The Korea Herald

안녕하세요 Shin Hyon-hee 기자입니다.

Articles by Shin Hyon-hee

N. Korean leader seeks to solidify power, legitimacy

North KoreaFeb 12, 2013

North Korea’s third nuclear test on Tuesday is expected to reinforce the power base of Kim Jong-un, one year after the young leader took over the communist dynasty. The explosion, conducted just ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, flouted international warnings against any further detonation and prompted an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting in New York to formulate a stronger, more enforceable response. It came merely three months after the regime successfully l
Nuke test deals blow to China

North KoreaFeb 12, 2013

North Korea’s third nuclear test is expected to further erode China’s patience toward the runaway ally as Beijing comes under mounting pressure to join international action against the communist country’s blunt provocations. China strongly criticized the Tuesday blast, warning against “additional actions that could cause the situation to further deteriorate.”“Heedless of widespread international opposition, (North Korea) has again carried out a nuclear test, to which the Chinese government expre
Chinese women largest group of marriage immigrants

Feb 11, 2013

Korea saw the highest number of international marriages between Korean men and Chinese women over the last 10 years, while more Korean women married Japanese men.According to Statistics Korea, the number of marriages between Korean men and Chinese women reached 130,230 between 2002 and 2011. Observers speculate that the high rate is related to the increase in the number of ethnic Koreans in China who visit or stay in Korea.This figure is followed by Korean marriages with Vietnamese women at 59,6
Seoul hints at N.K. nuke test this week

North KoreaFeb 11, 2013

A senior security official on Monday put aside North Korea’s latest mixed signals over its threatened nuclear test, saying a “critical point” in the conjuncture will come this week.The communist country is believed to have completed technical preparations at its test site in the northwest town of Punggye. World attention is now focused on just when it will set off a third blast. “Only Workers’ Party first secretary Kim Jong-un knows when North Korea will test its nuclear device,” the official wa
N.K. sends mixed signals

North KoreaFeb 7, 2013

In a familiar tactic of coupling saber-rattling and peace overtures, North Korea called for the incoming Seoul government’s efforts to put cross-border relations back on track amid signs of its impending nuclear test. The Choson Sinbo, a Tokyo-based mouthpiece for the communist regime, said Wednesday that the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue hinged on Seoul’s attitude under President-elect Park Geun-hye. “In the wake of the United Nations Security Council sanctions, the new government’s behav
Dispute grows over Park’s government reform plan

PoliticsFeb 6, 2013

President-elect Park Geun-hye’s plan to reorganize the government structure faces intensifying resistance from state agencies as politicians, even from her own party, criticize her dogmatic style. The ambitious measures sparked protests across ministries and offices handling foreign policy and trade, education and science, broadcasting and communication, and nuclear energy. They voiced concerns that administrative efficiency, industrial competitiveness and regulatory independence would hurt. But
Korea protests Japan’s plan for new office on territorial issues

Foreign affairsFeb 5, 2013

Korea on Wednesday called on Japan to rescind its plan to set up a new government body responsible for territorial sovereignty policies to reinforce its claim to neighboring islands including Dokdo. The Foreign Ministry expressed regret, calling the plan “unacceptable.” Japan’s NHK reported that the organization would be installed within the Cabinet Secretariat. It said the office will deal with policies on the Korean islets in the East Sea, the Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea cl
[Newsmaker] From gentle bureaucrat to unlikely crusader?

Foreign affairsFeb 5, 2013

Well known for his dovish and docile temperament, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan took center stage after going head-to-head with the mighty presidential transition team on Monday over its plan to unhitch trade functions from his agency. The controversy pivots around President-elect Park Geun-hye’s envisioned transfer of the ministry’s trade-related operations to a newly expanded Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which will be renamed the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy. After weeks of appare
N.K. may stage multiple nuke tests

North KoreaFeb 5, 2013

President Lee Myung-bak believes North Korea could detonate multiple devices when it goes ahead with a nuclear test expected in the coming weeks or even days.In an interview published Tuesday in the Chosun Ilbo daily, the outgoing president also acknowledged the huge challenge the international community faces in seeking to wean Pyongyang off its nuclear weapons program.The North has signaled that it will carry out a “higher level” nuclear test very soon, in a defiant response to UN sanctions im
N.K.’s nuke test feared to hamper Park’s hope to engage Pyongyang

North KoreaFeb 5, 2013

If North Korea conducts a third nuclear test, South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye’s pledge for engagement with the communist regime would be revoked, experts said Tuesday, urging Pyongyang to change its policy of confrontation.Tense inter-Korean relations following the North’s two military attacks on South Korea in 2010 have worsened with Pyongyang’s recent threat to carry out a nuclear test. Park has pledged to seek more engagement with North Korea than her predecessor. “If North Korea u
Punggye-ri ideal location for nuclear weapons tests: experts

North KoreaFeb 5, 2013

North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test complex is an ideal place to conduct underground atomic detonations due to its geological features and isolated location, South Korean observers said.Observers in the military and government said Pyongyang selected the region and started constructing the site likely over two decades ago, although the certain date is not known. From the 1990s onward, the South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies have been closely observing the site. The site was used by the
N.K.’s uranium bomb test would raise stakes

Foreign affairsFeb 5, 2013

As North Korea warns that it plans its third nuclear test since 2006, outside governments and analysts are trying to determine a crucial question: Just what will Pyongyang’s scientists explode?The last two tests are believed to have been of plutonium devices, but the next logical step for Pyongyang’s ambitious nuclear program could be to conduct a highly enriched uranium explosion. That would be a major accomplishment for North Korea ― and a worrying development that would raise already high sta
N.K. nuclear threats put Beijing to test

North KoreaFeb 4, 2013

As North Korea’s third nuclear test looms large, China is coming under all too familiar pressure to convince its unruly ally to change course or lend impetus to the next batch of international sanctions. Beijing has for decades been propping up Pyongyang by supplying food, fuel and other necessities and providing political backing in the face of its provocations. With stability being its top priority in the region, China’s patronage has also helped boost its clout over its reclusive neighbor.Tho
N.K. hints at imminent nuclear test

North KoreaFeb 3, 2013

North Korea said Sunday its leader Kim Jong-un has made an “important decision to defend national security and sovereignty,” furthering speculation about an imminent nuclear test.The young ruler convened an extended meeting of the Central Military Commission to discuss measures to “revere our party’s songun (military-first) revolutionary leadership and bring off a great changeover in increasing military power,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said. During the meeting, Kim reached
Army officer found dead after missing for weeks

Social affairsFeb 3, 2013

An Army officer was found dead on Sunday after he had been missing for more than a month, officials said. Park Jin-woong, a 25-year-old second lieutenant, was found to have apparently hanged himself from a tree while still in his uniform on a hill about 1 kilometer from his unit in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. The border town is about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul.Park, who had been a platoon leader, disappeared at around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29 before he was scheduled to begin search and ambush