Korea stumbles into divisive, risky debate on nuclear redeployment

While North Korean threats intensify, concerns are growing as the nation’s grave security issues could become political strife. Although President Yoon Suk-yeol and his office did not publicly admit to reviewing the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons amid constant threats from North Korea, the information about their moves is constantly being leaked from the government and the ruling party. When asked about Yoon’s position on related reports, Yoon told reporters Thursday mo

Oct. 13, 2022

What will South Korea do when Russians come fleeing draft?

Diplomatic and other questions are being raised for South Korea, as Russians trying to avoid conscription into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are anticipated to head to the country to seek refugee status. Earlier this month, about two dozen Russians apparently fleeing Vladimir Putin’s draft were refused entry to South Korea.　 Over the first few days of October, five yachts carrying Russian passengers were spotted in South Korean waters, according to Coast Guard data submitted to

Oct. 12, 2022

Lee Jae-myung in hot water again, this time over defense stocks

While the prosecution is stepping up the investigation of Democratic Party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung over his alleged involvement in Seongnam FC sponsorship, the opposition leader is facing yet another controversy over his holding defense stocks. According to local media outlets, Lee, who is also a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, is found to have stocks worth 231 million won ($162,000) in some defense-related companies, including Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engi

Oct. 12, 2022

Democratic Party: Don't abolish Gender Ministry, expand it

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday made official its stance against plans to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, while backing other parts of the government's reorganization strategy. Countering the government’s plan to abolish it, the Democratic Party said the ministry should be expanded, with a reorganization of the ministry's functions. Rep. Kim Sung-hwan, who chairs the party’s policy planning committee, made such remarks during a p

Oct. 11, 2022

Yoon says N. Korea has nothing to gain from nuclear weapons

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that North Korea has nothing to gain from nuclear weapons, a day after the North said it carried out exercises on mobilizing "tactical nukes" and rejected any chances of negotiations. North Korea has ratcheted up tensions with a series of provocative missile launches in recent weeks, including one that flew over Japan in a demonstration of its ability to strike targets in the US territory of Guam. On Monday, the North also said that leader Kim Jong-

Oct. 11, 2022

PPP interim chief denounces DP chair over trilateral naval drills remarks

Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Chung Jin-suk lashed out at opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday for claiming that South Korea could end up seeing Japanese troops stationed in the country. Lee made the remark on Monday while denouncing trilateral missile-defense exercises, which South Korea held with the United States and Japan in the East Sea last week, as a move legitimizing Japan's Self-Defense Forces as a regular military. His point was that such exercises would help advanc

Oct. 11, 2022

PM arrives in Chile for official visit

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Chile on Monday for an official visit as South Korea seeks to bolster cooperation in the field of mineral resources with the Latin American nation. During the three-day visit in Chile, Han and Chilean President Gabriel Boric plan to hold talks, and the two sides are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on mineral resources. The planned MOU is part of South Korea's efforts to diversify supply chains of key raw materials used in batteries

Oct. 11, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘We should be wary of North Korea, not our own military,’ says governor after missile crash

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province -- Kim Jin-tae, the governor of Gangwon Province, said on a missile crashing in one of its cities Tuesday that he believes this served as “a hard lesson” to “avoid a repetition in the future.”　 The missile crashed just 700 meters from a residential neighborhood after a failed launch during a joint drill with US forces, according to the South Korean military. Many locals endured a sleepless night after the fiery missile crash, as they waited

Oct. 9, 2022

Disgraced Lee Jun-seok officially kicked out of ruling party

After a monthslong internal feud, the ruling party’s ethics panel decided on an extra one-year suspension for Lee Jun-seok, the former chair of People Power Party. Lee was pushed off the brink Thursday with the court turning down his request for an injunction to suspend the party’s interim chair Chung Jin-suk from duty. The ruling party’s ethics panel held a meeting the same day at the National Assembly to discuss the disciplinary measures for Lee. "We decided on an extra

Oct. 7, 2022

Yoon says Korea-Japan relations should return to ‘good times’ soon

  President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday he agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a phone call that relations between the two nations should be restored as early as possible and agreed to firmly respond to North Korean provocations. “We agreed that if Korea-Japan relations go back to the good times as early as possible and smooth corporate and public exchanges return, it will be beneficial to the economies of both countries,” Yoon told reporters when asked about the

Oct. 7, 2022

Yoon says gender ministry's abolition aimed at better protecting women

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday defended his plan to abolish the gender ministry, saying it is aimed at better protecting women and other vulnerable groups. Yoon had pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during the presidential campaign, sparking fierce opposition from politicians and activists who feared it would undermine women's rights. The government finalized the abolition plan Thursday, under which most of the ministry's responsibilities will be transfer

Oct. 7, 2022

Number of teenage drug offenders doubles over past 3 yrs

The number of teenage drug offenders has almost doubled over the past three years, but drug education has been given to less than 4 percent of students during the same period, a lawmaker said Friday. Teenagers accused of using drugs totaled 309 last year, up from 164 in 2019, said Rep. Kang Hoon-sik of the main opposition Democratic Party, citing data from the Korean Association Against Drug Abuse. Between January and August this year alone, 227 have been apprehended on drug charges. Despite the

Oct. 7, 2022

Ruling party suspends ex-chair Lee's membership for additional year

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) suspended the membership of former leader Lee Jun-seok for another year Friday in addition to a six-month suspension imposed earlier, effectively thwarting his run in the 2024 general elections. The PPP's ethics committee made the decision, holding Lee accountable for criticizing President Yoon Suk-yeol and the party with excessive expressions and filing a series of injunction suits against the party's decision to form an emergency leadership committ

Oct. 7, 2022

Yoon meets US Indo-Pacific Command chief amid N. Korea's missile launches

President Yoon Suk-yeol met with the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Seoul on Thursday amid rising tensions over North Korea's missile tests, the presidential office said.   The meeting with Commander Adm. John Aquilino was not previously announced and followed Wednesday's redeployment of the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan to South Korean waters just days after it had left after a naval exercise with the South.  "The visit of the Ronald Reagan aircraft car

Oct. 6, 2022

Rival parties call for govt. response to Japan's Fukushima water release plan

  Rival parties on Thursday called on the government to come up with measures to respond to Japan's plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea starting next year.    The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) voiced concerns over the plan in unison during an annual parliamentary audit session on the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, calling it a "matter of people's safety." &

Oct. 6, 2022

Minister confirms Gender Ministry merger plan

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will be abolished and its core functions will be subsumed by other ministries, according to the reform plans announced by the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Thursday. The plans also include the creation of a new body to address issues concerning overseas Koreans, and elevation of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs' status. The government will aim to pass the proposed amendment to the Government Organization Act at the Na

Oct. 6, 2022

Yoon talks with Kishida over security against NK provocations

President Yoon Suk-yeol discussed security issues related to North Korea’s successive ballistic missile provocations in a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida early Thursday evening. “President Yook Suk-yeol had a 25-minute phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about the recent North Korean ballistic missile launch from 5:35 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday,” the presidential office said in a written statement following the talks. “The two leade

Oct. 6, 2022

Ruling party set to decide on extra penalty for former leader

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) was set to hold an ethics committee meeting Thursday to decide on an additional penalty for former Chairman Lee Jun-seok over his harsh criticism of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the party. Lee has openly gone up against President Yoon and his core associates, after the PPP suspended his party membership in July over allegations of sexual bribery and an attempted cover-up, and launched an emergency leadership committee that automatically removed him from office.

Oct. 6, 2022

NSC strongly condemns N. Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch

The presidential National Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday, warning of strong countermeasures as demonstrated by the redeployment of a US aircraft carrier into South Korean waters. President Yoon Suk-yeol was briefed immediately after the launch and the NSC held a meeting presided over by National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han, according to the presidential office. Thursday's launch was the Nort

Oct. 6, 2022

‘Stop making this about politics,’ says family of man killed by North Korea

The family of Lee Dae-jun, the South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korean soldiers in 2020, hit back at the Democratic Party of Korea’s claim that the ongoing investigations were a “political vendetta” against former President Moon Jae-in. Kwon Young-mi, the widow of the late official, told The Korea Herald that she was “wary of” the opposition lawmakers characterizing the investigations to be about Moon or his administration. “This is abou

Oct. 5, 2022