Political bigwigs on Tuesday flocked to Bongha, a neighborhood in South Gyeongsang Province some 290 kilometers south of Seoul, to honor the late President Roh Moo-hyun who took his own life 14 years ago today. President Yoon Suk Yeol sent flowers, his office said, and the previous President Moon Jae-in attended the memorial ceremony held in Bongha -- Roh’s hometown where he returned after the end of his presidential tenure in 2008. Leaders of both the ruling People Power Party and the Dem

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vowed to enhance protection and authority of law enforcement officials, while strongly criticizing large-scale protests by unionized workers as disruptions to public order. Citing the massive rally of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions last week as an example, Yoon said during a livestreamed Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, “It will be difficult for the people to accept the behavior of a protest that violates the public’s freedom and basic rights a

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Corporate Restructuring Promotion Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Jong-min (Democratic Party of Korea) ● The Corporate Restructuring Promotion Act was initially enacted in 2001 to enable autonomous restructuring between financial creditors and companies. Due to its effectiveness in normalizing the operations of financially troubled companies and reducing damage to vulnerable groups such as subcontractors and general commercial investors, this act was extended fiv

Union confederation leaders indicted for alleged collusion with North Korea

S. Korea's oldest port city mulls various policies to welcome tourists, foreign residents and even bilingual city for English and Korean speakers

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to send a wreath of flowers to a memorial service scheduled for this week for late former President Roh Moo-hyun, a presidential official said Monday. The ceremony, marking the 14th year since Roh's death, will be held in the southeastern rural village of Bongha on Tuesday. It is expected to be attended by a large number of politicians. "Senior presidential political affairs secretary Lee Jin-bok from the presidential office will attend the event,"

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose for the fourth consecutive week, a poll showed Monday, amid positive feedback on his handling of diplomatic and security issues. This marks the first time since taking office in May 2022 that Yoon's approval rating has shown an upward trend for four weeks in a row. In the poll of 2,504 adults aged 18 and older conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 2.2 percentage

North Korean brothers who brought their family members out of the country earlier this month are late millennials, part of the tech-savvy younger generation of North Korea who have increased access to external information. Sources with knowledge of the latest defections told The Korea Herald on Sunday that it was the two brothers in their early 30s who had made the decision to leave North Korea with their family. The sources said that the brothers told Seoul officials here in a screening intervi

President Yoon Suk Yeol and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held talks meant to discuss efforts for denuclearizing North Korea and improving economic ties, as they mark 140 years of relations in Seoul on Sunday. As of press time, details of the discussion had not been disclosed. Yoon’s spokesperson Lee Doo-woon previously said, “The summit is an opportunity to deepen cooperation over economic security and also over regional and global issues.” Lee was referring to supply chain co

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed hope Saturday to expand cooperation in nuclear power, technology and other areas, the presidential office said. Yoon and Sunak met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima and discussed a wide range of issues, including bilateral relations, strengthening practical cooperation, international affairs, and cooperation on the global stage, according to the presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon. Yo

A popular South Korean talk show featuring North Korea escapees motivated a group of North Koreans to flee their repressive home country earlier this month, they were quoted as telling Seoul officials in a screening interview. Nine North Koreans, who are related to each other, were being investigated here after they crossed a sea border west of the peninsula, Seoul officials said Thursday. Sources with knowledge of the interview told The Korea Herald it was a pair of brothers who took the initia

South Korean intelligence authorities believe a Chinese restaurant in Seoul’s central Songpa secretly served as an overseas police station for China, according to a lawmaker. Speaking anonymously to The Korea Herald, the lawmaker said the National Intelligence Service believes the restaurant in Seoul “virtually functioned” as a secret police station for the Chinese government. The NIS declined to comment on the lawmaker's statement. After the restaurant was pegged as a cla

A 21-member team of South Korean experts are visiting Japan for six days from Sunday to inspect safety of the waste water from the quake-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant to be released into the Pacific. According to the Prime Minister’s office on Friday, the team comprises experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. Over the course of six days the South Korean experts will meet with Tokyo Electric Power Company officials

Partisanship put aside on anniversary of 1980 bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests

A ruling from South Korea's top court on Thursday has stripped Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the ruling People Power Party of his position as a lawmaker representing the city of Yeoju and Yangpyeong County, both in Gyeonggi Province. The Supreme Court upheld the high court's decision, convicting the accountant for Kim's election campaign, surnamed Lee, of excessive campaign finance and expenses during the election campaign in 2020, under the Public Official Election Act. Lee was imposed wit