Articles by Son Ji-hyoung
Son Ji-hyoung
consnow@heraldcorp.com-
Ruling party lawmaker loses seat after accountant found guilty over campaign finance
A ruling from South Korea's top court on Thursday has stripped Rep. Kim Sun-gyo of the ruling People Power Party of his position as a lawmaker representing the city of Yeoju and Yangpyeong County, both in Gyeonggi Province. The Supreme Court upheld the high court's decision, convicting the accountant for Kim's election campaign, surnamed Lee, of excessive campaign finance and expenses during the election campaign in 2020, under the Public Official Election Act. Lee was imposed wit
Politics May 18, 2023
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PM rules out water sampling by Seoul's Fukushima inspection team
SEJONG -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the inspection team will not take wastewater samples from earthquake-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan, amid political opponents' calls on the team to take more proactive actions including water sampling. Sampling activities by an inspection team from a certain country could breach the independence of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Han told reporters in a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong.
Foreign Affairs May 17, 2023
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Court orders Holt to pay W100m to deported US adoptee
A South Korean court on Tuesday ordered adoption agency Holt Children's Services to pay 100 million won ($74,700) to Adam Crapser, who was adopted to a family in the United States in 1979 but deported after four decades. The Seoul Central District Court acknowledged the agency's "failure to uphold its duty to protect the adoptee and ensure the adoptee's acquisition of citizenship," it said in a ruling. The landmark ruling is the first in the history of Korea to recognize a legal violat
Social Affairs May 16, 2023
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Crypto scandal rattles politics
South Korean politicians on Tuesday launched a complete investigation of the virtual asset holdings of all National Assembly lawmakers amid a widening scandal involving their alleged murky possession or transfers of cryptocurrencies. The floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea are in talks to have each lawmaker voluntarily disclose of their current crypto asset holdings immediately regardless of the lack of mandatory disclosure rules, Re
Politics May 16, 2023
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Alert level raised after 4.5 magnitude quake hit East Sea
South Korea heightened its earthquake alert level by one notch from blue to yellow as a 4.5-magnitude quake was detected off the east coast Monday morning, affecting cities on the nation's eastern coast. The alert level is raised when at least three quakes are detected in a specific area within a short range of time, and calls for cooperation between several government bodies on the issue, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's office said in a statement. Han urged the Interior Ministry to insp
Social Affairs May 15, 2023
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Wastewater inspection team unlikely to enforce Japan's corrective action
South Korea's inspection team may ask for corrective actions in case of any safety concerns over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant's wastewater, which Japan aims to release later this year after treatment, though it does not have the power to enforce them, a government official said Friday. Disagreements between Seoul and Tokyo over the facilities and raw data regarding Japan's multi-nuclide removal system during South Korea's examination later in May will be solved throu
Foreign Affairs May 12, 2023
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Seoul to fortify flood-prone basement apartments
Flood control barriers will be installed in at least 20,000 flood-prone basement apartments in Seoul by June, the government said Thursday, as the country is expected to face more extreme summertime weather this year. The underground flats, also known as "banjiha," have been identified as most vulnerable to flooding under an ongoing government inspection of 220,000 banjiha that will end this month. It comes as the city is bracing itself for the rainy season as forecasts predict El Nino
Social Affairs May 11, 2023
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2 Kazakhstanis, 1 Tajikistani arrested for arranging 149 fake refugee claims
Police arrested two Kazakhstan nationals and a Tajikistan national for arranging fake refugee claims for 149 people with nationalities from Russia and Central Asian countries, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday. The three brokers allegedly took up to 1.5 million won ($1,130) from each person for fabricating documents so that they could fit the qualifications required to get refugee status in Korea from May 2022 to April 2023. None of the 149 -- who claimed they were subjected to terror threats,
Social Affairs May 10, 2023
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PM urges IAEA chief to ensure Korea's participation in wastewater safety review
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to ensure the country's continued engagement in the safety review of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s wastewater before its release, Han's office said in a statement Wednesday. Han stressed that South Korea's experts and research institutions must be included in IAEA's safety assessment of some 1.3 million metric tons of treated wastewater
Foreign Affairs May 10, 2023
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Yoon blames opposition party, Moon for reform failures
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday blamed the main opposition party for impeding his push for reform, and hit out at the former Moon Jae-in administration for "leaving the country plagued by crimes due to its policies." Yoon also accused the Democratic Party of Korea, which controls parliament with 168 out of 300 seats, of using their legislative power to undermine his policy momentum. "It takes time to rebuild the system, to pick up the pieces and make tangible achievements, but
Politics May 9, 2023
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Prosecutors to seek more death sentences for drug offenses against minors
South Korea's top prosecutor on Monday pledged to stamp out drug-related crimes as Seoul seeks to impose increase capital punishment sentences for drug offenders who target minors The prosecution's proposal will be tabled at the Sentencing Commission of the Supreme Court of Korea in June, according to the commission dedicated to sentencing guidelines on Monday. If approved, the death sentence or life imprisonment could be imposed on a greater number of offenders who are convicted for supp
Social Affairs May 8, 2023
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Seoul's noncompliance with child abduction convention will pressure Yoon: lawmaker
South Korea's continued noncompliance with the Hague Abduction Convention designed to prevent the international abduction of children by a parent might pressure the Yoon Suk Yeol administration which seeks to bolster ties with the US, a lawmaker said Friday. The continued failure of Seoul to enforce the return of children to the US in international abduction cases could spark diplomatic trouble between Seoul and Washington, according to Rep. Park Yong-jin of the main opposition Democratic P
Social Affairs May 5, 2023
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'Sharenting' is growing problem in Korea
A growing number of parents around the world are recording the lives of their children and posting them on social media to cherish and proudly share their kids' most precious moments. But from the perspective of the children, such practices often lead to the unwanted exposure of their identities on the internet. South Korea has been working to create legal frameworks to ensure children's rights are not forgotten on the internet. Only when they grow up will they begin to fully comprehen
Social Affairs May 5, 2023
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Yoon celebrates opening of children's garden on ex-US military base
President Yoon Suk Yeol celebrated the opening of the Yongsan Children's Garden on what was formerly part of the US' Yongsan Garrison military base on Thursday. The 300,000-square-meter site is open to the public for the first time in 120 years, as the central Seoul site had been used for military facilities by Qing troops in the late 19th century, the Imperial Japanese army during the colonial era and US Forces Korea after Korea's liberation in 1945. The ceremony to celebrate t
Social Affairs May 4, 2023
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Seoul refuses to give permission for pride parade
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it has turned down a request to hold a pride parade in July to advocate for the social acceptance and rights of sexual minorities at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul. The organizing committee of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival on Wednesday was denied permission to use Seoul Plaza to hold the event on July 1. The Seoul Plaza event was to be a part of a 17-day festival for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and more community, which kicks of
Social Affairs May 4, 2023
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