WASHINGTON -- In the eyes of James Robert Lunney, a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Navy, the true heroes of the 1950-53 Korean War were the tens of thousands of Koreans who left everything behind in pursuit of freedom -- the foundation that built South Korea today from the ashes of the brutal war.　“The true heroes were the Koreans themselves who sacrificed everything to leave their villages and their homes to obtain freedom,” said Lunney in an interview.　“We look back with great pride having h

Politics Oct. 15, 2015

Three out of 10 job seekers in South Korea think their appearance hurts their job prospects, with women being more conscious about it than men, a survey showed Tuesday. According to a multiple-choice survey of 872 job seekers by job search engine Saramin, 31.5 percent of respondents said that they have felt disadvantaged due to their looks while seeking a job.  (Yonhap)The survey suggested that Korean women (38.4 percent) were more prone to feel frustrated by this than men (26.4 percent). Those

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2015

The prosecution said Monday that it will launch a fresh investigation into South Korea’s largest-ever fraud case as a close aide of Cho Hee-pal, a notorious swindler, was arrested in China three days ago. 　Kang Tae-yong, Cho’s No. 2 man in the pyramid scheme, was caught by the Chinese police at his apartment in Jiangsu Province on Saturday, seven years after he fled to China to avoid the police probe.　“We expect Kang, who is a key suspect, to give us decisive clues in investigating the fraud cas

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2015

With risks and challenges faced by refugees across the world having become one of the greatest global issues today, the status and conditions of asylum seekers in South Korea have also been highlighted. The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles shedding light on refugees in Korea, their hardships, the systematic fallout, the country’s own history and ways to go forward. The following is the second installment. - Ed. 　 When Yiombi Thona, a former spy agent for the Democratic Republi

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2015

The key suspect in a reopened murder case denied his charges of stabbing a South Korean college student to death in Itaewon, Seoul, nearly two decades ago at the first court hearing on Thursday. Arthur John Patterson, a 35-year-old U.S. citizen, was extradited to Korea late last month to face a new trial on charges of murdering Cho Joong-pil, 22, in 1997 at a Burger King restaurant in Itaewon, a multicultural district frequented by expats residing in Seoul. Arthur Patterson (Yonhap)At the hearin

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2015

Rival parties traded barbs again during a parliamentary audit of the Education Ministry on Thursday over the government’s impending decision on whether or not to reinstate contentious state-published history textbooks for secondary education.　Members of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy stepped up their offensive, arguing that state history textbooks would allow the government to whitewash the flaws in controversial figures such as President Park Geun-hye’s late father, for

Politics Oct. 8, 2015

Most regions of the country are suffering a severe drought particularly Seoul City and its surrounding areas, officials said Wednesday.　According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the accumulated precipitation in the country from January to early this month recorded 754.3 milliliters, accounting for only 63 percent of the average of the past 30 years -- 1,189 milliliters. 　Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province had the lowest accumulated precipitation with 572.4 milliliters, making up 43 per

Oct. 7, 2015

The elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak was summoned for questioning Monday over influence-peddling and bribery allegations involving POSCO, the country’s largest steelmaker. 　Lee Sang-deuk, a former six-term lawmaker, appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at around 10:20 a.m., two years after he completed a 14-month jail term on charges of receiving kickbacks from local savings banks. 　 (Yonhap)This time, the former ruling Saenuri party member is accused of pres

Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2015

Police said Sunday that the man they had apprehended on suspicion of stabbing the owner of an indoor shooting range and running away with a handgun and bullets in Busan, committed the crime as part of a plot to rob a local post office.　The 29-year-old man, identified only by his surname Hong, was arrested on Saturday, four hours after he stabbed the range’s owner, who attempted to stop him from stealing a handgun and 19 bullets, according to the police.　(Yonhap)After his arrest, the suspect init

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2015

With risks and challenges faced by refugees across the world having become one of the greatest global issues of today, the status and conditions of the asylum seekers in South Korea have also been highlighted. The Korea Herald will publish a series of articles shedding light on refugees in Korea, their hardships, the systematic fallout, the country’s own history and ways to go forward. The following is the first installment. – Ed.The afternoon was sunny and peaceful, as the crisp wind signaled t

Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2015

The South Korean government will take in refugees from Myanmar to help them settle in the country as part of the U.N.-led refugee resettlement program, the Justice Ministry said Monday.　The ministry said that the application screening process is underway to invite 30 refugees currently taking shelter in Mae Sot, the border town between Thailand and Burma, with interviews to follow next month.　Under the application process, the government will dispatch a staff member to look through documents, co

Social Affairs Sept. 21, 2015

With the probe into a South Korean man suspected of killing a woman and burning her body inside her car underway, police said Friday that they discovered notes with a list of 28 names that the suspect may have accused of treating him badly.　Kim Il-gon, the 48-year-old murder suspect, had two pieces of paper in his pocket that listed the names and occupations of 28 people, which included female restaurant owners, judges, police officers, doctors and nurses he once came across or worked with.　 (Yo

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday thanked the workers for making a “tough” decision to compromise on reform measures that opponents claimed were biased in favor of businesses for easier employment conditions.　“The government will make sure that workers will not be easily dismissed and forced to make sacrifices,” Park said in a Cabinet meeting, pledging to ensure that reform plans would not be implemented against workers’ interests. 　“It is meaningful that the grand compromise would give a boost

Politics Sept. 15, 2015

The Seoul government is set to push for reforming the labor market following a deal reached at the trilateral committee on labor, business and government on Sunday, despite vehement opposition from some unionists and a grueling process ahead at the National Assembly. Some members of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions stage a rally opposing the compromise reached on labor reforms during a cetral executive committee meeting Monday in Seoul. YonhapThe compromise came after months-long negotiatio

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2015