Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
[Newsmaker] Former provincial Gov. An attends sexual abuse hearing in appeals court
Former South Chungcheong provincial Gov. An Hee-jung attended the first hearing of his appeal trial Friday to defend himself against charges that he sexually abused his secretary. The Seoul High Court began the first hearing for An, who was acquitted by the lower court in August. Former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung appears at Seoul High Court on Friday. (Yonhap)Appearing in front of the Seoul High Court at 10 a.m., An said, “Sorry I do not have anything to say,” when asked if he d
Social Affairs Dec. 21, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Taxi drivers protest carpool service again, stage 24-hour strike
Tens of thousands of taxi drivers across the nation flocked to Seoul on Thursday to protest tech giant Kakao’s launch of a carpooling app, causing inconvenience as the labor unions also began a 24-hour strike at 4 a.m. The venue in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, was filled with some 120,000 taxi drivers -- nearly half of all taxi drivers in the nation -- according to rally organizers. “Carpooling service is illegal. Revise the Transport Service Act!” chanted thousands of prote
Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2018
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[Herald Interview] 'Forgiveness key for South Korea to advance into the future'
John Linton has a list of titles that label him as “the first” in Korea. He was the first foreign national to pass Korea’s exam for medical practitioners in 1987, he was the first to introduce an ambulance vehicle here to treat patients while moving and he was the first to receive dual citizenship as an American and a Korean.Born to an American missionary family in the Jeolla provinces in South Korea, Linton has witnessed the ups and downs of Korean history and left his mark here and there -- ju
Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2018
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Part-time lecturers in Busan go on strike to protest dismissals
Part-time lecturers in Busan went on strike Tuesday, protesting their dismissals less than a month after a revision bill aimed at improving their treatment passed the National Assembly.In a press conference held in front of the university building, members of the Pusan National University branch of the Korean Irregular Professors’ Union denounced the university’s decision to dismiss part-time lecturers and announced a walkout. (Yonhap)“The law amendment made (last month) to improve the poor tre
Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2018
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Seoul estimates W3.9tr needed to jointly host Olympics 2032 with Pyongyang
South Korea would need about 3.9 trillion won ($3.44 billion) to jointly host the Olympic Games in 2032 with North Korea, according to an estimate by the Seoul city government Tuesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it recently submitted a proposal with the projection to the city council, as part of its preparation for a joint bid with Pyongyang to host the international sports festival. The Seoul Metropolitan Council is expected to discuss the proposal and to refer it to a plenary sessio
Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2018
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Korea, UAE agree to boost parliamentary ties
The parliamentary leaders of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation to strengthen parliamentary ties on Monday, according to Seoul officials. Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, speaker of the UAE’s Federal National Council, met in Abu Dhabi to discuss the bilateral relationship of the two legislatures. South Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang (left) shakes hands with his United
Politics Dec. 18, 2018
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[Feature] ‘Migrant workers are not consumables, we are humans!’
Tanka Lungeli, a Nepali who works at a factory in Korea, wants to change jobs because his employer does not pay him properly. But when he told his boss and requested the move, he says he received death threats and was treated as if he were a slave.“The employer deducted my wage for reasons I do not know. He also raised the dormitory fee arbitrarily, and it became hard for me to live and pay my debt with the salary,” Lungeli, 34, told The Korea Herald last week. “So I told him I wanted to work at
Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2018
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'Original contractors should be responsible for subcontractor accidents'
Critics pointed out Sunday the mismanagement of safety by original contractors and dodgy safety inspections as major causes of an accident that killed a 24-year-old subcontract worker at a thermal power plant last week.Kim Yong-kyun, who was a temporary worker at the Taean thermal power plant in South Chungcheong Province, died Tuesday after getting stuck between a conveyer belt and machinery while working his night shift alone. His death sparked public outrage as his harsh working conditions we
Social Affairs Dec. 16, 2018
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Korea ranks low in response to climate change: report
Despite worldwide calls for efforts to slow down climate change, a recent report revealed that Korea ranked lowly in terms of its response to climate change. According to the Climate Change Performance Index 2019, Korea ranked 57th out of 60 countries in terms of climate-related performance. The report looked at 56 countries and the European Union, which account for about 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. (Global Strategic Communications Council)The report was released Monday at COP
Social Affairs Dec. 13, 2018
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Government to conduct comprehensive facility checks as number of accidents rise
The government will conduct comprehensive safety inspections of public facilities following a recent spate of accidents, including a telecom network failure caused by a fire at a mobile carrier’s building and the derailment of a bullet train.In a meeting with ministries and regional governments, Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum expressed regret over the series of accidents and highlighted the need to come up with a safety system. Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum“As safety minis
Social Affairs Dec. 13, 2018
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[Newsmaker] 15-story building in Gangnam evacuated after signs of collapse
15-floor office building in Gangnam, Seoul, was evacuated and left vacant Wednesday after signs of its impending collapse were reported the day before. City officials who inspected the building concluded that it was dangerous.Seoul’s Gangnam District Office designated the Daejong Building in Samseong-dong, Gangnam, as a “Class-3 Establishment,” the lowest safety level, meaning that it presents a “high risk of disaster” or requires “continuous management to prevent disasters.”(Yonhap)Wide cracks
Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2018
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Indicted governor requests suspension of Democratic Party membership
The Democratic Party of Korea’s leadership on Wednesday deferred taking any disciplinary action against Gyeonggi Provincial Gov. Lee Jae-myung, who has been indicted on several charges, including violating the election law.The ruling party has been reviewing what action to take against its member Lee, who has been investigated by police over a series of allegations regarding his family and his election campaign for the governorship. On Tuesday, the prosecution indicted him without physical deten
Politics Dec. 12, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Na Kyung-won elected main opposition party floor leader
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party elected four-term lawmaker Rep. Na Kyung-won as its new floor leader Tuesday, amid escalating internal strife ahead of a leadership election next year.In the general meeting held at the National Assembly, Rep. Na decisively beat three-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Hack-yong, garnering 68 votes to 35. Among the 112 party lawmakers, 103 could vote, as memberships of nine lawmakers are currently suspended. Newly elected Liberty Korea Party floor leader Rep. Na Kyung
Politics Dec. 11, 2018
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Taxi drivers to hold mass rally Dec. 20 over carpool service
The conflict between the country’s taxi industry and information technology giant Kakao has escalated to new heights after a taxi driver burned himself to death in protest.The taxi unions, which have staged multiple protests demanding that Kakao withdraw its plans to engage in the transportation business in South Korea, said Tuesday that they will hold another rally Dec. 20 in front of the National Assembly. Beginning Wednesday, some union members will set up tents and hold sit-in demonstrations
Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Lawmakers criticized for raising own salaries
The recent passage of the budget bill has sparked public fury, as it included a plan to increase the annual salaries of lawmakers, while the budget for job creation was reduced.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Saturday approved the 2019 budget bill of 469.6 trillion won ($416 billion), which included the plan to increase their wages by 1.8 percent. (Yonhap)The three minor parties 00 the center-right Bareunmirae Party, center-left opposition Part
Politics Dec. 10, 2018
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