The South Korean government’s first-ever measures to support victims of online and digital sexual violence, including those who have been affected by so-called “spycam porn” or “revenge porn,” took effect Monday.　The measures include a government agency deleting, upon victims’ requests, spycam or revenge porn footage that has been illegally uploaded online.　“We hope that victims of digital and online sexual violence can go back to their normal lives as soon as possible and no longer feel that th

Social Affairs April 30, 2018

Among the many spectacles Friday’s inter-Korean summit offered was the two Korea’s first ladies’ first-ever meeting with one another, and the seemingly instant bond they formed.Ri Sol-ju, the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, made her much-anticipated appearance at Panmunjeom at 6:18 p.m. on Friday. She did not accompany her husband when he came for talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier in the day, and her attendance at the summit dinner remained unconfirmed until afternoo

North Korea April 29, 2018

North Korea‘s state media reported Saturday that the inter-Korean summit declaration included “complete denuclearization,” a rare public mention of the phrase that raised hopes of joint efforts toward the hitherto elusive goal.　“North and South Korea affirmed the common goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.　“Sharing the understanding that the measures led and taken by the North and South are v

North Korea April 28, 2018

Han Na-eun, a 30-year-old professional in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, normally spends her morning attending meetings, or preparing her next project at work.　On Friday, however, things were different. All of her coworkers stopped what they were doing, eyes fixed on TV for the historic moment President Moon Jae-in shook hands with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un.　The two leaders met at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone in the first summit for the two Koreas in over a decade.　“I have

North Korea April 27, 2018

SOKCHO, Gangwon Province -- Kim Cheol-sub says he can barely sleep these days. Born in 1937 in Bukcheong, a city in South Hamgyong Province in today’s North Korea, the 81-year-old says the upcoming inter-Korean summit gives him both a sense of despair and excitement. 　　“I just have too many thoughts in my mind,” Kim told The Korea Herald. “I don’t trust the North Korean regime. But thinking about my siblings in the North keeps me awake at night. Perhaps I might be able to see them once more befo

North Korea April 26, 2018

　South Korean-born musician Sarah Yunji Moon was at home playing her flute in Saskatoon, Canada, when she first heard the tragic news on Monday -- that at least 10 died after a man drove a van into pedestrians near Yonge and Finch area in Toronto, a district widely considered as a mini Koreatown. 　The principal flutist at the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra used to live there during her high school years, as well as from 2014 to early this year. The area is also where her mother and brother still r

International April 25, 2018

A Dongduk Women’s University professor who has been accused of sexual assault has sued the alleged student victim for defamation, claiming that he will not tolerate another “mob justice” which he believes has been triggered by the ongoing #MeToo movement.　Ha Il-ji, 62, who is also an established novelist, offered to step down from his teaching post in March, after he was accused of allegedly making controversial remarks concerning the #MeToo campaign during one of his literature classes. The uni

Politics April 23, 2018

The police raided a power blogger’s office Sunday as part of a probe into allegations that he and his colleagues illegally manipulated the popularity of certain online comments to attack the current government.　The blogger, surnamed Kim, was indicted last week for allegedly using a computer program that artificially ramps up the number of clicks on “agree” -- the South Korean search engine Naver’s equivalent of Facebook’s “like” -- for comments that were critical of President Moon Jae-in and his

Politics April 22, 2018

Amid the ongoing online rigging scandal involving ex-members of the ruling Democratic Party, a study has shown that readers’ comments on news portals can heavily influence one’s perception of an individual or current affairs -- regardless of whether they have any logic or substance.　　Three ex-members of the ruling party, all currently in custody, are accused of using a computer program that artificially ramps up the number of clicks on “agree” -- South Korea’s dominant search engine Naver’s equi

Social Affairs April 19, 2018

The ongoing online opinion rigging scandal involving ex-members of the ruling Democratic Party has the public curious about the now-indicted power blogger at the center of the controversy, who is suspected of working as a “political broker” in the online space for the party before President Moon Jae-in came into office last year.The blogger, surnamed Kim, has been a popular figure in the local online space. With the nickname “Druking,” Kim, 48, operated a liberal-leaning current affairs blog, ti

Politics April 18, 2018

When reading the news in the morning, Kim Jeong-ah, 28, habitually checks the most popular comments.But a recent scandal has raised concerns that their popularity has been illegally manipulated. On Tuesday, prosecutors indicted three former members of the ruling Democratic Party for online opinion rigging on the country’s dominant internet portal and search engine, Naver. A power blogger, nicknamed "Druking," is suspected of rigging the popularity of online comments critical of the Moon administ

Politics April 17, 2018

Some 5,000 Koreans gathered in the city of Ansan for the government’s first memorial remembering victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster on Monday, which marked the fourth anniversary of one of the country’s worst maritime disasters that claimed the lives of more than 300 people. Ansan in Gyeonggi Province is where the vast majority of the victims -- high school students who were on a school trip to Jeju Island -- lived. Most of them were second-year students at Danwon High School located in th

Politics April 16, 2018

　NAMYANGJU, Gyeonggi Province -- For Hong Jin-mi, it took her some time to take the early signs of her husband’s dementia seriously. At first, she thought he was simply trying to be funny.　“I would ask him to pass me my cellphone,” Hong, 75, told reporters. “And then he would act as if he could not tell where the phone was, although it was right in front of him. And then later I realized it was him trying to hide the fact that he could no longer tell what a cell phone looks like. He was humiliat

Social Affairs April 15, 2018

A pastor of a megachurch in Seoul has been banned from leaving the country after being accused of rape by members of the congregation. 　According to an exclusive report from local broadcaster JTBC, Lee Jae-rock, 74, who runs the Manmin Central Church in Seoul’s Guro district, has been accused of sexually assaulting at least five women from the late 1990s to 2015. Pastor Lee Jae-rock (Screen-captured from YouTube footage)　All five alleged victims, who filed legal complaints against the pastor wit

Social Affairs April 11, 2018

This month’s parliamentary session came to a standstill for the second week in a row on Monday, as rival parties continued to clash over contentious bills including the long-pending broadcast laws and revision of the Constitution.　Ruling and opposition parties failed to narrow differences during a breakfast meeting, cancelling the plenary session initially scheduled for later in the day. The session was also cancelled last week for the same reason.　The cancellation of Monday’s plenary session al

Politics April 9, 2018