[Herald 70th] Korea Herald, mirror of evolving Korea-US ties: US ambassador

Over the past seven decades, The Korea Herald has been a mirror of South Korea's rapid democratization, economic growth and cultural prosperity for its short modern history of rising from the ashes of the Korean War, the US ambassador to South Korea said. Philip Goldberg, at "The ROK-US Alliance Plus" forum Wednesday commemorating the 70-year Korea-US alliance, thanked The Korea Herald reporters for their work in telling Korea's story to the world, and for reflecting the grow

May 25, 2023

[Herald 70th] Business circles envision diversified Korea-US alliance

The rapid economic development of South Korea has created greater room for cooperation between Seoul and Washington, and such room will continue to grow in the years to come, representatives of business circles of the two countries said in a forum to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Korea-US alliance and the foundation of The Korea Herald and Herald Business. Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation, told the audience at "The ROK-US Alliance Plus" forum held at

May 25, 2023

[Herald 70th] Constant training is priority for ‘peace through strength’: 8th US Army commander

To achieve “peace through strength” on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, South Korean and US forces should prioritize conducting constant and realistic training and exercises unencumbered by constraints, the commanding general of the Eighth US Army said Wednesday. “Our forces, both Korean and the United States, must go into the field and train,” Lt. Gen. Willard Burleson said during a forum hosted by Herald Corp. in Seoul to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the alliance

May 25, 2023

Lawmaker again questions minimum wage for foreign domestic workers

Amid the ongoing debate whether South Korea should implement a system to introduce domestic workers of foreign nationality, Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the minor opposition party, Transition Korea, on Thursday repeated his idea that care providers from overseas should be paid below Korea‘s statutory minimum wage. During a radio interview with MBC on Thursday, Cho, the sole elected lawmaker of the party, said paying low wages would reduce families‘ financial burden and claimed it would help

May 25, 2023

Govt. fully committed to supporting climate industry: PM

The government is fully committed to investing in and supporting the development of the country's climate industry, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday. Han made the remark during an opening ceremony of the 2023 World Climate Industry Expo in the southern port city of Busan that was organized to showcase the latest environmentally friendly technologies and offer forums on policies for a sustainable future. "The government will spare no efforts in investing in and supporting the d

May 25, 2023

S. Korea's defense chief meets Malaysian prime minister

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with Malaysia's prime minister Wednesday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral defense and arms industry cooperation, Seoul's defense ministry said. Lee paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier in the day on the Malaysian island of Langkawi after his arrival in the country Monday for a four-day trip to attend the biennial Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition. During the meeting, the two sides as

May 24, 2023

Yoon gives children tour of presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol gave a tour of the presidential office to a group of children who were scheduled to join him to watch a live broadcast of the launch of South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri on Wednesday, before it got postponed, his office said. The launch was postponed with only hours to go, after a technical glitch was found during final preparations. A group of some 50 students, of ages ranging from elementary through high school, had gathered at the presidential office build

May 24, 2023

Korea eyes clampdown on protests by criminal offenders

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the ruling People Power Party are mulling steps to restrict groups with a criminal background from staging protests, in an apparent aim at a labor union at the center of a spiraling North Korea spying scandal. At a policy meeting Wednesday, Cabinet officials and party leaders agreed to push an amendment to existing laws to curb criminally involved groups’ abilities to hold assemblies and demonstrations. The latest move follows the indictment of several

May 24, 2023

Govt., ruling party mull restricting rallies by groups with unlawful act history

The government and the ruling People Power Party agreed on Wednesday to review the possibility of disallowing downtown rallies by organizations with a history of unlawful acts, according to officials. The plan also includes restricting downtown rallies and demonstrations during commuting hours, legislating a ban on overnight rallies between midnight and 6 a.m., and revising police manuals to help them deal better with illegalities happening during rallies. The decision follows President Yoon Suk

May 24, 2023

Homes of 2 ex-NIS directors raided over alleged meddling in hiring decisions

Police raided the homes of two former directors of the National Intelligence Service on Wednesday over allegations that they illegally meddled in the agency's hiring decisions. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent investigators to the homes of Park Jie-won and Suh Hoon to seize materials related with their terms at the NIS. Suh served as NIS director from 2017-20, and Park from 2020-22, both under the previous Moon Jae-in administration. They are accused of abusing their authority as N

May 24, 2023

Yoon meets with businesspeople over 'chimaek'

President Yoon Suk Yeol has met with a group of businesspeople over chicken and beer on the front lawn of his office, saying the government is doing its best to support them by ensuring the market runs fairly and efficiently. Around 500 people were invited to the gathering Tuesday evening, including heads of small and medium-sized enterprises and startups, and small merchants, for an annual event celebrating the achievements of SMEs. "Quality jobs are not created by the government's di

May 24, 2023

Ex-president Roh remembered 14 years since his tragic death

Political bigwigs on Tuesday flocked to Bongha, a neighborhood in South Gyeongsang Province some 290 kilometers south of Seoul, to honor the late President Roh Moo-hyun who took his own life 14 years ago today. President Yoon Suk Yeol sent flowers, his office said, and the previous President Moon Jae-in attended the memorial ceremony held in Bongha -- Roh’s hometown where he returned after the end of his presidential tenure in 2008. Leaders of both the ruling People Power Party and the Dem

May 23, 2023

Yoon vows stronger protection of police in cracking down illegal rallies

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vowed to enhance protection and authority of law enforcement officials, while strongly criticizing large-scale protests by unionized workers as disruptions to public order. Citing the massive rally of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions last week as an example, Yoon said during a livestreamed Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, “It will be difficult for the people to accept the behavior of a protest that violates the public’s freedom and basic rights a

May 23, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Corporate crises, special business zones and tax exemptions

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Corporate Restructuring Promotion Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Jong-min (Democratic Party of Korea) ● The Corporate Restructuring Promotion Act was initially enacted in 2001 to enable autonomous restructuring between financial creditors and companies. Due to its effectiveness in normalizing the operations of financially troubled companies and reducing damage to vulnerable groups such as subcontractors and general commercial investors, this act was extended fiv

May 22, 2023

Ruling party threatens to restrict umbrella union rallies

The ruling People Power Party said Monday it may consider taking legislative action against the country’s main umbrella labor union, with four of its leaders recently indicted for alleged anti-government activities in collusion with North Korea. In the indictment released Friday, Seoul prosecutors said four of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions members holding leadership positions communicated with North Korean authorities on at least 90 different occasions in the planning and execut

May 22, 2023

[Local and Beyond] Incheon is new hometown for overseas Koreans, says mayor

INCHEON – After months of heated competition, Incheon was named the city to house South Korea's new office responsible for handling administrative affairs of overseas Koreans returning or visiting their home country in May. The Overseas Korean Office, which starts its physical operations in the city in June, holds significance more than just being a single state bureau, according to Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok. The establishment of this office will lay the grounds for the city's transiti

May 22, 2023

Yoon to send condolence flowers to commemorate late President Roh

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to send a wreath of flowers to a memorial service scheduled for this week for late former President Roh Moo-hyun, a presidential official said Monday. The ceremony, marking the 14th year since Roh's death, will be held in the southeastern rural village of Bongha on Tuesday. It is expected to be attended by a large number of politicians. "Senior presidential political affairs secretary Lee Jin-bok from the presidential office will attend the event,"

May 22, 2023

Yoon's approval rating up for 4th consecutive week: poll

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose for the fourth consecutive week, a poll showed Monday, amid positive feedback on his handling of diplomatic and security issues. This marks the first time since taking office in May 2022 that Yoon's approval rating has shown an upward trend for four weeks in a row. In the poll of 2,504 adults aged 18 and older conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 2.2 percentage

May 22, 2023

[Exclusive] Escape of North Korean family orchestrated by two millennial brothers

North Korean brothers who brought their family members out of the country earlier this month are late millennials, part of the tech-savvy younger generation of North Korea who have increased access to external information. Sources with knowledge of the latest defections told The Korea Herald on Sunday that it was the two brothers in their early 30s who had made the decision to leave North Korea with their family. The sources said that the brothers told Seoul officials here in a screening intervi

May 21, 2023

Scholz visits Seoul to discuss NK, ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held talks meant to discuss efforts for denuclearizing North Korea and improving economic ties, as they mark 140 years of relations in Seoul on Sunday. As of press time, details of the discussion had not been disclosed. Yoon’s spokesperson Lee Doo-woon previously said, “The summit is an opportunity to deepen cooperation over economic security and also over regional and global issues.” Lee was referring to supply chain co

May 21, 2023