Undercover probes of digital sex crimes permitted

South Korea's National Assembly on Thursday passed a revision to permit undercover investigations of digital sex crimes targeting adults, in a move to curb the spread of deepfake sexual images rampant online. At a plenary session of the 300-member National Assembly, the bill to revise the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes earned 272 votes in favor out of 273 lawmakers present. The bill expands the range of undercover police investigations from those targeting childr

Nov. 14, 2024

Bill to probe first lady passes again

A bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate President Yoon Suk Yeol’s wife Kim Keon Hee passed the National Assembly on Thursday. All 191 lawmakers present voted to pass the bill, which was tabled by the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The entire ruling People Power Party abstained from casting a ballot. This was the third time a bill for a special counsel to investigate the first lady has been put to vote at the Assembly. The last two times the bill passed, the president veto

Nov. 14, 2024

[Security Forum] What US election watchers in Seoul missed about Trump

Cho Byung-jae, former chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy for training diplomats, says many watchers of the US presidential election in Seoul were caught off guard by Donald Trump’s victory because of a failure to grasp shifts in US conservatism. He was speaking at the Security Forum 2024 co-hosted by The Korea Herald at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. “Most election forecasts got it wrong this time again, like how they got it wrong in 2016 and then in 20

Nov. 14, 2024

[Security Forum] 'Korea-US alliance is never a tradable asset'

United States President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House next year signals the possibility that parts of the South Korea-US alliance or regional security-related matters could be negotiated away. South Korea must brace for any attempt by Trump to do so, even when dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, said Chung Duck-koo, founder and chair of Seoul-based think tank North East Asia Research Foundation, on Wednesday. "The Korea-US alliance is ne

Nov. 14, 2024

Yoon leaves for APEC summit; set for trilateral talks Friday

President Yoon Suk Yeol left South Korea on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, or APEC summit, in Lima, Peru, later this week. Lima will be the first stop of Yoon's first official visit to South America since he was inaugurated in May 2022. After attending the APEC summit, Yoon will fly to Rio de Janeiro for the Group of 20 summit. Yoon boarded Air Force One at 11:48 a.m. at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In attendance were the ruling People Power Par

Nov. 14, 2024

Top court finalizes suspended prison term for ex-lawmaker in embezzlement case

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's suspended prison sentence for former lawmaker Youn Mee-hyang convicted of embezzling funds donated to help support women who were forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan during World War II. The top court confirmed the Seoul High Court's 1 1/2-year prison term, suspended for three years, delivered to Youn in September last year, saying the verdict did not contain any errors or misunderstanding of the legal principles. The top cou

Nov. 14, 2024

Yoon set to depart for Peru to attend APEC summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to depart for Peru on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, with an eye on a possible meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump during the South America trip. Yoon will travel to Peru from Thursday to Friday for the APEC summit and head to Brazil on Sunday for the Group of 20 (G20) summit slated for the next two days. He plans to use the diplomatic stage to pledge South Korea's active role in global issues and call for internation

Nov. 14, 2024

Yoon to hold trilateral summit with Biden, Ishiba on sidelines of APEC in Peru

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru this week, according to Yoon's office and the White House. Yoon is set to depart for Lima on Thursday with the trilateral meeting scheduled for Friday, his office said. The three countries have pushed for the leaders' meeting to build on the progress in three-way cooperation sinc

Nov. 14, 2024

[KH Explains] Why Yoon golfing is so controversial

When reports surfaced that President Yoon Suk Yeol had played golf at a course in northeastern Seoul on Saturday, opposition politicians saw it as an opportunity to pounce. Playing golf has become close to a taboo for politicians in Korea. The exclusive and expensive nature of the sport here means that it is seen as an elite indulgence, rather than a way to unwind or a pastime for ordinary people. As such, public officials who golf are often accused of being out of touch with the general public

Nov. 13, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Korea, don't repeat Hong Kong's mistakes on foreign caregivers'

Fifty-one years ago, during Hong Kong's "golden era" of social reform, then-Gov. Murray MacLehose established a framework to bring in low-wage foreign workers for domestic and care work. This policy aimed to encourage educated, upper- and middle-class local women to enter the workforce — a rationale similar to that of the Seoul city government's foreign caregiver pilot program today. Though now facing different socioeconomic conditions, some South Korean politicians and

Nov. 13, 2024

Court decides against live broadcast of Lee's sentencing trial

A court on Wednesday decided not to permit a live broadcast for the upcoming sentencing trial of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in his alleged election law violation case. The Seoul Central District Court said it will not allow real-time filming or broadcast of Lee's sentencing trial, slated for Friday, "in comprehensive consideration of the relevant legal interests." The court is set to make its judgment on Lee's charges of violating the election law by making false stateme

Nov. 13, 2024

Unification council official says N. Korea would not open dialogue with US while being paid by Russia

The secretary general of South Korea's presidential advisory body on unification said Tuesday that North Korea would not engage in dialogue with the US as long as it is being paid by Russia for its troop deployment and other forms of military cooperation. Tae Yong-ho, the secretary general of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, made the remarks amid expectations that US President-elect Donald Trump could revive his personal diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after he ta

Nov. 13, 2024

Yoon may meet Trump on way back from APEC, G20 summits

President Yoon Suk Yeol could stop by the United States to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump after two series of multilateral summits in South American countries he heads to later this week. When asked about the possibility of Yoon meeting Trump on the occasion of his upcoming trip to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and the Group of 20 summit in Brazil, an official of the presidential office said Tuesday, "We are closely communicating with representatives

Nov. 12, 2024

Courts to make key verdicts on main opposition leader, his wife

The political future of Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is likely to be decided this month, as South Korean courts are expected to deliver several court rulings that could potentially bar the main opposition leader from running for president. The Seoul Central District Court is set to deliver rulings in two separate cases against Lee on Friday and Nov. 25, marking the first decisions in his four ongoing criminal cases. On Friday, the Seoul court is expected to deliver a verdic

Nov. 12, 2024

PM calls for effective measures to prepare for Trump administration

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for officials to come up with effective measures to prepare for potential policy changes in the United States under President-elect Donald Trump. Han made the call during a Cabinet meeting, anticipating "considerable policy shifts" in the US across foreign affairs, security, trade and industry after Trump takes office in January. "The government should ensure the close security cooperation framework between South Korea and the US opera

Nov. 12, 2024

Arrest warrant sought for political broker, ex-lawmaker in growing candidate nomination scandal linked to Yoon

Prosecutors on Monday requested an arrest warrant for Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, over allegations of interfering in candidate nominations in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through his ties with then presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. They also filed warrants for Kim Young-sun, a former lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, and two ex-candidates in the June 2022 local elections, citing risk of destruction of evidence, according to the Changwon Dist

Nov. 11, 2024

Yoon practices golf in preparation for potential game with Trump

As Donald Trump is set to return to the White House for the second time, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is honing an unconventional diplomatic skill: his golf game. Senior officials familiar with the matter said Monday that the president has picked up golf again after a break of several years, in case it helps him build a rapport with the next US leader. President-elect Trump's affinity for golf is well-documented. Personally owning about 15 golf courses in the US and elsewhere, his

Nov. 11, 2024

[From the Scene] Naming of Jeju Olle course marks evolving ties of Korea, ASEAN

JEJU ISLAND -- As South Korea's relationship with ASEAN marked a new high in its 35th year of dialogue relations by signing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, South Korea on Friday unveiled a new concrete bench near the shoreline of the southern part of Jeju Island. The structure sits in the middle of Jeju Olle Trail No. 8 in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, where trekkers come across tourist attractions such as Jusangjeollidae -- a cliff formed by volcanic rocks -- and where those staying in large

Nov. 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] Actor Ryu Seung-ryong says ASEAN-Korea trail could be new Hallyu highlight

JEJU ISLAND -- There was a surprise guest at Friday's dedication ceremony for a segment of the Jeju Olle Trail named in honor of newly elevated ties between South Korea and ASEAN this year. Describing himself as an avid trekker on the Jeju Olle Trail for more than 10 years, Korean actor Ryu Seung-ryong was in attendance. Ryu, who starred in megahits like the comedy film "Extreme Job," said he hopes to see many Hallyu enthusiasts coming to the new Olle trail, adding that it could b

Nov. 11, 2024

Push for Seoul getting own nuclear arms gains steam after Trump win

Former US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has South Korean conservatives pushing to secure nuclear capabilities to deter the threat posed by North Korea. Rep. Yu Yong-weon, who sits on the National Assembly defense committee, on Monday hosted a seminar attended by some dozen ruling party lawmakers to discuss Korean Peninsula nuclear policy against the backdrop of a second Trump presidency. Speaking at the seminar, Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party chair, said Trump w

Nov. 11, 2024