Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is facing another legal dispute now, on top of the three ongoing court battles in which he is currently embroiled, creating more hurdles for his possible reelection victory at the upcoming party convention. On Wednesday, the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office indicted Lee on charges of asking local underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020, when he was governor of Gyeonggi Province. The then

Politics June 14, 2024

South Korea’s southern island of Jeju is far more than just a scenic vacation destination. It is becoming a test bed for future industries including aerospace and hydrogen vehicles, according to its governor. “You may not have known this, but Jeju is the closest South Korean territory to the equator,” said Oh Young-hoon, governor of Jeju Special Self-governing Province, told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Tuesday. “This means that it is the perfect spot to l

Politics June 13, 2024

The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday protested the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally picking the chairs of key standing committees of the National Assembly late Monday. The Democratic Party once again used its majority in the Assembly to convene a plenary session and appoint the chairs of 11 out of the 18 committees without involving the ruling party. Last week, the Democratic Party left out the ruling party in electing the Assembly speaker, marking the first such instance in the histor

Politics June 11, 2024

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday took 11 of the total 18 standing committee chair positions for the first two years of the 22nd National Assembly, which began its four-year term on May 30, in voting boycotted by the ruling People Power Party. The opposition-led Assembly elected representatives from the main opposition to chair 11 standing committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the House Steering Committee, in a plenary session held in the evening

Politics June 10, 2024

The two largest parties here have locked horns over selecting the heads of the standing committee chiefs for the first two years of the 22nd National Assembly, which began its four-year term on May 30. On Friday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which accounts for the majority of the single-chamber, 300-member parliament with 175 seats, submitted a list of its nominees for the heads and members of the 18 standing committees to the Assembly’s proceeding division. The list draw

Politics June 9, 2024

A controversy surrounding accusations that former first lady Kim Jung-sook spent an “excessive” amount of taxpayers’ money to fund her 2018 trip to India has resurfaced in recent days, with the ruling party proposing a special counsel investigation. Ruling People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun on Monday floated a bill that mandates a special counsel investigation into allegations that the former first lady wrongfully used her position and public funds to take a personal trip t

Politics June 5, 2024

South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee hosted a luncheon for a group of first ladies from 16 African nations visiting to participate in the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit on Tuesday, marking a full return to public engagement after nearly six months of her absence from the public eye. The luncheon was held at Sangchunjae, a traditional Korean-style house located within the perimeters of the former presidential residence of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul. Kim, who was in charge of hosting the lunch

Politics June 4, 2024

[코리아헤럴드=조정은· 정민경· 김아린 기자] “국회의원이 선거에서 얻은 득표 중 90~95%는 당원도, 팬덤도 아닌 일반 국민에 의한 것입니다. 장관도 나이 어린 의원에게 ‘존경하는 의원님’이라고 높여 부르는 이유가 있습니다. 의원은 국민의 대표자이기 때문입니다. 22대 국회가 이를 기억하고 국민 눈높이를 최우선으로 두길 바랍니다.” 김진표 국회의장은 21대 국회 마지막 날인 29일 코리아헤럴드와 만나 이렇게 말했다. 김 의장은 진영·팬덤 정치가 국회를 “지지층을 결집시키고 상대당을 악마화하는 선전장으로 전락시켰다”며 국회의원들이 “당심이 아닌 민심을 듣기를 바란다”고 당부했다. 마지막 본회의가 파행으로 끝난 것에 대해 김 의장은 여야가 “대화와 타협 없이 각자의 입장만 고집하며 목숨을 건 싸움의 정치를 하고 있다”고 했다. 그러면서 김

한국어판 May 31, 2024

South Korea’s politicians on Friday remained divided on the issue of reviving party district offices, 20 years after they were shut down due to bribery and corruption accusations. As the 22nd National Assembly kicked-off its four-year term Thursday, main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-bae proposed a bill that would mandate the return of district offices, which were all shut down in 2004, two years after it was found they were abused in a 2002 political bribery scandal.

Politics May 31, 2024

Article 1 of South Korea’s National Assembly Act states that the parliament is a representative body of the people. However, Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker of the 21st National Assembly and a political heavyweight with 50 years in public service, views the widespread phenomenon of fandom politics as a major obstacle to the country's representative democracy. He believes this trend is the primary cause of increasing political confrontations, which continue to undermine the spirit of compro

Politics May 30, 2024

A bill mandating a special counsel probe into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the death of a young marine last year failed to pass in a revote held during the final plenary session of the 21st National Assembly on Tuesday. The bill was scrapped after failing to win two-thirds of approval from lawmakers physically present in the parliamentary vote, which is required to override the presidential veto under current law. Of the 294 Assembly members that participated in the revot

Politics May 28, 2024

The main opposition party here on late Sunday denounced the latest bilateral talks between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling it Yoon’s “declaration of surrender” to Tokyo. The Democratic Party of Korea, in a written briefing released after the conclusion of talks between Yoon and Kishida, criticized the South Korean leader’s decision to recognize the Japanese government’s apparent pressure on Naver to give up its

Politics May 27, 2024

As South Korea and African countries combat threats from existing global economic risks and the climate crisis, the upcoming Korea-Africa Summit will serve as an opportunity to open a new chapter in ties, the dean of the African Group of Ambassadors and the president of the Herald Media Group said Thursday. “Through the upcoming (first-ever) Korea-Africa Summit (scheduled for June 4-5), the relations between South Korea and Africa will enter a completely new chapter from where it stands no

Foreign Affairs May 26, 2024

Students from South Korea and Tanzania stressed the importance of achieving a sustainable future through co-prosperity at the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum held Thursday. Pearl Mavura, a 15-year-old student from Tanzania, and Ra Jian, a 16-year-old student attending an international school here, took turns expressing their hopes for a better future, in line with the potential partnership that could form through the upcoming Korea-Africa Summit scheduled June 4-5. Mavura kicked off her spe

Foreign Affairs May 26, 2024

The outgoing National Assembly speaker stressed Sunday that the reform of the national pension scheme must kick off before the start of the new parliament later this month, saying now may be the “golden time” to do so. Rep. Kim Jin-pyo’s remarks come as the tension between the ruling and the main opposition has risen over the details of the pension reform plan, such as the size of the contributions made by National Pension Service subscribers and the benefits they receive. &ldq

Politics May 26, 2024