[Newsmaker] Woori Bank pulls back Osstem funds amid theft probe

Woori Bank, one of five major local banks, said Friday it had stopped selling funds involving Osstem Implant, whose shares were suspended from trading on the Kosdaq after an employee was arrested for having allegedly stolen funds equal to 91 percent of the company’s equity as of last year. “It’s a precautionary measure to protect our investors and we do not know at this point when we will begin selling the funds again,” a Woori Bank official said, adding five funds

EconomyJan. 7, 2022

[Newsmaker] Controversial Harvard professor claims no contemporary evidence on ‘comfort women’

A Harvard professor whose earlier claim that victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery were voluntary prostitutes stirred great fury is expected to draw further criticism with his renewed assertion that denies contemporary evidence to back the existence of the euphemistically labeled “comfort women.” The South Korean government, as well as experts here, rebuffed his argument, saying Japan’s sexual enslavement is a historical fact that has already been “proven unive

Foreign AffairsJan. 6, 2022

[Newsmaker] N. Korean man redefected unnoticed although military cameras spotted him 5 times

South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it failed to stop a North Korean defector even though he was caught on surveillance cameras five times. The Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday disclosed the results of its on-site investigation into how the 30-something North Korean man returned to the North Saturday night. The military currently believes that the defector is the same person who defected to the South in November 2020. The military first spotted him approaching the border reg

DefenseJan. 5, 2022

[Newsmaker] Prosecutors close case on late Seoul Mayor Park’s alleged sexual harassment

Prosecutors have decided not to indict the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was accused of sexually harassing his secretary, according to local reports Tuesday. The decision was reached by prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday. Prosecutors closed the case as they no longer have the right of arraignment to file an indictment against the deceased Park. As prosecutors have closed the case, the connection of his death with the accusation will not b

Social AffairsJan. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Seoul says NK defector presumed as border crosser received due settlement support

The North Korean defector who is presumed to have crossed the tense inter-Korean border to return home last week had received due resettlement support from the South Korean government, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday, amid reports he suffered economic difficulties after his defection. The man crossed the heavily fortified eastern border into the North over the weekend, about a year after he reached the South, also using an eastern front-line route in November 2020, according to the mi

North KoreaJan. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Daily COVID-19 cases remain below 4,000 for second day

South Korea’s new coronavirus cases remained below 4,000 for the second straight day as of midnight Sunday, but the number of critically ill patients continued to surpass 1,000. Two deaths in connection with the omicron variant of the coronavirus were reported on Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, South Korea added 3,129 new COVID-19 cases during Sunday, raising the total to 642,207. It was down from that of the previous day, which recorded 3,833 cases

Social AffairsJan. 3, 2022

[Newsmaker] May 2022 be year of healing, really

A concerted effort to heal the scars of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has widened social, political and economic divisions during its two-year reign, was one of the top wishes from ordinary people in Korea for the New Year. As much as the COVID-19 crisis has isolated people and affected their daily routines, it also has shed light on the importance of interpersonal ties and solidarity. The Korea Herald interviewed 10 people -- COVID-19 frontline nurses, a Seoul-based TikToker and influencer,

Social AffairsJan. 2, 2022

[Newsmaker] Mother of infant found inside roadside donation box faces infanticide charges

The mother of an infant found dead inside a clothing donation bin in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, earlier this month could face infanticide charges, the police said on Friday. According to the Osan police, investigators have sent the case to the prosecution on Thursday. The woman is accused of neglect leading to the death of the just-born boy in the bathroom of her house, where she had given birth. She is charged with discarding the baby’s body in a roadside clo

Social AffairsDec. 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ex-President Park to remain in hospital after midnight release

Former President Park Geun-hye was to be released at Thursday midnight, when the presidential pardon takes effect, after spending four years and nine months in prison for several corruption convictions. According to the Ministry of Justice, the amnesty of Park was to take effect at midnight. Park was to be released from her room at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, where she has been receiving treatment for several weeks. Park’s deteriorating health was an important consideration for the

PoliticsDec. 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lookist evaluation of Yoon’s spouse raises eyebrows

Left-leaning figures have come under fire for making comments about Kim Keon-hee’s appearance, with some calling the remarks “misogynous.” The latest comments on Kim, the wife of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, came after she publicly apologized for embellishing her career history. On Wednesday, former lawmaker Sohn Hye-won once again took to social media to comment on Kim’s makeup and facial expressions when she delivered the apology. Sohn

PoliticsDec. 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Opposition campaign chief tightens grip to end internal conflict

People Power Party election committee chief Kim Chong-in stepped in Tuesday to calm the conflict between the party’s presidential candidate and its chairman. Discord in the conservative main opposition party has continued since it chose Yoon Suk-yeol, a former prosecutor general, as its flagbearer in November. Acknowledging internal disputes made public by remarks of the party members, Kim said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper that he will step up to “control the

PoliticsDec. 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon calls for Samsung, Hyundai to collaborate on auto chips

South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Euisun to “collaborate more closely” on automotive chips during a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-me, President Moon congratulated the Hyundai Motor chief for the automaker’s advancement in the European electric vehicle market and said, “I wish for Samsung and Hyundai to collaborate more closely

IndustryDec. 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon’s wife apologizes in public over false career allegation

People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s spouse Kim Keon-hee apologized in public Sunday for causing controversy with the allegations that she had made false claims about her career history. “There were my faults in the process of working and studying together,” Kim said with her head bowed as she read out a statement at a press conference in Seoul. “I inflated my career to look good and wrote it (resumes) wrong. I shouldn’t have done that, but lo

PoliticsDec. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Parties offer mixed reactions on Park's pardon

A special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has sparked a wide range of responses in South Korea’s political circles. The ruling Democratic Party appeared largely to respect the president’s decision, while lawmakers from the opposition parties voiced different opinions, mostly raising doubts about the special pardon. Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil announced that the party “honors” the president&rsquo

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon’s visit to DMZ draws accusations of armistice violations

South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to a front-line division in the Demilitarized Zone has come under fire, with the United Nations Command officially kicking off an investigation into an alleged violation of the Armistice Agreement. The UNC made an announcement after Yoon -- dressed in a military uniform -- on Monday visited the observation post of the South Korean Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, also known as the Baekgol Unit, in the DMZ. In what appears to b

PoliticsDec. 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Is vaccine pass constitutional? Korea is about to find out

South Korea’s Consitutional Court is set to review whether the COVID-19 pass is constitutional.  The Constitutional Court said Tuesday evening its full bench of nine justices would review the constitutionality of the pass’s enactment. The court’s full bench is usually summoned when a case is deemed to hold legitimacy. The COVID-19 pass, or vaccine pass, was implemented nationwide on Dec. 13 and requires people to present digitized proof of full vaccination or a negative

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon's feminist recruit under attack from all corners

Shin ji-ye, a 31-year-old feminist with liberal political inclinations, made headlines Monday as she crossed party lines and joined the campaign of Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the conservative People Power Party. The young politician ran as a Seoul mayor candidate for Green Party Korea in 2018, finishing fourth in the race with over 80,000 votes. Her campaign gained support from feminists and progressives as one of the first candidates in the country’s political history to

PoliticsDec. 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea to add hospital beds, medical workers and testing centers to counter COVID-19 surge

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered the government to secure additional COVID-19 hospital beds, health care workers and testing centers to counter the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases. “The government will take extraordinary measures to secure enough medical capacity” to counter the resurgence of cases, Moon said in a statement released by Cheong Wa Dae. Moon also ordered concerned government agencies to designate additional public hospitals for exclusive care of COVID-19 pati

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] Demand for wine, Korean beef surge in 2021, says E-mart

Customer demand for wine and Korean beef has shown rapid increase this year, as an alternative to dining outside, said the local discount chain E-mart on Sunday. The discount retailer tracked the changes in the type of products sold from 2019 to November this year. According to the store’s data, wine leaped from 10th place in 2019 to sixth in 2021, with sales jumping by 32 percent from 2019.  More Korean consumers have started venturing into higher-priced wines compared to the sta

ConsumerDec. 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon apologizes over his spouse’s false career allegation

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, bowed his head and apologized Friday for the controversy over allegations his spouse Kim Keon-hee had made false claims about her career history. "I am sorry for causing concern to the public over the controversy related to my wife," Yoon told reporters. "Regardless of the reason, I make it clear that the fact that (she) caused controversy without accurately writing down her career does not fi

PoliticsDec. 17, 2021