When a dictatorship falls, retribution and reparations often ensue. In South Korea, this was also the case. But for many, it ultimately failed to provide a sense of closure to an era of repression and bloody crackdowns on opponents. From 1996 to 1997, former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who were military generals and close friends, were tried for their roles in a 1979 coup. Chun seized power through the coup, and masterminded a massacre of protesters in the city of Gwangju in 1980,

Hashtag Korea Aug. 23, 2023

In the morning of July 9, 1994, North Korea’s state media outlets announced that there would be a “special broadcast” at noon. Few in South Korea had a clue what to expect. Then, when noon came, the news struck South Koreans like a lightning bolt. "We, with much bitterness, inform the people in this country that our great leader died of a sudden disease,” a grim-looking announcer on North Korean TV said, solemnly conveying the passing of the man who founded North Kor

Hashtag Korea Aug. 2, 2023

Find the correct answer at the bottom of this page. The Korean War broke out in June 1950 and ended three years later in July 1953. It was a result of the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War and had implications for the global balance of power during that era. The ambitions of North Korea's founder and first leader, Kim Il-sung, to unify the Korean Peninsula as a communist nation were a more direct cause of the conflict, as he ordered the invasion of South Korea via several points alon

Hashtag Korea July 26, 2023

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, with the invasion of North Korea. As the communist state’s military capability overwhelmed that of South Korea at that time, it took just three days for its forces to enter and seize Seoul, the South’s capital. Led by the United States, 21 countries contributed to the United Nations forces that came to the aid of the South against the North, which was backed by China and the Soviet Union. The con

Hashtag Korea July 19, 2023

Chun Doo-hwan died on Nov. 23, 2021. “Rather than grieving over the loss of a former leader, there was a shared sense of regret among the people -- a regret for the missed opportunity to bring him the justice he deserved,” novelist Jeong A-eun said at a recent press conference. “Then it dawned on me. This man didn’t pass one or two years after leaving the highest office. He lived a long 33 years. Why didn’t they do something during all those years?” Her endeav

Books June 6, 2023

오랜 시간 한국인들만의 언어였던 한국어. 지금은 한류 열풍을 타고 전 세계 외국어 학습자들 사이에서 가장 빠른 성장세를 보이는 언어의 대열에 오르게 되었다. 이러한 한국어의 급부상 뒤에는 세계 각지에서, 여러 고충에도 불구하고 투철한 사명감으로 학생들을 가르치는 선생님들이 있다. 한국어 교원의 보수는 국가나 소속 기관에 따라 천차만별이지만, 코리아헤럴드가 만난 대부분의 선생님들은 급여 때문에라면 이 일을 계속하지 못할 거라고 했다. 그들은 학생들의 열정과 성실함이 현장을 떠나지 못하게 만들고, 더 좋은 선생님이 되고 싶도록 만드는 원동력이라고 했다. 세계 각지에서 한국어를 가르치는 선생님들의 고군분투기를 들어 보자. 중국 “중국 사람들은 미중 관계가 나쁘다고 영어 공부를 그만 두진 않아요. 하지만 한국어는 다르죠.” 2014년부터 북경과 상해에서 한국어를 가르친 이수진 씨는 2016년 사드 배치를 둘러싸고 한중 관계 최악으로 치닫을 때를 떠올리며 말했다. 많

한국어판 March 30, 2023

Kim Dae-jung, an opposition leader with a knack for public speeches, was the biggest threat to the military junta led by Park Chung-hee. Later, he served as the President of South Korea and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This file photo from 1973 was originally published in The Korea Herald.An opposition leader was abducted while in exile in a foreign land. His captors bound him up and weighed him down with heavy stones, preparing to throw him from a ship into the sea. It was then that fate

Politics March 16, 2023

Roughly equivalent to madam or ma’am, "ajumma" is, according to the National Institution of Korean Language, an informal way of saying "ajumeoni," an appellation for middle-aged women. For the unmarried women, being called an ajumma can be considered an insult because it implies that she no longer looks like an “agassi,” a single, young woman. Even those who fit the dictionary definition of ajumma -- married with children -- often express their dislike f

Hashtag Korea March 15, 2023

On Christmas morning in 1971, a devastating fire broke out at the 21-story Daeyeongak Hotel in Seoul. It was filled with locals and foreigners who had spent Christmas Eve at the lavish hotel, which had only opened two years prior. When the blaze was finally brought under control after nearly eight hours, it was unclear immediately how many lives had been lost. Although over 100 were rescued, a far larger number was feared to have been killed. The next day's front page of The Korea Herald is

Hashtag Korea March 2, 2023

“History through The Korea Herald” revisits significant events and issues over the seven decades through articles, photos and editorial pieces published in the Herald and retell them from a contemporary perspective. – Ed. In its Aug. 16, 1957 edition, The Korea Herald, then called The Korea Republic, carried a story titled “Atom arms now being sent here,” based on what the country’s envoy to the US learned from the Washington government. In this front page a

Politics Jan. 18, 2023

South Korea has officially entered a weeklong national mourning period for the victims of Saturday night’s human stampede in Itaewon, which was recorded as one of the worst peacetime disasters in the country with over 150 casualties. “Following the president’s directive, the government has decided to observe a national mourning period until midnight of Nov. 5, during which the nation will mourn the perished,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told a media briefing. A joint alta

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2022

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, has long served as South Korea’s gateway to the outside world. Located on the western tip of the country and facing China across the sea, it is where the largest numbers of Chinese merchants settled following the opening of the port in the late 19th century. For this reason, the city boasts the lar

Hashtag Korea Oct. 26, 2022

Every child has the right to rest or have fun how they want to. This is article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989. It is one of the most ratified international treaties in history. More than three decades after its ratification here, South Korea is revisiting the clause with renewed enthusiasm, largely thanks to an ill-advised move by the Education Ministry to put kids in school one year early. “Children need to play,” read the ban

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2022

A fire broke out at an office building in the southeastern city of Daegu on Thursday, leaving seven dead and injuring 46 others, officials said. The fire broke out at the seven-story building in the city, 302 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 10:55 a.m., according to firefighters. It was fully extinguished some 20 minutes later. Dozens of other citizens evacuated the building. Authorities mobilized 50 fire trucks and 160 firefighters at the scene. Police said they were investigating the

Social Affairs June 9, 2022

The coverage on this blog has ended. For more updates, results and news on South Korea’s presidential election, visit www.koreaherald.co.kr. -- Ed. Yoon Suk-yeol elected president of S. Korea Yoon Suk-yeol, a former chief prosecutor and political neophyte, was elected the next leader of South Korea on Thursday in one of the closest presidential elections in the country’s history. With all the votes counted, the conservative candidate garnered 48.6 percent, against 47.8 percent of

Politics March 9, 2022