The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is considering sending a letter to US Congress to voice concerns over the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that is feared to hurt South Korean automakers, a lawmaker said Wednesday. "The government and the ruling party are considering sending a letter to US Congress to request cooperation based on the spirit of the South Korea-US alliance to swiftly resolve the issue," Rep. Han Moo-kyung, the PPP's leader on the parliamentary trade and industry

SUWON -- The wife of Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung has been asked to appear before prosecutors for questioning about allegations on her personal use of a provincial government's corporate credit cards years ago, informed officials said Wednesday. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, sent the summons to Kim Hye-kyung on the day, the officials said, adding the requested attendance date has yet to be confirmed. Kim is reportedly facing a

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) decided Wednesday to introduce a bill later in the day mandating an independent counsel probe of first lady Kim Keon-hee over allegations of stock manipulation and other irregularities, the party's floor leader said. The move is seen as a counterattack against the administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol conducting a prosecution investigation of DP leader Lee Jae-myung, which the party has denounced as "political revenge" against the form

INDEPENDENCE DAY -- Brazilian Ambassador Marcia Donner Abreu delivers remarks to commemorate her country’s 200th anniversary of independence at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on Thursday. Brazil gained independence from Portugal on Sept. 7, 1822. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)

North Korea bristled Wednesday at the United States having taken issue with its human rights situation, calling the move a "grave provocation." In July, a US State Department spokesperson expressed concerns over the North's rights situation following Seoul's appointment of a new envoy for the reclusive state's human rights. A researcher at the North's Korea Association for Human Rights Studies dismissed the remarks and accused Washington of using the issue to streng

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest for a Wednesday figure in seven weeks, as the virus trend is weakening at a mild pace. The country reported 85,540 new COVID-19 infections, including 343 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,791,961, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally is down from 99,837 the previous day and the lowest since 76,361 counted on July 20. The daily infection numbers have been on the decline aft

South Korea has approved a civic group's plan to send nutritional aid to North Korea, a unification ministry official said Wednesday, the first such decision under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration launched in May. "Last month, we approved a civilian group's application for assistance related to nutritional materials," the official said, without providing details, such as the name of the group. The ministry has already approved seven similar requests from aid organizations thi

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday called for the public to remain vigilant to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the four-day Chuseok fall harvest holiday starting later this week. The government plans to open about 6,000 "one-stop" COVID-19 treatment centers, where people can take virus tests, get in-person medical care services and receive antiviral drugs, during the holiday, Han told a virus response meeting. Some 30,000 pharmacies will open during the holiday that begins

Nine people have been pulled from a flooded parking garage in the southeastern city of Pohang, two of them alive, with the seven others having died after being found in cardiac arrest, as the search continued for any remaining victims in the wake of Typhoon Hinnamnor. All of them had been trapped in the underground parking lot at an apartment complex in Pohang, about 270 km southeast of Seoul, after going there to move their cars amid heavy downpours brought on by the typhoon. Rescue workers sea

WASHINGTON -- Russia has reached out to North Korea and Iran, a US defense department spokesperson said Tuesday, in its apparently desperate search for ammunition. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder insisted Moscow's request for ammunition from North Korea demonstrates the difficulties Russia now faces due to its ongoing war against Ukraine. "We do have indications that Russia has approached North Korea to request ammunition," the department press secretary said in a press briefing. "I

Two out of seven reported to be missing in an underground parking lot of an apartment complex were found alive and conscious as of 9:41 p.m. after spending hours in the flooded space in Pohang, one of the heaviest-stricken region with the passing of Typhoon Hinnamnor, fire and rescue authorities said Tuesday. Soon after the announcement, three more were found and sent to a local hospital but remain unconscious, but they turned out not to be among the seven who went missing at the under

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with new US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and pending issues, his office said. Han requested Washington's special interest and consideration for South Korean firms entering the US market following the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from subsidies. The IRA, signed by US President Joe Biden in August, gives tax credits to buyers of E

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has erupted over the escalating criminal investigation of its leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who decided not to show up for questioning by prosecutors on Tuesday. The Democratic Party’s chief spokesperson Rep. Ahn Ho-young said in a statement Tuesday that Lee was not going to appear at the Seoul prosecutors’ office for the questioning session and that he would opt to give written responses instead. Ahn then characterized th

Tashkent on Tuesday hosted a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) expert forum on information security to explore joint measures to counter challenges and threats to cybersecurity, according to the Uzbek Embassy in Korea. Ahead of the forum, the agency for information and mass communications affiliated with the Uzbekistan president's office held a press conference on Monday stressing it was part of the practical implementation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's initiative presented

Myers-Briggs personality types used by some as tool to predict romantic compatibility