People Power Party at an advantage, but close-fought presidential race raises hope for Democratic Party

The state human rights watchdog has recommended that the government include transgender-related data when compiling national statistics so as to better understand their situation and draw up government policy for them, officials said Monday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) made the recommendation to the health, interior and gender ministries as well as Statistics Korea, while asking the prime minister to come up with such a guideline on the issue. "Transgender people e

The government has seized a total of 150.6 billion won ($112.5 million) in unfair profits from real estate speculation after a yearlong investigation into speculative deals involving over 6,000 offenders, a special government probe team announced Monday. The police-led inter-agency team of over 1,500 personnel, including tax and financial authorities, announced the results of its investigation launched in March last year in the wake of an explosive corruption scandal at the state-run LH, or Kore

Cheong Wa Dae, a symbol of South Korea's presidential authority for over seven decades, is set to vanish into history in May when it turns into a public park upon the inauguration of Yoon Suk-yeol as the new president. Yoon announced his decision Sunday to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan, central Seoul, saying the vast green area in the heart of Seoul will be returned to citizens after his May 10 inauguration. Cheong Wa Dae, situated at the foot of Mount Bukak behi

South Korea's defense ministry and state spy agency raised their cybersecurity readiness levels on Monday amid concerns over potential online incursions at a time of a presidential transition in Seoul. The ministry elevated the cyberspace protection condition (CPCON) by a notch to Level 3, the third highest in the five-tier system. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reinforced its own security alert to Level 2, the second lowest in the four-tier system. The adjustments came as cyberspace ha

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday named a former Washington correspondent as his spokesperson for foreign press. Kang In-sun, former chief of the Washington bureau for the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, is expected to help promote Yoon's administrative philosophy overseas, based on her diverse experience covering political, social and cultural affairs, Yoon's spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said during a press briefing. Yoon also named Kim Il-bum, former vice president at SK Supex Council Global Growth C

 President Moon Jae-in is expected to hold comprehensive discussions about successor-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae when they hold a meeting, a senior aide to Moon said Monday. Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication, made the remark to YTN radio, stressing that Cheong Wa Dae remains unchanged in its position to respect Yoon's election pledges and the direction he's going to steer state affairs. "If th

The government will introduce the oral antiviral medicine Lagevrio for 100,000 patients this week while seeking an early procurement of additional oral COVID-19 medicine, Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said Monday. The planned introduction of the medicine by American multinational pharmaceutical company MSD, also known as Molnupiravir, comes amid rising demand for such oral COVID-19 medicine, the minister said during a COVID-19 response meeting. Over the weekend, the Ministry of Food and Drug

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said he plans to meet with officials of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition team to ensure a smooth transfer of the administration. Kim made the remark to reporters before departing from Doha for Seoul following a five-day visit to Turkey and Qatar when asked what he is going to take care of first after returning home. Kim, who is scheduled to arrive back home later Monday, did not provide details on how he is going to meet them and when, but he is expected to

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases dropped to the 200,000s for the first time in 10 days Monday due to less testing over the weekend, but concerns remain high that infections could spike again, as the government eased social distancing rules this week. The country reported 209,169 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 9,582,815, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's tally marked a sharp decline from a record high of 621,281 reported Thursday. The

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a Korea Herald series exploring the city’s subway stations and surrounding areas. -- Ed.  An exotic scene created by the mixture of Korean and Chinese culture unfolds when walking out of Exit 12 at Daerim Station on subway lines No. 2 and 7 in southwestern Seoul. Large restaurants with colorful signs written in Chinese sell hot pot and lamb skewers, dishes that have become increasingly popular among Koreans in recent years. Small shops f

Residents of affected areas try to gauge impact on real estate prices, traffic, commercial districts

North Korean hackers launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms last year and stole nearly $400 million worth of digital assets, according to a blockchain data firm report submitted to the US Senate. 　 The heist marked a 40 percent increase from 2020 when it stole about $300 million, according to Jonathan Levin, co-founder of Chainalysis, in a written testimony submitted to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban affairs for a hearing on digital assets and illicit fi

North Korea on Sunday fired four suspected shots from multiple rocket launchers into the Yellow Sea, South Korean military officials said, the latest in a series of provocations that could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula. “There were shots believed to be that of North Korea’s multiple rocket launchers this morning,” an official of the South Korean military said. “We are maintaining our defense readiness posture while closely following related developments,&rdq

Crematoriums, funeral homes struggle to keep pace as deaths pile up