Minor party unveils bill to impeach Supreme Court chief

Minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party on Monday unveiled a draft of a motion to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, while the while the Democratic Party has begun to gather opinions on Jo's impeachment. The Rebuilding Korea Party urged the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to join forces to propose the motion to end what it called a "judiciary coup" against President Lee Jae Myung. In the draft, Rebuilding Korea Party claimed that Jo failed to maintain political impartiality when the

2026-10-19 14:35:27:00

Choo's firefighter comments open ruling party to attack

A remark by Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae that appeared to disparage firefighters as a drain on public resources has left the ruling bloc struggling to contain the fallout, with her subsequent apology sparking further anger. During a National Assembly audit of the provincial government last week, Choo had called the fire service the "biggest and troubling fiscal drain" on resources. Choo apologized after paying her respects at the funeral of Kim Jin-seok, a 44-year-old firefighter who died a

2026-10-18 14:58:04:00

Where pale gold meets sapphire blue

VALLETTA, Malta ― In the bustling streets and alleys of Valletta, throngs of tourists stroll between centuries-old buildings made of pale, golden limestone, often with sweeping views of the sapphire-blue Mediterranean in the background. Defensive walls line the rocky shores of Malta's peninsular capital, which stretches northward into the shimmering sea. On the southern side of the capital, towering stone walls rise above deep moats that separate the city from the rest of the island. Within thes

2026-10-17 16:00:00:00

Parliament nods through new crime agency chief

The National Assembly on Thursday adopted a confirmation report to approve Kim Ji-yong as the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency. The Security and Public Administration Committee of the National Assembly adopted the report Thursday afternoon, a day after a 12-hour confirmation hearing on Kim, a former career prosecutor. During his confirmation hearing, Kim denied that he had a close relationship with former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is now incarcerated in connection wit

2026-10-15 15:21:00:00

Hangang Bus, housing crisis take center stage in Seoul city audit

Seoul's water transportation service Hangang Bus and the housing affordability crisis took center stage in the parliamentary audit of Seoul's municipal government on Thursday. At the audit, ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers targeted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, raising the possibility of his involvement in corruption allegations concerning Hangang Bus. The main opposition People Power Party, of which Oh is a member, hailed the soft landing of the Hangang Bus operation, and instead focused on

2026-10-15 15:03:11:00

2-term lawmaker receives 2 1/2 jail term for pay-to-play scandal

Rep. Kang Sun-woo, a two-term independent lawmaker formerly of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, was handed a 30-month jail term Wednesday for her role in an alleged pay-to-play corruption scandal. Kang was imprisoned immediately after the district court announced its verdict, and will lose her parliamentary seat if the ruling on her violation of the Political Funds Act is confirmed. Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won ($74,860) from former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung, as Kang ha

2026-10-14 17:40:15:00

Crime agency chief nominee vows to avoid selective investigations

Kim Ji-yong, nominee to head the newly established Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, said Wednesday that he would avoid selective investigations to leave no one falsely accused of crimes. Kim said during the confirmation hearing at the National Assembly that he was aware of public concerns about investigations with political intentions to selectively pressure specific figures. "If outcomes in our investigations do not constitute a crime, we will not hesitate to decisively close the case," sai

2026-10-14 15:38:07:00

How far are we from 'seamless travel'?

VALLETTA, Malta ― The time is ripe to employ new technologies for a "seamless travel" experience, said industry leaders attending last week's World Travel and Tourism Council Summit 2026 in Valletta, Malta. "We don't have to choose between security and seamless travel. We can have both," Gloria Guevara, chief executive officer of the WTTC and Mexico's former culture minister, said at the summit Thursday. "We want to create a world where travel is seamless, ... where countries unlock their full p

2026-10-14 09:00:24:00

[Exclusive] E-9 workers near border up 52% since 2021

The number of nonprofessional foreign workers on E-9 visas in border regions is growing as much as nine times faster than the national average, data showed Tuesday, According to Labor Ministry data compiled by Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the People Power Party and obtained by The Korea Herald, the number of E-9 visa holders in 17 administrative divisions along the inter-Korean border came to 35,790 as of August, up 52.4 percent from 23,480 as of the end of 2021. While the growth rate is slower than the

2026-10-13 15:35:15:00

World leaders discuss economics and politics of tourism

VALLETTA, Malta ― Overcrowding, sustainability, and the politics of tourism took center stage at the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit 2026, with world leaders laying out challenges the industry faces. At the WTTC Summit 2026, ministers from Malta, Croatia, Egypt, South Africa and Turkey held a panel discussion. Chronic tourist overcrowding was one of the main topics of discussion. Croatia’s Tourism and Sport Minister Tonci Glavina said the eastern European country was shifting toward year

2026-10-13 13:15:47:00