A slow news day? Look no further than the electronic petition system run by the presidential office for raging public debates on everything from the highly personal request of extending summer vacations to highly divisive and unaddressed grievances that all ask for the immediate attention of the Blue House. The online petition system, which allows people to file a petition anonymously, has seen more than 357,000 petitions made since it was launched in August 2017 by the Moon Jae-in administratio

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2018

The trial of Lim Jong-hun began Monday, marking the first trial in a massive judicial power abuse case involving former top court officials. At the Seoul Central District Court, the first trial was held against Lim, the former deputy head of the National Court Administration, who was indicted Nov. 14 for power abuse, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice, among other charges. Lim was not present in the trial, as it was a preparatory trial. Lim Jong-hun (Yonhap)He is suspected of aiding

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2018

The National Assembly is set to open a plenary session Friday evening to vote on a revised government budget for 2019, having postponed the vote in a bid to get minor parties to participate. The three minor parties vehemently oppose larger parties’ decision to put it to a vote, as they had sought to link the budget bill passage to the introduction of a new proportional representation system.The ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party agreed Thursday to cut some 5.2 tr

Politics Dec. 7, 2018

The Education Ministry announced Thursday that 1,080 new national and public kindergarten classes will open up next year as part of an initiative to lessen dependence on private kindergartens.In a press briefing, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye announced the expansion plan and proposed measures to improve the quality of service at state-operated kindergartens. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye (Yonhap)“The Education Ministry and regional education offices agreed to open 1,080 classes next year. In M

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2018

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province -- When Kim, a worker at a diner, opened the door to look outside at around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, she found the ground was flooded with hot water, and the air was thick with steam.“It was chaos. There was hot muddy water on the ground. And as we tried to evacuate the building, we could not see anything ahead of us because of the steam,” Kim, who only gave her surname, told The Korea Herald on Wednesday.“I cannot fully describe the fear. I thought to myself ‘This is how I’m

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2018

Another elderly Korean victim of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery died Wednesday, a civic commemoration council said. Kim Soon-ok died of natural causes at the age of 97 at Seoul Asan Medical Center, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.  (Yonhap)With Kim’s death, the number of known surviving victim stands at 26. This year alone, five other victims have died, including Kim Bok-deuk in early July. Kim Soon-ok, who was born i

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2018

A former justice minister and a head of South Korea’s leading liquor maker are implicated in the sexual abuse case centering on late actress Jang Ja-yeon, investigators said Tuesday.The special investigation team that reopened the case revealed that the rookie actress met with Park Moon-deok, the head of liquor maker Hite Jinro, as well as Koreana Hotel CEO Bang Yong-hoon and former Justice Minister Kwon Jae-jin, at a dinner in 2008.Kwon, who was a senior prosecutor at the Supreme Prosecutors’ O

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2018

While the main opposition Liberty Korea Party continues to suffer from low approval ratings and factional conflicts, the party is discussing the adoption of a resolution demanding that two of the nation’s former presidents be freed from detention as they await their appeal trials, having already been convicted on various corruption charges. The lawmakers of the conservative party are broadly divided between those “loyal to” ousted former President Park Geun-hye after her impeachment and her oppo

Politics Dec. 4, 2018

Prosecutors raided the offices of two lawyers at the country’s top law firm Kim & Chang last month, reports revealed Monday, amid allegations that they colluded with the top court’s leadership to delay the ruling on Korean victims forced to labor by Japanese firms during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea.According to the prosecution, it carried out a search-and-seizure operation at the offices of Kwak Byung-hoon, a lawyer and former presidential secretary for legal affairs, and a lawyer surnamed Ha

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2018

The prosecution on Monday filed for arrest warrants for former top court justices over their suspected involvement in a massive judiciary power abuse case. It is the first time in Korean history that arrest warrants have been requested for former Supreme Court justices. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it submitted the request early Monday for former Supreme Court Justices Park Byong-dae and Ko Young-han over their alleged abuse of power. They are suspected of colluding with f

Politics Dec. 3, 2018

Following the crash of a firefighting helicopter Saturday, concerns are rising over the safety of the aircraft, which are decades old. 　After taking off from Gimpo Airport at 10:52 a.m. Saturday, a helicopter belonging to the Korea Forest Service crashed into the Han River near Gangdong Bridge at around 11:20 a.m. The helicopter was filling its water tank there, to put out a fire on Yeongchuksan in Nowon, Seoul. The accident left one dead and two injured. Authorities dismantle a helicopter after

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2018

Under the law, a drunk-driving repeat offender caught three times is subject to stricter punishment, even if not convicted, the top court said Sunday.The Supreme Court revealed that it had overturned a lower court’s acquittal of an offender surnamed Kang, who was charged with drunk driving in February last year, his third time being caught for the offence.  (Yonhap)Kang, 35, was indicted for driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.177 percent on Feb. 27 last year. He

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2018

You are what you eat, or so they say. For Buddhist practitioners in Korea, this idea develops further, and eating becomes part of spiritual practice. The dietary culture of Korean Buddhism is not much different from the common Korean cuisine. But its core principles on healthy and humble diet is getting welcomed by nonreligious public, as an independent diet culture. Buddhist nun Hyungmin leads the temple food cooking class at the Korean Temple Food Center on Saturday. (Jo He-rim/The Korea Heral

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2018

The number of foreign residents in Korea is increasing at a fast pace, approaching almost 2 million last year, according to Statistics Korea. Experts forecast the number will reach about 3 million in four years. As the country gains more attention abroad, once-closed Korean society is becoming more accepting of other cultures, with one example being thriving ethnic dining places. However, relationships between Koreans and foreigners appear to be developing at a much slower pace. Members of the p

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2018

South Korea’s top court on Thursday ruled in favor of Korean victims who were forced into labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, ordering a Japanese company to compensate them for their unpaid work and reaffirming that an international treaty does not negate an individual’s rights to seek damages.The Supreme Court upheld two lower court rulings against the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., and ordered payments in the amount of 80 million won ($71,500) to the

Foreign Affairs Nov. 29, 2018