Former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo dies at 71

Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo died Thursday after battling blood cancer, officials here said. He was 71. Lee served as prime minister shortly between February and April in 2015 under then President Park Geun-hye before stepping down over bribery allegations. Considered a political heavyweight in Chungcheong Province, Lee entered politics in 1995 after working as a provincial police commissioner. He served three terms as a lawmaker for the conservative New Party Korea, United

PoliticsOct. 14, 2021

S. Korean, U.S. diplomats to hold working-level talks on summit agreement

South Korea and the US will hold working-level diplomatic talks this week in Hawaii to review progress in the implementation of their latest summit agreement, according to an official at Seoul‘s foreign ministry Thursday. Ko Yun-ju, the ministry’s director general for North American affairs, and Mark Lambert, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Japan and South Korea, will attend the allies‘ third Bilateral Policy Dialogue (BPD) slated for Thursday (local time). The

Foreign AffairsOct. 14, 2021

New head of military intelligence body named

Maj. Gen Lee Sang-chul, commander of the 5th Infantry Division, was named as the new chief of the military intelligence body, the defense ministry said Thursday. The incoming commander of the Defense Security Support Command (DSSC) will be promoted to lieutenant general, the ministry said. “He was selected because of his outstanding capability and leadership to complete the reform of the DSSC and lead the organization in a stable manner,” the ministry said in a statement. The D

DefenseOct. 14, 2021

S. Korea aims to swiftly reopen talks with N. Korea: NSC

Top security officials held a regular National Security Council meeting Thursday and discussed ways of swiftly reopening stalled dialogue with North Korea, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. The meeting came after Suh Hoon, the nation‘s top security adviser, held talks with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington earlier this week and they reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with North Korea. 　The participants agreed to work closely together with related

North KoreaOct. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korea to hold safety review of Moderna vaccine

South Korea’s top health agency said Thursday that it would be evaluating the age recommendations for the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in the wake of recent decisions by some European countries and Japan, which are now discouraging its use in some young people. Hong Jeong-ik, head of the KDCA’s vaccination management division, told a news briefing that the national advisory committee on immunization practices and a panel of outside experts would be conducting a safety revi

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Korea’s NIH chief sets 85% as vaccine threshold for ‘beating delta, ditching masks’

Kwon Jun-wook, the Korea National Institute of Health’s director, said Thursday that he sees a full vaccination rate of 85 percent as the threshold for defeating COVID-19’s delta variant, even without wearing face masks and other social distancing restrictions in place. During a televised briefing, Kwon said, “An 85 percent fully vaccination rate roughly translates to an 80 percent herd immunity, by which point, theoretically, even the delta variant can be beaten without the

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum kicks off

A 12-week forum organized by The Korea Herald, the nation’s largest English newspaper, kicked off Wednesday to offer insights into fast-changing global businesses and markets in the pandemic era. Billed as “Eurasian Economic & Cultural Forum 2021,” the series brings diplomats, CEOs and experts from Europe and Asia together to build ideas for cultural and business transformations, and to seek collaborations for shared interests and goals. The forum, in its first year, fe

InternationalOct. 14, 2021

[Herald Design Forum 2021] ‘Designing user experience the way forward’

Designers should have a grasp on artificial intelligence to build a system that is fully aware of what users want in advance, said Yong Kim, chief product officer at Woowa Brothers, which runs delivery app Baemin, at this year’s Herald Design Forum on Thursday. “Users shouldn’t have to tell their apps what they want, when they want it. They should be given choices they like and that will be the new human-machine interface,” Kim said. Kim referred to GPT-3, a language-ge

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Kazakhstan hosts sixth CICA meeting on regional cooperation and dialogue

Kazakhstan hosted the sixth meeting of foreign affairs ministers in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, known as CICA, on Monday and Tuesday at the Akorda Palace in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital. The meeting chaired by Kazakhstan and attended by 40 CICA member states and observers included foreign ministers of Bahrain, Belarus, India, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and the Minister of Tourism of Israel, deputy foreign m

Foreign AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Court upholds suspension of ex-top prosecutor Yoon

A South Korean court on Thursday upheld the Justice Ministry’s disciplinary action against former top prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl during his term and declared that the two-month suspension was a light penalty given his offenses. The Seoul Administrative Court rejected the suit filed by Yoon, who stepped down from the position in March, against then-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, affirming the legitimacy of his two-month suspension from duty as prosecutor general. Thursday’s ruling cam

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

IAP president participates in global conference of prosecutors general

The chief of the International Association of Prosecutors took part in the 31st Meeting of the Coordination Council of Prosecutors General of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) held in Nursultan, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 23, to discuss ways to cooperate on issues like terrorism, drugs, corruption, environment and cybercrime. The meeting was held offline for the second year due to the COVID-19 situation. All prosecutors general from the nine member countries atten

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Umbrella union to hold large-scale rally during next week's one-day general strike

A major umbrella labor union said Thursday it will hold a large-scale rally in central Seoul next week when its members walk off their jobs for a one-day general strike to call for the enhancement of labor rights. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the country's two umbrella labor organizations, said it will push ahead with its plan to stage a strike on Wednesday next week. The KCTU said its members from Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the city of Incheon, we

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Korea Herald Partners with Pioneer Academics in English essay contest

Strong writing is an essential element of communication and a key component of leadership. To promote such writing, Korea Herald recently announced the 2021 Korea Herald –Pioneer Academics Essay Contest, an ambitious collaboration with the research program leader Pioneer Academics, to encourage Korean high school students to advance their writing skills and critical thinking. Mr. Nicholas Lee, representing Korea Herald, sees the collaboration with Pioneer Academics as empowering, and is pl

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Afghan teen evacuees share joys of new life in Korea

JINCHEON -- Clad in a taekwondo uniform, a 13-year-old Afghan girl says she is happy with her newfound freedom in South Korea. She can participate in all sorts of social activities, which were limited only to boys in her home country, and is glad she can do taekwondo without wearing a hijab. “I want to learn Korean and work here,” she told reporters at a press briefing organized by the Ministry of Justice. Another evacuee, a 15-year-old boy, hopes to make Korea his new home,

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Ex-Foreign Minister Kang’s ILO leadership bid stokes debate

Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s bid for the post of director general of the International Labor Organization is being met with criticism from labor groups, while the government backs the bid that could see the first woman and first Asian leader in the organization’s 103-year history.  The election is slated for March. If Kang gets the job, her term would start next October, when current Director General Guy Ryder of the UK leaves the office. 　 The South Korean govern

Foreign AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Online sex crime ring mastermind to serve 42 years in prison

Cho Ju-bin, the South Korean mastermind of an online sex blackmail ring, had his sentence of 42 years in prison affirmed Thursday. The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the Seoul High Court’s ruling in June on Cho, 25, who was indicted early last year on 14 charges, including operating a criminal organization, violating laws made to protect minors from sexual abuse, blackmail and committing fraud. Cho will be banned from employment at institutions or firms that serve children, adolesce

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Opposition lawmaker referred to prosecution on bribery charges

SUWON -- Police referred Rep. Jung Chan-min of the main opposition People Power Party to the prosecution Thursday on charges of taking bribes from a construction company when he was mayor of Yongin, south of Seoul. Jung was arrested last week on suspicions of accepting 460 million won ($387,000) worth of bribes by receiving discounts on plots of land purchased by his family and friends from the construction company in exchange for business favors. Jung allegedly promised to help the company wi

PoliticsOct. 14, 2021

President Moon urges financial authorities to ensure smooth supply of 'jeonse' loans

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called on financial authorities to closely monitor banks to ensure a smooth supply of loans for "jeonse" home rentals. Moon made the remarks after financial authorities decided to ease some restrictions on loans taken out for home rentals as part of efforts to protect people in actual need of borrowing money, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Jeonse is a home rental system unique to South Korea in which tenants pay a large sum

PoliticsOct. 14, 2021

S. Korea to offer compensation to spy agents during Korean War

The defense ministry plans to provide financial compensation for South Koreans who operated in North Korea as part of US military intelligence units during the 1950-53 Korean War, officials said Thursday. The ministry will offer 10 million won ($8,400) each to the civilians who worked for the units, including the Korea Liaison Office (KLO), from 1948-1953, as they have been excluded from the compensation list due in part to limits in confirming their merit in foreign operations. During the wa

DefenseOct. 14, 2021

Former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo dies at 71

Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo died Thursday after battling blood cancer, officials here said. He was 71. Lee served as prime minister shortly between February and April in 2015 under then President Park Geun-hye before stepping down over bribery allegations. Considered a political heavyweight in Chungcheong Province, Lee entered politics in 1995 after working as a provincial police commissioner. He served three terms as a lawmaker for the conservative New Party Korea, United

PoliticsOct. 14, 2021