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
First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
-
[Newsmaker] Trump says different form of talks with Kim possible
Ahead of his trip to Japan and South Korea, US President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he would not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “I’ll be meeting with a lot of other people. Not … him,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying as he departed the White House for his flight to Asia. While ruling out the possibility of a one-on-one meeting with Kim, Trump hinted that there could be an interaction. “But I may be speaking with him in a different for
North KoreaJune 27, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Singers Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon deny rape charges in court hearing
Two disgraced South Korean singers -- Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon -- denied rape charges in their first court hearing on Thursday.Jung, a disgraced singer and TV personality, and Choi, a former member of boy band FT Island, have been arrested, indicted and referred for trial on charges that they sexually assaulted a woman with other members of a mobile chat room during a drinking party in 2016. The 30-year-old Jung was arrested and indicted in March on charges of secretly filming himself
Social AffairsJune 27, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Cho Kuk mulled for justice minister
The presidential office has begun taking steps to appoint Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, as the next justice minister.Cheong Wa Dae is carrying out the basic vetting process, such as looking into Cho’s reputation. It considers him one of the strongest candidates for justice minister in the Cabinet reshuffle expected to take place as early as late July.Cheong Wa Dae has begun gathering basic data on Cho, such as his tax payment and immigration records, while Justi
PoliticsJune 26, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Parties to push ahead with National Assembly extraordinary session as agreed, minus Liberty Party
The ruling and minor opposition parties on Tuesday reaffirmed convening the June extraordinary parliamentary session as planned and put the National Assembly back to work amid the main opposition party’s last minute withdrawal.“Liberty Korea Party has turned away from coexistence and chose to take the arrogant, self-righteous and destructive path. They have betrayed the public’s calls for normalization of the National Assembly,” said Lee In-young, floor leader of the ruli
PoliticsJune 25, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Far-right campsite cleared from Gwanghwamun Square
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday forcibly removed tents set up by a far-right minor party at Gwanghwamun Square in early May without a permit, only to have them reinstalled by the party amid fierce protests. About 500 Seoul city officials and 400 contract demolition workers tore down the tents put up by Our Republican Party, formerly the Korean Patriots Party, on May 10 as part of its campaign calling for the release of former President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 25-year jail te
Social AffairsJune 25, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] North Korean boat spills over to political arena
Controversy over a North Korean boat has spread to the political arena, with the main opposition turning up the heat on President Moon Jae-in. Controversy began earlier this month when it was revealed that the military had announced inaccurate information about four North Koreans who arrived in the South on June 15. In revealing the information, government agencies initially stated that the wooden boat carrying four North Koreans was detected near Samcheok port in Gangwon Province. The mili
PoliticsJune 24, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Doubts rise over S. Korea’s willingness to ratify ILO conventions
In the midst of a yearlong standoff between the government, labor and management over South Korea’s ratification of fundamental International Labor Organization conventions, trade unions are increasingly questioning the Moon Jae-in administration’s willingness to approve three of the four pending ones. With the arrest of Kim Myung-hwan, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Friday, the relationship between the government and the unions looks set to worsen in the comi
PoliticsJune 23, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Korean travel columnist murdered in the Philippines
A well-known Korean travel columnist was found shot to death near Manila on Sunday morning, according to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines and the Korean police.A passerby made a local police report after finding Joo Young-wook, 58, dead in a forest by a road in Antipolo, a city east of Manila, at around 7:15 a.m. June 16. Joo had a bullet wound on his forehead; his mouth was covered, and his hands were tied behind him with duct tape. Local police found his hotel room key and confirmed it wa
Social AffairsJune 21, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Liberty Korea Party chairman’s comment favoring lower wages for foreign workers ignites controversy
Main opposition Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday sought to put the brakes on snowballing controversy over his speech targeting foreign laborers here, where he said that they “should not be given the same wage.”“It was meant to optimize the minimum wage standard,” Hwang said, regarding his comments made Wednesday.Hwang said it is “unfair” to ensure foreign workers receive the same level of wage as locals, citing the payment of taxes as jus
PoliticsJune 20, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Defense minister reprimands military for security failure over NK boat
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Wednesday strongly reprimanded the military for its failure to detect a North Korean boat that crossed the de facto maritime border and reached a coastal city in the South. The boat carrying four North Koreans was found along the breakwater in Samcheok Port in Gangwon Province at 6:50 a.m. Saturday. The small wooden boat had moved at least 130 kilometers from the Northern Limit Line to reach the port city in four days, but the military and police
DefenseJune 19, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecutor-general nominee faces rocky hearing
Rival parties are expected to fiercely debate the appointment of Prosecutor-General nominee Yoon Seok-youl at his confirmation hearing.Some of the issues at stake are the alleged involvement of Yoon’s mother-in-law in a fraud case, how he managed to amass a fortune of 6.59 billion won ($5.56 million), and the envisioned reform of the prosecution.Claims by victims of fraud allegedly committed by Yoon’s mother-in-law were made public by an opposition lawmaker last year.“The mothe
PoliticsJune 18, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Protesters control key roads after historic Hong Kong rally
HONG KONG -- Holdout anti-government protesters remained in control of a major arterial road in Hong Kong on Monday a day after organizers said two million people flooded the streets in a historic rebuke of the city‘s pro-Beijing leader.Vast crowds marched for hours in tropical heat on Sunday calling for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, who has been forced to suspend a widely loathed bill that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland.Critics fear the Beijing-ba
World NewsJune 17, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] BTS fans complain of tight ID checks at Busan concerts
On the first day of K-pop sensation BTS' first-ever fan event and concert in Busan this weekend, a number of people were blocked from entering the venue although they had tickets in their hands.Officials from Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of BTS, demanded buyer information on the tickets match the ticket holder's identity documents at the event Saturday. Teenage fans who bought tickets using their parents' names were turned down, while students who brought copies of their stu
PerformanceJune 17, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Yoon Seok-youl tapped to head prosecution
Yoon Seok-youl, a well-known prosecutor who participated in major investigations linked to conservative administrations, was tapped for the post of prosecutor general Monday.If appointed, he will replace Moon Moo-il as the country’s top prosecutor. Yoon, currently serves as the head of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and came to public attention in 2012 when he headed the investigation into allegations that the National Intelligence Service interfered with the presidentia
PoliticsJune 17, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Huge crowds march in Hong Kong, piling pressure on leader
HONG KONG — Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents, mostly clad in black, jammed the city’s streets Sunday in a vehement show of opposition to proposed legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.The marchers are demanding that Hong Kong’s leader first scrap an extradition bill that would allow some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China and then resign. The conflict, which slipped into unusually violent clashes w
World NewsJune 16, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] S. Korea, Sweden sign MOUs on trade, economic cooperation
South Korea and Sweden have signed six memorandums of understandings (MOUs) to expand trade and cooperation in emerging industries, the government said Saturday.The MOUs were signed in line with President Moon Jae-in's visit to Sweden on the last leg of his eight-day Northern Europe trip that also took him to Finland and Norway.The agreements include those signed by the Korea International Trade Association and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, as well as the signings between res
Diplomatic CircuitJune 15, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Court dismisses filmmaker Hong Sang-soo's divorce suit
A Seoul court rejected award-winning director Hong Sang-soo's request for divorce at a verdict hearing on Friday.The Seoul Family Court handed down the sentence after Hong applied for a divorce settlement in November 2016 and filed a divorce suit in December that year."Hong and his wife's marriage is on the rocks, and yet the primary responsibility goes to Hong. Supreme Court precedent does not allow those who are responsible for a marriage's breakdown to seek divorce," judge Kim Seong
FilmJune 14, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Witness accuses YG of collusion with police
YG Entertainment’s Yang Hyun-suk faced allegations Thursday that he pressured a witness to change his testimony in an attempt to cover up iKON leader B.I’s alleged use of an illegal drug. The witness filed a report Tuesday with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission claiming the investigation into B.I’s alleged drug use was dismissed due to corrupt ties between police and YG, according to local media. B.I, 23, whose real name is Kim Han-bin, bought the hallucinog
Social AffairsJune 13, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Opposition lawmaker loses Nat'l Assembly seat as top court confirms bribery conviction
A lawmaker of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party lost his National Assembly seat Thursday after the Supreme Court upheld his bribery conviction.Rep. Yi Wan-young of the LKP was sentenced to an imprisonment of four months, suspended for two years, and a fine of 5 million won ($4,220) for borrowing 248 million won, interest-free, from a politician in 2012 in violation of the Political Fund Law. The ruling stripped the 62-year-old Yi of his parliamentary seat and disqualified him from running
PoliticsJune 13, 2019
-
[Newsmaker] Christian group chief under fire over attack on President Moon
Jeon Gwang-hoon, a pastor and the chief of the Christian Council of Korea, on Wednesday faced public backlash and opposition from Christian groups for frivolous claims concerning President Moon Jae-in.During a press conference earlier in the week, Jeon, who has been calling on the president to step down, said, “At this rate South Korea will fall. I thought I had to save the country before it perishes. … President Moon should leave Cheong Wa Dae by the end of this year.”Steppin
PoliticsJune 12, 2019