At least 38 people were killed in a fire that broke out at a construction site for a logistics warehouse in Gyeonggi Province, authorities said Wednesday. Ten others were injured. The blaze was extinguished at around 6:42 p.m., about five hours after it was first reported at the site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, according to fire authorities. Some 78 workers were believed to be present. As of 8:30 p.m. firefighters were still searching the building for more victims. “There’s

Social Affairs April 29, 2020

The main opposition United Future Party has found itself in a state of confusion after the veteran politician who was picked to head its interim leadership committee turned down the job. On Tuesday, the conservative group voted for Kim Chong-in, who joined the party to lead its April 15 election campaign, to take the helm as emergency leader for about four months until the next national convention. But Kim rejected the offer, complaining about the short tenure. Previously, Kim has said he

Politics April 29, 2020

The National Assembly moved closer on Tuesday to a final vote on the second extra budget bill, which would provide 14 trillion won to help the country deal with COVID-19, including 4.6 trillion more for coronavirus relief for households. Several parliamentary subcommittees conducted legislative reviews of the government’s plan, with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki in attendance. Rival parties earlier agreed to vote on the bill at a plenary session schedul

Politics April 28, 2020

South Korea began placing electronic bracelets on people who have disobeyed self-isolation orders, toughening up against quarantine violators to combat the new coronavirus. “From midnight today, those who violated quarantine rules among those who have been obliged to self-isolate at their residences started to wear the band. Only the people who consented to wear the band will do so,” Park Jong-hyun, an official at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said during a press briefi

Social Affairs April 27, 2020

Former President Chun Doo-hwan stuck to his lifelong claim that there was no helicopter firing at civilians during the 1980 pro-democracy uprising, while standing trial for libel in the regional city of Gwangju on Monday. “Many more lives would have been lost if shots were fired from helicopters. No son of the Republic of Korea would have done such a reckless thing,” the 89-year-old said at the Gwangju District Court. Chun’s statement runs counter to over 20 testimonies

Social Affairs April 27, 2020

Extensive contact tracing and testing helped South Korea avert what could have been a major novel coronavirus crisis in capital Seoul, shows a paper by a team of Korean health officials. The study, penned by Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with other provincial and city health officials, sheds light on COVID-19 infections that occurred at an insurance company call center located in a 19-story building of offices and condominiums. It w

Social Affairs April 26, 2020

The main opposition United Future Party on Sunday struggled to form a new leadership to navigate its way out of its worst election debacle, suffered in last week’s parliamentary polls. The conservative party’s Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn stepped down from his post, taking responsibility for the loss in the April 15 general elections. Kim Chong-in, a veteran politician who joined the party to lead its election campaign, is widely expected to take charge, reforming and rebuilding the c

Politics April 19, 2020

In Wednesday’s parliamentary election to select 300 lawmakers, a revised electoral system was applied for the first time to open the doors wider for minor parties. But it only caused the opposite effect due to trickery by prominent parties. Out of 47 proportional representative seats, the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition United Future Party, took 17 and 19, respectively, by creating satellite parties to exploit the new parliamentary election formula called semi-mixed membe

Politics April 16, 2020

The lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop hundreds of thousands of South Koreans from heading to the polls on Wednesday to pick 300 lawmakers. From Seoul to distant islands off the southern coast, mask-clad voters began to form long lines in front of some 14,330 polling stations as soon as voting kicked off at 6 a.m. Despite the election taking place amid the COVID-19 outbreak, most voters interviewed by The Korea Herald said the virus shouldn’t stop a democr

Social Affairs April 15, 2020

In a high-profile race watched as a preview of the presidential contest, Lee Nak-yeon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was seen heading for a victory against rival Hwang Kyo-ahn of the main opposition United Future Party, further cementing his position as a presidential candidate. Exit polls and early returns showed Lee comfortably ahead of Hwang in a constituency of Jongno, Seoul, in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections. His party was also projected to bag more than a majority o

Politics April 15, 2020

Ahn Cheol-soo, chief of the minor People’s Party, said Monday that President Moon Jae-in’s missteps have been concealed by the COVID-19 crisis, appealing to voters to support his reformative center-right party in the April 15 general elections. Referring to a news article published by Bloomberg headlined “Virus helps bury controversy in South Korea’s pandemic election,” Ahn said the Moon administration and the Democratic Party of Korea were fortunate to rebuild

Politics April 13, 2020

Faced with the unprecedented novel coronavirus threat, South Korea is gearing up for its general election with extra caution to ensure voters can exercise their rights while minimizing the risk of person-to-person viral spread at polling stations. With 43 million eligible voters, the country will hold elections at around 14,300 polling stations nationwide on Wednesday, amid its nationwide social distancing campaign to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Nearly 11.7 million cast their

Social Affairs April 12, 2020

  More than a quarter of all eligible voters in South Korea have already cast their votes in last week’s advance voting period. And parties are all out to turn the higher-than-expected voter enthusiasm to their favor in the lead up to Wednesday’s main voting. Voter turnout in the two-day early voting Friday and Saturday reached a record high of 26.67 percent with 11.7 million voters, according to the National Election Commission. The ruling Democratic Party interprets it as

Politics April 12, 2020

The novel coronavirus is forcing people around the world to keep their distance physically, but that isn’t stopping them from standing united in the fight against the global pandemic. As neighbors, landlords or consumers, many people in Korea are reaching out to those hit harder by the COVID-19 outbreak. Youngsters have initiated a “good consumer movement” through social media platforms such as Instagram. When visiting a regular haunt -- whether it’s a cafe, hair s

Social Affairs April 11, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday pledged 210 billion won ($172 million) for the development of medicines and vaccines, including one for the novel coronavirus, saying he wants the country to lead the world not just in virus control but also in the prevention and cure of COVID-19. Presiding over a meeting of five related parties -- the government, academia, research institutions, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms -- Moon promised to cut the red tape to expedite clinical trials. “Wit

Politics April 9, 2020