South Korea has an unprecedented record when it comes to the death penalty, allowing a political prisoner on death row to become its president.Late President Kim Dae-jung, who was in office from 1998 to 2003, was sentenced to death in 1980, on treason charges.With a campaign by the international community and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Kim was able to leave the country for the United States two years later.  Chiara Sangiorgio (Courtesy of Amnesty International)T

Kim Jong-un’s handwriting hints at confident, feisty personality, experts say. As the first-ever North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea, every word and gesture by Kim has drawn media attention. After sharing friendly conversations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in walking to the meeting venue, Kim left a handwritten message in the guestbook inside Panmunjeom where their summit is taking place. (Cheong Wa Dae)“A new history begins now. At the starting point of history and the era of

With the coming inter-Korean summit taking place for the first time in 11 years, North Korean defector Kim Ryon-hui‘s hope is high that she may return to Pyongyang to her family.“I was so nervous counting the days to the summit. I believe I will be able to go back to Pyongyang within this year, may be in June. Is my anticipation too high?” she said in a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday. Kim Ryon-hui (Courtesy of Kim Ryon-hui)Kim, 47, has been demanding repatriation to the North

Two Vietnamese women sat nervously in a mock trial on Sunday as they awaited the ruling on their case against South Korea over massacres that took place during the Vietnam War.“Defendant South Korea should pay reparations accordingly to the State Compensation Act and officially recognize its liability (in the massacre) to regain the dignity and honor of the plaintiffs,” Kim Young-ran, former Supreme Court Justice, delivered the ruling as the chief judge of the mock trial.As Kim read out the verd

Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui is likely to be reinvestigated on sex crime charges, of which he had been cleared in 2013, as the Justice Ministry views the previous decision as an apparent misjudgment. A special independent panel at the Ministry of Justice looking into past rulings recommended Tuesday a probe into Kim’s case in which he was accused of multiple charges, including rape, bribery and narcotics use. The committee, which was established by the Moon Jae-in administration in De

With less than two months until the June 13 local elections, foreign residents with voting rights say they lack information on candidates. In 2005, the South Korean government revised the Immigration Control Act to allow non-Korean citizens who have held resident visas (F-5) for at least three years to vote in gubernatorial elections, so that they can claim their rights in their registered local constituencies. The number of eligible foreign voters has tripled since the law came into effect for

Hongik University Station on Line No. 2 had the greatest number of hidden camera crimes reported, followed by Express Bus Terminal Station and Gangnam Station, a local subway operator said Tuesday.According to Seoul Metro, 83 cases of hidden camera crimes -- secretly installed cameras or photos taken without permission -- were reported from Hongik University Station to the subway squad of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency last year. It is the second time the station has topped the list that i

A group of Chinese migrants has been arrested for swindling over 4,600 other Chinese migrants out of billions of won in a fraudulent multilevel investment scheme.Busan Metropolitan Police Agency’s International Criminal Investigation team on Monday said it had arrested a 42-year-old naturalized citizen from China and booked without detention 10 others for fraud and violating fundraising law. The falsified webpage (Busan Metropolitan Police Agency-Yonhap)The suspects are accused of taking 3.2 bil

President Moon Jae-in said Friday he would remove the controversial financial watchdog chief if his overseas trips are found to have been illegal or unethical as a lawmaker. Kim Ki-sik, who was appointed head of the Financial Supervisory Service on April 2, has been under fire for overseas trips in 2014 and 2015, when he was a lawmaker and member of the National Policy Committee. Opposition parties called for Kim’s dismissal, saying the trips had been sponsored by the Korea Exchange, Korea Insti

Although the recent #MeToo movement in Korea has encouraged many to open up about their experiences of sexual assault and harassment, the victims often end up suffering secondary victimization by third parties who cast doubt on their claims and pass judgment.Addressing growing concerns over secondary victimization, a women’s rights activist on Wednesday urged for changes to the law and policies, adding that society should stop expecting victims to behave in a certain way.  (National Police Agenc

Opinions are divided over the government’s announcement that it will change the planned qualification test for taxi drivers over 65 to a medical assessment. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Thursday posted a public notice of a bid to require a medical test for taxi drivers over 65 years of age, rather than the qualification test that was planned for implementation starting next January.(Yonhap)Amid rising concerns by the rate of car accidents involving senior drivers, the mi

The prosecution on Wednesday indicted former President Lee Myung-bak on a series of charges involving tens of billions of won in embezzlement and bribery, making him the fourth Korean president to face criminal charges.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said they had indicted 76-year-old Lee on 16 charges, including violation of election law, tax evasion, abuse of power and leaking of government secrets.The former president, who served from 2008 to 2013, became the fourth president i

Former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in prison and a fine of 18 billion won ($16.8 million) on Friday, over the massive corruption scandal that led to her ouster in March last year. The Seoul Central District Court convicted Park on 16 of 18 charges, which included abuse of power, coercion, bribery and the leaking of government secrets. Prosecutors had demanded 30 years in prison and a fine of 118.5 billion won. The ruling, which was first of its kind made by the lowest court

A Seoul court is to deliver its verdict Friday for former President Park Geun-hye over the massive corruption scandal that led to her ouster last year. The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to start the sentencing hearing at 2:10 p.m. It will be the first ruling by the lowest court to be televised live. Last year, the Supreme Court amended the law to allow broadcasting of a trial if deemed necessary in the public’s interest. Park, 66, faces 18 charges including bribery, abuse of power an

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday announced plans to increase public after-school day care services for children from 7 to 12 years of age to relieve the burdens of households where both parents work.In a policy presentation conference held in Kyungdong Elementary School in Seoul, Moon explained the plan to expand day care services to allow 200,000 more elementary school students to use the services by the end of 2022. President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“The government and the society should be resp