Birth rate-boosting bills should be passed: Assembly Speaker

South Korea’s National Assembly speaker on Thursday called for solutions to the nation’s low birth rate and declining population to be legislated, highlighting the need for more long-term policies. “The government and the political circles should see the ongoing population decline as a serious national crisis,” Kim Jin-pyo said in a New Year’s briefing held at the National Assembly. “The issue should be dealt with as a long-term agenda and solutions tied t

Jan. 4, 2024

Opposition leader attack brings politics to standstill

The stabbing attack of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has brought the nation’s political circles to a standstill, temporarily suspending a slew of harsh standoffs ahead of the April general elections. Tuesday’s surprise attack has apparently brought a halt to former Democratic Party of Korea leader and ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s plans to establish a new political party. The attack took place 100 days before the upcoming April parliamentary elections, with the ruling par

Jan. 3, 2024

Yoon to replace New Year briefings with debates

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a series of policy debates instead of receiving New Year briefings from each ministry, ditching formalities to lay out policy items aimed at improving people's livelihood, his office said Wednesday. The key agendas for Yoon's 2024 policy planning encompass housing, jobs, small- and medium-sized enterprises, public safety, caregiving, public transit, medical reform, media policy, low birth rate and energy. To touch upon these areas, at least 10 sessions

Jan. 3, 2024

[Exclusive] Daughter Ju-ae Kim Jong-un’s ‘most likely successor’: Seoul spy service

South Korea’s spy agency sees North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s only publicly known child Ju-ae as his “most likely successor,” according to its latest analysis. According to a National Intelligence Service report seen by The Korea Herald, the spy service in Seoul believes Ju-ae is most likely to succeed her father as North Korea’s leader, based on her public appearances and reception. The NIS said in the analysis that besides Ju-ae, who was born in 2013, Kim has an

Jan. 3, 2024

South Korean spy chief nominee had license suspended for drunk driving

Cho Tae-yong, who was nominated by President Yoon Suk Yeol as the National Intelligence Service director on Dec. 19, once had his driver’s license suspended for driving under the influence. According to the police report The Korea Herald obtained exclusively through the National Assembly on Tuesday, Cho was caught drunk driving on Feb. 23, 1999, and received a license suspension. On Aug. 10 of the same year, the court sentenced him to a fine of 700,000 won ($536). Until recently, Cho was n

Jan. 2, 2024

North Korea expected to increase cyberattacks this year: experts

In a key year-end message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described the two Koreas as “warring countries,” and vowed to “mobilize all physical means and other capabilities to cause a big stir” in the South. The anticipated rise in North Korean provocations will likely include cyberattacks, experts and officials in Seoul say. At the end of five days of Workers’ Party of Korea meetings, the North Korean leader said his country should “no longer commit the error

Jan. 2, 2024

Yoon proposes abandoning investor income tax plan

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday proposed to withdraw South Korea's plan to introduce a net investment income tax scheme beginning in 2025. This came about a year after plans to impose the "financial investment income tax" on investors had been deferred for two years, meaning the new tax rule would go into effect in January next year. The rule, under the revision of the Income Tax Act, was initially passed in 2020 with bipartisan agreement. "Our plan to introduce the financ

Jan. 2, 2024

Opposition leader stabbing shows politicians still vulnerable to physical attack

Tuesday's stabbing of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, showed that South Korea's politicians remain vulnerable to physical attacks despite several high-profile cases in the recent past. Lee, 59, had been visiting the site of the new airport in Busan and was speaking to members of the media when an unidentified man approached him asking for an autograph before lunging to stab him in the neck, undetected and undeterred by anyone. Lee is one of t

Jan. 2, 2024

Opposition leader stabbed in Busan

Main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung was attacked by an assailant and stabbed in the neck by a knife during his tour to Busan on Tuesday morning. Lee was stabbed around 10:27 a.m. after talking to reporters during a visit to the site of a new airport off the coast of Busan. The assailant was detained by police at the scene. Lee sustained a cut 1 centimeter wide and was conscious when the paramedics arrived at the scene, emergency authorities said, adding that his injuries were not thought

Jan. 2, 2024

[Bills in Focus] 'Shrinkflation' warnings, platform monopoly regulations

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods Proposed by Rep. Hwang Hee (Democratic Party of Korea) ● An increasing number of food manufacturing companies have been reducing the volume of their products while maintaining or raising their prices. However, these changes in quantity are not as easy for consumers to notice as price increases. Therefore, this amendment aims to protect the consumer’s right to information by requiring companies to clearly i

Jan. 1, 2024

Yoon reaffirms plan to upgrade extended deterrence in New Year

President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed confidence that a plan to bolster extended deterrence on the Korean Peninsula could materialize before the end of June in his New Year's speech to the nation Monday. "By the first half of this year, we will complete the enhanced (Republic of Korea)-US extended deterrence system to fundamentally deter any North Korean nuclear and missile threat," Yoon said in a televised speech from his office, referring to South Korea as the ROK. In April, Yoon an

Jan. 1, 2024

Yoon's approval rating inches up to 37.2 pct: poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose slightly to 37.2 percent, after stagnating for the past two weeks, a poll showed Sunday. The rating was up 0.9 percentage point from the previous week, while the negative assessment went down 1.2 percentage points to 59.6 percent, according to a survey by Realmeter and commissioned by a local business news outlet on 2,007 people aged 18 and over from Tuesday to Friday. The positive assessment rose the most among respondents in their 30s and 40s

Jan. 1, 2024

S. Korean shipbuilders rank 2nd in new global orders in 2023: data

South Korean shipbuilders ranked second in 2023 in terms of new global orders for the third straight year, industry data showed Sunday. Local shipbuilders clinched a combined 10.01 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) in new orders this year, accounting for 24 percent of the 41.49 million global total, according to the data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service. The South Korean industry's total was down 37.6 percent from a year earlier. The global tally also went

Dec. 31, 2023

DP leader rejects former leader's call for resignation

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, on Saturday rejected former party leader Lee Nak-yon's call for his resignation as they failed to patch up their differences. The two sides met for talks in Seoul after the former party leader demanded Lee Jae-myung step down and agree to form a joint interim leadership committee ahead of the general elections scheduled for next April. The current leader rejected both demands and called on the former leader to remain in th

Dec. 30, 2023

DP leader to meet ex-leader Lee Nak-yon Saturday amid call for resignation

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said Friday he will have a breakfast meeting with former DP leader Lee Nak-yon this weekend amid the latter's call for his resignation. The former party leader has demanded Lee Jae-myung step down and agree to form a joint interim leadership committee ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for next April. If Lee declines the proposal by the end of the year, the former leader has said he will set out to launch a new p

Dec. 29, 2023

Yoon, ex-President Park meet over lunch at presidential residence

President Yoon Suk Yeol and former President Park Geun-hye met over lunch at the presidential residence in Seoul on Friday, Yoon's office said. This was their third meeting since Yoon's inauguration in May 2022. Yoon asked Park about her health and how often she visits Seoul, according to presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung. The former president has lived in her hometown of Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, since she was pardoned in 2021 after spending four years and nine

Dec. 29, 2023

Inspection shows over W125.6b in virtual asset transactions by lawmakers

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Friday that lawmakers traded virtual assets totaling over 125.6 billion won ($97.6 million) over the past three years, with irregularities detected in some instances. The agency announced the outcome of its 90-day inspection into virtual asset transaction records of all 298 sitting lawmakers between May 30, 2020, and May 31, 2023, after questions arose over a young lawmaker's once-massive cryptocurrency assets. According to the results, 1

Dec. 29, 2023

Yoon appoints 4 ministers, broadcasting watchdog chief

President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed four ministers and the chief of the broadcasting watchdog on Friday, his office said. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as deputy prime minister for the economy, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung, Ocean Minister Kang Do-hyung and SMEs Minister Oh Young-ju were appointed, the office said. Kim Hong-il, a former chief of the anti-corruption agency, was also appointed as the head of the Korea Communications Commission, it said. The five were nominated

Dec. 29, 2023

Opposition unilaterally passes special investigation bill into first lady

Two contentious special investigation bills, one of which pushes for a probe into stock manipulation allegations involving First Lady Kim Keon Hee, were unilaterally passed by the opposition-led National Assembly on Thursday. President Yoon Suk Yeol swiftly announced that he would veto both bills, according to presidential office spokesperson Lee Do-hoon. An official in the presidential office, who requested to remain anonymous, called the latest move led by the main opposition Democratic Party

Dec. 28, 2023

Yoon appoints 3 top-level presidential secretaries

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday appointed all three top-level presidential secretaries, promoting his chief policy secretary, Lee Kwan-sup, to chief of staff, appointing an economic expert to succeed Lee and tapping First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin as his national security adviser. All of the ministerial-level presidential secretaries, who report directly to Yoon, will start work on Monday, the first day of 2024. Appointees do not have to go through a confirmation hearing at the Na

Dec. 28, 2023