The older brother of Lee Dae-jun, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean soldiers at sea in 2020, asked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a chance to visit the site of the tragedy. In an open letter to Kim, which was made public on Friday, Lee urged to be granted “a chance to pay a visit” and “a moment to pray for him to rest in peace.” He said ...

South Korean lawmakers of the International Parliamentarians’ Coalition for North Korean Refugees and Human Rights on Wednesday called on North Korea to clarify the whereabouts of two North Korean men who were forcibly repatriated in 2019 after their defection was denied by South Korea. In a joint statement, Reps. Ha Tae-keung, Ji Seong-ho, Hong Suk-joon and Hwangbo Seung-hee of the ruling Peopl...

New polls have shown a strong lead for main opposition Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung among voters on the left, while voters on the right did not have a clear favorite. In a Sept. 8-9 poll of 1,004 South Koreans aged 18 and older, conducted by polling company Next Research, 69.7 percent of liberal voters said they wanted Lee to run in the next presidential election. Lee enjo...

The 100-day special counsel investigation into the sexual abuse of Air Force Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram came to a close on Tuesday, with eight officers indicted on new charges. Special counsel Ahn Mi-young told a news conference that the officers of the Air Force’s 20th fighter wing where Lee served appear to have sought to help the perpetrator rather than the victim, and that the military investig...

Suwon prosecutors on Thursday indicted Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung in an investigation into the controversial city development project he pursued as mayor of Seongnam in 2015. The indictment comes less than two weeks after police referred Lee’s case over to the Suwon prosecutors’ office on Aug. 29. Police said they found no evidence to support his claims that the Ministry...

Undeterred by a recent court loss, the ruling People Power Party has decided to move forward with yet another emergency leadership. The party’s top leaders representing constituencies across the country on Thursday voted to bring in an emergency steering committee -- the second to be formed since previous chair Lee Jun-seok was given a six-month suspension in July -- with five-term lawmaker Rep....

The Democratic Party of Korea is seeking a special counsel to investigate first lady Kim Keon-hee while its leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, faces a growing risk of criminal charges. The party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said Wednesday the party would propose a bill to appoint a special counsel to lead the investigation into the first lady’s criminal allegations, the two highest-profile of whi...

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has erupted over the escalating criminal investigation of its leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who decided not to show up for questioning by prosecutors on Tuesday. The Democratic Party’s chief spokesperson Rep. Ahn Ho-young said in a statement Tuesday that Lee was not going to appear at the Seoul prosecutors’ office for the questioning session a...

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea reported President Yoon Suk-yeol to Seoul prosecutors on Monday, claiming that his denial of criminal allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee during the election campaign amounted to promulgation of false information. The Democratic Party filed a report asking the prosecutors’ office to look into whether Yoon had lied while he was a president...

친형 이래진 씨, 13일부터 6일간 방미 웜비어 부모, “집으로 맞이할 것” [코리아헤럴드=김아린 기자] 북한에 억류됐다 사망한 미국인 대학생 오토 웜비어 씨의 부모가 서해에서 북한군에 피살된 해양수산부 공무원 이대준 씨의 친형 이래진 씨를 자택으로 초청했다. 웜비어 씨의 부친 프레드 웜비어 씨는 2일 코리아헤럴드에 “신디(오토 웜비어 씨의 모친)와 나는 이래진 씨를 우리 집으로 맞이하고 싶다(would welcome Mr. Lee in our home)”면서 “우리는 그를 지지하며 그가 자랑스럽다(support him and are proud of him)”고 말했다. 오는 13일 부터 6일 동안 방미가 예정된 이씨는 앞서 웜비어 측에 만남을 제안했다. 이에 대해 웜비어 측은 자택 초청으로 화답했...

Fred and Cindy Warmbier, whose son Otto died in 2017 after he was held captive in North Korea, and Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of a South Korean fisheries official who was fatally shot by North Korean troops at sea in 2020, plan to meet next week. In an exchange with The Korea Herald, Fred Warmbier said Friday he and his wife, Cindy, “would be happy to meet with” Lee, and that they “would wel...

Elizabeth Salmon, the newly appointed United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, said during her first press conference on Friday in Seoul that she would use her mandate to better protect the rights of women and girls in North Korea. “I am particularly determined to bring more attention to the experiences of women and girls, to improve understanding of their ...

The head of the national human rights watchdog said Friday that the petition regarding the 2019 deportation of two North Korean fishermen had to be dismissed due to “inherent limitations.” At the press conference marking the completion of his first year in office, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea’s Chairperson Song Doo-hwan said that dismissing the petition was a decision “that had ...

South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties kicked off the first National Assembly regular session under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration on Thursday, feuding over the North Korea human rights agenda and criminal justice reforms. The ruling People Power Party will likely have a diminished influence over legislation and other political decisions as the majority of National Assembly is controlled...

Seoul prosecutors on Thursday searched the Presidential Archives in the widening investigation into the case of Lee Dae-jun, a South Korean fisheries official who was fatally shot and burned by North Korean troops at sea in September 2020. The prosecutors searched the presidential records to look for evidence relating to the Moon Jae-in administration’s determination that the slain fisheries off...