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] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Moon's senior secretary offers to quit over prosecution reshuffle: Cheong Wa Dae
President Moon Jae-in's senior secretary for civil affairs and justice has repeatedly offered to resign in protest over the latest reshuffle of senior prosecutors led by new Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Wednesday. Moon, however, rejected the resignation offer by Shin Hyun-soo, a former career prosecutor appointed to the post less than two months ago, while he remains intent on stepping down, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official. Shin is known to have feuded w
Feb. 17, 2021
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NIS considering closed-door briefing to parliament on surveillance allegations: chief
The state intelligence agency is reviewing ways to conditionally give a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly on its alleged illegal surveillance of politicians and other social figures during the reign of the conservative Lee Myung-bak government, the NIS chief told lawmakers Tuesday. "The National Intelligence Service is considering plans to report to the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on the issue on condition of non-disclosure (to the public) if the committee approves (th
Feb. 16, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Attacks on Moon’s son continue
An opposition lawmaker refuses to let up on President Moon Jae-in’s son, artist Moon Joon-yong, demanding that a Seoul City foundation disclose why it decided to fund him as part of its program to support artists suffering due to COVID-19. In a Facebook post on Monday, Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the People Power Party called on the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture to explain in detail how it selected the artists it sponsored under the program. In response to news reports in favor of Kwak
Feb. 16, 2021
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[KH Explains] Universal basic income enters Korean political limelight
The idea of ensuring that everyone has at least some income has gained momentum in South Korea as the country experiences a major economic letdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea, championed first by Gyeonggi Province governor and president hopeful Lee Jae-myung, has quickly become a fiercely debated topic among presidential contenders from all sides. Proponents say it is a means to narrow the growing wealth gap and make up for future job losses. Naysayers worry that what they call the
Feb. 16, 2021
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Moon urges emergency steps to curb pandemic-linked job losses
President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for all-out efforts to tackle South Korea's jobs crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I would like the government to take this employment situation seriously and urgently seek extraordinary measures," he said at the outset of a weekly Cabinet meeting. Moon raised the need for a "pan-governmental all-out response system" in order to turn the job situation around within this month. He described the January situation as "employ
Feb. 16, 2021
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S. Korea signs deals with Novavax, Pfizer to secure additional vaccines for 23m: PM
South Korea has secured additional new coronavirus vaccines for 23 million people by signing contracts with US drugmakers Novavax and Pfizer, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday. Through the deals, Novavax will provide vaccines for 20 million people, which are expected to be ready for inoculation by the second quarter, and Pfizer will ship vaccines for 3 million also during the second quarter, Chung said during an interagency meeting on the nation's coronavirus response at the government
Feb. 16, 2021
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Moon hints at further easing of COVID-19 restrictions
President Moon Jae-in on Monday hinted at further easing of the nation’s COVID-19 social distancing rules to boost the pandemic-battered economy, especially hardest-hit small business owners. “We can no longer ignore the urgent appeals (from small businesses). The government will come up with new social distancing measures in March when full-fledged vaccinations start,” the president said during a weekly meeting with his key aides. He stressed a strategic shift in the nat
Feb. 15, 2021
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Moon says S. Korea-US alliance crucial for Korea peace process
President Moon Jae-in stressed Monday the importance of reinforcing the South Korea-US alliance for the success of the Korea peace process in a direct message to the new foreign minister, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon pointed out that Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is an architect of his liberal administration's diplomatic and security policy as the president gave him a letter of appointment. Chung had long served as director of national security at the presidential office, the equivalent of the W
Feb. 15, 2021
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Revised laws to limit use of plastic, disposable items
The environment ministry said Monday it has revised a set of laws to limit the use of plastic and other disposable items as the country grapples with soaring waste amid the coronavirus pandemic. The revisions, which will be subject to a public review from Tuesday until March 29, include a ban on the use of paper cups, plastic straws and stirrers inside cafes and other eateries. The use of plastic bags will now be prohibited at retailers and bakeries, expanding a ban that currently applies to l
Feb. 15, 2021
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S. Korea to launch new-format social distancing campaign in March, Moon says
President Moon Jae-in said Monday his government will introduce new social distancing rules next month as South Korea is gearing up for full-fledged COVID-19 vaccine shots. The focus will be on minimizing compulsory measures and encouraging voluntary ones, he said during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. "It will be changed to disease control and prevention based on autonomy and responsibility from a one-size-fits-all compulsory way," Moon said. He cited "ac
Feb. 15, 2021
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DP switches emergency handout strategy to prioritize targeted virus relief
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has switched its strategy in giving out the nation's fourth round of emergency coronavirus relief handouts, opting to first prioritize a selective program as opposed to seeking both selective and universal stimulus packages in the same time window. On Sunday, DP Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon announced that the party and the government will engage in full-fledged talks on the country's new round of emergency relief handouts under a plan to submit an extra budget draf
Feb. 15, 2021
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Ruling party, gov't start discussing extra budget for selective relief handouts
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) started discussing the extra budget with the government to selectively provide the fourth round of emergency handouts to people and businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic by the end of next month, the party leader said Sunday. DP Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon made the remarks in a press conference, adding both sides will wrap up the discussion within February. Earlier, DP floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon said in another press conference that the pa
Feb. 14, 2021
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Gyeonggi governor stays on top of presidential preference survey
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is firmly at the top of the recent presidential preference survey, widening the gap with two other high-profile figures, ruling Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a poll showed Sunday. In a survey conducted by broadcaster SBS on 1,002 people aged 18 or older nationwide for four days from Feb. 6 to 9, Gov. Lee, who belongs to the Democratic Party of Korea, ranked first with a 28.6 percent approval in potential
Feb. 14, 2021
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Main opposition to seek prosecution probe against chief justice
The main opposition People Power Party on Friday stepped up its pressure on the chief justice to step down for his alleged role in the parliamentary impeachment of a judge, threatening to file a criminal complaint against him if he refuses to resign. "(The PPP) has a stance that it will lodge a complaint against Chief Supreme Court Justice Kim Meong-su with the prosecution if he does not step down," Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, who heads the party's campaign against the chief justice, told Yo
Feb. 12, 2021
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Moon appoints new culture minister despite backlash from opposition party
President Moon Jae-in appointed Hwang Hee, a ruling Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker, as new culture minister Wednesday, a day after the National Assembly's confirmation hearing on him. Hwang's tenure starts on Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a note to reporters. Earlier in the day, a related parliamentary committee, controlled by the DP, adopted a report on the results of its confirmation hearing on Hwang, held Tuesday, amid a boycott by the main opposition People Power
Feb. 10, 2021
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Moon administration has no personnel blacklist: Cheong Wa Dae
Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday that the current administration under President Moon Jae-in has not produced nor operated a discriminatory personnel blacklist, in reaction to the conviction of a former minister for alleged unlawful intervention in personnel decisions at state-run companies. On Tuesday, former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in the so-called Environment Ministry blacklist case, after a court found her guilty of power abuse and
Feb. 10, 2021
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Ultrafine dust density falls in S. Korea, China due to bilateral cooperation
The density of ultrafine dust particles has markedly fallen in both South Korea and China last year due mainly to close bilateral cooperation, their governments said in a joint press release Wednesday. According to the release by Seoul's Ministry of Environment and Beijing's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, concentrations of ultrafine dust particles declined about 27 percent in South Korea and slightly over 28 percent in China in 2020, compared with the 2015 levels. In South Korea, last ye
Feb. 10, 2021
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Moon, first lady visit traditional fish market ahead of Lunar New Year
President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook visited a traditional fish market in a western port city Wednesday to hear out the hardships of small merchants going through tough times due to the new coronavirus and encourage them ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Moon and Kim visited the Soraepo-gu Fish Market in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, to speak directly with merchants and buy local goods, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The two purchased fresh fish and salted and dried fish p
Feb. 10, 2021
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DP’s Park ahead in Seoul mayoral race: poll
Park Young-sun, one of the two ruling Democratic Party preliminary candidates, was ahead of all other Seoul mayoral hopefuls in poll results released by Realmeter on Wednesday. In a survey of 1,016 Seoul citizens aged 18 and above, conducted by the pollster on Sunday and Monday, and commissioned by YTN and TBS, 38.9 percent said they would vote for Park against Ahn Cheol-soo, if the two were in a two-way race. Some 36.3 percent said they would vote for Ahn, a centrist tech entrepreneur-turne
Feb. 10, 2021
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Lunar New Year to be critical juncture for third pandemic wave: PM
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday that how the nation deals with the pandemic during this week's Lunar New Year holiday will be crucial in the outcome of South Korea's grueling battle against the third COVID-19 wave. "The Lunar New Year holiday which begins tomorrow is an important crossroad for the trajectory of the COVID-19 (pandemic). The most critical-to-date third wave could either end, or its dying embers could flare up again," Chung said during an interagency meeting
Feb. 10, 2021