percentage places South Korea significantly below average in terms of gender diversity in politics compared to other nations. The average among the 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations is 33.8 percent, while the

PoliticsJan. 21, 2024

Skepticism grows over alliance among new parties

The endeavor of new political parties to forge an alliance may face challenges in garnering momentum in the run-up to the legislative elections in April, as the former leader of the ruling party Lee Jun-seok declared that the opportune moment for the so-called "big tent" strategy has elapsed. Lee on Saturday openly distanced himself from the increasing calls for a union, while supporters of an alliance argued that the strategy is the best way to gain ground against the current two-part

PoliticsJan. 21, 2024

President least trusted profession among students: survey

South Korean middle and high school students regard politicians and presidents as the least trusted professions, while they view teachers as the most, a survey showed Sunday. Although poor working conditions have taken a toll on waning teachers’ rights, some 86.8 percent of middle and high school students said they have trust for teachers when asked how much they trusted the profession, according to a poll conducted by the Korean Education Development Institute on students’ education

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2024

North Korea ready to welcome Putin’s state visit

North Korea says it is ready to host Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit. The state official Korea Central News Agency on Sunday said that Putin has expressed his willingness to visit Pyongyang, reporting the results of its Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui’s recent trip to Moscow. “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea warmly welcomes the state visit of comrade president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to our country. We are ready to receive the best friend of the Ko

North KoreaJan. 21, 2024

32 people indicted for posting online murder threats in H2

Prosecutors indicted a total of 32 individuals in connection with online murder threats between August and December 2023, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Sunday. Out of the 189 individuals referred to the public prosecutor's office on charges including attempted murder, intimidation and obstruction of justice, 32 have been formally indicted and are being held in custody. Most of those indicted had allegedly written online posts vowing to commit copycat crimes in the wake of a fata

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2024

N. Korea condemns UN Security Council meeting on its hypersonic missile test

North Korea on Sunday strongly condemned a recent meeting of the UN Security Council convened to discuss Pyongyang's recent test-fire of a hypersonic missile and other issues. The council held the closed-door meeting Thursday, days after the North launched what it claims was a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead last Sunday. "The UN Security Council, at the brigandish demand of the US and its vassal states, convened a closed-door negotiation

North KoreaJan. 21, 2024

NK parliament's longest-serving chairman dies

Choe Thae-bok, a former chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp legislature, has died, the North's official news agency reported Sunday. Choe was 93. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a visit to Choe's funeral bier with secretaries of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party at dawn Sunday to express his deep condolences over his death, the Korean Central News Agency said. "Kim Jong-un paid silent tribute to Choe Thae Bok w

North KoreaJan. 21, 2024

Annual ice fishing fest in Hwacheon surpasses 1m visitors

A popular annual ice fishing festival taking place in the northeastern county of Hwacheon has topped 1 million visitors, organizers said Sunday. The 2024 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival had about 138,000 visitors on Saturday and reached 1.02 million in total visitors through 15 days, the event's organizers said. They also estimated that 39,000 of those visitors had come from overseas. Sancheoneo is a species of trout known to live only in very clean fresh water. The festival kicked off Jan

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2024

Police summon ex-Taekwang chief over allegations of embezzlement

Police on Saturday summoned former Taekwang Group Chairman Lee Ho-jin to look into allegations of embezzlement and breach of trust, officials said. Lee has been under investigation on suspicion of creating slush funds worth over 2 billion won ($1.5 million) through affiliates of the textile-to-media conglomerate. The summons comes after police raided Lee's home and Taekwaong Country Club in Yongin, south of Seoul, and placed an overseas travel ban on the former chairman. Lee had formerly se

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2024

Jang Won-young's battle with YouTuber highlights 'cyber wrecker' issue here

K-pop group IVE member Jang Won-young has been embroiled in a legal battle against a local YouTuber, who recently appealed a court sentence ordering her to pay financial compensation for uploading videos with falsehoods concerning the popular star. Jang's lawyer told local media late Wednesday that the YouTuber, surnamed Park, appealed the case after the civil court handed the ruling last month. The 19-year-old K-pop star and her agency Starship Entertainment have also filed criminal char

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2024

[Weekender] Behind the rise of unstaffed stores in Korea

Choi Seung-hoon, 32, a regular patron of self-service venues in Korea, recently broadened his experiences in unstaffed shops by purchasing a takeaway sashimi dinner set for one. “I usually eat alone,” he told The Korea Herald at Sea Fridge, an unmanned sashimi store near Sangwangsimni Station, central Seoul, as he looked through the glass refrigerator door at a selection of vacuum-packed, aged fish, mostly in packages with one or two servings. “I think this is good because I

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2024

To save lives in apartment fires: shut the front door

South Korean fire authorities recently conducted a test to recreate an apartment fire, through which they demonstrated that one of the most effective ways to reduce damages was by simply shutting the front door of one's home if a fire breaks out there. In a bid to promote the fire safety procedures recommended by the authorities, the Busan Metropolitan City Fire & Disaster Headquarters held the mock test in which they actually set a fire to a four-story residential building in Nam-gu, B

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2024

US calls on N. Korea to refrain from 'provocative' actions after claimed underwater nuclear weapons system test

The United States on Friday called on North Korea to refrain from further "provocative" and "destabilizing" actions, and to return to dialogue, after Pyongyang claimed to have tested an underwater nuclear weapons system under development. The North's defense ministry said the country conducted an "important" test of the Haeil-5-23 system, denouncing this week's naval drills between South Korea, the US and Japan as "reckless confrontation hysteria,&quo

North KoreaJan. 20, 2024

US diplomat calls for world not to stay silent on N. Korean human rights

A senior US diplomat made an emphatic call Friday for the international community not to remain silent about human rights abuses in North Korea, as "Beyond Utopia," an Oscar short-listed film on North Korean defectors, was screened at the State Department in Washington. Uzra Zeya, the under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, made the call at the film screening event intended to shine a light on the treacherous journeys North Korean defectors make in d

North KoreaJan. 20, 2024

NK leader spotted in latest Mercedes SUV despite sanctions

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted getting out of an apparent luxury Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle in footage aired by the North's Korean Central Television on Monday, despite ongoing international sanctions on imports of luxury goods to Pyongyang, raising questions as to the effect of international deterrents against North Korea. In the documentary video, Kim is seen exiting a black SUV of which the passenger-side rear door is emblazoned with "Chairman of the State Affa

North KoreaJan. 19, 2024

Minor opposition demands Yoon's apology after its lawmaker forcibly removed by bodyguards

The minor opposition progressive Jinbo Party demanded on Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol apologize and dismiss the head of the presidential security service, Kim Yong-hyun, a day after Jinbo Party lawmaker Rep. Kang Sung-hee was forcibly removed from a ceremony to celebrate the launch of Jeonbuk State. Kang, 51, represents the Eul constituency in Jeonju, Jeonbuk State's capital, and is the only member of the National Assembly from the Jinbo Party. The former labor activist won a parliam

PoliticsJan. 19, 2024

Man jailed for sexually assaulting stepdaughter, claims he mistook her for wife

A court in Daegu has sentenced a 49-year old man to three years in prison on charges of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter, Friday. The man claimed that he had confused the stepdaughter for his wife. The incident took place in July last year, when the victim, a student in her twenties, had come home from college overseas for the summer to help her mother and stepfather run their restaurant. The prosecution originally asked for a seven-year prison term, but the defendant appealed for leniency.

Social AffairsJan. 19, 2024

African swine fever outbreak leads PM to order movement restrictions for pig farms

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered epidemic prevention and control measures on Thursday following reports of confirmed cases of African swine fever in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province and Paju City, Gyeonggi Province. Han issued urgent instructions to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Environment to expedite preventative measures in accordance with emergency action guidelines, including controlling access to farms, the culling of infected animals

Social AffairsJan. 19, 2024

N. Korea says it tested nuclear-capable underwater drones

North Korea's state media Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday it had conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapon system in the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast. The test of "Haeil 5-23," a system of underwater drones capable of covert nuclear attacks on naval forces and ports, was carried out in a show of protest against a joint maritime military drill of South Korea, Japan and the United States held earlier this week, the KCNA reported. The trilatera

North KoreaJan. 19, 2024

Head of cooperative federation arrested for verbally, physically abusing employees

The head of the Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative Federation in Jeonbuk State was arrested by the police for verbally and physically abusing her employees, as well as unfair work practices and withholding wages, according to the police. Sunchang Police Station in Jeonbuk State said Friday in one incident, the chairperson, surnamed Koh, allegedly assaulted an employee three times at a funeral for joining a labor union. The head was also accused of assaulting other employees with her shoes reported

Social AffairsJan. 19, 2024