Most Popular
-
1
[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
-
2
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
3
Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
-
4
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
5
Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
-
6
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
7
[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
-
8
N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
-
9
[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
-
10
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
[Newsmaker] Ex-Busan mayor gets 3 yrs for workplace sexual assault
BUSAN -- A court sentenced former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don to three years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting female employees at work, broadening the interpretation of injury to include psychological trauma. The Busan District Court convicted him of sexually assaulting two female employees using his power and injuring one of them. He was arrested in court. "This is a workplace sexual assault case in which the accused used his superior position" for his crime, Judge Ryu Seung-woo
Social AffairsJune 29, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] High school senior found dead after 6-day search
A high school student was found dead on a hill in Bundang in Gyeonggi Province, Monday morning, six days after he went missing on June 22. Police suspect that Kim Hwi-seong, 18, took his own life. He was found lying down with a plastic bag over his head, and there were no signs of external injuries. Police suspect that he suffocated to death, but said they will determine the exact cause of death after an autopsy by the National Forensic Service, upon the agreement of his family. Kim, a senior
Social AffairsJune 28, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] 2 DP presidential candidates to merge campaigns by next week
Two presidential candidates of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Monday they will merge their campaigns by next week in a bid to boost their party's chances of winning the 2022 presidential election. Chung Sye-kyun, former prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, and three-term lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae announced the decision to unify their presidential candidacies by next Monday, during their visits to the headquarters of the bourse operator in western Seoul. "With a visio
PoliticsJune 28, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Presidential anti-corruption aide offers to resign over property speculation allegations
The presidential secretary for anti-corruption, Kim Gi-pyo, has offered to resign, the presidential office said Sunday, following allegations of real estate speculation involving multimillion dollar loans. President Moon Jae-in also immediately accepted his resignation, according to Park Soo-hyun, Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for public communication. "Presidential secretary Kim Gi-pyo has expressed his views that, although he did not acquire the real estate for purposes of speculatio
PoliticsJune 27, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] ‘Thanks for saving me’: Suspected child molester’s words could be play for leniency, experts say
Choi Chan-wook, 26, who is accused of using boys aged between 11 and 13 to produce videos of sexual exploitation, and in some cases molesting them himself, said he was “grateful that adults saved” him before his actions got worse, stoking public outrage online. Choi, who stood in front of press cameras Thursday before police turned him over to the prosecution, said, “(I) got here after starting out of curiosity. … I’m grateful that adults saved me before it got wo
Social AffairsJune 25, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] LG’s iPhone plan faces controversy
LG Electronics’ plan to start selling Apple’s iPhones at its stores is facing backlash from local phone distributors and a private consensus-based panel on shared growth on Thursday threw weight behind opponents, saying LG would be breaking its word if it pushes ahead with the plan. The Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership cited the firm’s pact with the commission signed in 2018 in which LG pledged to strive for co-prosperity with small players in the industry. LG,
TechnologyJune 24, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Air Force police under probe for leaving sexual abuse case out of report on soldier's death
Military prosecutors have launched an investigation into why the Air Force police left out a sexual abuse case suffered by a female noncommissioned officer when reporting her suicide to the defense ministry, officials said Thursday. The female master sergeant was found dead in May, around three months after being sexually abused by a colleague of the same rank. Her death sparked a public uproar after her family alleged that military authorities attempted to cover up the sexual abuse case rather
DefenseJune 24, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Police to remove gendered requirement for physical test
Starting in 2026, all police hopefuls will have to take the same physical test regardless of gender. The National Police Committee on Monday passed a plan to introduce a physical examination that requires the same standard for both men and women, the National Police Agency said. The new physical exam is a timed event involving five stations -- running an obstacle course, skipping hurdles, pushing and pulling a 32-kilogram object, carrying a 72-kilogram human-like doll for 10 meters and pullin
Social AffairsJune 23, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Regulator offers record rewards to person reporting steelmakers' price fixing
South Korea's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has provided a record 1.75 billion won ($1.5 million) in rewards to a person who reported seven steelmakers' alleged price fixing. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) decided in January to fine the country's No. 2 steelmaker Hyundai Steel Co., its smaller rival Dongkuk Steel Mill Co. and five other steelmakers a combined 300 billion won for colluding to fix the purchase price of steel scrap. The commission said it was able to take stern ac
EconomyJune 23, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Pollution from Coupang fire kills fish, harms locals’ health
Dust, fire-flakes and contaminated water from the massive fire at a Coupang warehouse in Icheon last week have been killing fish, damaging farms and causing health problems among local residents. More than 1,800 dead fish were found in three reservoirs about 1 kilometer away from the Coupang warehouse in the three days to Monday, according to Icheon city officials. A city official said a natural surface active agent used in the firefighting water could have killed the fish as it blocks the air
Social AffairsJune 22, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Culture minister implies no boycott of Tokyo Olympics amid Dokdo spat
South Korea's culture minister said sports should be separated from politics regarding calls for a boycott of the Tokyo Olympics amid a renewed territorial spat over the East Sea islets of Dokdo between the two countries. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee made the remark during a parliamentary committee's general meeting held Monday evening, implying that the ministry is not considering boycotting the upcoming Olympics, only a month away. Calls for such a measure emerged among th
PoliticsJune 22, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Most victims of military sexual violence are low-ranking personnel
Most female victims of sexual violence in the military were soldiers and civilian workers of less than five years in service, government data showed. A majority of the perpetrators were non-commissioned officers senior to their victims, and field officers, showing how sexual violence that involves taking advantage of one’s superior status at work was prevalent. A total of 771 sexual offenses, ranging from harassment to rape, were committed against women in the military last year, accordi
DefenseJune 21, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] PPP's approval hits highest point since 2016 presidential corruption scandal: Realmeter
The approval rating of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has reached its highest point since a far-reaching corruption scandal surrounding former conservative President Park Geun-hye in 2016 dealt a crushing blow to the party, the latest opinion poll showed Monday. In the Realmeter survey of 2,514 voters nationwide conducted from Monday to Friday last week, the PPP garnered 39.7 percent of support, up 0.6 percentage point from the previous week. It marks the third week in a row that
PoliticsJune 21, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Debate on anti-discrimination law gains momentum
A debate on anti-discrimination law is gaining momentum in South Korea with the support of scores of lawmakers, presidential candidates and members of the public. Anti-discrimination bills that have been proposed several times since 2007 has never passed the National Assembly due to opposition from conservative politicians and religious groups. This time around the bill has stronger support from a broader spectrum in society. Last week, 24 lawmakers from the ruling bloc, including the Democr
PoliticsJune 20, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Kakao T officially registered as transportation operator
South Korea’s government has officially approved three major taxi-hailing service brands as platform operators, in a gesture to diversity transportation means, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport said Friday. Under the revised Automobile Transport Business Act, transportation platform operators are to register themselves at the Land Ministry in order to charge brokerage commission to users. The three brands are Kakao T, run by Kakao Mobility; Banban Taxi by Kornatus; and
IndustryJune 18, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Pro-tattoo activists challenge “outdated” tattoo laws
Getting a tattoo is not illegal in South Korea, but having one done by an artist without a medical license is -- legislation that activists are fighting to fix, as they say it is outdated and does not fit today’s growing attitude of acceptance. Rep. Ryu Ho-jeong of the minor left-wing Justice Party joined tattooists and advocates for a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday, wearing a backless purple dress. Her back was painted with temporary tattoos in a show of
Social AffairsJune 17, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] PPP sees influx of young members following new leader's sensational election
The conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has seen an influx of new members, especially those in their 20s and 30s, in the wake of the sensational ascent of young new party leader Lee Jun-seok. According to party officials, some 23,000 people nationwide have joined the PPP as new members since May 12, including 10,000 who joined through online processes. The figure marks about a tenfold increase from the same period a year earlier, which came amid Lee's surprise ascent to the p
PoliticsJune 17, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] 40% of people apprehended on drug charges are under 30
Police across the country apprehended 2,626 people on drug charges in the second quarter and detained 614, the National Police Agency said Tuesday. Teenagers and people in their 20s made up 40 percent of all those apprehended, an increase of about 28 percent on year. People in their 30s accounted for 24.5 percent of the total. Police in South Gyeongsang Province brought in 42 teenagers accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act by obtaining fentanyl patches on false pretenses, then selli
Social AffairsJune 16, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Air Force legal offices raided over death of sexually abused soldier
Defense ministry investigators raided the offices of the Air Force's legal affairs department Wednesday over the suicide of a sexually harassed noncommissioned officer as part of a sprawling investigation into what led the victim to take her own life. The raid took place one day after the prosecutors grilled a military public defender accused of failing to provide adequate help to the master sergeant, surnamed Lee, who allegedly suffered groping and other abuse by her colleague during a car rid
DefenseJune 16, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Opposition leader says ex-chief prosecutor must show ability to run state affairs
The new leader of the main opposition party said Tuesday that former chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl, who has topped polls on presidential preference, should start talking about his ability to run state affairs. “Other than his image of resistance against the Moon Jae-in administration, (Yoon) must answer people’s questions on whether he can run state affairs,” Lee Jun-seok, the newly elected chief of the People Power Party, said in a YTN radio interview Tuesday morning. &ldq
PoliticsJune 15, 2021