Police in Seoul will be placed on the highest alert level during US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit here this week, as hundreds of civic groups are gearing up for rallies to welcome or oppose US President Donald Trump. Anti-Trump protest on Saturday in central Seoul. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)The National Police Agency said it will order the entire police force in the nation’s capital to maintain maximum readiness from Tuesday through Wednesday, as was the case in previous state visi

Social Affairs Nov. 6, 2017

US President Donald Trump began his marathon 12-day tour of Asia on Sunday, which will lead him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. He will touch down in Korea on Tuesday for a two-day stay here. White House chief of staff John Kelly, as well as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster -- Trump’s key advisers on diplomacy -- will accompany Trump here, while Defense Secretary James Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence will stay behind in

Foreign Affairs Nov. 5, 2017

Hundreds of people took to the streets in central Seoul to demonstrate both for and against US President Donald Trump on Saturday ahead of his visit to Korea next week. An association of 220 left-wing political parties, civic groups, labor unions and student organizations held a rally near the US Embassy under the slogan “No Trump No War” with up to 5,000 people attending.The far-left protesters criticized President Trump for worsening military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threatening to

Social Affairs Nov. 4, 2017

South Korea slipped down to 118th among 144 countries in terms of gender equality in a World Economic Forum report released Thursday, largely due to lack of women’s economic participation. Last year South Korea was No. 116. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2017, South Korea scored 0.65 points, coming between Tunisia at No. 117 and Gambia at No. 119. A higher rank indicates a more equal society for men and women.  (123rf)South Korea ranked relatively well at 84th in health and survival o

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2017

The prosecution on Wednesday indicted Lee Young-hak, nicknamed “Molar Daddy,” for the suspected rape and murder of his daughter’s 14-year-old friend. The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office concluded that Lee, 35, has a sexual perversion disorder and committed the crimes on the teen girl to satisfy his sexual desires. He faces charges of rape, homicide of a minor, an indecent act by force, drug use and abandonment of a body. (Yonhap)“We will seek heavy punishment corresponding to the cru

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2017

Two key aides to ousted President Park Geun-hye, among the few who had avoided criminal investigation despite their suspected involvement in a corruption scandal, were apprehended Tuesday on fresh allegations they received bribes from state spy agency officials.  Ahn Bong-geun (left), Lee Jae-manThe prosecution detained Ahn Bong-geun and Lee Jae-man, both 51, the closest and longest-serving aides to Park, with court-issued warrants. Prosecutors suspect the ex-presidential secretaries took bribes

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2017

The presidential office said Monday that it will clarify its stance on abortion, which is illegal in Korea with few exceptions, after more than 200,000 people signed an online petition to decriminalize it. “As Cheong Wa Dae is supposed to give a reply when a petition is signed by more than 200,000 people, we will of course prepare (an answer),” an official from Cheong Wa Dae told reporters. The presidential office has made it a rule to make an official reply at a minister- or presidential secret

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2017

Marking the first anniversary of the candlelight movement, South Koreans gathered to hail what they achieved in one voice last year – the ouster of President Park Geun-hye – but in two different locations. In front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Saturday, some 10,000 people – mostly young – held their “Candle Party” to celebrate the new era ushered in by peaceful candlelit protests last year. Organized 100 percent by individual volunteers, the event was notably m

Social Affairs Oct. 29, 2017

　　 Marking one year from the start of the peaceful grassroots movement that led to the ouster of embattled President Park Geun-hye, South Koreans on Saturday brought out their candles once again. 　With memories of the past winter’s movement still vivid, they celebrated how they turned the country upside-down with candles. Park and her clique are behind bars, a new reform-minded president is in office and some of the country’s most powerful state organs -- the police, prosecution and spy agency -

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2017

Digital technology often has a profound effect on old things -- like the telephone booths on the street that have become a legacy of a long-gone time when people did not own cellphones. (Photo by Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)In the era of smartphones, those telephone kiosks have gone unused, replaced and demolished. There are now about 78,000 of them nationwide, a sharp decrease from a peak of about 570,000 in 1999. Now, efforts are underway to give these booths new purposes of life.Many are b

Social Affairs Oct. 27, 2017

South Korean civic groups on Thursday launched a campaign against US President Donald Trump ahead of his upcoming two-day visit here, blasting him for ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Led by the nation’s second-largest umbrella labor group Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, some 220 left-wing civic organizations joined the campaign, as military tensions have escalated here in the wake of a heated war of words between Pyongyang and Washington in recent months. The progressive gr

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2017

Calls are growing for the nation’s second-biggest umbrella trade union to return to a long-halted social dialogue among the government, businesses and labor unions, after the largest umbrella union signaled its return to the negotiation table. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions hinted at its participation in the Tripartite Commission of Labor, Management and Government -- a three-way body made up of labor unions, employers and government -- during a dinner meeting with President Moon Jae-in a

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2017

Police said Tuesday that they are looking into whether Lee Young-hak, dubbed “Molar Daddy” and arrested for allegedly murdering his daughter’s 14-year-old friend, misappropriated donations raised for his ailing daughter. According to police, which analyzed Lee and his family’s records of financial transactions, Lee had received donations worth 1.3 billion won ($1.15 million) from the public between 2005 and 2017. But he used only 160 million won for his daughter’s medical expenses. (Yonhap)For y

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2017

A flurry of events are being planned in Seoul to mark one year since the start of the monthslong “candlelight movement” that led to former President Park Geun-hye’s ouster. A committee formed to record and remember the candlelit rallies -- an association of five civic groups -- unveiled plans Monday, including a commemorative vigil, public discussions and film screenings.  (Yonhap)A total of 17 million people took to the streets for months from Oct. 29 last year, demanding Park step down over a

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2017