Namyang Dairy founder’s grandson arrested for drug use

Namyang Dairy Products’ founder’s grandson was arrested for illegal drug use and the supply of drugs, according to legal professionals and news reports Friday. On Nov. 15 Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office arrested and charged the grandson, identified only by his family name Hong, with possession of marijuana and chronic drug administration under the country’s Narcotics Control Act, they said. The grandson, 40, is also suspected of distributing marijuana to his cl

Dec. 2, 2022

[Photo News] Little Angels marks 60th year

Performers with the Little Angels staged a show titled "The Flight of Angels" at Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul, Thursday. The show was directed to deliver a message for world peace as well as commemorate the troupe's 60th anniversary. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

Dec. 2, 2022

Seoul subway, railway services return to normal as labor union reaches last-minute deal

Seoul subway services returned to normal as unionized workers at the state-run Seoul Transportation and Korea Railroad reached a last-minute deal early Friday, officials said. The labor union of the main operator of the Seoul Metro Lines No. 1, 3, 4 and Korail agreed to the complete withdrawal of the walkout on Thursday after hours-long labor-management negotiations took place at Korail’s Seoul office. The two sides shook hands over higher wages and better working conditions, steering clea

Dec. 2, 2022

Seoul police chief quizzed over Itaewon crowd crush

The head of the Seoul police was summoned for questioning Friday as part of an investigation into the bungled response to the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Kim Kwang-ho, the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, appeared at a special investigation team's headquarters in western Seoul as a suspect. Kim was booked on charges of professional negligence, resulting in the deaths of 158 people, mostly those in their 20s, on Oct. 29. Asked about the charges upon

Dec. 2, 2022

KORAIL workers avert strike after reaching last-minute deal

The state-run Korea Railroad Corp. and its labor union reached a last-minute deal early Friday, officials said, avoiding a possible disruption to major transportation services in the wider Seoul area. The Korean Railway Workers' Union had initially threatened to begin the walkout at 9 a.m. as it demanded a wage increase of 187,000 won ($143) per month, a transparent promotion system and the maintenance of the current criteria for performance-based pay. The union has also called on the compa

Dec. 2, 2022

Mother gets leniency after abandoning child downtown

A woman was fined after abandoning her 3-year-old child in August in downtown Seoul, avoiding a prison sentence and possible deportation. Seoul Central District Court opted for leniency on Thursday, ordering a fine of 5 million won ($3,850) to a foreign national and ordering her to take a course against child abuse for abandoning her daughter in an alley in Myeong-dong, Seoul, according to local media reports. Child abandonment is punishable by up to 3 1/2 years in prison and generally leads to

Dec. 2, 2022

KORAIL, railway union in last-minute talks ahead of planned strike

The state-run Korea Railroad (KORAIL) and its labor union engaged in last-minute talks Thursday to avoid what would be the first railway workers' walkout in three years. The Korean Railway Workers' Union has threatened to go on strike Friday, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Their action comes as the nation's logistics and supply chains are already being disrupted by cargo truckers' stoppage launched last Thursday. Both KORAIL and the union are pessimis

Dec. 1, 2022

S. Korean military rejects call for recognizing transgender soldier's case as 'on-duty death'

The Army has decided not to recognize Byun Hee-soo, a transgender soldier in her 20s who was found dead last year after being forcibly discharged from service, as having died in the line of duty, military authorities said Thursday. In a committee meeting held earlier in the day, the Army classified Byun's case as a "general death," a distinction referring to those in mandatory military service who died due to negligence or misconduct and are not recognized as an on-duty death, t

Dec. 1, 2022

Bereaved families explain why they want safety minister gone

The bereaved families of the victims of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon last month called the firing of Lee Sang-min, the minister of interior and safety, who has yet refused to resign. In a press conference held outside the Seoul Metropolitan Police’s office, the mother of late Lee Ji-han, 24, said that the ongoing investigation by the police “should not spare those in high offices.” “But in order for that to be possible, the safety minister needs to be r

Dec. 1, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 60,000 amid concerns of winter surge

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 60,000 on Thursday amid lingering concerns over a virus resurgence during the cold winter months. The country reported 57,079 new COVID-19 infections, including 43 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,155,813, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Thursday's tally is down from the 67,415 reported the previous day. While the number declined by around 2,000 cases from a week ago, it is slightl

Dec. 1, 2022

Seoul subway returns to normal as strike ends

Seoul subway operations returned at full capacity early Thursday morning after a late-night agreement by management to withdraw a staff downsizing plan ended the strike. Some parts of Line Nos. 1, 3 and 4, however, might not run at full capacity due to separate work-to-rule action by labor unions of Korail, another subway system operator in Greater Seoul. Workers on Line Nos. 1 through 8 went on strike over revived plans to reduce staff by not replacing retiring workers. The subway operator had

Dec. 1, 2022

In concession to firms, Korea to ease workplace safety law

The government will seek to revise the act on serious industrial accidents that holds business management criminally liable for deadly workplace accidents by shifting its focus from punishment to prevention. The move comes amid persistent opposition to the law from the business circles. They say the law, officially called the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, is vague in its application and opens up the possibility of abuse of power by investigative authorities. The Ministry of Labor said it wou

Nov. 30, 2022

YouTubers or press? The Tamsa creates debate on citizen journalism

With a recent tit-for-tat between Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon and Citizen Press The Tamsa TV inviting a discussion on the status of citizen journalists, local academics on Wednesday described them as a new form of news media but said they did not comply with the rules and ethics of traditional journalism. “The Tamsa TV could be classified as citizen journalism, as it doesn’t gather news materials by complying with the rules and ethics (of media), so it could also be perceived as m

Nov. 30, 2022

Cataract correction, spine surgery, hemorrhoidectomy are most common operations in Korea

Cataract, spine, hemorrhoid most common surgeries in Korea The surgery that Koreans received the most last year was for the correction of cataracts, followed by spinal surgery and hemorrhoidectomy, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service on Wednesday. Last year, out of 2.1 million surgeries undertaken in Korea, about 1.68 million patients received one of the 33 most common major surgeries here, barring cosmetic surgeries for aesthetic purposes. Among them, 497,000 people r

Nov. 30, 2022

Korea under cold spell with first snow in several regions

A nationwide cold wave advisory was issued Wednesday morning, while Seoul and Incheon had their first snow this winter the night before. It is unusual for a cold wave advisory to be issued in November, according to weather officials. The first snow of the season fell in Seoul and Incheon at 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The first snow in Seoul was nine days later than average and 19 days later than last year, Incheon's was six days later than average a

Nov. 30, 2022

[Herald Interview] Cal State University San Bernardino aims to promote exchanges with S. Korean colleges

With the COVID-19 reaching an endemic stage, the time is ripe for education institutions between South Korea and the US to reconnect in terms of student exchanges, Tomás Morales, the President of California State University, San Bernardino, said during his visit to Seoul on Saturday. “The exchange programs between CSUSB and Korean Universities are rooted in the relationship between the United States and Korea,” said Morales. “I believe a post-pandemic world will see an i

Nov. 30, 2022

Arrest warrant sought for Terraform Labs co-founder over cryptocurrency collapse

Prosecutors said Wednesday they have sought an arrest warrant for Daniel Shin, co-founder of Terraform Labs, for allegedly gaining illegal profits before the massive collapse of the blockchain firm's cryptocurrencies. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said the warrants were also sought for three other Terraform Labs investors and four engineers of the firm's cryptocurrencies -- TerraUSD and Luna. Terraform Labs has been under investigation for alleged fraud and tax evasion

Nov. 30, 2022

Biz community urges truckers to stop strike, come to table for talks

South Korea's business community urged striking truckers Wednesday to sit down for talks, saying their collective action is hurting the economy amid slowdown woes. The advocacy groups representing cement, auto, steel, petrochemical and others made the call as the nationwide strike by unionized truckers entered its seventh day with no breakthrough in sight. Thousands of truckers launched the strike on Thursday, demanding the government extend temporary rules guaranteeing minimum freight rate

Nov. 30, 2022

[Contribution] Enhancing trust in government through innovation, international cooperation

By Han Chang-seob The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development launched the results of its Trust Survey last July. A total of 22 member countries including Korea voluntarily participated in the survey which showed that just over 4 in 10 people trust their national government. The survey also highlighted that trust in government matters and helps governments respond to the major challenges such as health and economic crises, inequalities and climate change. Korea ranked seventh in th

Nov. 30, 2022

Seoul hit by first subway labor union walkout in 6 years

The labor union of the state-run Seoul Transportation Corp., the main operator of the Seoul Metro public transit network, began a walkout at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, as the union refused to accept management's plan to downsize. On the sidelines of the subway union's industrial action that kicked off for the first time in six years, the union also held a rally near Seoul City Hall at 10:40 a.m., with some 6,000 people taking part. The strike is to cause the transit network of South Korea&

Nov. 30, 2022