Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a three-time presidential candidate and member of the ruling People Power Party, announced his support for a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, breaking from his party's official stance. As the party reportedly leans toward going against the vote set to be held Saturday afternoon, Ahn urged President Yoon and the party to set a timeline for his resignation and propose a plan for forming a neutral national unity cabinet. "Now that President Yoon has entrusted

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

Kwak Jong-geun, the Special Warfare Commander who led special forces into the Assembly on Tuesday evening, said Friday that there would be no additional martial law and that he will refuse any such orders in the future. Speaking at a YouTube live show hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Sun-won and Kim Byung-joo, members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, Kwak said he received orders from Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to drag lawmakers out of the Assembly, 20 minu

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

The prosecution said Friday it had formed a special investigation unit to probe President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. The unit will be led by Park Se-hyun, chief prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, the office said. The police, meanwhile, said they had assigned some 120 investigators to probe the case, separately from the prosecution.

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

The main opposition Democratic Party said it was considering accusing ruling party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho of treason, accusing him of attempting to obstruct the Assembly's resolution to lift martial law on Wednesday.

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has canceled his trip to Seoul this week, his office said Wednesday. The prime minister had planned to make an official two-day visit to Seoul starting Thursday. Below are the statements from the prime minister's office. ”We have closely followed developments during the night of December 3rd. With recent developments we have concluded that it is better to travel to the Republic of Korea in the future. As in all democracies, political difference

Politics Dec. 4, 2024

Senior officials at the presidential office, including chief of staff, collectively tendered their resignations Wednesday morning in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration and subsequent lifting of martial law. The presidential office told reporters that “Chief of staff and senior secretaries have collectively offered their resignations.” Senior aides reportedly reached a consensus to resign during a meeting of senior secretaries presided over by Chief of Staff Chu

Politics Dec. 4, 2024

Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the ruling People Power Party on Wednesday urged South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to immediately dismiss the minister of national defense, who recommended the declaration of martial law. The former justice minister said all officials accountable for the crisis must face serious consequences, stressing that the president himself should be able to provide a detailed explanation of the situation. "As the ruling party, we deeply apologize to the public for this di

Politics Dec. 4, 2024

South Korea's six opposition parties on Wednesday submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over the martial law declaration the previous day. The six parties - the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, and minor oppositions Rebuilding Korea Party, Reform Party, Jinbo Party, Basic Income Party and Social Democratic Party - plan to put the motion to the plenary session on Thursday, and to put it to the vote on Friday or Saturday. The main opposition had hinted at such a mo

Politics Dec. 4, 2024

Weather forecasting has become essential to daily life, yet climate change is making it more unpredictable than ever. Amid growing uncertainty in weather prediction, Chang Dong-eon, administrator of the Korea Meteorological Administration, believes that the agency’s mission goes beyond delivering accurate forecasts. It also aims to empower individuals to take climate action and to enhance the nation’s overall resilience in facing the climate crisis, he said. “Just this summer,

Social Affairs Nov. 3, 2024

South Korea’s southern island of Jeju is far more than just a scenic vacation destination. It is becoming a test bed for future industries including aerospace and hydrogen vehicles, according to its governor. “You may not have known this, but Jeju is the closest South Korean territory to the equator,” said Oh Young-hoon, governor of Jeju Special Self-governing Province, told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Tuesday. “This means that it is the perfect spot to l

Politics June 13, 2024

[코리아헤럴드=조정은· 정민경· 김아린 기자] “국회의원이 선거에서 얻은 득표 중 90~95%는 당원도, 팬덤도 아닌 일반 국민에 의한 것입니다. 장관도 나이 어린 의원에게 ‘존경하는 의원님’이라고 높여 부르는 이유가 있습니다. 의원은 국민의 대표자이기 때문입니다. 22대 국회가 이를 기억하고 국민 눈높이를 최우선으로 두길 바랍니다.” 김진표 국회의장은 21대 국회 마지막 날인 29일 코리아헤럴드와 만나 이렇게 말했다. 김 의장은 진영·팬덤 정치가 국회를 “지지층을 결집시키고 상대당을 악마화하는 선전장으로 전락시켰다”며 국회의원들이 “당심이 아닌 민심을 듣기를 바란다”고 당부했다. 마지막 본회의가 파행으로 끝난 것에 대해 김 의장은 여야가 “대화와 타협 없이 각자의 입장만 고집하며 목숨을 건 싸움의 정치를 하고 있다”고 했다. 그러면서 김

한국어판 May 31, 2024

Article 1 of South Korea’s National Assembly Act states that the parliament is a representative body of the people. However, Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker of the 21st National Assembly and a political heavyweight with 50 years in public service, views the widespread phenomenon of fandom politics as a major obstacle to the country's representative democracy. He believes this trend is the primary cause of increasing political confrontations, which continue to undermine the spirit of compro

Politics May 30, 2024

Another heir emerging for North Korea besides Kim Jong-un's publicly promoted preteen daughter Ju-ae is unlikely because it would spark confusion within the isolated totalitarian society, according to South Korea's unification minister. During an exclusive 90-minute interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 23, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho underscored the "considerable internal instability" brewing within North Korea, a situation catalyzing the early debut of Ju-ae as candi

North Korea Feb. 28, 2024

In a latest sign of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, a senior Ukrainian police official Sergei Bolvinov said Wednesday that part of a weapon that Russia used to attack Ukraine had Korean writing on it. “Russians continue to use weapons from North Korea in the Kharkiv region,” he said in a Facebook post, alongside a photograph of the wrecked weapon suspected of having been sourced from North Korea. The National Intelligence Service in Seoul believes North Korea beg

Defense Feb. 16, 2024

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho is attempting to change the course of South Korea’s education system by adopting artificial intelligence technology in all public school classrooms, which the minister claims will transform the nation’s hypercompetitive education culture and make it the first country in the world to adopt such measures at scale. Calling it a “paradigm shift,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Monday that the new plan of replacing paper-based te

Social Affairs June 8, 2023