Governor of North Korean province in US to promote Yoon’s unification vision

Ji Seong-ho, the governor of North Hamgyong Province, is on a trip to Washington to discuss President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “doctrine” on Korean reunification with US government officials, senators and think tanks. The North Korean defector and former lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party told The Korea Herald on Monday that over his trip he is scheduled to meet with Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty; Amb. Julie Turner, special envoy on North Korean human rights; and shadow Sen. Paul

PoliticsSept. 23, 2024

Vote set for bill to toughen deepfake sex crime penalties

The National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee approved a bill to strengthen punishment against deepfake sex crimes and victim support Monday, with the aim of passing it during a plenary session on Thursday. During Monday’s committee meeting, representatives of both the ruling and opposition party approved amendments to the Juvenile Protection Act and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act. According to the amendments made to the Juvenile Protection A

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

Man arrested 16 years after murdering girlfriend, hiding body in cement

A 58-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend 16 years ago, after her remains were discovered during construction work. Geoje Police and the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said Monday they had arrested the man on suspicion of killing his live-in girlfriend in 2008. The man is accused of fatally striking the victim, who was in her 30s at the time, with a blunt object during an argument on Oct. 10 that year, at their residence in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. The sus

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

What will Yoon, Han talk about at dinner?

President Yoon Suk Yeol and ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon are scheduled to hold a dinner meeting Tuesday, as several impending issues, such as the country's deepening medical crisis, loom over their heads. Besides Yoon and Han, the dinner will be attended by 14 officials from the ruling party leadership and the presidential office. Han recently requested a separate, private one-on-one meeting between him and Yoon on the sidelines of the dinner meeting, but the presidential o

PoliticsSept. 23, 2024

S. Korea, Zimbabwe to strengthen education ties

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho sat down Monday with his Zimbabwean counterpart Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, to enhance academic cooperation between the two nations. During the meeting, the ministers reviewed the state of education in both countries and explored avenues for deeper collaboration. Key areas discussed included expanding international student exchanges, promoting Official Development Assistance in

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

[News Focus] Ex-Moon aide slammed from both sides over remarks on leaving Koreas divided

Im Jong-seok, who was chief of staff for former President Moon Jae-in, sparked criticism across partisan lines after he argued South Korea should no longer pursue reunification with the North as a policy goal, and instead accept the status quo of two Koreas. Tae Yong-ho, on the presidential advisory council of Korean reunification, told The Korea Herald on Monday that Im was “empowering Kim Jong-un and his two-state policy” with his suggestion. “Arguing we should no longer stri

PoliticsSept. 23, 2024

Seoul begins preemptive strike on ginkgo trees before nuts become stink bombs

The refreshing autumn breeze offers a welcome respite from the sweltering summer, but it also heralds the season of smelly ginkgo fruits. To tackle the annual nuisance of rotting ginkgo nuts stinking out the streets, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched Monday a city-wide initiative in which specialized personnel will remove the nuts from trees before they have a chance to fall and rot. The operation, spanning all 25 districts of the city, targets female ginkgo trees, which account for a

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

[Online Predators] Online reviews of sex tourism in Southeast Asia proliferate

South Koreans leaving online reviews about visiting prostitution establishments in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Laos have proliferated, despite legal prohibition both here for Koreans and there abroad, according to observers and legal experts here Monday. The posts often use terms like "byeonma" -- referring to a clandestine brothel disguised as a massage parlor -- and "cheolchang" -- for an establishment where five to seven minors are confined in smal

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

NK nuclear test 'possible' around US election in Nov., says Yoon aide

The scenario of North Korea conducting a nuclear test is "possible," and Pyongyang could conduct such a test for the first time in seven years either before or after the United States presidential election in November, President Yoon Suk Yeol's national security aide said Monday. Shin Won-sik, Yoon's national security adviser, told Yonhap News TV in a televised interview that North Korea could potentially conduct its seventh nuclear test given its need to advance its nuclear weapon cap

PoliticsSept. 23, 2024

Russian man found dead in disused zoo

A Russian national has been found dead at a shuttered zoo in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. The deceased, a male aged 67 years, had worked as a zookeeper at the facility until it was closed in 2023. The zookeeper was spotted at 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 11 by an individual who had gone to the zoo to purchase items from the defunct business, Gimhae Seobu Police Station told local media on Sunday. Bugyeong Zoo had been out of business since August last year after it had come under fire for holding

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

Civil servant jailed for posing as seniors, poor to gain business rights

The Supreme Court said Monday it has confirmed a two-year prison term for a former government worker for abuse of power and using the names of senior citizens and welfare recipients to win the rights to operate stores and vending machines at educational facilities. South Korea's top court confirmed the lower court ruling that found the former employee of the Daejeon Metropolitan Government guilty of obstruction of performance of official duties by fraudulent means, ordering the seizure of 4

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

Seoul to host 'Smart Life Week' tech expo next month

An international tech exposition showcasing how technology can help people and urban living will take place at Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul next month, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday. Scheduled to take place Oct. 10-12, the Seoul Smart Life Week will feature exhibitions hosted by local companies showcasing the newest technologies and products under the theme of urban living. It will also host international conferences and forums as a platform for cities around

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

3 in 4 self-employed make less than 1 million won a month

Three-quarters of self-employed people and small business owners in South Korea report a monthly income of less than 1 million won ($750), well below the monthly minimum wage, government data showed Sunday. Out of 11.46 million self-employed people who filed for income tax in 2022, 75.1 percent, or 8.6 million reported a monthly income below 1 million won, or an annual income of less than 12 million won, according to data obtained from the National Tax Service by Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the rulin

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

Charges sought against doctor who told nurses to ‘butt out’

A civic group said Monday it has filed defamation and insult charges against Park Yong-eon, the vice president of the Korea Medical Association who recently told nurses to "butt out" of doctors' treatment roles after recent passage of the Nurses Act. The People's Welfare Countermeasure Committee said Park's comment would hurt the trust between those in the medical circles by sending a message that the doctors do not respect nurses. The KMA has been at the forefront of

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

25-year-old bullied to death at work ruled occupational accident victim

The death of Jeon Yeongjin, 25, who took his own life last year after experiencing severe bullying at his workplace, has been ruled an "occupational accident" by the state authority on workers' welfare. Jeon's bereaved family members told local media Sunday that the Seoul committee of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service recently decided that his death should be considered an occupational accident. Defined in Article 5-1 of the Industrial Accident Compensa

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

Regulator makes over 3,000 requests for removal of suicide-related content since 2020

South Korea's telecommunications regulator has requested platforms to revise their content to delete information that can potentially induce suicide on 3,243 occasions since 2020, government data showed Monday. From 2020 to August of this year, content with possibly suicide-inducing content have been reviewed by the Korea Communications Standards Commission on 4,100 occasions, according to the KCSS data submitted to Rep. Lee Jeong-heon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The c

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Strengthening consumer rights, taxing carbon emissions

Proposed bill: Partial amendment to the Product Liability Act Proposed by Rep. Joo Ho-young (People Power Party) ● Consumers often find it challenging to prove that damages were caused by a product defect due to the information asymmetry between manufacturers and consumers. This amendment proposes to ease the burden of proof on consumers by considering a product defective and the cause of damage if the victim can prove that such damage occurred while the product was being used normally. Propos

PoliticsSept. 23, 2024

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan to hold talks in New York

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold talks on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly in New York on Monday (local time), according to South Korea's foreign ministry. This will be the first trilateral meeting among South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa since their last talks during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Brazil in February. The diplomats are expected to d

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 23, 2024

S. Korean military vows 'stern' measures should N. Korea cross the line with balloon campaign

South Korea's military on Monday vowed to take "stern" military measures should North Korea "cross the line" with its ongoing trash balloon campaign or inflict serious damage to the South Korean people. The Joint Chiefs of Staff made the remark in a statement in response to the North's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border, including those attached with timer devices that could potentially cause fires. Since late May, the North has launched so

DefenseSept. 23, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold 8th round of talks on defense cost sharing this week

South Korea and the United States are set to hold another round of negotiations this week to determine Seoul's contribution to the cost of stationing US Forces Korea, a South Korean foreign ministry official said Monday. The eighth round of talks on the Special Measures Agreement will be held from Wednesday to Friday in Seoul, according to the official. The current six-year SMA is scheduled to expire at the end of next year. "The government plans to conduct discussions with the stance

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 23, 2024