Lawmaker under fire for attending pro-North Korea event

South Korean Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, formerly with the Democratic Party of Korea, has come under scrutiny for attending an event organized by a North Korea-affiliated group based in Japan last week. Youn was referred to the National Assembly’s ethics committee on Monday for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her participation in the pro-North Korea event. According to a document obtained by Rep. Ha Tae-keung’s office, the opposition lawmaker had requested the Assembly secreta

Sept. 4, 2023

Yoon likely to replace his senior defense officials

President Yoon Suk-yeol is likely to replace his senior two defense and security officials, multiple local media outlets reported Monday. According to reports, Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk and Defense Secretary Lim Ki-hoon are poised to be replaced. The former is set to be succeeded by In Seong-hwan, a major general and the former president of the Joint Forces Military University, while the latter will be replaced by Choi Byung-ok from the Defense Ministry's Defense Poli

Sept. 4, 2023

Korea seeks disclosure of public officials' virtual assets

South Korea is seeking to compel high-ranking public officials to disclose their virtual asset holdings and the history of their transactions, along with the conventional properties and assets they are already forced to report, beginning as early as December. Over 2,500 high-ranking officials in the government's class one group, the Supreme Court and the National Assembly -- including President Yoon Suk Yeol, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and lawmakers -- will be obliged to not only disclose their

Sept. 4, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Promoting refiners' use of feedstock, tackling environmental claims in ads

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Petroleum and Alternative Fuel Business Act Proposed by Rep. Lee In-seon (People Power Party) ● Following the introduction of special deregulations that allow petroleum refiners to use pyrolytic oil -- a substance produced by recycling waste plastic or tires -- diluted with crude oil in petrochemical and refinery processes, this amendment establishes legal grounds for petroleum refiners to adopt environment-friendly raw materials as feedstock for refinery

Sept. 4, 2023

Yoon's approval rating falls to 35.4% : poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell slightly to 35.4 percent, a poll showed Monday, amid debates about the government's decision to relocate the bust of a revered independence fighter. In a poll of 2,505 eligible voters commissioned by Media Tribune and conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, Yoon's approval rating fell 2.2 percentage points from a week earlier, while negative assessment rose by 1.7 percentage points to 61.1 percent, the poll showed. A d

Sept. 4, 2023

Lawmakers’ alliance adopts resolution against China’s forced deportation of North Korean defectors

The Inter-parliamentary Alliance on China agreed to join efforts to stop China from forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors detained there over a summit in Prague, the Czech Republic. In a resolution adopted on the last day of the three-day summit, the Alliance’s member lawmakers said they would resolve to “press (their) governments to make diplomatic efforts to the People’s Republic of China, urging them to cease repatriating North Korean defectors.” South Korean ru

Sept. 3, 2023

Fukushima release has South Korean politicians feasting, fasting

Japan’s disposal of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant has politicians in South Korea responding in contrasting fashion, with one side fasting to protest the Japanese government's actions and the other side feasting to promote seafood consumption. Democratic Party of Korea head Rep. Lee Jae-myung, on the fourth day of a hunger strike, said he would call on the international community to join his party’s protests against the Japanese government over the wat

Sept. 3, 2023

Opposition leader to appear before prosecutors for questioning Monday

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will appear before prosecutors for questioning next week in compliance with a summons over allegations of his involvement in a company's illegal money transfers to North Korea, his party said Friday. Lee, who has been on a hunger sit-in against the government, plans to show up at a prosecutors' office Monday, Rep. Kang Sun-woo, a spokesperson of Lee's main opposition Democratic Party, told reporters. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office earlier ser

Sept. 1, 2023

At Prague summit, Rep. Ji Seong-ho urges Beijing to stop repatriating North Korean defectors

South Korean lawmaker Rep. Ji Seong-ho attended this year’s summit of the Inter-parliamentary Alliance on China in Prague on Thursday to call on Beijing to stop forcibly deporting North Korean defectors. While South Korea is not a member of the IPAC, Ji was invited to attend the summit to deliver a keynote speech on the situation facing North Korean defectors in China. The IPAC is composed of more than 240 lawmakers from 24 countries and aims at working on approaches to Beijing. With North

Aug. 31, 2023

Yoon eats seafood lunch at fish market amid Fukushima controversy

President Yoon Suk Yeol ate seafood for lunch during a visit to a fish market in Seoul on Thursday, his office said, the latest move to boost consumption of local fisheries amid public concern about Japan's release of radioactive water into the ocean. During his visit to Noryangjin fish market, Yoon checked the safety of local fisheries products and purchased various kinds of seafood, such as rockfish, blue crab and gizzard shad, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written press

Aug. 31, 2023

S. Korean first lady’s fashion choice: Under-the-radar designers

Youn Bit-na, CEO of Et demain, was surprised to see first lady Kim Keon Hee wearing a 280,000 won jacket from her brand for a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. In a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday, the designer said the first lady had purchased the garment in March this year when she visited a Korean fashion showroom at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. The event was held to help promote and encourage budding designers and brands to expand their presence

Aug. 31, 2023

Yoon to attend ASEAN, G-20 summits in Indonesia, India

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to embark on a seven-day diplomatic trip to Indonesia and India next week to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and G-20 summits. Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of Korea's National Security Office, said Thursday that Yoon will visit Jakarta, Indonesia, from Sept. 5-8 to attend the ASEAN summit. He will then travel to New Delhi on Sept. 8 and remain there until Sept. 11. On Sept. 6, the second day of his visit, Yoon is

Aug. 31, 2023

Launching hunger strike, opposition chief says Yoon is ‘ruining Korea’

South Korea’s legally troubled main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung announced he was going on an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, his first anniversary in office as chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying President Yoon Suk Yeol was “ruining the country.” At a press conference, Lee said stopping Yoon from “undermining democracy, destroying the Korean middle class and failing to stand up against the Japanese government” was a “life or death

Aug. 31, 2023

Language war emerges in Korea over Fukushima water disposal

A row has broken out in South Korea over how to describe the water being discharged from the crippled nuclear power plant in Japan’s Fukushima. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea says the water from the plant is “nuclear waste,” while the ruling People Power Party would rather call it “treated wastewater,” as does the International Atomic Energy Agency. The People Power Party on Wednesday said that the wastewater from Fukushima, while still slightly radio

Aug. 30, 2023

Bill seeks more legal protection for police use of force

After a series of seemingly random stabbings swept across South Korea in the past month, a bill was proposed on Wednesday to reduce liability for police officers when they use force at certain crime scenes. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling People Power Party said he would introduce a bill to reduce liability for police officers should they cause harm to another individual while engaging in physical interactions with offenders if there is no intent or gross negligence on the part of the officer.

Aug. 30, 2023

South Korea's first lady backs dog meat ban

First lady Kim Keon Hee said she would work with animal activists until the dog meat industry was eradicated in Korea, continuing her campaign to promote awareness of animal rights. "We all know how we came forward today with a heart filled with sadness and urgency. Here, all of you are giving everything to save these small lives, but there are animals out there dying so cruelly and unbearably that it's truly hard to watch," she said as she appeared at a press conference held by l

Aug. 30, 2023

Govt asks prosecution to probe 375 people in renewable energy corruption during Moon administration

The government has requested the prosecution to investigate an additional 375 people for their alleged involvement in illegal activities related to renewable energy projects during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, including the installation of solar panels, officials said Wednesday. The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under the Prime Minister's Office, earlier revealed the findings of a nationwide investigation into corruption allegations surrounding the allocation of subsidie

Aug. 30, 2023

Yoon says 'communist totalitarian forces' will not stop attempt to disturb free society

President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for achieving inter-Korean reunification based on a firm belief in liberal democracy, saying "communist totalitarian forces" will not stop their attempt to disturb free society. Yoon made the remark during a meeting with new leaders of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential body that helps establish and implement bipartisan policies on democratic and peaceful unification. "Communist totalitarian forces, the forces that blin

Aug. 29, 2023

As elections loom, ruling party to get tough on 'fake news'

With the 2024 elections approaching, South Korea’s ruling party on Monday vowed to spread of misinformation in an apparent aim at the opposition’s attacks on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the ocean release of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by the Japanese government. The People Power Party said it would expand efforts to curb "fake news" and conspiracy theories in a resolution adopted at the end of a two-day session to make

Aug. 29, 2023

Prosecution summons DP leader for questioning next week

rosecutors summoned opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday to appear for questioning next week over allegations of third-party bribery in connection with a company's allegedly illegal money transfers to North Korea. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office said it notified the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) to appear for questioning next Monday, after he did not comply with the prosecution's previous summons last week. The two sides have been scheduling the date of his que

Aug. 28, 2023