North Korea is already prepared to conduct another nuclear test, but is biding its time to gain leverage in negotiations with China and other powers, according to Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who was elected into the South Korean parliament after defecting in 2016. At a press conference on Thursday, Tae said that whether North Korea decides to test its nuclear weapons for the...

Candidate registration opened Thursday for the ruling People Power Party's leadership election, with two main contenders, Reps. Kim Gi-hyeon and Ahn Cheol-soo, running neck and neck in the race to head the party through next year's general elections. The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol is watching the race closely as it wants a Yoon loyalist to lead the party through the parliamentary election...

The push by the administration of previous President Moon Jae-in to take away investigative powers from the National Intelligence Service is being rolled back under President Yoon Suk Yeol, Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers claimed Wednesday. Opposition party Reps. Youn Kun-young and Kim Eui-kyeom of the National Assembly’s intelligence committee reiterated in a conference that the top spy ser...

The government announced a set of measures Wednesday to help the country's vulnerable people to cope with a spike in heating and energy bills. The move came amid a mounting public outcry over higher heating bills caused by a global surge in gas and energy prices. The measures, among other things, call for doubling the value of energy vouchers for vulnerable people and the amount of heating bill...

First lady Kim first visited Rotha’s home in Cambodia in November 2022 on the occasion of Yoon’s trip to Southeast Asia to attend summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20. Rotha, who suffered from congenital heart disease, underwent surgery in Cambodia in 2018. However, he could not continue receiving follow-up treatments due to difficult family circumstances, an...

Growing calls for South Korea’s independent nuclear buildup, a discussion that had left the country more divided than united, now offer policymakers latitude to widen the nuclear debate, experts said Tuesday as South Korea steps up efforts for a more powerful military to contain North Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in S...

An arrest warrant is being sought after four individuals accused of operating a spy ring for North Korea, according to a Seoul court on Tuesday. The Seoul central district court opened a hearing at 3 p.m. to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant requested by prosecutors for the four accused spies for North Korea. The court may take longer than a day to make a decision on the prosecutors’ ...

Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the ruling People Power Party said Tuesday he will not run for party leader. Yoo, a former four-term lawmaker considered a key critic of President Yoon Suk Yeol in the People Power Party, made the announcement in a Facebook post, saying there is no point in running and he will wait patiently for a better time. Surveys have shown Yoo is trailing way behind the main contende...

Lee Shin-wha, South Korean ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human rights, said the situation of women and girls in North Korea “deserves a special focus” ahead of a Seoul conference on Monday. “The state of human rights is alarming in North Korea, and especially so for women,” she told The Korea Herald. “More North Korean women now contribute to the household economy as b...

The presidential office has sued the main opposition Democratic Party spokesperson for defaming first lady Kim Keon Hee over her alleged involvement in stock manipulation. Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom earlier claimed that the first lady was involved in a so-called "pump and dump" scam involving Woori Technology shares listed on Kosdaq, South Korea's tech-heavy secondary bourse, in addition to her ...

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell for the third straight week in the wake of a spike in heating bills, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,504 adults conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Wednesday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance dipped 1.7 percentage points from the previous week to 37 percent. Yoon's disapproval rating was 59.8 percent, adding 1 per...

The case concerns a state-sponsored land redevelopment plan to build a residential complex in Daejang-dong in southwestern Seongnam. The city-approved plan had allowed an inexperienced asset management company, Hwacheon Daeyu, to take larger total dividends than a public-sector company, even though Hwacheon Daeyu and its related parties held only a combined 7 percent stake in the consortium, whi...

NIS raid of umbrella labor union rekindles debate

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the ruling People Power Party is leading in the race for party leadership, but support for runner-up Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo also jumped twofold after strong contender Na Kyung-won bowed out, a poll showed Friday. Kim was ahead of the others with 40 percent in the poll of 422 People Power Party supporters conducted by Realmeter between Wednesday and Thursday. Ahn, who placed thi...

The Ministry of Justice said Thursday that it will push for legislation of a new law that prohibits sex offenders from living closely to schools and establish a unit to oversee overall immigration policies. The so-called "Korean Jessica Act," calls for preventing high-risk sex offenders from residing within 500 meters of education facilities that involves minors -- elementary, middle, and high s...