Korean first lady makes mark in US

First lady Kim Keon Hee's solo engagements as a humanitarian and cultural promoter have garnered the media spotlight during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United States this week. Kim on Wednesday held talks with Cindy Warmbier, mother of Otto Warmbier, who died in 2017 after being imprisoned in North Korea for more than a year for allegedly stealing a propaganda banner during his trip to Pyongyang, according to a spokesperson of President Yoon Suk Yeol'

April 27, 2023

Chips Act win-win for US, S. Korea: Biden

The US Chips Act, signed into law in August to reduce America’s reliance on foreign-made semiconductors by increasing domestic production, is a win-win to both the US and South Korea, US President Joe Biden said Wednesday. “It’s creating jobs in South Korea, not just SK but with Samsung and in other industries,” Biden said during a press conference following a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, referring to the world’s largest and second-largest memory chipmakers,

April 27, 2023

Full text of Washington Declaration

President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) met on this 26th day of April, 2023, to mark the 7oth anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance. The Alliance between our two nations has been forged in shared sacrifice, fortified by enduring security cooperation, and nourished by close kinship that has enabled both countries to leverage their diplomatic resources to peaceably achieve crucial, strategic outcomes. What began as a secur

April 27, 2023

KEF, Heritage Foundation chiefs discuss labor reforms

Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation, met with the Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts on Tuesday in Washington, DC, on the sidelines of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s US visit this week. The two leaders discussed a range of topics, especially labor reforms, according to the KEF, one of the six business lobby groups in the delegation. "Labor reform is a must, not a choice," Sohn was quoted as saying in the press release. Pointing to the US as a mode

April 26, 2023

US tech firm Corning to invest $1.5b in Korea

WASHINGTON -- American multinational tech company Corning said it would invest an additional $1.5 billion in South Korea over the next five years, according to the South Korean presidential office. The plan was announced by Corning CEO Wendell Weeks at the Korea-US business roundtable attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon's senior economy secretary Choi Sang-mok said. Corning has invested over $10 billion in South Korea over the past 50 years, which has contributed to the creation of th

April 26, 2023

Yoon says S. Korea-US alliance not shaken by eavesdropping allegations

President Yoon Suk Yeol has said the South Korea-US alliance will not be shaken by allegations of eavesdropping contained in recently leaked Pentagon documents, according to an interview Tuesday. Yoon made the remark in an interview with NBC News on Monday as he is on a state visit to Washington. "This matter is no reason to shake the ironclad trust that supports the US-South Korea alliance, because it is based on shared values like freedom," he was quoted as saying. "When you hav

April 26, 2023

US, S. Korea to 'coordinate' chip investments, says Kirby on Micron reports

WASHINGTON -- John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said Tuesday that South Korea and the United States would "coordinate" on their chip investments when asked of a Financial Times report that Washington requested Seoul not to fill any market gap created by a potential ban by Beijing on chips from US memory chipmaker. “What I can tell you is that the Biden administration and the Yoon administration quite frankly have worked together to ma

April 26, 2023

Sung Kim looks forward to strengthened US extended deterrence commitment in Yoon-Biden summit

US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim on Tuesday expressed his expectation that the leaders of the US and South Korea would exhibit their commitments to a stronger extended deterrence against Pyongyang's nuclear threats at an upcoming summit this week. President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold a summit at the White House on Wednesday (Washington time), in which they are expected to sign a joint statement on measures to enhance extended deterrence,

April 25, 2023

North Koreans souring on Kim Jong-un’s ‘beloved child’ Ju-ae: lawmaker

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s only publicly seen child, Ju-ae, is stirring up ire among local people there for her extravagant clothing and well-fed appearance, according to Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, the executive secretary of the National Assembly intelligence committee. South Korea's National Intelligence Service believes that Kim’s daughter, officially referred to by the North Korean government as the “most beloved child,” is becoming increasingly resented by many in

April 25, 2023

Parliamentary committee passes revision bill aimed at supporting home rental scam victims

The parliamentary public administration committee on Tuesday passed a revision bill that aims to give priority to victims of home rental scams in recouping their security deposits before local taxes are collected when their rented homes are put up for auction. The revision is part of a set of legislative support measures for the victimized tenants of the country's unique rental system called "jeonse." The tenants were put in danger of eviction without getting back their security d

April 25, 2023

S. Korea, US to unveil separate documents on extended deterrence

WASHINGTON -- An additional document detailing extended deterrence measures will be unveiled following the summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to the South Korean presidential office. Yoon's senior press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, told reporters Monday evening in Washington that the upcoming document will specify a more advanced version of the extended deterrence strategy. Extended deterrence refers to the US' commitment

April 25, 2023

Netflix to invest $2.5b in Korean content

WASHINGTON -- Netflix chief Ted Sarandos said his company will invest $2.5 billion in Korean content for next four years during a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol, who arrived in Washington on Monday. President Yoon met Sarandos as his first official engagement in the US. The meeting was accompanied by the ministers of finance, culture and industry, as the Netflix management team, according to the presidential office. “The investment will be a significant opportunity for all Korean

April 25, 2023

Yoon says he cannot accept notion Japan 'must kneel because of our history 100 years ago'

President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed his commitment to moving relations with Japan forward, saying in an interview published Monday that he cannot accept the notion Japan "must kneel because of our history 100 years ago." Yoon made the remark in an interview with The Washington Post, referring to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea during which a series of atrocities were committed, such as mobilization of Koreans as sex slaves and for forced labor. "Europe has experienced s

April 24, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Borrowers' relief, chip tax cuts and union transparency

〈For the week of April 10-14〉 Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Banking Act Proposed by Rep. Min Byoung-dug (Democratic Party of Korea) ● High interest rates have allowed banks to reap massive interest earnings while ordinary people and financial consumers have had to bear the brunt of the situation. However, banks have passed on the costs of various taxes, legal contributions, reserves and insurance premiums, by including them in their interest rates, aggravating the burden on borrowers

April 24, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘No friend or foe in intelligence,’ lawmaker says on US leak

The Pentagon leak suggesting the US was eavesdropping on top South Korean officials is being overblown by the opposition for domestic political gains ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s White House visit, according to the National Assembly intelligence committee’s Executive Secretary Rep. Yoo Sang-bum. Speaking to The Korea Herald at his office in Seoul’s Yeouido, Yoo of the ruling People Power Party said that a “closed-door” approach to the leak would be appropriate

April 24, 2023

Opposition leader calls on Yoon to balance ties with US, China

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung suggested on Monday that President Yoon Suk Yeol should balance ties with the US and China, saying diplomacy is not always black-and-white, amid his party’s criticism of Yoon’s remarks as overly leaning on Washington and being “self-destructive.” In a Reuters interview last week, Yoon for the first time indicated support for arms aid to Ukraine if a human rights crisis prompts it. He also described China’s claims to Taiwan as a global

April 24, 2023

Yoon's approval rating slips for 3rd week: poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell slightly for the third straight week after his remarks on Ukraine and Taiwan raised tensions with Russia and China, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 2,520 adults aged 18 or older conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance inched down 1 percentage point from the previous week to 32.6 percent. Yoon's disapproval rating was 64.7 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from the p

April 24, 2023

Ruling party, government seek legislation supporting home rental scam victims

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the government will push to legislate a special law to support victims of home rental scams, a party official said Sunday. The party and the government plan to propose the legislation bill this week, Rep. Park Dae-chul, the PPP's chief policymaker, said following a consultative meeting with government officials. In recent months, three cash-strapped tenants have taken their own lives in the city of Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, in the wake of

April 23, 2023

Former opposition leader to leave party over illicit fund allegation

Song Young-gil, the former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said Saturday he is willing to take full political responsibility over recent allegations of illicit funds surrounding him, but denied any wrongdoing. Song held a press conference in Paris and said he will withdraw from the Democratic Party and comply with the probe. “To take full political responsibility, I am leaving the Democratic Party of Korea and stepping down from the party's senior adviser posi

April 23, 2023

Yoon to send plane to pull S. Koreans from war-torn Sudan

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government to prepare a warplane to evacuate South Koreans in Sudan, a country rocked by a power struggle between its military and a state-sponsored militia called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to a statement released by Yoon’s office Friday, the president had told his defense and foreign ministers to draw up the plan as part of broader safety contingencies amid the escalating clashes that erupted Saturday. Street battles have since left S

April 21, 2023