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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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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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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S. Korea biz lobby asks Japan to ease export curbs
A South Korean business lobby group on Thursday called on Japan to ease its restrictions on exports of key industrial products to Korea to help improve strained ties between the two countries. Kwon Tae-shin, vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), made the request at a breakfast meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Koji Tomita and local business leaders in Seoul. "We want Ambassador Koji Tomita to make efforts to help leaders of South Korea
Oct. 22, 2020
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Former lawmaker quits ruling party decrying hypocrisy, antagonism
Keum Tae-sup, a former lawmaker, defected from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday, denouncing what he called its arrogance, hypocrisy and partisan antagonism. He has been at odds with mainstream members over a raft of issues including prosecution reform and a scandal involving a former justice minister. He was disciplined in May for refusing to follow the party line in a crucial parliamentary vote. "I came to a state where I cannot approve of or agree with the direction the DP
Oct. 21, 2020
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Opposition party asks for criminal probe into nuke reactor retirement
The main opposition party will ask law enforcement authorities to investigate government officials involved in a nuclear reactor’s early retirement last year who allegedly obstructed the state watchdog’s audit into the decision-making process, its leader said Wednesday. People Power Party Floor Leader Rep. Joo Ho-young said in a party meeting Wednesday that the party will report all related officials who “abused authority” to push for the closure of the Wolsong-1 reacto
Oct. 21, 2020
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Main opposition to press criminal charges against those responsible for early closure of Wolsong-1
The main opposition party said Wednesday it will press criminal charges against those who were involved in the controversial early closure of a nuclear power plant and the alleged obstruction of the state audit into the case. "(The party) will report (to the law enforcement) all related officials who obstructed the inspection in the process of the unfair closure, abused authority and destroyed official documents on criminal charges," Rep. Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People P
Oct. 21, 2020
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Govt. to inspect nationwide senior care hospitals' outbreak response systems: PM
State health authorities will examine all senior care hospitals in the country this week over their virus outbreak response systems following a recent cluster outbreak at one, the prime minister announced Wednesday. The government will begin looking into the disease control management capacities of some 8,000 senior care hospitals across the country Thursday for two weeks, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held at the governm
Oct. 21, 2020
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[News Focus] Will Sejong manage to move out of Seoul's shadow?
SEJONG -- South Koreans are paying close attention to the resurfaced issue as to whether Sejong will join the league of cities such as Ankara, Brasilia, Canberra and Ottawa. These four cities, despite being their nations’ capitals, usually lag behind Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro (or Sao Paulo), Sydney (or Melbourne) and Toronto (or Vancouver) -- in turn within each nation -- in terms of gross domestic product or public awareness worldwide. Some political heavyweights from the ruling party
Oct. 20, 2020
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Moon calls for measures against pandemic-driven labor market inequality
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday urged the administration to step up efforts in tackling the seemingly expanding labor market inequality caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. "COVID-19 is increasingly pushing the livelihoods of workers within economic blind spots, including those of special-employment type workers, towards the brink," Moon said during a weekly Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae. The president highlighted the growing number of death reports of overworked parce
Oct. 20, 2020
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S. Korea expresses 'deep regret' over Abe's visit to war shrine
South Korea expressed "deep regret" Monday after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe again visited a war shrine, urging Tokyo to atone for its colonial-era atrocities through action. Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo earlier Monday was his second since he stepped down as prime minister in mid-September due to health problems. "We express deep concern and regret that responsible leaders of Japan are visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, a symbolic establishment that beaut
Oct. 19, 2020
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Justice minister orders top prosecutor's recusal from fund scandal probe
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered the nation's top prosecutor on Monday to take his hands off the ongoing investigations into a high-profile fund scandal in a move she claims is intended to ensure a "fair" and "independent" probe into those cases. The unusual order came a day after the justice ministry raised speculation that Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl failed to conduct a thorough investigation into opposition politicians and prosecutors allegedly implicated in the
Oct. 19, 2020
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Moon says now is 'golden time' for economic recovery, calls for stimulating consumption
President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Monday for pan-governmental efforts to reinvigorate South Korea's coronavirus-stricken economy, especially to boost domestic consumption. He cited the easing of social distancing measures, effective last week. This is expected to serve as an "important chance for raising consumption and economic vigor," Moon said during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. South Korea will be able to ensure a full economic recovery in case of
Oct. 19, 2020
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Approval rating for ruling party down 3.4% points, lead over main opposition narrows
The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) slid 3.4 percentage points last week from a week earlier amid growing allegations that some party members were involved in financial scam scandals, a recent public poll showed Monday. The approval rating for the DP came in at 32.2 percent in the survey conducted on 2,523 voters from Monday-Friday last week by Realmeter, down 3.4 percentage points from a week earlier. In the latest poll, the main opposition People Power Party saw its appr
Oct. 19, 2020
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Ruling party chief holds talks with Japanese politician
The head of ruling Democratic Party, Lee Nak-yon, met with a senior Japanese politician, Takeo Kawamura, on Sunday and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties, Lee said. During the 40-minute closed-door meeting in Seoul, Lee expressed regrets over Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's sending of a ritual offering to a war shrine seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism the previous day. It was Suga's first offering to the war shrine since he took office in September. He succeeded Shinz
Oct. 18, 2020
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Fund fraud scandal spills over to prosecution
A financial fraud scandal involving a private equity investment company has spilled over to the prosecution after a key suspect claimed to have lobbied ranking prosecutors, one of whom is now part of the investigative team. The revelation added fuel to the political debate surrounding the country’s law enforcement authority, which the Moon Jae-in administration has openly criticized for wielding “uncontrolled” power and has vowed to reform. It also ripped open a rift between
Oct. 18, 2020
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US national security adviser to visit Seoul next month: Cheong Wa Dae
US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien will visit Seoul next month, probably after the US presidential election, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. Presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said during a briefing that Suh Hoon, director of South Korea's National Security Office, asked his counterpart to visit Seoul during their meeting at the White House last week. Kang expected O'Brien's visit to take place after the US presidential election on Nov. 3. During his visit, "Suh met with other seni
Oct. 18, 2020
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Moon requests support for S. Korea's WTO chief bid in meeting with foreign envoys
President Moon Jae-in sought support for South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid to become the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as he received credentials from six new top foreign envoys on Friday. They were the German, Vietnamese, Austrian, Chilean, Pakistani and Omani ambassadors to South Korea. Having a group conversation with them after the Cheong Wa Dae ceremony, Moon pointed out that Yoo is running for the post with a vision for reforming the WTO, rebuilding trust in th
Oct. 16, 2020
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Moon emboldened by S. Korea's digital govt. feat
President Moon Jae-in views the OECD's recognition of South Korea's digital government system as an outcome of longstanding efforts that date back to the Kim Dae-jung administration two decades ago, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Moon was responding to reports that the country ranked first in the Paris-based group's "2019 Digital Government Index" assessment. Moon, during a government meeting at his office, attributed the feat to the country's longtime efforts initiated by the Kim Dae-ju
Oct. 16, 2020
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Watchdog eyes finalizing audit into controversial reactor closure
The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), the country's audit watchdog, on Friday plans to finalize an audit surrounding the controversial Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor closure. BAI plans to convene a commissioners' committee meeting to review and finalize the agency's audit of the controversial early reactor closure, sources familiar with the issue said. The committee has held serial meetings since last Wednesday but has not yet managed to wrap up the report. BAI chief Choe Jae-hyeong recently tol
Oct. 16, 2020
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Over 20 sitting lawmakers indicted on illegal election campaigning charges
More than 20 sitting lawmakers face trials on charges of violating the public election law while campaigning for the previous parliamentary elections in April. Prosecutors said Thursday they indicted seven lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and 10 of the main opposition People Power Party and several others on charges of breaching the Public Official Election Act during their campaigns for the April 15 parliamentary elections. The measures were taken en masse before the statute of l
Oct. 16, 2020
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Ruling party chief proposes dispatching bipartisan delegation to US after Nov. election
Launching an internal task force handling diplomatic and security issues in light of the upcoming US presidential election, the head of the ruling party Thursday proposed dispatching a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers to Washington following the election. "With the American presidential election just three weeks away, (efforts for) intensifying the Korea-US relationship and building peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula should continue ceaselessly, no matter who wins," DP Cha
Oct. 15, 2020
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Supreme Court confirms prison term for ex-presidential aide over abuse of power
The top court on Thursday upheld a one-year prison term for a former chief of staff to ex-President Park Geun-hye, who was indicted on charges of abusing his power to illegally support conservative groups. Kim Ki-choon, who served as Park's chief of staff from 2013-2015, is accused of pressuring the Federation of Korean Industries, a business lobby group, into getting firms to provide 2.4 billion won ($2.1 million) to 21 organizations favorable to the administration at the time. The organizati
Oct. 15, 2020