South Korea moved to tighten limits on gatherings again and expanded the use of mandatory vaccine passes, as new COVID-19 cases in Korea have hovered around the 5,000 mark for several days. According to health authorities, 5,128 new cases were tallied as of midnight Saturday, pushing the cumulative total to over 473,034. Although the latest figure was down 224 from the previous day, it is the highest the country has recorded for a Saturday, when figures typically drop due to the smaller numbe

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2021

Resolving an internal conflict that delayed the launch of his election committee for about a month, Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, vowed to unite efforts to win in the March presidential election on Sunday. In a Facebook post, Yoon of the People Power Party apologized for discord with party leader Lee Jun-seok after a dramatic reconciliation Friday. He also brought in Kim Chong-in, a veteran campaigner to lead his election committee. “I will sho

Politics Dec. 5, 2021

People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok said on Thursday he is not “boycotting” his duties as the chairman as he was never actually given any, expressing his discontent with the party’s presidential candidate. Making his way to Jeju Island on the third day of his unannounced road trip to the southern portion of the country, Lee denied suspicions that he has gone into hiding in protest, contending he is traveling to “check” on how the party is doing. Lee cancel

Politics Dec. 2, 2021

The leadership of the presidential candidate of the main opposition party is being put to the test, as strife appears to deepen between the election committee and party chief. On Tuesday, main opposition People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok canceled all scheduled activities for the day without explanation, amid a growing gap between him and the party’s presidential nominee Yoon Seok-youl. A day earlier, Lee uploaded a Facebook post, reading “If that is the case, this is it,&r

Politics Nov. 30, 2021

Presidential contenders pushed for support in the provinces Monday, with the opposition candidate visiting a key swing region and the ruling party candidate staying in a party stronghold. Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party chose the Chungcheong provinces as his first campaign destination after the formation of his election committee. “I am a son of Chungcheong and I can say Chungcheong is my hometown,” Yoon said before departing, speaking at the election com

Politics Nov. 29, 2021

An appellate court on Friday reversed a local court’s ruling of life imprisonment for an adoptive mother who murdered her toddler daughter, to a sentence of 35 years in prison, citing lack of proof for “such a heavy sentence.” The court upheld the lower court’s ruling of a five-year prison sentence for the adoptive father, holding him responsible for child abuse in the highly publicized case. The Seoul High Court admitted that the mother, surnamed Jang, is guilty of m

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2021

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug met with the World Health Organization chief to discuss COVID-19 vaccine cooperation and the launch of the organization’s training hub, the speaker’s office said Thursday. During his visit to Switzerland, Park met with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday and told him South Korea is an optimal place for the launch of its Global Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Hub, which is curren

Politics Nov. 25, 2021

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, is struggling to finalize his election committee, with Kim Chong-in hinting at a possible rift within the ranks. Kim, a veteran election campaigner who was asked to lead Yoon’s election committee, said on Tuesday he “does not want to talk about politics anymore” and that he would “return to his daily life,” hinting that he will not play a role in supporting Yoon in March’s

Politics Nov. 23, 2021

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun is likely to address the company’s plan to create some 40,000 jobs for young people during his meeting with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum scheduled for Monday. The prime minister plans to visit Hyundai Motor Studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as part of the government’s youth support campaign. The meeting is also to be attended by Employment and Labor Minister An Kyung-duk, Minister for Government Policy Coordination Koo Yun-cheol and Hyu

Mobility Nov. 21, 2021

In the 15th century, it was the private residence of a grand prince. Then in the late 19th century, it became the imperial palace of the short-lived Korean Empire. During the Japanese colonial period that followed, it was reduced to a public park.  This is the story of Deoksugung, now South Korea’s historical site No. 124 and one of the most serene places tucked in central Seoul.  An artistic project is taking place here, under the title of “Deoksugung Project 2021: Garde

Arts & Design Nov. 20, 2021

Hyundai Motor Group is joining hands with six electric vehicle charging stations here to form an alliance supporting the growth of the EV charging industry, the automotive giant said Thursday. Hyundai said it signed partnerships with six Korean EV charging service providers to establish E-pit Alliance and agreed to work together in developing technologies related to E-pit, the automotive group’s ultra-fast charging station. The six EV service providers are Starkoff, Straffic, Jeju Elect

Mobility Nov. 18, 2021

Marking a decade of operating its startup accelerator program, South Korean steelmaker Posco on Thursday vowed to continue supporting the local startup ecosystem, particularly in fields related to its future strategic businesses, including hydrogen, secondary battery and green materials. . “The Idea Marketplace has become a representative accelerator program for startups in the country. For Posco, it will continue to play a role in exploring new business items,” said Posco Chairma

Industry Nov. 18, 2021

Peter Schreyer, the renowned car designer now leading Hyundai Motor Group’s design management, is featured in a new book “Roots and Wings,” a Korean edition of which is to hit local shelves soon. Originally published in English last month, the book explores Schreyer’s life and legacy as one of the most influential automotive designers, the Korean business group behind Hyundai Motor and Kia said Wednesday, announcing the Nov. 25 release of the Korean edition. Schreyer,

Mobility Nov. 17, 2021

As the wave of electrification reaches sports cars, the race is heating up among global brands to push the performance boundaries of the relatively new powertrain. In Korea, the competition is to intensify with Audi set to challenge the Porsche Taycan with its e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT. Before the official launch of the two cars, The Korea Herald had the chance to take them for a short test drive on a course involving substantial speed and a slalom test at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeo

Mobility Nov. 17, 2021

Over 71,000 units of electric vehicles have been sold in South Korea so far this year, nearly doubling the previous year’s record, a market data showed. According to Korea Automotive Technology Institute, the accumulated domestic sales of EVs up to the end of September came in at 71,006 units, compared to the 36,268 units sold during the corresponding period last year. The domestic sales volume places South Korea as No. 7 globally, Katech said. The world’s No. 1 market, up to

Mobility Nov. 15, 2021