Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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When two worlds collab: K-pop flexes power with global stars
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Bipartisan panel formed to address livelihood issues amid tension over first lady probe
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[Newsmaker] Ruling party seeks tighter control over NIS with revisions
The move to revise related laws to tighten the reins on the National Intelligence Service is gaining traction, with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea set to propose a revision this week. The revision, which the ruling party says will provide legal grounds for suggestions from the NIS’ own reform committee, calls for tougher control of the agency’s budget and the actions of the president and the NIS chief. National Intelligence Service. YonhapIf approved, the bill would make it mandatory to do
Nov. 20, 2017
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Prosecution close in on pro-Park conservative heavyweight in NIS scandal
The prosecution on Monday raided the office and home of Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan in connection with the National Intelligence Service’s alleged misuse of its covert operations budget. Choi, a four-term lawmaker of the conservative main opposition Liberty Korea Party, is suspected of having received 100 million won ($91,000) from the NIS in 2014. He was at that time the vice prime minister and finance minister for the conservative Park Geun-hye administration. Investigators remove records from Rep.
Nov. 20, 2017
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Intl. experts to discuss ways to cope with urban disasters
The Seoul city government said Monday that it will hold an international safety forum later this week to discuss ways to cope with massive urban disasters, including earthquakes, with anti-disaster experts from South Korea, Japan and Germany attending."The Seoul International Safety Forum will open in Seoul on Thursday, and participants include renowned experts from Seoul, Tokyo, Kobe and Freiburg," a city official said. Debris from a collapsed wall is scattered in front of a shop after an earth
Nov. 20, 2017
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Moon's approval rating rises following Southeast Asia trip
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose from a week earlier last week, a survey showed Monday, apparently on the back of his recent Asia trip that many believe helped enhance the country's relations with Southeast Asian countries.In a survey conducted by Realmeter, the president's approval rating came to 71.6 percent, up 1.5 percentage points from a week earlier.The reading marked a turnaround from a 0.2 percentage on-week dip posted in the previous week. The weekly survey was conducted Mon
Nov. 20, 2017
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Lawmakers struggle to pass hearing motion for SME minister
Lawmakers on Sunday struggled to adopt a confirmation hearing motion for the venture minister nominee, Hong Jong-haak, the deadline for which is Monday. Should they fail to pass the motion in time, President Moon Jae-in is likely to push ahead with his appointment, as he has done in cases of other Cabinet members. As of Sunday afternoon, the lawmakers had yet to agree on convening parliamentary sessions to discuss the matter. A ministerial appointment does not require parliamentary approval.
Nov. 19, 2017
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Korea's ruling party chief asks US to ease pressure over trade deal
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON -- South Korea's ruling party leader appealed to the United States Thursday to ease its pressure on Seoul to amend their bilateral free trade agreement.Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party met with members of the Korea Caucus in Congress and pointed to Washington's large surplus in services trade with Seoul.The allies recently began domestic procedures to amend the five-year-old free trade agreement, known as KORUS, due to President Donald Trump's insistence it has widened the
Nov. 17, 2017
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Uzbek president to make state visit to Korea
The president of Uzbekistan will come to South Korea this month on a state visit that will include a bilateral summit with his South Korean counterpart, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.Shavkat Mirziyoyev will arrive here on Wednesday for a four-day trip.Mirziyoyev and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold a bilateral summit on Thursday, followed by a state dinner at Cheong Wa Dae, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (
Nov. 17, 2017
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Two ex-NIS chiefs arrested in bribery scandal
Two former National Intelligence Service chiefs of the Park Geun-hye administration were arrested Friday in the expanding probe into allegations that several billion won of NIS funds were funneled to the presidential office.The Seoul District Court approved arrest warrants for the two former NIS chiefs Nam Jae-joon and Lee Byung-kee over separate charges of embezzlement and bribery. Former NIS chiefs Nam Jae-joon (left), Lee Byung-kee (Yonhap)Prosecutors had sought warrants for the two and anoth
Nov. 17, 2017
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Senior presidential aide linked to corruption probe tenders resignation
Jun Byung-hun, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, tendered his resignation on Thursday, in the wake of a rare corruption investigation into an incumbent senior presidential aide. It is the first time for a presidential aide to resign under the Moon Jae-in administration that came into office in May.The 59-year-old political affairs secretary is under the allegation of laundering a corporate donation of 300 million won in return for business favors, when he was sitting as the ho
Nov. 16, 2017
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Heat rising on ex-President Lee amid NIS allegations
Former President Lee Myung-bak is facing increasing heat over suspicions he was involved in the election interference scandal surrounding the military and national spy agency. Former President Lee Myung-bak enters a vehicle at the Incheon Airport after arriving in the country from Bahrain on Wednesday. (Yonhap)Rep. Kim Dong-cheol, floor leader of the minor opposition People’s Party, on Tuesday urged the prosecution to question Lee, accusing the former president of being the root of “accumulated
Nov. 15, 2017
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[PyeongChang 2018] Korea’s first lady dances to ‘PyeongChang Style’
South Korea’s first lady Kim Jung-sook danced the iconic horse dance to a rewritten version of Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” dubbed “PyeongChang Style,” at an event held in the Philippines on Wednesday. The song was sung by Ryan Bang, a Korean TV personality based in the Philippines, to promote the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in Korea. Kim reportedly displayed the popular dance moves upon excitement at hearing the familiar tune. (Yonhap)Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife were atten
Nov. 15, 2017
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President Moon returns home after three-nation Southeast Asia trip
President Moon Jae-in returned home Wednesday, following his eight-day trip to Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines on a mission to reinforce the country's ties with the Southeast Asian countries and rally support for a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear standoff.It marked Moon's first trip to the Southeast Asian region since taking office in May.While on a state visit to Jakarta, the South Korean leader unveiled his New South Policy, which aims to greatly boost his country's trad
Nov. 15, 2017
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Moon to request hearing report on venture minister nominee by Monday: official
President Moon Jae-in will ask a parliamentary committee to adopt its report on the outcome of its confirmation hearing on his pick for the venture minister by early next week, his aide said Wednesday.The publication of the report is a key procedure before Moon officially appoints Hong Jong-haak, the nominee for the SMEs and startups minister. But the committee has failed to adopt it due to opposition parties' objections.Should the committee refuse to adopt the report by the new Monday deadline,
Nov. 15, 2017
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Choo voices concerns over US demand for wider access to Korea's agricultural market
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, has expressed concerns over a reported US demand for greater access to South Korea's agricultural market, as Seoul and Washington seek to amend their free trade agreement.Choo made the remarks during her meeting with White House chief economic director Gary Cohn on Tuesday (Washington time), party spokeswoman Kim Hyun said. She began a six-day trip on the day for talks with top US officials, scholars and lawmakers over se
Nov. 15, 2017
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Moon says 'all' will be possible following nuclear freeze of NK
South Korea and the international community may begin discussions on possible rewards for North Korea if the reclusive state decides to at least freeze its nuclear program and come to the denuclearization dialogue, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday."I believe it will not be easy realistically to move on to complete dismantlement of North Korean nukes in the near future, considering recent advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs," the president said at a press confere
Nov. 14, 2017
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3 former spy chiefs face arrest over alleged illegal payments to Park aides
Three former heads of the state spy agency face arrest as prosecutors filed for court warrants Tuesday against two of the accused over allegations they paid billions of won of the agency's off-book funds to two aides of then-President Park Geun-hye. Nam Jae-joon and Lee Byong-ho, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) between 2013-2017, stand accused of being involved in the NIS' regular payments of at least 40 billion won ($3.57 million) to Ahn Bong-geun and Lee Jae-man, two senior
Nov. 14, 2017
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[News Focus] Long road ahead for NIS reform
The probe into alleged wrongdoings of the National Intelligence Service continues to expand, once again bringing the integrity and role of the spy agency into question. In the early hours of Tuesday, Lee Byung-kee was taken into custody, becoming the first former NIS director to be detained in the latest investigation into the spy agency. Former National Intelligence Service chief Lee Byung-kee is surrounded by reporters at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Monday. (Yonhap)Later
Nov. 14, 2017
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Former presidential rivals at helm of their party
Nearly six months after the May presidential election, the fortunes of its five main candidates have seen some twists and turns. But three of them are now finding themselves back in a familiar race against one another, this time as leaders of their respective parties. With Rep. Yoo Seong-min elected Monday to helm the Bareun Party, the three leaders -- Yoo, Hong Joon-pyo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor People’s Party -- will vie to gain a foothold at the
Nov. 14, 2017
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People's Party whip seeks to ease internal rift
The floor leader of the minor opposition People's Party sought Tuesday to defuse a growing rift over the idea of a merger with a conservative party, saying "the time is not yet ripe."The merger scheme, led by chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, has faced stiff resistance from party seniors who have warned it would undermine the party's liberal platform, obscure its political identity, and inflame its support base in the southwestern Honam region.Ahn has been pushing for a tie-up with the minor Bareun Party
Nov. 14, 2017
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PM meets with former Indonesian President Megawati
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon met with former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Tuesday and discussed ways to increase cooperation between their countries, his office said.Megawati arrived in South Korea on Monday for a five-day trip mainly to attend a ceremony to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Mokpo National University in the southwest coastal city of Mokpo. During the meeting, Lee told Megawati that he is pleased the two countries have worked closely together in almost all
Nov. 14, 2017