Most Popular
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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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[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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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When two worlds collab: K-pop flexes power with global stars
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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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Parliament passes bill on reduced working hours
The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at shortening working hours despite businesses‘ concerns about increased labor costs.The revision to the Labor Standards Act calls for reducing the country’s maximum statutory working hours to 52 hours a week from the current 68 hours.The working hours under the revision comprise 40 hours a week and up to 12 hours for overtime work. Under the current rule, a worker can be expected to labor for a maximum of 68 hours, including up to 16 hours
Feb. 28, 2018
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Moon seeks meeting with leaders of ruling, opposition parties
President Moon Jae-in hopes to invite leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to Cheong Wa Dae to brief them about inter-Korean relations and other developments that happened during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, an official said Wednesday."We're at a stage where the office of the senior political affairs secretary is trying to check the schedules of the leaders of parties in order to propose a meeting," the presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity.Should opposition
Feb. 28, 2018
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Moon commemorates 1960 student movement
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday attended a ceremony commemorating a students’ democracy movement in Daegu. President Moon Jae-in pays his respect at a memorial commemorating a 1960 pro-democracy movement in the southeastern city of Daegu on Wednesday. (Yonhap)This is the first time a South Korean president has attended the ceremony held as an event organized by the government. The event marks the students’ demonstration that took place on Feb. 28, 1960 in Daegu in protest against the Syngman
Feb. 28, 2018
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Opposition leader calls on Moon to hold talks with party leaders over NK official's visit
A co-leader of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party proposed Wednesday that President Moon Jae-in hold talks with the leaders of political parties over the results of a North Korean official's recent visit to Seoul.Park Joo-sun made the call, citing the need to satisfy people's right to know what Seoul officials discussed during their talks with Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party who led Pyongyang's delegation to the closing ceremony of
Feb. 28, 2018
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Former head of Woori Finance questioned in probe into ex-President Lee
Prosecutors said Tuesday they have grilled a former head of a major South Korean financial services firm as part of their investigation into former President Lee Myung-bak over bribery allegations.Lee Pal-seung, who headed Woori Finance Holdings Co. from 2008 to 2013, was recently questioned over suspicions he handed over around 2 billion won in kickbacks to the former president, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. (Herald DB)Woori Finance Holdings was absorbed by Woori
Feb. 27, 2018
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Govt. announces tougher rules on sexual abuse in public sector
Korea on Tuesday announced measures to toughen the punishment on sexual violence in the public sector amid the spread of the "Me Too" movement in the nation.The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said the government will push to revise the national public service law to have public servants dismissed when they receive a fine worth 3 million won ($2,800) or a heavier sentence for sexual crimes. They will be denied a chance to appeal their removal. This file photo shows Gender Equality Ministe
Feb. 27, 2018
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Parliamentary committee passes bill on reduced working hours
A South Korean parliamentary committee on Tuesday passed a bill aimed at shortening legal working hours despite businesses' concerns over its possible impact on corporate productivity.The revision bill calls for reducing the country's maximum statutory working hours to 52 hours a week from the current 68 hours.The working hours under the revision comprise 40 hours a week and 12 hours available for extended work. Currently, a worker is to labor for 40 hours a week, up to 16 hours over the weekend
Feb. 27, 2018
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Former NK spymaster's visit roils political differences
While the PyeongChang Winter Olympics ended with praise for its contribution to a thaw in inter-Korean relations, the friction between conservatives and liberals in South Korea is intensifying over the government’s approval of the visit of a North Korean delegation led by a high-ranking general accused of masterminding provocations against the South.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Monday held an outdoor rally in Cheonggye Square in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, denouncing the liberal Mo
Feb. 26, 2018
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Political clash escalates over controversial NK official's visit
Political parties collided Monday over a controversial visit to Seoul by a North Korean official who is accused of masterminding deadly military attacks in 2010.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party staged a massive rally in central Seoul berating the liberal government for embracing Kim Yong-chol as the chief of the North's delegation to the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics despite his alleged role in the two attacks.Kim, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Nort
Feb. 26, 2018
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Ivanka Trump says visit to S. Korea was wonderful, hopes to come back soon
INCHEON/SEOUL -- Ivanka Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump, said Monday that she had a "wonderful" first visit to South Korea and hopes to visit the country again in the near future.Ivanka, an advisor to the president, made the remarks as she was preparing to board a plane back to the United States at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, wrapping up her four-day trip here for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony."It was a wonderful first visit and just exciting and beautif
Feb. 26, 2018
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Moon's approval rating rises on Olympic success
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose sharply from a week earlier last week, a poll showed Monday, apparently on what many see as a successful outcome of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.Moon's approval rating came to 65.7 percent in a survey conducted Monday through Friday, according to Realmeter. The latest reading marks an increase of 2.6 percentage points from a week before.It also marked the first time in five weeks Moon's approval rating breached the 65 percent mark. (Yonhap)Moo
Feb. 26, 2018
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NK delegation diverted to avoid protest on way to Seoul
A high-level delegation from North Korea, which arrived at a checkpoint in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, at 9:53 a.m. Sunday, took a detour to reach its accommodation at the northeastern edge of Seoul, avoiding direct confrontation with protesters on the Unification Bridge -- the official land route connecting the two Koreas. Lawmakers from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party held an overnight protest on the southern end of a border bridge to North Korea starting Saturday in an attempt to block t
Feb. 25, 2018
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Opposition parties protest Kim Yong-chol’s visit
Opposition parties continued Friday to vehemently protest the planned visit by a North Korean hard-liner suspected of orchestrating the 2010 torpedo attack on a South Korean corvette that killed 46 sailors. Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, is scheduled to lead an eight-member delegation to the South from Sunday through Tuesday to attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Lawmakers of the main opposition Liberty Ko
Feb. 23, 2018
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Korea to appeal WTO ruling on Fukushima seafood ban
Korea will appeal the World Trade Organization's ruling on its import restrictions on Japanese seafood after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and keep them in place until a final decision is made, Seoul's trade ministry said Friday.Japan officially lodged a complaint at the WTO in 2015 to challenge Korea's import bans and additional testing requirements on fish caught from eight prefectures near Fukushima after 2013.A WTO dispute panel said Korea's measures were justified shortly after the 20
Feb. 23, 2018
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Korean president to host Ivanka, US delegates in welcome dinner
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to meet Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of his US counterpart, Donald Trump, as well as other US delegates to the PyeongChang Olympic Games on Friday, his office Cheong Wa Dae has said.Ivanka is leading what the US has said will be an eight-member delegation to the closing ceremonies of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, which will be held Sunday. The US first daughter currently serves as an advisor to President Trump.Moon will host a dinner for the
Feb. 23, 2018
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Point man on N. Korean nukes discusses 'dialogue momentum' with China envoy
South Korea's top negotiator on North Korean nuclear issues met with the Chinese ambassador to Seoul on Thursday to discuss a growing momentum for engagement with the North following its participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the foreign ministry said.The meeting between Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Chinese Amb. Qiu Guohong came as the North plans to dispatch another high-level delegation to South Korea for the Olympic closin
Feb. 22, 2018
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Moon calls for people-oriented revision of Constitution
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for efforts to come up with what he called a people-oriented constitutional revision, noting that there will never be a perfect solution that can satisfy everyone.The call came during a lunch meeting with some 80 members of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning, which was recently tasked with devising a government bill for a constitutional revision."In every start, process and completion of all policy tasks, the people must always be at the cente
Feb. 22, 2018
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Parliamentary chiefs of S. Korea, Uzbekistan sign MOU on cooperation
The parliamentary leaders of South Korea and Uzbekistan on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on bilateral cooperation in various areas, including trade and investment, officials here said.The signing came after a meeting between National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun and Nuriddinjon Ismailov, the speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Uzbek Supreme Assembly, in Seoul.National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun (right) meets Wednesday with Nuriddinjon Ismailov, the speaker of
Feb. 21, 2018
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Ruling party under fire for mishandling sexual harassment claim
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea came under fire on Tuesday over mishandling a sexual harassment case involving one of its members and trying to cover up the mistake, raising questions on whether political parties are ready to act against sexual misconduct. On Monday, a local media outlet reported that the ruling party’s headquarters in Busan has not yet taken punitive action against a male party member, who is suspected of harassing a fellow female member in May last year. The victim had cl
Feb. 20, 2018
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Ex-president Lee’s asset manager arrested
Prosecutors on Tuesday arrested the manager of former President Lee Myung-bak’s assets under borrowed names as part of a probe into a corruption scandal surrounding auto parts maker DAS.Lee Young-bae, chief of a DAS subcontractor, is charged with embezzling company money to accumulate some 6.5 billion won ($6.1 million) in slush funds. Prosecutors suspect he laundered money for the former president.Lee allegedly embezzled money by falsely claiming to have paid wages to Kwon Young-mi, the largest
Feb. 20, 2018