Most Popular
-
1
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
2
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
3
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
4
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
5
Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
-
6
First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
-
7
[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
-
8
4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
-
9
SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
-
10
'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
-
[Newsmaker] Engle in tug-of-war over fate of GM Korea
A week after General Motors announced that it would be shutting down one of its plants in South Korea, an executive in charge of the US carmaker’s overseas operations made yet another rare move. On Feb. 20, Barry Engle, the president of GM International, visited the parliament to meet lawmakers apparently uneasy over the carmaker’s restructuring plan. While shaking hands with lawmakers suspicious of the fate of GM’s remaining operations here, he said that the carmaker wants to stay and continue
MobilityMarch 13, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecutors get ready to grill ex-President Lee Myung-bak
Prosecutors are questioning people close to former President Lee Myung-bak as they prepare for his interrogation Wednesday over a string of corruption allegations that include bribery, abuse of authority, embezzlement and dereliction of duty.The prosecution on Sunday questioned Lee’s son-in-law Lee Sang-joo, former Vice Minister of Knowledge Economy Park Young-joon and the chief of Lee’s Cheonggye Foundation Song Jung-ho as suspects over their alleged involvement in receiving illicit funds on be
Social AffairsMarch 12, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Police raided theatrical director Lee's properties in sex assault probe: official
Police have raided the residence of famed theatrical director Lee Youn-taek as part of a probe into allegations of multiple sexual assaults involving his junior colleagues, officials said Monday.Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched the premises of his residence in central Seoul and the main office of his drama troupe in Miryang, about 380 kilometers south of the capital, on Sunday and confiscated evidence, the agency said. They also raided two other studios run by Lee. Th
Social AffairsMarch 12, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Ex-presidential spokesperson denies allegations on power abuse, affair
Park Soo-hyun, the former presidential spokesman and the ruling party’s contender for South Chungcheong governor, denied all allegations of adultery and abuse of power against him on Sunday, saying they are political maneuverings.In a press briefing at the National Assembly, Park said the claim raised by his former aide Oh Young-hwan is fabricated, as part of Oh and his former wife’s revenge against him for not complying with their requests. Oh had first raised the allegations on Tuesday that Pa
PoliticsMarch 11, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Scandal-ridden actor Jo Min-ki found dead
Actor Jo Min-ki, who was being investigated for the alleged sexual assault of his students, was found dead Friday in what police suspect is a suicide.According to officials, Jo was found by his wife around 4:04 p.m. at a storage room in the parking lot of a residential building, where he was registered to reside. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. Jo Min-ki (Yonhap)Police have yet to find any indications of a homicide and reportedly believe that the actor took
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Who will be NK’s key player in US-NK negotiations?
Among a crop of skillful North Korean negotiators Choe Son-hui, the country’s former Director General of Foreign Ministry’s North America Affairs is forecast to stand at the frontline of a new diplomatic tug-of-war with the United States. The then-head of the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s North American bureau, Choe Son-hui, speaks at the 2017 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference on Oct. 20, 2017. (Yonhap)Earlier this week, North Korea offered to talk with the US on denuclearization, according t
North KoreaMarch 8, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Will NK deliver promise for denuclearization?
With North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un expressing willingness to denuclearize during his meeting with the South Korea‘s special envoys, focus is now on whether this time around the North will deliver its promise that has never been fulfilled in the past negotiations. Following its two-day visit to the North, the South Korean delegation announced Tuesday that North Korea had expressed a willingness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and vowed to suspend all nuclear and missile tests while such t
North KoreaMarch 7, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] From presidential hopeful to accused rapist: An Hee-jung
Former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung, was a prominent liberal politician, often cited as the ruling Democratic Party’s next presidential candidate.But everything changed Monday night after his former secretary accused him of raping her in an interview with a television news program. The 52-year-old has stepped down from his post as governor and faces expulsion from his party. An is now an accused rapist facing an investigation. On Monday, Kim Ji-eun, the alleged victim, claimed in
PoliticsMarch 6, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecution summons former President Lee for questioning
Former President Lee Myung-bak has been asked to appear for questioning next week over a string of allegations of bribery and other irregularities, officials said Tuesday.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office subpoenaed Lee to come to the office for questioning as a suspect at 9:30 a.m. on March 14, officials said."It is essential to investigate Lee in order to uncover the truth in a transparent and efficient way," a prosecution official said. "We're not considering calling him in for q
Social AffairsMarch 6, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Poet Choi Young-mi reaffirms sexual harassment allegations denied by Ko Un
Poet Choi Young-mi, who revealed her experience of being groped by an unnamed senior poet through her poem, on Monday reaffirmed sexual harassment allegations made against renowned poet Ko Un, who recently denied the allegations.In a statement uploaded on Facebook on Sunday, Choi said, “The statements related to the poem ‘Monster’ are facts. I will reveal the details further, when there is an official body dedicated to investigating claims of sexual wrongdoings in the arts circle here.” Poet Ko
BooksMarch 5, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecutors likely to summon Lee Myung-bak soon
Prosecutors looking into sweeping allegations of financial fraud involving former President Lee Myung-bak are set to complete their investigation as early as this week and likely to summon Lee for questioning soon. Former President Lee Myung-bak. YonhapIf Lee is summoned by the prosecution, he would be the fourth president of South Korea to be questioned by investigators following detained ex-leader Park Geun-hye. Although no charges have been filed yet, Lee faces allegations that he ran a 12 bi
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Moon Jae-in retains central bank head
President Moon Jae-in retained on Friday Lee Ju-yeol, the incumbent Bank of Korea Gov. and the head of Monetary Policy Committee, to serve another four-years for the nation‘s central bank, sending the market a sign that it will not pursue a drastic change in its monetary policy.Cheong Wa Dae said the decision to reinstate Lee as the BOK chief signifies Moon’s willingness to “ensure neutrality and independence” of the central bank.The reappointment came amid the South Kore
MarketMarch 2, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Govt. seeks to take Ko Un’s poetry out of textbooks amid sexual misconduct allegations
The government has begun to take steps to remove works by world-renowned South Korean poet Ko Un from school textbooks amid growing sexual misconduct allegations, multiple industry sources said Friday. The Ministry of Education sent an official letter earlier in the day to the Korea Authorized & Approved Textbooks, in which it requested the association to ask its member publishers if they have plans to delete any of the content in the textbook that belongs to a person of “public controversy.” Th
Social AffairsMarch 2, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] How #MeToo movement is pushing for revision of South Korea’s defamation law
In the wake of the global #MeToo movement, currently one of the most talked about issues here, South Korea’s controversial defamation law has been also brought into the spotlight. A number of lawmakers and political parties recently announced that they would push for a revision of the law, which does not acknowledge truth as defense against defamation charges. Women’s activists and some lawmakers criticized the defamation law as one of the biggest challenges that sexual violence victims here
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Oh Dal-su apologizes for sexual harassment
Actor Oh Dal-su on Wednesday issued a public apology for sexually harassing fellow actors a few decades ago.“The series of events are all my fault...I bow my head in apology for anyone who has been hurt because of me,” he said.Stage actress Uhm Ji-young and others have recently accused Oh of sexual attacks in the 1990s.Oh, who had initially denied the allegations, said the allegations were not exactly the same as he remembered. “I wanted to verify (the allegations) and talk to them. I was frustr
FilmFeb. 28, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] US envoy on NK leaves amid peninsular detente
WASHINGTON -- Joseph Yun, a 30-year veteran of the US foreign service who retained quiet contacts with North Korea amid the Trump administration’s turbulent first year, is retiring as Washington and Pyongyang step up considerations for formal diplomatic talks.Yun told The Associated Press he will stand down as special representative for North Korean policy on Friday. He said his decision to retire is entirely his own but it comes at a surprising juncture, just after American ally South Korea rel
Foreign AffairsFeb. 28, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] FM urges North Korea to improve human rights in UN speech
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs and improve human rights of its people in her keynote speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Kang also raised the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, saying a controversial 2015 deal between Korea and Japan on “comfort women” lacked a “victim-oriented approach.”“North Korea must heed the call of the international commu
Foreign AffairsFeb. 27, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] With treasured memories, PyeongChang bids adieu
About 200 South Korean athletes, coaches and officials gathered outside the Olympic athletes’ village in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Monday to attend the disbandment ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic team.For the South Korean delegation, it was the final step of a journey that started on Feb. 9 when world-renowned figure skater Kim Yu-na illuminated the tiny rural town of PyeongChang by lighting the Olympic torch atop the Olympic Stadium. The torch served as a beacon of dreams
Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] How Uiseong slid into center of Korea’s curling boom
When South Korea’s first curling rink was completed in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province in 2006, little could the county administration that backed its construction expect the unfamiliar facility to produce Olympic medal winners in the sport a dozen years later. The story of how the Korean women’s curling team came about has now become known worldwide. In 2007, classmates Kim Yeong-mi, whose name has reverberated through the curling venue at PyeongChang and global media outlets in the past wee
Olympic GamesFeb. 25, 2018
-
[Newsmaker] Lee Sang-ho: 1st Asian man to win medal in alpine snowboarding
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- South Korean alpine snowboarder Lee Sang-ho, who became the first Asian man to win an Olympic medal in an alpine snowboarding event with his silver medal run, is a native of Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, where Olympic alpine skiing speed events were being staged.He first started snowboarding at a sledding slope that was previously a cabbage patch. This gave him the nickname “Napa Cabbage Boy” after he established himself in the snowboarding scene. Lee Sang-ho (Yonhap)L
Olympic GamesFeb. 24, 2018