Most Popular
-
1
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
2
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
3
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
4
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
5
Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
-
6
First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
-
7
Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
-
8
4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
-
9
[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
-
10
103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
-
How Trump-Kim summit will affect local elections in South Korea
South Korea’s quadrennial local elections this year come at an extraordinary time: The historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump takes place Tuesday, just a day earlier. South Korean President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting on Monday with his senior secretaries at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, a day before the Kim-Trump summit in Singapore. YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds an advantage at the June 13 local elections on th
June 11, 2018
-
Parties bicker over extramarital affair scandal involving governor candidate
South Korean political parties on Monday continued to bicker over an allegation of an extramarital affair involving a ruling party gubernatorial candidate and an actress ahead of this week's local elections.Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party is under fire following his rival's revelation that Lee allegedly committed adultery with actress Kim Bu-seon some years ago while pretending not be married.Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party, left, and actress Kim Bu-seon (Yonhap)He is l
June 11, 2018
-
Minor opposition party rules out post-election merger
The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party on Monday made it clear that it will not seek a merger with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party after this week's local elections.It has been speculated that the conservative LKP and the centre-right Bareunmirae Party may merge after Wednesday's local elections as there is a possibility that the Seoul mayoral candidates from the two parties will unify their candidacies. This photo, taken on June 11, 2018, shows Sohn Hak-kyu (center), the chief of the el
June 11, 2018
-
Parliament sees more bill proposals for inter-Korean economic exchanges amid warming ties
South Korea's National Assembly has seen an increase in the number of bill proposals by legislators pushing to bolster economic exchanges with North Korea on the back of warming relations with Seoul and a planned historic summit between North Korea and the United States, parliamentary data showed Sunday.Rep. Youn Kwan-suk of the ruling Democratic Party has proposed amendments on three acts related to rail construction to pave the way for rail development projects that link the two Koreas.South K
June 10, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] 20.14% of voters cast early ballots for local elections
More than 8.64 million South Koreans cast ballots during the two-day early voting for the June 13 local elections, the election watchdog said Saturday.The final turnout stood at 20.14 percent, as 8.64 million out of 42.90 million eligible voters participated in the early voting that ran through Saturday for the upcoming local elections slated for next Wednesday, according to the National Election Commission.Up for grabs are 4,016 local administrative, legislative and educational posts, including
June 9, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Vandalism of feminist Seoul mayor candidate’s poster continues
Since official local elections campaign kicked off on May 31, Seoul mayoral candidate Shin Ji-ye of the minor Green Party Korea saw dozens of her campaign posters damaged and deliberately taken down. Shin denounced the vandalism as misogynistic. Her campaign posters carry the word “feminist.”As of Friday, 27 posters and two banners for Shin had been found damaged according to her camp. Some of Shin’s posters, which have a photograph of her face and the phrase “Feminist Seoul Mayor” in Korean on
June 8, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Ruling party enjoys sweeping lead in parliamentary by-elections
As two-day early voting period for the June 13 local elections kicked off on Friday, citizens in 12 regions are also casting additional votes for their parliamentary representatives.The results of the by-elections could affect the status of political parties at the National Assembly. Local polls forecast the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to keep its position as the biggest negotiating bloc, as they estimate it has a sweeping lead in all 11 regions where they have fielded a candidate -- even i
June 8, 2018
-
Korea begins 2-day early voting for June 13 local elections
South Korea kicked off two-day early voting Friday for the June 13 local elections and parliamentary by-elections, which are seen as a referendum on liberal President Moon Jae-in.The advance voting began at 3,512 polling stations nationwide and will run until Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the National Election Commission.Up for grabs are 4,016 local administrative, legislative and educational posts, including 17 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors. The by-elections will b
June 8, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Naturalized Korean says Korea needs to embrace multicultural families
Life in South Korea has never been easy for Hwang Eun-hwa, who came to the country in 1996 from China with the “Korean dream,” married a Korean man and became a naturalized citizen.When she arrived here at the age of 26, Korean society was colder than Hwang had expected. She struggled to earn a living while experiencing discrimination against Joseon-jok, or Chinese people of Korean descent. She was born and raised in Heilongjiang province in China. (Courtesy of Hwang Eun-hwa)Now an owner of a c
June 7, 2018
-
[2018 Local election] Third-generation Hwagyo seeks to bring harmony
During her childhood, Yang Li-ly had always felt she was deprived of something. Yang is a third-generation Hwagyo -- ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese living in Korea -- holding Korean citizenship. She was born to a Taiwanese mother and a Korean father.“I was born and brought up in Korea, and I am Korean. But I was always confused in my teen years, and I could not be proud of my root as a Hwagyo, because the foreign background is alien to the Korean society,” Yang, 41, said in an interview with The K
June 7, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Early voting begins Friday
Early voting for the June 13 local elections and parliamentary by-elections begins on Friday and runs until Saturday, according to the National Election Commission. During the two-day advance voting, eligible voters will cast ballots at 3,512 polling stations nationwide. The publication of new public opinion polls is banned as of Thursday, the watchdog said. South Gyeongsang Province election committee has created baked goods to encourage voter turnout. (South Gyeongsang Province)To boost early
June 7, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Daegu offers a preview of future S. Korean politics
DAEGU -- Just a week before South Korea’s upcoming local elections, Daegu mayor hopeful Kwon Young-jin of the major conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party running for re-election was campaigning at a local marketplace in Hyeonpung-myeon, Daegu. Kwon is competing in a three-way mayoral race slated for June 13, which includes Lim Dae-yun of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea. Daegu mayor hopeful Kwon Young-jin of the major conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party. YonhapIn the t
June 6, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Political hate crimes spike as elections near
A series of attacks on politicians have taken place in South Korea, heightening concerns about a rise in hate crimes as local elections close in. Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the Liberty Korea Party falls down after being pushed by a protestor during a political campaign Thursday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. YonhapDaegu Metropolitan City mayor Kwon Young-jin of the main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party who is running again for mayor was attacked on Thursday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province
June 5, 2018
-
Watchdog urges Ahn not to violate election law
South Korea's election watchdog on Tuesday urged Ahn Cheol-soo, a Seoul mayoral candidate, to comply with election law after he was found to have illegally campaigned on a subway train.Footage showed that Ahn of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party explained his pledges on public transportation to subway passengers on May 28 as part of his campaigning for in the June 13 local elections.In South Korea, candidates for elections are not allowed to make a speeches on public transportation, includi
June 5, 2018
-
Cabinet endorses revision to minimum wage act despite labor protests
The Cabinet endorsed a revision to the minimum wage act Tuesday despite strong protests from labor groups that the law offsets the effect of a rise in the legal wage threshold by including bonuses and benefits into its calculation.Labor groups have urged President Moon Jae-in to veto the legislation, which passed through the National Assembly last week, as it calls for counting in some regular bonuses and welfare allowances when calculating the minimum wage.South Korea raised the hourly minimum
June 5, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Opposition chief Hong says will stay away from campaigning
Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, will stay away from campaign rallies for the June 12 local elections.Citing the need for candidate-centered electioneering, Hong on Sunday said that he would no longer take part in campaign rallies for his party’s candidates. Hong stressed that he was taking into account the opinions of his party members, who have urged for changes to its electioneering strategy. However, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said that Hong was l
June 4, 2018
-
Seoul mayor candidate Kim Moon-soo ignorant of comfort woman statue in front of Japanese Embassy in Seoul
Seoul Mayoral candidate Kim Moon-soo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party appeared to be unaware of the comfort woman statue that stands in front of Japanese Embassy in Seoul. At a meeting with Seoul-based foreign journalists on Monday, Kim said it is good to install the statues “here and there” to “study history” but he disagrees if the purpose of installation is to ruin the relationship with Japan. Kim Moon-soo (Yonhap)“There is not one in front of the Japanese Embassy, right? I think th
June 4, 2018
-
[2018 Local elections] Ire grows at campaign trucks' loud noise, illegal parking
Complaints of loud noise and illegal parking by political canvassing trucks of candidates are mounting across the country as official campaigning for the upcoming local elections and parliamentary by-elections kicked off Thursday.“The theme songs blaring from the trucks reach my apartment. I understand it is the election period, but it seems like there is no regulation,” Kim Jang-eun, 37, told The Korea Herald. Remodeled trucks with loudspeakers crisscrossing neighborhoods while blaring music an
June 4, 2018
-
Seoul mayor floats idea of train linking Seoul with Paris, Berlin
Incumbent Seoul City Mayor Park Won-soon has floated the idea that Seoul Station could send trains all the way to Berlin and Paris by passing through North Korea and China. Park is running for his third term in local elections slated for June 13.“If Seoul Station becomes an international stop, logistics and tourism will rev up. Imagine a world where our youths would go on field trips to Paris and Berlin,” said Park on Monday. Park Won-soon (Yonhap)He brought up the examples of late Olympians Son
June 4, 2018
-
Over 100,000 non-Korean nationals eligible to vote in local elections
The number of non-Korean nationals eligible to vote in the June 13 local elections surpassed the 100,000 mark for the first time, the election watchdog said Monday.The number reached 106,205, more than double the 48,428 recorded for the 2014 local elections, according to the National Election Commission. They will make up 0.25 percent of the total eligible voters of 42.9 million.The country began to allow foreigners to vote for quadrennial local elections in 2006. This photo taken on June 4, 201
June 4, 2018