On Sept. 1, Uzbekistan celebrates its 31st anniversary of independence, at a time the country has seen restoration of old values overlooked under the Soviet Union as well as growth in economic and social areas. Ahead of Uzbekistan’s Independence Day, The Korea Herald spoke with Uzbekistan Ambassador to Korea Vitaly Fen at his residence. KH: How do you assess achievements made in Uzbekistan’s 31 years of independence? Fen: Important changes occurred in all areas. Economy continue

  An international tribunal ordered South Korea to pay the US private equity firm Lone Star Funds $216.5 million, officials said Wednesday, bringing an end to a decadelong legal battle surrounding its sell-off of a local bank. The Washington, DC-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) delivered the verdict in the investor-state dispute settlement suit that Lone Star filed in 2012 to demand $4.68 billion in compensation from South Korea's government, accordin

North Korea has held the first meeting of active commanding officers of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG) in three years to review its combat capability, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday. The WPRG is a civil defense organization of around 5.7 million workers and farmers, about a quarter of the country's population. The previous such meeting was held in February 2019. The meeting, held Monday and Tuesday in Pyongyang, was organized to "review the work of the Party organiza

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed There is no state religion in South Korea and over half of Koreans profess no religion. But among those who are religious, the two largest groups are Christianity and Buddhism. According to a census conducted in 2015, 19.7 percent of the country’s population consider themselves Protestant Christians. Together with Roman Catholics, who make up another 7.9 percent of the pop

The national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Hawaii this week to discuss North Korea's nuclear program and other areas of cooperation, the presidential office said Wednesday. National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, on Wednesday and Thursday in the first such meeting since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May. The three will have "in-de

South Korea will lift its current pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers later this week, an official said Wednesday, as the government believes the recent virus wave has passed its peak and the spread of omicron could slow down. The new rule that will take effect Saturday came after a state infectious disease advisory committee recommended the government lift the mandatory pre-travel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for inbound travelers. "All inbound travelers, wh

SUWON -- A court on Wednesday denied an arrest warrant request for a former Gyeonggi Province official accused of misusing corporate credit cards allegedly for personal purposes of the wife of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. The prosecution in Suwon, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, had requested a court warrant to arrest the suspect, identified only by her surname Bae, on charges of occupational breach of trust and violation of election laws. The Suwon District Court refused to issue the warrant,

The new residence of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Hannam-dong, Seoul, and the nearby area has been designated as a military facility protection zone for higher level of security, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Yoon plans to move into the new residence this week and begin commuting from there Thursday, according to sources. Until now, he has been commuting from his private residence in southern Seoul. To be in effect from Wednesday, the designation applies to parts of Hannam-dong

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held a phone conversation with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday, and discussed ways to develop the bilateral ties between the two countries and strengthen their cooperation in defense and nuclear power industries, the presidential office said. The two leaders recognized the two countries have been actively cooperating in economic security areas, particularly in energy, energy infrastructure and defense sectors. In particular, they agreed t

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is raising calls to appoint a special counsel to take over the ongoing investigation into first lady Kim Keon-hee. The main opposition party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun told reporters Monday that if police and prosecutors “don’t do their jobs adequately,” appointing a special counsel to handle the investigations would be “unavoidable.” In a first meeting on the same day, the party’s supreme council

An empty fridge, a sink full of instant noodle packets, and notices for unpaid bills were what filled the home of a 50-something man in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, who was found dead on June 28. His passing added to the growing number of lonely deaths in South Korea, where nearly one-third of all households consist of a single person. Social isolation and loneliness are becoming severe issues in modern society, a problem that ails not just South Korea. In recent years, countries like the United Kingdom

No new significant activity detected at Tunnel No. 3 in Punggye-ri

Controversial project to develop light aircraft carrier is left out in defense spending bill

South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korea International Cooperation Agency will hold the 15th Seoul ODA International Conference on Thursday to discuss the expansion of global development partnership. Held under the theme of “Expanding Horizons for Global Development Partnership,” this year‘s conference will address various aspects of ODA amid rising challenges ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change to increasing regional conflicts. The conference will

As South Korea scrambles to respond to the potential impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act to Korean industries, Seoul agreed to hold formal talks with Washington over the issue. South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong said Monday (US time) the government has delivered strong concerns to the US that the IRA, which excludes electric vehicles built outside of North America from tax benefits, brings "unfair treatment" to Korean electric vehicle makers. "We stres