Article 1 of South Korea’s National Assembly Act states that the parliament is a representative body of the people. However, Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker of the 21st National Assembly and a political heavyweight with 50 years in public service, views the widespread phenomenon of fandom politics as a major obstacle to the country's representative democracy. He believes this trend is the primary cause of increasing political confrontations, which continue to undermine the spirit of compro

Politics May 30, 2024

The 21st legislative session of the National Assembly ended Wednesday amid an unceasing partisan gridlock. On the last day of the four-year session, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea staged a rally outside the Yoon Suk Yeol presidential office to protest a contentious special counsel investigation bill failing to pass the Assembly in a vote held Tuesday. The Democratic Party-led bill seeking the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the on-duty death of a marine in July las

Politics May 29, 2024

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said a projectile believed to be a North Korean spy satellite was fired toward the west of the Korean Peninsula and landed in the sea after exploding midair late Monday. The projectile, which the JCS identified as “North Korea’s so-called military reconnaissance satellite,” was fired from the North Pyongan Province in a southwesterly direction at around 10:44 p.m. The JCS said some debris from the satellite’s explosion could be ob

Defense May 28, 2024

South Korea on Monday staged an air exercise near the inter-Korean border in response to an announcement from North Korea that it would launch a military reconnaissance satellite within the next seven days. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the drills involving some 20 fighter jets -- including F-15Ks, KF-16s and the stealth F-35As -- were carried out in the skies south of the no-fly zone from around 1 p.m. Col. Lee Sung-jun, the South Korean JCS spokesperson, said in a pre

Defense May 27, 2024

South Korea and China have agreed to create a communication channel for diplomacy and security and resume negotiations on an expanded free trade agreement, the Yoon Suk Yeol presidential office said Sunday. The two sides have decided to “establish a new high-level dialogue on diplomacy and security, with the first meeting to take place mid-June” and to “open up our markets beyond the trade of goods to include services such as culture and tourism,” a senior Yoon official t

Politics May 26, 2024

South Korea and Africa, whose partnership is anticipated to reach another milestone with the 2024 Korea-Africa summit, have a lot to gain from one another, ruling party lawmakers-elect Kim Gunn and Yu Yong-weon say. The two foreign relations and security experts, elected in the April general election, were among top experts, government officials and members of the diplomatic community to attend the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum on Thursday. The forum, co-hosted by The Korea Herald and Afr

Politics May 26, 2024

South Korea is committed to making the June summit with Africa a success, and ready to share its experiences of growth and development with African countries, Seoul’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong Kyun said at a forum hosted by the African Group of Ambassadors and the Korea Herald on Thursday. Speaking at the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum, he opened his congratulatory remarks by thanking the hosts for holding “this significant event” that took place less than

Foreign Affairs May 26, 2024

Jung Won-joo, chairman of Herald Media Group, said the news company aspired to contribute to “building closer ties between Korea and Africa.” “We are dedicated to delivering Korean news to Africa, and vice versa,” he said Thursday at the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum. He added that he hopes the forum and the Korea-Africa summit in June will “open up doors for more opportunities for exchanges.” He said his business had ventured into Africa more than four

Politics May 26, 2024

The former US President Donald Trump hinting at possibly pulling troops from South Korea was “election rhetoric that does not align with the mainstream thinking in Washington,” according to Rep. Han Ki-ho, the chair of the National Assembly’s national defense committee. The former three-star Army general, who won a fourth term in the Assembly in the April general election, told The Korea Herald that the statements from Trump were an “election-time talk for a domestic au

Politics May 21, 2024

North Korea is selling fireworks that look like its intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to its state broadcaster Korean Central Television. In a news report broadcast late Sunday, the KCTV said more than 90,000 fireworks in 20 different types were being sold at a shop in Pyongyang. One of the workers at the shop said in the interview with the state broadcaster that the latest range of fireworks that they carry included ones that were modeled after Hwasong, the name of the ICBM series

North Korea May 20, 2024

The South Korean army said Monday its chief of staff Gen. Park An-su met with his US, Japanese and Australian counterparts during his eight-day trip to the US, for talks on North Korea deterrence. At the annual Land Forces Pacific Symposium in Hawaii on May 14-16, Park participated in a panel discussion alongside the commanding general of the US Army Pacific Gen. Charles Flynn, Gen. Yasunori Morishita of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart of the Army Australia. The

Defense May 20, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is keeping nuclear weapons strictly for self-defense and has no intention of actually ever using them, former President Moon Jae-in wrote in his memoir published Saturday. In his first memoir since his presidential term ended in 2022, Moon recalled Kim in his encounters with him as “expressing, time and time again, that nuclear weapons were only for the purpose of guaranteeing safety and that he has no thoughts of ever using them.” The former D

Politics May 19, 2024

In this series, The Korea Herald sits down with newcomers chosen by South Koreans to serve on the National Assembly for the next four years, to talk about their visions and takes on issues in Seoul and beyond. -- Ed. The possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House may prompt South Korea to consider bolstering its security beyond the protection of its alliance with the US, according to ruling People Power Party lawmaker-elect, Yu Yong-weon. Speaking to The Korea Herald on Friday, Yu

Politics May 13, 2024

Cho Tae-yul, the South Korean minister of foreign affairs, will visit Beijing on May 13-14 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Seoul said Friday that a meeting between Cho and Wang is expected to take place May 13. According to the ministry, the two ministers will exchange views on South Korea-China bilateral relations, issues affecting the region, and other “matters of mutual interest.” At the meeting, they may also discuss the deta

Politics May 10, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized Thursday for first lady Kim Keon Hee’s alleged acceptance of a Dior bag as a gift, while dismissing the continued calls for a special probe into the controversy as a political attack by the opposition. In a press conference marking his two years in office, the president said he “offers a deep apology to the South Korean people for causing concern due to (his) wife’s unwise conduct.” In undercover camera footage released last year on a Yo

Politics May 9, 2024