The leader of South Korea’s main opposition party Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who is currently involved in several criminal trials, said Monday he will not shun the prosecution’s supposed bid to “come after” him and “willingly face” arrest. Lee’s remarks, delivered during the National Assembly plenary session, come after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea-controlled Assembly already struck down his arrest warrant bill in February. Over the course of t

Politics June 19, 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol aligning with the US and Japan while shifting away from China was exacting a toll on the country’s economy, the leader of the political opposition said Monday. Addressing the National Assembly plenary session, the main opposition party leader said ties with China “have gone downhill” since Yoon took office, accusing the president of “having given up on diplomacy.” “We used to have the largest trade surplus with China. The p

Politics June 19, 2023

North Korea has recently tightened controls on elites stationed abroad to stop them from defecting, South Korean intelligence authorities found. According to a National Intelligence Service document obtained by the National Assembly, North Korea is keeping even closer track of its officials working at diplomatic and other offices overseas. Wary that they may take advantage of loosened border controls post-COVID, North Korea has “scaled up surveillance” on overseas officials, the docu

Politics June 18, 2023

[코리아헤럴드=김아린 기자] 북한이 최근 해외에 파견된 간부들의 탈북을 막기 위해 단속과 통제를 부쩍 강화하고 있는 것으로 국가정보원이 파악했다. 18일 코리아헤럴드가 국회를 통해 입수한 자료에 따르면, 윤석열 정부 첫 1년 동안 한국으로 망명한 ‘주요 탈북민’은 동반 가족 포함 8명이며, 이는 지난 문재인 정부 시절의 연평균 약 5명에 비해 증가했다. 또한 지난 해 5월 이후, 유럽 등 해외에 다양한 직책 및 신분으로 파견되었다 현지에서 이탈하는 북한 인사들이 잇따르고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 국정원은 해외 파견 중 탈북한 이들 대부분이 체제 염증으로 인한 귀북 거부감, 자녀 학업과 장래에 대한 고민, 한국에 대한 동경 등 복합적 사유로 탈북하고 있는 것으로 보고 있다. 윤 정부 출범 이후 고위 인사들의 이탈 조짐이 커지자 북한 당국은 경계 태세에 들어갔다. 국정원은 이와 같은 재외 북한인들의 이탈 움직임에 북한 당국이 사상적 이완을 경계하고 있다고 분석하고 있

한국어판 June 18, 2023

South Korean authorities said Thursday they are looking into unofficially set up Chinese “police stations” across the country after the alleged presence of such an entity came under scrutiny in Seoul earlier this year. The National Intelligence Service, together with the police, are probing suspected activities of covertly operating “police stations” for the Chinese government, not just in Seoul but in other regions, including Jeju Island south of the peninsula. Last mont

Politics June 16, 2023

Chinese government-run Confucius Institutes in South Korea allegedly led “hostile activities” targeting rallies in support of Hong Kong democracy movement, according to a lawmaker in Seoul. The Institutes mobilized Chinese students here to stage counter-protests against pro-Hong Kong rallies at South Korean universities, People Power Party Rep. Choe Jae-hyeong office told The Korea Herald quoting an intelligence report. At the instruction of the Institutes, Chinese students defaced p

Politics June 15, 2023

[코리아헤럴드=김아린 기자] 국내에 설치된 중국어 교육기관인 공자학원이 중국인 유학생 단체를 통해 한국 대학가 내 홍콩 민주화 시위 지지 견제 활동을 펼친 것으로 파악됐다. 15일 최재형 국민의힘 의원실에 따르면, 공자학원은 서울대학교 등 대학가에서 중국인 유학생들이 벌였던 홍콩 시위 지지 대자보 훼손 등의 중국 비판 여론 견제 활동의 배후에 있었던 것으로 드러났다. 최 의원실이 입수한 자료에 의하면, 공자학원은 중국인 유학생 단체를 동원해 국내 대학가를 중심으로 중국의 대외 영향력 전파 활동을 펼쳐왔다. 특히 홍콩, 대만 문제와 관련해 중국에 대한 여론 악화 견제에 주력한 것으로 전해졌다. 일례로 유학생들을 동원해서 전북 소재 모 대학교 측에 항의해 학내에 설치된 대만 국기 철거를 유도하기도 했다. 이외에도 공자학원은 대학 내 문화 강연을 열고 모택동 사상을 홍보하거나, 중국 공산당 창립 50년을 찬양하는 내용을 문집에 수록하고 중국 건국 70주년 기념행사 시청을 유도하는 등의 선

한국어판 June 15, 2023

A lawmaker of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is pushing legislation to require registration of persons and entities representing foreign interests, in an apparent aim at Xing and the secret Chinese police stations currently under investigation. Rep. Choe Jae-hyeong, the first-time lawmaker who previously headed the Board of Audit and Inspection, announced Thursday that the legislation which he said would “put the brakes on indiscriminate and illegal” foreign agents ope

Politics June 15, 2023

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, chief of the ruling People Power Party, castigated liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Thursday for their trip to China amid an ensuing row over Chinese envoy Xing Haiming’s criticism of South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol. Kim said the trip of seven Democratic Party lawmakers came at a “diplomatically tricky” time, accusing them of “fraternizing with” Beijing against the backdrop of Xing blaming the Yoon administration for South

Politics June 15, 2023

In this series, The Korea Herald sits down with members of the 21st National Assembly to discuss top political events and issues affecting Seoul and beyond from South Korea’s heart of power in Yeouido. -- Ed. The time is ripe for South Korea to join its allies in sending defense aid to Ukraine, according to Army general-turned-lawmaker Rep. Shin Won-sik. In an interview with The Korea Herald, the first-time lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party and the National Assembly national defens

Politics June 14, 2023

The hunger and economic hardships driven by COVID-19 are forcing North Koreans to resort to extreme means of survival, such as cannibalism, recent defectors were quoted as telling South Korean authorities. This is one of the first accounts of the level of hunger in North Korea since COVID-19, given by North Korean family who came to South Korea by boat early last month. The family consisting of a mother and two brothers, their wives and young children were found by South Korean authorities cross

Politics June 13, 2023

South Korea’s main opposition party voted down bills seeking the National Assembly’s consent in issuing arrest warrants for two lawmakers accused in an intraparty bribery scandal. At the plenary session on Monday, the arrest warrant bills for both lawmakers -- Reps. Lee Sung-man and Youn Kwan-suk -- failed to pass the Assembly, whose majority is controlled by the Democratic Party of Korea. Lee and Youn gave up their Democratic Party membership last month after they were accused of ha

Politics June 12, 2023

The Democratic Party of Korea escalated its campaign against Japan on Monday, accusing President Yoon Suk Yeol of being weak on Tokyo and its plan to gradually release treated wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. Ahead of the plenary session of the National Assembly, Democratic Party lawmakers issued a joint statement vowing to stop Japan from discharging the wastewater into the sea altogether. “Our party will do everything in our power to block Japan from dumping i

Politics June 12, 2023

South Korean main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung has stoked rebuke for backing Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming’s criticism of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s foreign policy last week. At a dinner event with Xing at the ambassador’s residence on Thursday, Lee suggested that the relationship between South Korea and China has soured since Yoon administration came into office. “The latest developments in international politics and econom

Politics June 11, 2023

The South Korean National Assembly on Thursday agreed to launch a special committee and hold hearings on the safety inspection of wastewater from the now-defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant. The special committee will be headed by lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, after a bill on its formation is passed at the plenary session next week. Japan will “communicate closely” with Seoul and “strive to provide the Korean people with sincere explanations based on scientifi

Politics June 8, 2023