Most Popular
-
1
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
2
[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
-
3
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
4
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
5
Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
-
6
Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
-
7
[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
-
8
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
9
Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
-
10
[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
-
[Newsmaker] Mitsubishi refuses to discuss compensation for wartime forced labor
The liquidation of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Korean assets is likely to be expedited as it has refused to hold talks on compensation for victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor, according to sources Tuesday.A civic group working with the victims said that the Japanese firm had not responded to the victims’ request for discussions to follow up on the South Korean Supreme Court’s order that it compensate them by the Monday deadline. “Having lost the lawsuit, Mitsub
Foreign AffairsJuly 16, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Political parties fail to agree on plenary meeting
Political parties failed to agree on a date for the last plenary meeting of the June parliamentary session, as the dispute over the main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s push for the dismissal of Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo dragged on.On Monday, floor leaders -- Lee In-young of the ruling Democratic Party, Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party and Oh Shin-hwan of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party -- gathered for a meeting convened by National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang on
PoliticsJuly 15, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] New law to bring to light widespread but overlooked problem of workplace bullying
A new law designed to prevent bullying in the workplace is set to go into effect in South Korea this week, setting the stage for victims of harassment at work to get some protection.A revised law on labor standards, commonly called the workplace anti-bullying law, will be effective starting Tuesday, after a six-month grace period.Physical assault and sexual abuse in the workplace are being handled in the legal domain, but harassment has been mostly overlooked as it is regarded as a personal rela
Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Representatives of militant labor group to step down from minimum wage panel
A major umbrella labor union group said Monday its representatives will resign from the minimum wage panel in protest of last week's decision to hike the wage by the slowest pace in a decade.The Minimum Wage Commission, involving labor and business representatives and experts, set the minimum wage at 8,590 won ($7.32) per hour for next year Friday, up 2.9 percent from this year.The decision was a far cry from an initial demand of 10,000 won by the labor sector, a level that President Moon Jae-in
Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Exploiting disadvantaged teens for sex to be punished by law
People who incite suicides and adults who have “consensual” sex with teenagers under the age of 16 will be punished under newly revised laws, the police said Sunday. The Korean National Police Agency said it will strictly enforce violations of both laws -- on protecting juveniles from sexual abuse and preventing suicide. The amendments take effect Tuesday. Under the revised law on sexual abuse, adults who have sexual intercourse with teenagers aged between 13 and 16 by taking advant
Social AffairsJuly 14, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Unification Ministry partially disputes media report on arrival of NK defectors from Thailand
Ministry of Unification Deputy Spokesperson Kim Eun-han said a media report on the “mass” arrival of North Korean defectors from Thailand was partially incorrect.News 1, a Seoul-based news agency, reported Friday morning that around 20 North Koreans were in government custody after arriving in the country on a Korean Air flight from Thailand on Thursday morning.In a phone call with The Korea Herald on Friday afternoon, Kim said the number of North Korean defectors that were reported
North KoreaJuly 12, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Entry ban on Korean American singer illegal: top court
The top court ruled Thursday that an entry ban on a Korean American singer who obtained US citizenship in an apparent attempt to evade military conscription here is illegal, paving the way for him to come to South Korea 17 years after it was prohibited.The Supreme Court found that refusing an entry visa to Steve Yoo, 43, who was a highly popular singer until the early 2000s and is better known as Yoo Seung-jun, is in violation of “administrative procedures.” In 2002, the Ministry of
Social AffairsJuly 11, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Political heavyweight stripped of parliamentary seat after top court confirms jail sentence
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering a jail term for a four-term opposition lawmaker, stripping him of his parliamentary seat.The top court sentenced Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to five years in prison for taking bribes worth some 100 million won ($84,990). He was also ordered to pay 150 million won in fines. Under the law, an elected official loses his or her post if sentenced to imprisonment without forced labor for criminal cas
PoliticsJuly 11, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Busan's subway workers go on strike over wage dispute
Unionized subway workers in Busan, a major southern port city, went on indefinite strike Wednesday over a pay dispute.The walkout by Busan Metro's labor union began at 5 a.m. after its last-minute wage hike negotiations with management fell through the previous night. The union said about 2,400 of its 3,402 members, including train drivers, station employees and technicians, were taking part in the strike. According to the law governing public service corporations, Busan Metro is required to kee
Social AffairsJuly 10, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] ‘Other men are same’: Korean man accused of beating wife
A Korean man in police custody for assaulting his Vietnamese wife told reporters on Monday that he believes “other men are the same.”“Things began weighing on my mind since (my wife and I) speak different languages, and so we think differently. But I believe other men are the same,” he told the press, adding that he hopes such circumstances are taken into consideration. The 36-year-old suspect, identified only by his surname Kim, made the comments as he was escorted
Social AffairsJuly 9, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Senior journalist accused of taking upskirt photo in subway
A senior editorial member of broadcaster SBS resigned Monday over suspicion he secretly took a photo of the lower part of a woman’s body in a subway station, according to the TV station. The broadcaster accepted the resignation of Kim Sung-joon, 55, who had been one of its top news anchormen. The Yeongdeungpo Police Station booked Kim without detention on suspicion that he took the photo without the woman’s knowledge at Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station at around 11:55 p.m. Wednesday.&n
Social AffairsJuly 8, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] South Korean actress faces Thai jail for reality TV stunt
A South Korean actress faces up to five years in a Thai jail for catching endangered giant clams in a reality TV stunt, an official said Saturday, despite the show's extensive apology.Lee Yeol-eum was filmed diving for giant clams at a Thai marine park for a June 30 episode of "Law of the Jungle" -- a popular South Korean reality show.After prising two giant clams from the coral-laid seabed, Lee pumped them in the air yelling "I caught it!"The creatures are listed as an endan
Social AffairsJuly 7, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Korean soldier sought to join IS terrorist group
A 23-year-old South Korean man is under investigation for allegedly seeking to join the Islamic State terrorist group, and preparing for a terrorist attack while he was serving in the army. It marks the country’s first case of a “lone wolf” terrorist act being planning.The man surnamed Park, 23, was found to have stolen an ignition device for explosives while being trained at an army engineer school after joining an infantry unit near Seoul in October 2017, broadcaster KBS repo
Social AffairsJuly 5, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Main opposition floor leader accuses Moon administration of abusing democracy
Main opposition Liberty Korea Party Floor Leader Na Kyung-won has accused the Moon administration of “abusing democracy to achieve absolute power,” continuing the conservative bloc’s attack of President Moon Jae-in.“I can’t erase the thought that the Moon administration is abusing democracy to achieve absolute power rather than standing for citizens’ freedom and basic rights. This coincides with what the Economist referred to as ‘new dictatorship,’
PoliticsJuly 4, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Hanmi shares plummet after Janssen ceases clinical research
Hanmi Pharmaceutical shares nose-dived nearly 30 percent Thursday, following news that Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals has decided to return development and global commercialization rights of Hanmi’s diabetes treatment. Hanmi shares closed at 301,500 won ($258), down 27.26 percent or 113,000 won from a day earlier. Janssen, based in Belgium, had inked a license agreement for Hanmi’s investigational drug HM12525A in November 2015, for which Hanmi receive
IndustryJuly 4, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Irregular workers’ strike disrupts school operations
Irregular workers at schools went on strike Wednesday, calling for an end to discrimination in wages and welfare benefits vis-a-vis regular workers and disrupting meal services at thousands of schools nationwide. Six-hour-long negotiations between irregular workers at schools and education authorities fell through the previous day, leading some 22,000 irregular workers at schools -- including cooks, nutritionists and administrative workers -- to stage a walkout until Friday. As of 10 a.m. Wednes
Social AffairsJuly 3, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun given suspended sentence for drug use
A local court sentenced Park Yoo-chun, an actor and former member of boy band JYJ, to 10 months in prison on Tuesday, suspended two years, for using an illegal drug.Suwon District Court in the city of Suwon, south of Seoul, also ordered the 32-year-old disgraced entertainer to pay a fine of 1.4 million won (around $1,203) and issued probation and treatment orders for him."Drug-related crimes should be harshly punished due to severe addiction and harmful effects on individuals and society,&q
Social AffairsJuly 2, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] South Korea wrestles with finalizing 2020 minimum wage
As interested parties struggle to decide next year’s minimum wage, the Korea Employers Federation said Monday that various economic indicators show the rapid increase in minimum hourly wage has taken a toll on companies, laborers and the government.Discussion at the Minimum Wage Commission has been stalled since members representing management left the meeting after the commission voted down a proposal to change the minimum wage by industry.“The recent sharp rise in minimum hourly wa
Social AffairsJuly 1, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Minister Kang, Ivanka Trump stress women’s role in economy, peacebuilding
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Sunday shared outcomes of the two country’s measures aimed at enhancing women’s participation in economic development and the challenges ahead.Some 60 female civic workers and government officials and businesswomen attended the meeting, titled “The ROK-US Women’s Empowerment Forum,” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seoul. Ivanka accompanied her father, US President Donald Trump, who wa
Foreign AffairsJune 30, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Korean woman, in Barcelona on official trip, dies after robbery attempt
A South Korean woman who was part of a government delegation to Spain died Thursday at a Barcelona hospital after being treated for head injuries she suffered during an attempted robbery there, according to news reports. The deceased woman, who served on a government advisory committee, was injured Sunday night while trying to avoid a motorcyclist who attempted to steal her purse. “As a result of the robbery, the victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital where she d
Social AffairsJune 28, 2019