At first glance, Kim Byong-joon appears to be a long-shot for becoming the prime minister tasked with pulling the Park Geun-hye presidency from its biggest crisis sparked by a scandal involving her longtime friend. Their checkered relationship began in 2004 when the 62-year-old nominee was policy chief for late President Roh Moo-hyun. Park was chair of the then-main opposition Grand National Party, the predecessor of the current ruling Saenuri Party. They clashed over real estate, welfare and ot

Politics Nov. 2, 2016

As the Choi Soon-sil fiasco has left the Park Geun-hye presidency in tatters, a sense of impotence prevails across the officialdom, fueling concerns over a possible government vacuum. A spate of key initiatives are suddenly seen at a halt, including ambitious labor reform, industrial restructuring and economic revitalization, as well as the appointment of the heads of several state-run organizations. Most are showpiece programs the president had been pushing for even in the face of robust protes

Politics Nov. 1, 2016

With the Choi Soon-sil scandal taking a toll on President Park Geun-hye, concerns are rising over possible repercussions on Seoul’s diplomatic and security initiatives, such as a trilateral summit with China and Japan, a US missile shield deployment and an intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. The US, China, Japan and other key diplomatic partners are closely monitoring the development of the scandal involving Park’s confidante Choi, which has virtually placed state affairs at a standstill, dipl

Foreign Affairs Oct. 31, 2016

President Park Geun-hye on Sunday accepted the resignations of chief of staff, top political and policy coordination secretaries and some of her longest-serving aides in a bid to contain the fallout from an unbridled influence-peddling scandal pivoting around her old friend. Yet political and public pressure has only continued to mount on the commander in chief, with opposition and even ruling party lawmakers calling for a launch of a neutral Cabinet to take over some key executive duties from C

Politics Oct. 30, 2016

With the leadership of President Park Geun-hye in free fall, the ruling and opposition camps on Sunday stepped up calls for a launch of a neutral Cabinet to take over some of key executive duties and refurbish administrative management. The ruling Saenuri Party convened an emergency meeting of senior members and agreed to recommend Park form a neutral Cabinet while reaffirming its demand for an across-the-board shake-up of Cheong Wa Dae staff. The session followed a Saturday gathering of core pr

Politics Oct. 30, 2016

Throughout her nearly four years in office, President Park Geun-hye has been criticized on various fronts, ranging from her government’s slipshod response to a ferry sinking to faltering diplomacy and a lack of communication with her own aides and the general population. Park may take credit for one thing nonetheless. She has been largely free from scandals involving family members, which pestered the presidencies of many of her predecessors, especially in later years. (Park, who has never marri

Politics Oct. 25, 2016

Initiatives for girls should take into account the sensitivity of the issue and respecting their dignity should be a top priority, the UN Population Fund told The Korea Herald. Korea’s Health and Welfare Ministry has recently come under fire after launching a program that requires girls from poor households to visit local health centers in person and write down their family background to be eligible to receive sanitary products. Faced with simmering criticism, the ministry changed the rules to a

Foreign Affairs Oct. 23, 2016

Seoul and Washington on Thursday failed to reach a consensus over the permanent stationing of US strategic assets on the peninsula, amid skepticism due to US financial and operational constraints, saying further discussions are needed. But after the annual Security Consultative Meeting with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Washington, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo indicated the allies may take additional military steps other than the dispatch of a nuclear bomber and advanced warshi

North Korea Oct. 21, 2016

If elected as the next US leader, Hilary Clinton would likely continue to face a tough task in building trust with China due to the sustained strategic refocus toward Asia, while turning more interventionist in the Middle East, leading French security experts told The Korea Herald. With less than three weeks until the US presidential vote, three specialists from the Institute for Strategic Research, a think tank affiliated with the French Ministry of Defense, explored the prospects for the incom

Foreign Affairs Oct. 19, 2016

North Korea may be able to increase nuclear arsenal to at least 79 fission bombs by 2020, a study said Tuesday, calling for Seoul and Washington to refine their long-term goals to thwart Pyongyang’s ambition.  Lee Sang-hyun, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, introduced the interim findings of a comprehensive joint study involving more than 10 diplomatic and security specialists as well as nuclear scientists, economists and psychologists during a seminar hosted in Seoul by the Presiden

North Korea Oct. 18, 2016

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday instructed rights and legal agencies to formulate clearer guidelines on a recently effectuated anti-graft act, amid confusion in the face of conflicting interpretations and sluggish response to inquiries. The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which came into force last month, bans members of civil agencies, private educational institutions and the media from giving and receiving free meals, presents or monetary gifts worth 30,000 won ($27), 50,000 won an

Politics Oct. 14, 2016

President Park Geun-hye’s advisory panel on unification policy has proposed a reintroduction of US tactical nuclear weapons and the constant stationing of other advanced strategic assets on the peninsula as deterrence against North Korea’s evolving threats. In a recent paper, the National Unification Advisory Council made an array of policy suggestions, raising the need to better utilize top-notch US weapons systems such as the F-22 stealth fighter and B-2 nuclear bomber. On home ground, Seoul s

North Korea Oct. 13, 2016

A senior official at North Korea’s spy agency defected to the South last year, a news report said Wednesday, marking the latest in a recent series of elites seeking to escape from political oppression and the crumbling economy amid a tightening sanctions network. The director-general level official of North Korea's Ministry of State Security has told Seoul officials that the popular sentiment around Pyongyang was “boiling” with discontent about leader Kim Jong-un’s ironfist rule, Yonhap News Age

North Korea Oct. 12, 2016

South Korea presented to the US the development of its own nuclear weapons and “physical action including military power” as part of its response to North Korea’s then upcoming first underground detonation in 2006, according to a former foreign minister. In his new memoir, titled “Moving the Glacier,” Song Min-soon chronicled the decision-making process on sanctions, dialogue and other moves taken during the Roh Moo-hyun administration around the so-called first nuclear crisis in 2006 and afterw

North Korea Oct. 11, 2016