Articles by Shim Woo-hyun
Shim Woo-hyun
ws@heraldcorp.com-
Justice minister condemns Rep. Kim Eui-kyum for making false accusations
Friction between Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, a key member of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and the opposition bloc appears set to further escalate, with Han hinting that lawmakers should be held responsible for their words. On Tuesday, Han hit back at Rep. Kim Eui-kyum of the main opposition, who had raised suspicion that Han met with lawyers from Kim & Chang at an upscale bar with President Yoon Suk-yeol. “Rep. Kim acts like he as a license to lie,” Han said to reporters
Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2022
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Seoul to create Champs-Elysees-style walkway from Gwanghwamun to Han River
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the city government will create wider walkways along a 7-kilometer route from Gwanghwamun in central Seoul to the Han River, while on his visit to Paris on Saturday. Oh made the remark after touring the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, where the Paris city government is running a city-led green makeover project. Oh was visiting Paris as part of his ongoing 11-day trip to Europe. According to the Seoul city government, Paris has injected some 330 billion won ($230 million) t
Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2022
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Seoul to push smoking, drinking ban at Han River parks, but backlash expected
Seoul is considering imposing drinking and smoking bans across Han River parks, the city government said Sunday. But the plan could come to nothing if backlash ensues. The Seoul city government, seven years ago, tried to make Han River parks smoke-free, but failed due to staunch public backlash. Last year, the city government also tried to push ahead with imposing a ban on drinking at the riverside parks, but the local government also made no progress even after a yearlong discussion. The Se
Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2022
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S. Korea sees uptick in COVID-19 cases amid resurgence worries
South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections increased Saturday, while a new variant was confirmed in the country, fanning concerns for a resurgence in the winter. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of new COVID-19 cases on Saturday reached 26,256, slightly down from the previous day’s 26,906 cases. The daily figure, however, was up around 4,800 from the previous week’s 21,569 and up 8,610 from two weeks ago. The country reported 16 new deat
Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2022
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Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari to visit S. Korea next week
Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari will visit South Korea to attend the World Bio Summit 2022, being held in Seoul next Tuesday and Wednesday, the Embassy of Nigeria in Seoul said Thursday evening. According to a statement released by the embassy, Nigerian president Buhari will deliver a congratulatory message at the event’s opening ceremony. During his visit, Buhari will meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Nigerian president is also scheduled to meet with former UN Sec
Foreign Affairs Oct. 20, 2022
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Deaths from excessive alcohol use surged during pandemic in Korea
The number of people who died in South Korea as a result of alcohol addiction surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with solitary deaths accounting for half of that figure, a survey showed Thursday. The Korean Academy of Addiction Psychiatry collected the data from local addiction treatment facilities nationwide, which keep records of patients with alcohol use disorder. Excessive alcohol use was responsible for 156 deaths in 2019, according to KAAP. The figure increased to 204 in 2020 and 215
Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Disability rights group continues subway protests despite leader's sentence
A disabled advocacy group continued its daily rush-hour subway protests on Wednesday, criticizing a Seoul court’s decision to hand down a suspended prison sentence to the leader of the group. Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination members on Wednesday began the protest at Seoul National University of Education Station on Subway Line No. 2. They were scheduled to later move to the National Assembly Station on Subway Line No. 9 and march to the People Power Party’s headquarters
Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2022
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COVID-19 cases double on-week amid potential for winter resurgence
South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases rose on Monday, as the spread of the virus stopped slowing and showed signs of a potential resurgence. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 33,248 new COVID-19 infections for the 24 hours of Monday. This was more than twice the 15,476 cases a week prior but this was mainly due to fewer tests on the previous Monday, which was a public holiday. But the figure was also up slightly on the preceding Tuesday, and the seven-day average of the nu
Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2022
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Seoul kicks off ANOC General Assembly, expresses hope for hosting 2036 Summer Olympics
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is to ramp up its drive for hosting international sports events in the future, including the 2036 Summer Olympics. Seoul is currently hosting the 26th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees, which runs until Friday, and the city government aims to use the event as a springboard for its 2036 bid. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will also meet with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Thursday and deliver Seoul’s int
Foreign Affairs Oct. 18, 2022
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Nurses disadvantaged for volunteering to help with pandemic: survey
Nurses who were at the front lines of the yearslong battle against COVID-19 are being neglected as the pandemic recedes, according to the results of a local survey released by Rep. Kang Sun-woo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday. The Korean Nurses Association conducted a survey on 764 nurses from 245 hospitals across the country between Sept. 19 and 25, which included a total of 588 nurses who worked at COVID-19 wards. Of the 588, 229 nurses were not able to return to w
Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2022
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Prosecutors' office to set up narcotics teams at major branches
Prosecutors will create special investigation teams to tackle the growing number of drug crimes in South Korea, the Supreme Prosecutors Office said Friday. According to the Supreme Prosecutors Office, four special anti-drug investigation teams will be created at the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office and the district prosecutors’ offices in Incheon, Busan and Gwangju. The special teams will focus on cases involving large-scale drug smuggling, illegal circulation of medical-purpose drugs a
Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2022
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Overseas Koreans Foundation kicks off annual gathering of Korean adoptees
The 2022 Gathering for Overseas Korean Adoptees kicked off Wednesday, and will continue until Monday. Organized by the Overseas Koreans Foundation, an organization affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gathering for Overseas Korean Adoptees is an annual homecoming program. The event is designed to invite Koreans who were adopted overseas to their home country and help them better understand the country and mingle with other Korean adoptees. The latest edition of Gathering for Oversea
Foreign Affairs Oct. 13, 2022
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Seoul to look into former mayor’s ties to US cryptocurrency expert's attempts to help N. Korea evade sanctions
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the Seoul city government will look into whether late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was involved in a US cryptocurrency expert’s attempts to help North Korea evade US sanctions via cryptocurrency, during a parliamentary inspection of the city government at Seoul City Hall, Seoul, Wednesday. Oh provided the answer to Rep. Cho Eun-hee of the ruling People Power Party, who asked if the former mayor was related to the case involving cryptocurrency expert Virgil
Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2022
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Democratic Party: Don't abolish Gender Ministry, expand it
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday made official its stance against plans to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, while backing other parts of the government's reorganization strategy. Countering the government’s plan to abolish it, the Democratic Party said the ministry should be expanded, with a reorganization of the ministry's functions. Rep. Kim Sung-hwan, who chairs the party’s policy planning committee, made such remarks during a p
Politics Oct. 11, 2022
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S. Korea starts bivalent COVID-19 boosters, amid 'twindemic' woes
South Korea begins inoculation using bivalent COVID-19 vaccines from Tuesday, the country's health authorities said on Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Moderna's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine will be used for the first time as a booster in the country. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer will be used after completion of the regulatory process. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccine will be first available for people at high risk and in other vulnerable gr
Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2022
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