South Korean truckers voted to return to work after 16 days of striking, with a majority of union members voting against continuing the demonstration. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity union has been on strike since Nov. 24, calling for the government to make permanent a minimum freight rate system that is to expire this year. They held an emergency meeting on Thursday and decided to vote on whether to continue the strike. “If the union members decide (to cancel the strike), we will return to

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2022

A couple in their 60s who owned a bear breeding farm were found dead in an apparent attack by the bears they own, the police said on Friday. Bear breeding faces criticism for violating animal rights, but the government is not able to provide other options at the moment, as it would take many more years to build adequate facilities. On Thursday night, police found the bodies of the couple at the entrance of the farm after receiving a missing person report from their daughter at 9:45 p.m. It was d

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday hosted a formal dinner for the national soccer team in celebration of the team's performance in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, officials said. The banquet was held at Yeongbingwan, a reception hall at Cheong Wa Dae, a former presidential office. It was attended by 22 members of the South Korean national soccer team, including captain Son Heung-min, coach Paulo Bento and other support staff. The celebration dinner was to honor the South Korean team for reaching

Politics Dec. 8, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol has likened the ongoing truckers strike to North Korea's nuclear threats, saying the government should respond sternly with principles like it does to protect the people from Pyongyang's repeated actions of menace. "If we had pursued (consistent) North Korea policies based on the principle of nuclear intolerance, we wouldn't be facing North Korea's nuclear threat as we do now," he was quoted as saying by multiple officials, according to Yonha

Politics Dec. 5, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol has instructed officials to prepare the extension of the “work start order” for the oil and steel industries, calling the prolonged truckers' protests "political, illegal and violent." President Yoon presided over a meeting with related ministers on Sunday afternoon, urging the ministers to prepare for immediate issuance of a work start order in the industries concerned about additional damage, such as oil refining and steel, according to a writ

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2022

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young to his presidential palace in Hanoi on Thursday for a special meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of Korea-Vietnam diplomatic relations. The meeting was attended by Park Hang-seo, head coach of Vietnam's national soccer team, Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju and leaders of the Korea-Vietnam Friendship Association. The meeting came a few days before the Vietnamese president's three-day state visit

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2022

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

The presidential office on Wednesday denied rumors that South Korea offered to give up its bid to host the 2030 Expo in exchange for a contract for Saudi Arabia's $500 billion Neom city project, calling it "fake news produced by the opposition party." “Currently, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the office of future strategy and planning in the presidential office are touring the world in a fierce bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo,” the presidential office said in a wri

Foreign Affairs Nov. 30, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to co-host the second Democracy Summit with the US President Biden on March 29-30, the presidential office said Tuesday. The US, which held the first Democracy Summit virtually in December 2021, decided to co-host the second summit with South Korea, the Netherlands, Zambia and Costa Rica. The Korean government will preside over the Indo-Pacific regional meeting of the summit -- which will again be held virtually -- with the topic of anti-corruption. “By co-

Foreign Affairs Nov. 30, 2022

A few days after taking office, President Yoon Suk-yeol made a surprise visit to the press room and casually reminded reporters of his promise to treat them to kimchi stew as a gesture of his desire to communicate with the media. Soon after, Yoon became the first president to hold morning interviews in the lobby of the presidential office, taking questions on contentious matters. At a press conference on the 100th day of his inauguration in August, Yoon said “I think the process of carry

Politics Nov. 29, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol announced South Korea’s space economy road map with goals of landing on the moon and Mars in about two decades. The plan includes developing an independent projectile engine that can fly toward the moon within five years, “land on the moon in 2032” to start mining resources and “land on Mars in 2045," he said at a ceremony held to mark the government's new space plan. The plan was unveiled months after Korea became the 10th country in the

Politics Nov. 28, 2022

Reporters Without Borders called on President Yoon Suk-yeol to reverse his decision to bar journalists with public broadcaster MBC from the presidential plane and also called for the reinstatement of the president’s daily meetings with the press. “Even the highest elected representative should not decide which media can report on them or which questions are suitable to be asked,'' said the RSF East Asia Bureau Head Cedric Alviani in an email response to The Korea Herald on

Politics Nov. 25, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to actively support defense exports, touting the sector as a "future new growth engine” and “driving force for high-tech industries” during his visit to the nation’s leading arms firms on Thursday. South Korea, which has boosted its defense capabilities to curb threats from the North, has now become the No. 8 weapon seller, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Yoon set the goal of ranking fourth last m

Defense Nov. 24, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol has asked Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla & SpaceX, to make significant investments in South Korea, including building a production facility for electric vehicles here, during a meeting held via videoconference Wednesday morning, the presidential office said. Initially, Yoon was scheduled to meet with Musk face-to-face at the B-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. However, the meeting was canceled as Musk was unable to make the trip to Bali. Instead, they decided to meet virtually at 10

Politics Nov. 23, 2022

Truckers in South Korea on Tuesday decided to push ahead with a strike, rejecting a government plan that would agree to some of their demands. The strike, if prolonged, will take a heavy toll on the car and steel industries that already suffered from a strike in June. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the largest union organizations in South Korea, announced on Nov. 14 that it would launch an indefinite strike beginning Wednesday at midnight. Abo

Social Affairs Nov. 22, 2022