Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Newsmaker] To fight spycams, women’s bathrooms may adopt digital entry
A state-owned property developer in Korea is introducing QR code-based entry systems at public women’s bathrooms in a bid to ward off spy camera crimes. Korea Land and Housing Corp. said in a press release Sunday that smartphone-generated QR codes containing personal data will be scanned at entry points with the aim of protecting against sex crimes occurring inside bathrooms. The pilot project is slated to kick off later this year at six public women’s bathrooms in two cities of
Social AffairsSept. 28, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Opposition party slams Cheong Wa Dae’s response to NK’s killing of civilian
Opposition lawmakers are stepping up attacks on President Moon Jae-in over the killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korea, framing the incident as a case of mishandling or even neglect of duty by the top office. Five members of the People Power Party took turns holding one-person protests outside Cheong Wa Dae, each staging an hourlong rally with a sign that read “President Moon Jae-in, where are you now,” denouncing the president and the government for a “dela
PoliticsSept. 27, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Moon briefed 4 times on killed civil servant, UN message too late to be changed: Cheong Wa Dae
President Moon Jae-in was briefed on four occasions between Tuesday and Thursday on developments concerning the South Korean civil servant killed by the North Korean military, Cheong Wa Dae said. According to the presidential office, Moon was first briefed on the matter at 6:36 p.m. on Tuesday in the form of a written report. The report was made about three hours after the South’s military obtained intelligence that the civil servant was spotted by the North Korean military. At 10:30
PoliticsSept. 25, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Korean lawmakers to summon Google, Netflix chiefs
The National Assembly of South Korea has selected the chiefs of Google and Netflix’s Korean operations as witnesses at the upcoming audits scheduled for October to ask questions about their business practices. According to the country’s legislative body Thursday, Nancy Mable Walker, who represents Google Korea, will be asked to testify at the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee’s first audit on Oct. 7. The committee’s decision to summon Walker co
IndustrySept. 24, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court affirms prison terms of singers in rape case
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's prison sentences for Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon, two South Korean singers convicted of rape and other crimes. In May, Jung, a disgraced singer and TV personality, and Choi, a former member of boy band FT Island, were sentenced to five years and 2 1/2 years, respectively, in prison by an appeals court on charges including sexually assaulting women in 2016. Jung and Choi received prison terms of six and five years, respectively, from
Social AffairsSept. 24, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Trump skips NK for first time in UN speech
US President Donald Trump made no mention of North Korea in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (US time), for the first time in any of his four UN speeches since taking office. In a prerecorded address from the White House, Trump focused his seven-minute speech on attacking China for “unleashing” COVID-19 onto the world and touched on various foreign policy issues, but did not say a word about Pyongyang. It was the first time Trump has not me
North KoreaSept. 23, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Seoul mediates again in diplomat’s alleged groping of New Zealander
The Foreign Ministry has resumed mediation between one of its diplomats and a male staffer in New Zealand who accused the diplomat of groping him in late 2017. The ministry said it has informed the purported victim of its mediation on the case, and is awaiting his reply. Under New Zealand labor law, an employee can seek a settlement for an employer’s misconduct against him through the help of a mediator. In this case, the administrative staffer, a New Zealander, is the employee, and
Foreign AffairsSept. 22, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Irregular workers more susceptible to job loss from COVID-19: survey
Temporary contract workers were more susceptible to job loss due to the coronavirus pandemic than full-time workers, with one in every three irregular workers losing their jobs over the past eight months, a survey showed Monday. According to a survey of 1,000 workers conducted by advocacy group Gabjil 119, 15.1 percent of respondents said they lost jobs during the coronavirus outbreak. Some 31.13 percent of contract workers lost their jobs, much higher than the 4.3 percent of full-time employee
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Offline classes to resume in Seoul schools from Monday
Schools in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will resume in-person classes Monday after South Korea eased its social distancing measures in the capital region. To minimize the risk of infection in classrooms, kindergartens and elementary and middle schools must limit attendance to one-third of the student body until Oct. 11, and high schools must limit attendance to two-thirds, the Education Ministry said. For the next several months, the measures will also apply to high school seniors und
Social AffairsSept. 20, 2020
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[Newsmaker] How '70s oil shock led to SK battery biz
For the late SK Group Chairman Chey Jong-hyun, the 1970s oil shock was a wake-up call, a moment of reckoning that a petrochemical company cannot and should not let its destiny be dictated by the price of oil. When SK Group acquired domestic petrochemical company Yukong in 1980, which later became today’s SK Innovation, Chey had a clear vision that reaped rewards for decades. “Countries all over the world are trying to develop alternative energy after suffering from the 1970s oil c
IndustrySept. 20, 2020
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[Newsmaker] 2 killed in fire at waste recycling facility
Two foreign workers were killed as a fire gutted a waste recycling facility located south of Seoul, authorities said Saturday. The incident occurred at around 4 a.m. inside a plastic waste recycling plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeongggi Province. The blaze appears to have been started by the explosion of a transverse kiln, firefighters said. The fire killed two foreign workers, whose identities were withheld, and burned down two buildings. About 100 tons of plastic waste were apparently stored in th
Social AffairsSept. 19, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Nat'l pension fund employees under drug probe: police
Four employees of the National Pension Service Investment Management (NPSIM) have been under criminal investigation over suspected drug charges, police said Friday. According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, the four employees, who had previously served as fund managers for the world's leading pension operator, have been booked without detention on suspicion of inhaling cannabis, a banned substance in South Korea. The four, whose identities were withheld, confessed to using cannabis d
Social AffairsSept. 18, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Seoul city to file 4.6b won compensation suit against pastor
The Seoul city government said Friday it plans to file a 4.6 billion-won ($3.9 million) compensation suit against a pastor blamed for worsening the new coronavirus outbreak here by holding mass rallies in central Seoul. Despite warnings against holding mass rallies, Jun Kwang-hoon, who pastors Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, is suspected of leading anti-government protests in central Seoul in mid-August that thousands of people attended. Jun, himself, later tested positive. "Even l
Social AffairsSept. 18, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Yoon Ji-oh reveals whereabouts, rebuts prosecution's claim
Yoon Ji-oh, an actor who has been engulfed in donation fraud and defamation allegations related to late actress Jang Ja-yeon, denied the Justice Ministry’s statement that the investigation against her had been suspended because her location was unknown. The Korean-Canadian has been in Canada since April last year, after several lawsuits were filed against her including damage suits filed by those who made donations to her. The donations were in support of Yoon‘s decision to come
Social AffairsSept. 17, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Celltrion on path to break W1tr in operating profit
Celltrion Group is expected to become the first Korean biologics drug company with an operating profit of over 1 trillion won ($850 million), financial data aggregator FnGuide projected Tuesday. To put things into perspective, in 2019 there were only six groups that had delivered such a performance: Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, Lotte, LG and GS. Celltrion Group is one of the few companies that has come out stronger from the unforeseen COVID-19 crisis. Comprising of biosimilars develop
IndustrySept. 16, 2020
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea continues missile development: defense minister nominee
North Korea is continuing to develop its missile capabilities, defense minister nominee Gen. Suh Wook said Wednesday, vowing to sternly respond to any provocations. Suh made the remark in an opening speech during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly amid speculation that the North could showcase a new strategic weapon at the 75th founding anniversary of its ruling party on Oct. 10. "North Korea is focusing on preparations for the 75th party founding anniversary event after sus
North KoreaSept. 16, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Public consensus needed to exempt BTS from draft: defense minister nominee
Defense Minister nominee Suh Wook said Monday that the ministry should consult with the public before deciding whether to grant the members of K-pop group BTS exemptions from mandatory military service. “The service should be carried out by all able-bodied men in an equitable manner,” the sitting Army chief said in a written opinion submitted to the parliamentary defense committee set to open a hearing Wednesday on his credentials as defense chief. All able-bodied men must serve
DefenseSept. 14, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Suga as next Japanese premier likely to stay course on S. Korea relations: experts
As Yoshihide Suga, a key loyalist of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is poised to succeed the hawkish leader, Tokyo is likely to stay the course in its hard-line stance on Seoul rather than seeking an immediate policy shift, analysts said Monday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s leadership contest and is expected to be endorsed as new premier in a parliamentary vote slated for Wednesday. Abe announced his surprise decision to step down due to ill
World NewsSept. 14, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Choo apologizes for influence-peddling scandal involving son
Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae apologized Sunday over allegations she peddled influence to earn special favors for her son, but denied any wrongdoing. “I feel deeply sorry for causing troubles to the people with issues involving my son,” she said in a Facebook post. But the minister said she has kept her principles strict and has never called “a black thing white.” It has been alleged that Choo’s son was given favorable treatment in having his leave extended dur
Social AffairsSept. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Justice minister apologizes over alleged power abuse scandal involving her son
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae apologized Sunday over allegations she used her influence to seek special favors for her son during his mandatory military service, breaking her recent silence on the issue. Choo has come under fire over suspicions that she abused her power to seek preferential treatment for her son, surnamed Seo, when he was in the military in 2017, such as by extending medical leave without following due procedures. Choo was chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party at the time.
PoliticsSept. 13, 2020