N. Korea remains mum on results of key parliamentary session

North Korea has yet to disclose the results of a parliamentary session scheduled for earlier this week as of Thursday, amid speculation over whether leader Kim Jong-un addressed the North's relations with the United States during the meeting. Neither North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency nor the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, a propaganda machine for general domestic readers, had published reports on the Supreme People's Assembly meeting as of 7 a.m. Thursday. The SPA, North Korea's rubber

Jan. 23, 2025

US expert says Trump's NK nuclear power mention 'realistic' view of threat

A prominent US expert said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's recent reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" appears to be a "realistic" view of North Korean threats following a look at how the security challenge has evolved over the last four years. Sydney Seiler, former officer at the US National Intelligence Council, made the remarks after Trump on Monday called Pyongyang a nuclear power -- a term that US officials have mostly refrained from openly using as it could be construed as

Jan. 23, 2025

Quad joint statement omits reference to Korean Peninsula denuclearization

The joint statement of the first Quad foreign ministers' meeting since the launch of the Trump administration this week has not included what had mostly been a fixture: the reaffirmation of their commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The top diplomats of the United States, India, Japan and Australia released the statement on Tuesday following their first meeting in Washington since President Donald Trump was sworn in as the US' 47th president on Monday. The omiss

Jan. 23, 2025

Arrest warrants issued for 56 courthouse riot suspects

Fifty-six people were put under arrest Wednesday on charges of being involved in violence in and around the Seoul Western District Court last weekend during their protests against the formal arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol, police said. Police requested arrest warrants for 58 riot suspects Tuesday and the court approved formal arrests for 56 of them, citing the risk of flight. They are accused of breaking into the courthouse complex early Sunday morning, committing vandalism inside the court,

Jan. 22, 2025

FM Cho, top EU diplomat condemn Russia-NK military cooperation

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone Wednesday with Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief of the European Union, and agreed to make joint efforts to stop the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, Cho's office said. It was the first phone talk between Cho and Kallas, the EU's new high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, since Kallas took office on Dec. 1 as the top diplomat for the 27-member bloc. "They strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation betw

Jan. 22, 2025

S. Korea, Japan, China in talks to hold foreign ministers' meeting in March: report

South Korea, Japan and China are in talks to arrange a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers in late March, a Japanese news report said Wednesday. Japan, the chair for the three-way dialogue platform this year, has shared its plans for the proposed gathering with the governments of its two Asian neighbors, both of which have expressed a positive stance, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported. If realized, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will meet with his counterparts from Japan and China -- T

Jan. 22, 2025

FM Cho discusses alliance, N. Korea with new USFK commander

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with the new top commander of the US Forces Korea on Wednesday and discussed the bilateral alliance and North Korea issues, Cho's office said. In the meeting with Gen. Xavier Brunson, Cho highlighted that the commander's role in leading the US troops in South Korea is important for maintaining and strengthening the alliance and the allies' combined defense posture, the foreign ministry said in a release. Cho also asked the general to do his part to ensure the key

Jan. 22, 2025

[Herald Interview] ‘Democratic Party of Korea preparing to take power’

Democratic Party in Seoul has more in common with US Republican Party, Rep. Lee Un-ju says President Yoon Suk Yeol being removed from office in the Constitutional Court impeachment trial will be a set outcome, and the Democratic Party of Korea is preparing to win back power, according to Rep. Lee Un-ju, one of the top decision-makers of the main opposition party. The three-time lawmaker, who is on the Democratic Party’s seven-member Supreme Council, told The Korea Herald on Tuesday that her part

Jan. 22, 2025

Relocation of Gaza residents to Indonesia not true: embassy

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul has denied claims that some of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants could be relocated to Indonesia as part of postconflict reconstruction efforts. In a press statement shared with The Korea Herald on Wednesday, the embassy underlined that the Indonesian government had neither received any information nor been approached with any plans concerning such a relocation. The statement follows a report by US TV network NBC that Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East

Jan. 22, 2025

Incheon Global Campus achieves record growth in enrollment

Incheon Global Campus, established in 2012 through a collaboration between the South Korean government and Incheon Metropolitan City, has achieved remarkable growth, according to the school. Starting with just 45 students, enrollment surged to 4,192 in 2024, reflecting a 93-fold increase driven by proactive admissions strategies and international outreach. Efforts to attract students have paid off, with the campus reporting a 92.6 percent enrollment rate, up from 87.7 percent last fall. Beyond l

Jan. 22, 2025

Record-breaking overseas travel expected during extended Seollal holiday

This year’s Seollal holiday is set to break travel records, with over 1.3 million Koreans expected to travel abroad between Jan. 24 and Feb. 2. Thanks to the government’s designation of Monday, Jan. 27, as a temporary public holiday, many will enjoy a six-day break, and those taking personal leave on Friday, Jan. 31, can stretch the holiday to a rare nine days. The extended holiday has triggered a surge in demand for international travel, with airport authorities projecting a 13.8 percent increa

Jan. 22, 2025

Video of man giving 108 Buddhist bows for detained president goes viral

A video of a South Korean man giving 108 Buddhist bows of respect to President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the detention facility where he is currently held is going viral online, as many express confusion about his use of a religious tribute traditionally dedicated to the Buddha. The video, posted on a YouTube channel with far-right tendencies, shows an unidentified man bowing in front of the security guards' office at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. "There is even a man perf

Jan. 22, 2025

S. Korea's 'imperial presidency': how it became threat to democracy

Momentum building for reform of 1987 Constitution, with sharp focus on curbing presidential power Suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was formally arrested last week for declaring martial law and faces insurrection charges, once positioned himself as a reformer determined to dismantle South Korea’s entrenched “imperial presidency.” In March 2022, around 50 days before his inauguration, Yoon pledged to “return Cheong Wa Dae, a symbol of imperial power, to the people” and formalized a controver

Jan. 22, 2025

Why didn't police hit back at violent protesters?

Sunday's mob attack on Seoul court exposes policing dilemma in Korea Sunday’s predawn protest by supporters of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol erupted into mob violence after a court issued the formal warrant to detain the president while he is under criminal investigation on charges of leading an insurrection and committing abuse of power. At around 3 a.m., approximately 1,300 supporters of the impeached president stormed the courthouse, hurling bricks and smashing glass and office equipment

Jan. 22, 2025

Ultrafine dust to engulf most of South Korea until Thursday

Fine dust levels to return to normal over weekend Most of South Korea was covered by thick, ultrafine dust for the second consecutive day Wednesday, with such conditions forecast to continue until Thursday, according to the National Institute of Environmental Research. The NIER announced that the density of ultrafine dust particles is forecast to remain at “bad” levels nationwide until Thursday, excluding some eastern coastal regions in Gangwon Province and southern parts of Jeju Island. The per

Jan. 22, 2025