Articles by Kim Arin
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Kim Arin
arin@heraldcorp.com-
Ending COVID-19 isolation may have to wait until after winter, says minister
South Korea may need to put off reviewing COVID-19 isolation rules until after the winter. Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong told a press conference on Monday that the country will be ready for a discussion on whether to keep the remaining COVID-19 rules once winter passes and the outbreak situation across the country stabilizes. The two COVID-19 rules that remain in place here are seven-day isolation for patients from the day of a positive test and an indoor mask mandate. “There
Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2022
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Moon sued over North Korea killing as ex-top aides sought by prosecutors
Former President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday was sued by the family of South Korea government official Lee Dae-jun, who was killed by North Korean soldiers near the sea border over two years ago. The lawsuit comes as onetime officials at Moon’s Cheong Wa Dae and Cabinet are being summoned by prosecutors one by one for questioning. Lee Rae-jin, the late official’s older brother, accused Moon of failing to perform his duties as the president and lying about the circumstances surrounding t
Politics Dec. 14, 2022
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‘Safety is K-food’s forte,’ says minister
OSONG, North Chungcheong Province -- Safety and quality are what make Korean food products stand out, according to Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yu-kyoung. “I believe the competitive edge that Korean food products have in the global market is their safety and high quality,” Oh said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “The interest in Korean culture has extended beyond K-pop or K-dramas. Now we’re seeing a growing popularity of Korean food -- hence I think the nam
Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2022
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Motion for firing safety minister heads to Yoon
An opposition party-led motion was passed on Sunday to press President Yoon Suk-yeol to fire Lee Sang-min, the minister of interior and safety, over the government’s response to the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon. The motion, now headed to Yoon for final approval, would put increased pressure on the president to dismiss the safety minister who is also a close aide. Out of the 183 lawmakers present, an overwhelming 182 voted in favor of the motion at Sunday’s plenary s
Politics Dec. 11, 2022
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South Korea to amend laws to ‘prevent forced repatriation of North Koreans’
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification says it would seek to amend its laws to protect North Koreans who fled their country from being repatriated against their will. The proposal for amendment to laws on the protection of North Korean refugees, posted on Wednesday, requires the Minister of Unification to confirm the settlement intentions of North Koreans who came to South Korea by sea or land or via a third country. The amendment would also give the Minister of Unification authority to all
North Korea Dec. 8, 2022
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COVID-19 shows health security vital for country to function: WHO expert
One lesson from COVID-19 is that health security is just as critical as other types of security, according to a World Health Organization expert. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all many painful lessons,” WHO’s global health security preparedness director Dr. Stella Chungong said in a written response to questions from The Korea Herald. “COVID has shown maintaining individual, community and national health security is vital for a country to function.” She said
Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2022
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Ex-spy chief slams Yoon over top Moon aide’s arrest
Park Jie-won, a former head of the National Intelligence Service under investigation over an alleged cover-up in North Korea’s killing of South Korean fisheries official Lee Dae-jun in 2020, told The Korea Herald the Yoon Suk-yeol administration was playing the communist card against his predecessor Moon Jae-in. “All I’m going to say is that the Yoon administration is cracking down on the Democratic Party by portraying Moon as a communist sympathizer,” he said over the ph
Politics Dec. 5, 2022
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Court issues arrest warrant after ex-Cheong Wa Dae director
Seoul court on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for Suh Hoon, who served as the national security director at Cheong Wa Dae and headed the National Intelligence Service during the preceding administration. Suh is accused of orchestrating the deletion of intelligence records related to North Korea’s killing of Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, at sea two years ago, and then falsifying official documents to suggest he willingly tried to defect from his country. He
Politics Dec. 3, 2022
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Five years sought for ex-justice minister in college admissions scandal
Prosecutors in Seoul are seeking five years in prison for Cho Kuk, who served briefly as justice minister during the Moon Jae-in administration, over a college admissions scandal involving his two children. Cho and his wife Chung Kyung-shim were sent to trial three years ago for making bogus certificates and forging credentials to get their children into prestigious schools, and accepting favors from the faculty. While Cho was senior secretary in Moon’s Cheong Wa Dae, his daughter received
Politics Dec. 2, 2022
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Former national security advisor awaits court decision on his arrest
Suh Hoon, ex-spy chief and former President Moon Jae-in’s national security director, was summoned to Seoul court on Friday for a questioning after prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant against him in an investigation into North Korea’s killing of South Korean fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun. Suh is accused of ordering the deletion of intelligence reports related to Lee’s case -- the day after he was shot then burned by North Korean soldiers on Sept. 9, 2020 -- while he was t
Politics Dec. 2, 2022
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Bereaved families explain why they want safety minister gone
The bereaved families of the victims of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon last month called the firing of Lee Sang-min, the minister of interior and safety, who has yet refused to resign. In a press conference held outside the Seoul Metropolitan Police’s office, the mother of late Lee Ji-han, 24, said that the ongoing investigation by the police “should not spare those in high offices.” “But in order for that to be possible, the safety minister needs to be r
Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2022
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[From the Scene] Xi Jinping out: Chinese chant in Seoul
At minus five degrees Celsius on Wednesday evening, when the first cold wave warning of this year was issued, more than 200 Chinese and Koreans gathered for the first time to denounce Beijing’s zero-COVID policy and to demand President Xi Jinping to step down. The unprecedented uprising was the first protest by the Chinese against its authorities in Seoul amid ongoing “white paper” protests in mainland China in a symbolic protest against censorship. The protest was led by Chine
Politics Dec. 1, 2022
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Resign or be impeached: Embattled safety minister pressured to leave
Pressure is growing for Lee Sang-min to leave his post as minister of interior and safety in the wake of the deadly Halloween crowd crush, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday threatening to file a motion to impeach him if he doesn’t step down. The Democratic Party leadership held an emergency meeting on this day and decided to pass a proposal to dismiss the safety minister at the plenary session the following day on Thursday. If the safety minister doesn’t
Politics Nov. 30, 2022
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‘Stand with us’: One month after Itaewon disaster, bereaved families seek solidarity
The families of victims who died in the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood a month ago asked for solidarity from the community as they search for accountability from the government. In a statement late Monday, the families thanked supporters and offered consolation to survivors, marking one month since the disaster that killed 158 people and left dozens with severe injuries. “Because the government did not take measures to allow the bereaved families to communicate
Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2022
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Cambodian boy visited by first lady to get free care at top Seoul hospital
The Cambodian boy who was visited by South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee last month will be given cost-free care at a top hospital in Seoul next month. Asan Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in Seoul, said Monday that all of the boy’s medical expenses will be covered by the hospital and its parent foundation, the Asan Foundation. The boy, who is reported to be suffering from a congenital heart disease, will likely be treated at the Seoul hospital’s pediatric cardiac cen
Politics Nov. 28, 2022
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