Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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Speculations grow on Seoul facing pressure to join trans-Pacific trade deal
Cheong Wa Dae downplayed speculations Sunday that the US could press South Korea into joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, as a balancing measure between China and the US. Such speculations are being fanned by the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP on Sunday. The deal creates one of the world’s largest free trade blocs, with the noticeable absence of the US. RCEP spans the 10 Association of Southeast Asian nations,
Nov. 16, 2020
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National Assembly starts reviewing 556 trillion-won 2021 budget proposal
The National Assembly on Monday began deliberations on the government’s 556 trillion won ($502.12) budget for next year. The parliament’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held its first meeting Monday to tackle the government’s spending requests. The Moon Jae-in administration drew up the 555.8 trillion won budget bill for 2021, up 8.5 percent from 2020’s budget, with a focus on creating new jobs and reinvigorating the economy, which is struggling as a result
Nov. 16, 2020
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Incheon to host first international ocean forum this week
INCHEON -- Maritime industry experts and entrepreneurs from home and abroad will gather in Incheon, home to Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, and Incheon Port, the nation's second-largest seaport, this week to open the city's first global ocean forum, the organizers said Monday. The Incheon International Ocean Forum (IIOF) 2020, hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Incheon metropolitan government and organized by the Incheon Port Authority and South Ko
Nov. 16, 2020
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IHO to decide on new way of naming seas amid East Sea naming row
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) will decide this week on whether to adopt a new way of naming seas that is expected to affect a long-running dispute between South Korea and Japan over what to call the East Sea. In its virtual general assembly to be held from Monday through Wednesday, the IHO will announce whether it will revise the "S-23," an IHO standard for world map production that marked the body of water between South Korea and Japan as the Sea of Japan, not the
Nov. 15, 2020
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RCEP another impetus for export-reliant S. Korea
Rebuilding multilateralism and overcoming protectionism have been some of the most urgent tasks facing South Korea, which is heavily reliant on exports for its economy, amid the growing trade row between the United States and China along with an unprecedented pandemic. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his counterparts on Sunday, will help South Korea further boost its outbound shipments. The China-initiated deal will be of
Nov. 15, 2020
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Ruling party envisions moving National Assembly from Seoul to Sejong
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is considering whether to move 11 of the country’s 18 parliamentary committees out of Seoul as part of a plan to relocate the National Assembly to Sejong, some 120 kilometers south of the capital. The relocation is included in the party’s master plan to make Sejong the true administrative capital of the country, party officials said. It is expected to be unveiled in the coming days. “We will develop Seoul into an economic and financial c
Nov. 15, 2020
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Moon signs RCEP trade pact after summit with leaders of 14 nations
South Korea signed what will be the world's largest free trade agreement on Sunday after concluding related talks during a virtual summit of President Moon Jae-in and leaders of 14 partner countries. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) involves 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and their combined gross domestic product accounts for a third of the world's total. "We note that
Nov. 15, 2020
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Seoul to begin construction of Ulleung airport this month
South Korea will begin the construction of an airport on Ulleung Island later this month, with an aim to open the country's second island airport in 2025, the transport ministry said Sunday. The government will inject 665.1 billion won ($597 million) to build the Ulleung airport with a 1,200 meter-long runway and a passenger terminal. Flight services on 50-seat airplanes will be offered at the airport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. "The travel ti
Nov. 15, 2020
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Ruling party chief calls on Biden to keep 2018 deal between Kim Jong-un, Trump
The ruling party chairman expressed hope Friday that a 2018 deal signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will be retained under the incoming US administration under President-elect Joe Biden. "I wish that South Korea and the US will work together to reactivate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the chairman of Democratic Party, said during a top party council meeting. "The starting point for that will be the re
Nov. 13, 2020
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No formal request from US over 'Quad' coalition, Cheong Wa Dae official says
South Korea has not received any formal request from the United States to join the so-called Quad, a regional strategic coalition widely viewed as aimed at containing China's assertiveness, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official Friday. "In connection with the Quad, there has been no formal request at all made by the US government to our government," Suh Choo-suk, deputy director of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, said during a parliamentary session. The Quadrilatera
Nov. 13, 2020
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Moon names sociology professor to head state reconciliation panel
President Moon Jae-in on Friday named a sociology professor to head a state panel tasked with investigating past cases of human rights violations. Jung Keun-sik of Seoul National University will lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set to resume its operation on Dec. 10, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a written briefing. The 62-year-old has over 30 years of experience researching East Asian social history and the subject of unification and peace. He has been noted for h
Nov. 13, 2020
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Screening process begins to pick anti-corruption agency chief
The screening process to select two finalists who are qualified to head an envisioned anti-corruption agency that will investigate high-ranking government officials has begun Friday amid fierce partisan strife. A seven-member panel of government officials and outside experts will choose two candidates out of 10 legal professionals they recommended to be the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, or CIO. During a day-long meeting, the panel members revie
Nov. 13, 2020
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Ahn woos chief prosecutor who rose to presidential hopeful in polls
A minor opposition party leader has wooed the prosecutor general who suddenly rose to presidential hopeful in polls thanks to his defiance against the justice minister. Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl has been at odds with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative command authority in a number of cases including a high-profile financial scandal, and openly expressed his disagreement during a televised parliamentary audit last month. Choo upped the ante on Wednesday by calling for Yoon&rsq
Nov. 13, 2020
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Ruling party lawmakers said to demand replacement of gender minister
Voices are growing among lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) calling for the replacement of Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok, who recently drew fire for insensitive remarks on next year's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, party officials said Friday. A group of progressive DP lawmakers reportedly asked Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office, earlier this week to replace Lee in the next Cabinet reshuffle, citing fierce criticism of Lee's remarks by women's and civ
Nov. 13, 2020
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Ruling party chief asks Biden admin to keep 2018 deal between Kim Jong-un, Trump
The ruling party chairman expressed hope Friday that a 2018 deal signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will be retained under the incoming US administration under President-elect Joe Biden. "I wish that South Korea and the US will work together to reactivate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the chairman of Democratic Party (DP), said during a top party council meeting. "The starting point for that will be the reaffirmati
Nov. 13, 2020
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PM hints at tougher distancing guidelines amid spike in virus cases
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday the government "may have to seriously consider" toughening social distancing measures, citing alarming increases in new daily COVID-19 cases. "The warning light for disease control has lit up. If the current growth trend continues, (we) may have to seriously consider raising the (social) distancing level," Chung said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at the government complex in Seoul. H
Nov. 13, 2020
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Lawmakers from S. Korea, Japan hold talks to mend frayed ties
Lawmakers from South Korea and Japan on Thursday vowed to step up efforts to help mend the frayed ties between the two countries. Seven members of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union arrived in Tokyo for a three-day visit as the two countries are quickening moves to improve relations since the inauguration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. They held a face-to-face meeting with their counterparts to discuss ways to boost cooperation and exchanges between the two sides. "Political ci
Nov. 12, 2020
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Moon confers posthumous state medal on iconic labor activist
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday conferred a posthumous state medal on Chun Tae-il, one of the most important figures in South Korea's labor history, in recognition of his service to the country. Moon awarded the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit to Chun during a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae attended by his family members and friends. The ceremony came on the eve of the country's annual commemoration of Chun's tragic death five decades earlier. Chun, who was a 22-year-old tailor at tha
Nov. 12, 2020
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NSC officials review US presidential election outcome, alliance issues
South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday reviewed the developments of the recent US presidential election and ways to strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance, Cheong Wa Dae said. The presidential office said the members of the National Security Council's standing committee discussed the developments of the American presidential election and means to sustain and further develop the South Korea-US relationship based on the bilateral alliance. It was their first weekly session s
Nov. 12, 2020
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Chief auditor cites 'possibility of crime' over reactor closure
The chief of the state auditor said Wednesday that the agency determined there was a "possibility of a crime" in the government's evaluation of the economic viability of a now-decommissioned nuclear reactor. The prosecution recently launched a probe into the industry ministry and two state-run energy firms after the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) announced late last month that they manipulated the profitability projections of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor to determine its early c
Nov. 12, 2020