Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea are facing an inquiry over claims that they tried to cajole the bereaved family of Lee Dae-jun -- a fisheries official who was fatally shot by North Korean troops at sea in 2020 -- into admitting that he had attempted to defect to North Korea. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea confirmed to The Korea Herald that it began an inquiry into the claims after a receiving a petition from a civic group last week. The inquiry from

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections are going up again, ending the downward trend that continued since the omicron-driven wave that pushed up daily cases to over 620,000 in March. As the daily counts continue to increase, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s new antivirus measures will be put to the test soon. Over the last week, the increases in the county’s daily infections speeded up. On Monday, the number of COVID-19 infections went up just by 586 from the previous wee

Over the weekend, northwestern Seoul saw an outbreak of lovebug, a type of march fly. The packs of flies, mostly flying in pairs, were seen across the northwestern Seoul area, in places like Eunpyeong-gu, Seodaemun-gu and the neighboring Gyeonggi area. Lovebugs are a species of march fly. While their scientific name is plecia nearctica, they are nicknamed lovebugs because matured pairs remain together for several days after mating. Though they are not toxic or harmful, they have invaded re

SNU law professor nominated as antitrust watchdog chief

Personnel affairs, party’s internal strife, economic difficulties eat away at support for the president

Last-minute deal puts legislature back to work after monthlong hiatus

N. Korea beefing up antivirus measures in border areas after major announcement 　

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Monday rejected a request from former interim leader Park Ji-hyun that she be allowed to run for party chairmanship at an upcoming national convention despite her lack of qualification. Park, a 26-year-old politician seen as a symbol of generational change in the DP, has declared her bid for the party's chairmanship, a month after she stepped down as the party's interim leader following its crushing defeat in last month's local election

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 10,000 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend. The country added 6,253 new COVID-19 infections, including 164 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,395,864, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's tally declined from 10,059 the previous day but nearly doubled from 3,423 a week ago. The daily count tends to fall on Mondays and Sundays due to fewer tests on the weekend before rising toward the

In recent weeks, the Korean Peninsula had two situations going on in the South and North. South Korea was holding its first summit on May 21 with US President Joe Biden in Seoul, just 10 days after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration. The two leaders agreed on escalating the alliance into a “Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance.” South Korea has decided to cooperate with the US in high-tech fields and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). They also agreed to resta

Since China overtook Japan in terms of economy in 2010, Japan‘s vigilance and checks against China have been visibly rising. Mostly, the two countries have a wide gap regarding issues surrounding the East China Sea, South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The Russia-Ukraine war re-emphasizes the importance of traditional Japanese geopolitics. In addition, technological competition -- the core of supply chain and future hegemony -- intensifies Japan’s foreign and security policies an

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will decide soon on whether to appoint his health minister nominee amid allegations she diverted political funds for personal use. Kim Seung-hee is under investigation by prosecutors for allegedly using her political funds when she was a lawmaker to pay for her husband's car insurance and car rental fee in violation of the Political Funds Act. The nominee has denied any wrongdoing, saying there was an accounting error. "When it comes to the bigges

The rival parties were looking to reach a last-minute compromise Monday to end an impasse in parliamentary committee formations that has left the National Assembly in limbo for more than a month. The floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) failed to reach an agreement on the issue Sunday, though they agreed to hold negotiations until a National Assembly plenary session is convened in the afternoon. The DP, which holds 170 out of 299 seat

South Korea and the United States will hold the first session of their newly launched economic security dialogue in Washington this week, the presidential office said Monday. The dialogue channel was established as part of a summit agreement between President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden in May, and aims to help the two countries deepen cooperation on economic and energy security. Wang Yun-jong, presidential secretary for economic security, will leave for Washington on Wednesday and

A Seoul court has ordered rapper Dok2, famously known for his extravagant lifestyle on media, to pay an unpaid jewelry bill to an overseas jeweler, legal sources said Monday. Upholding a lower court's ruling, the Seoul Southern District Court delivered a mandatory mediation, ordering the 31-year-old, Lee Joon-kyung, to pay $34,740 to the jeweler based in Los Angeles. The court's mandatory mediation was delivered last month and took effect Friday after a two-week grace period, they said