Articles by Son Ji-hyoung
Son Ji-hyoung
consnow@heraldcorp.com-
Korea to lift land use restrictions near military bases
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday pledged to remove restrictions near military bases regarding land use for private purposes such as construction, in yet another apparent move to appeal to voters ahead of the April parliamentary election. Yoon's conservative administration has decided to ease land regulations on a total of 339 square kilometers of land across the nation -- equivalent to 47,480 soccer fields, or 0.3 percent of South Korea's land area -- mostly near military airfields an
Politics Feb. 26, 2024
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DP rift widens over candidate nomination process
An internal rift in the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has widened amid accusations from current and outgoing party members that the candidate nomination process for the April legislative election is unfair and lacks transparency. Both the ruling People Power Party and the Democratic Party have been gradually selecting their candidates to run in South Korea's 253 constituencies. Lawmakers are either elected directly by the constituency or through a proportional representation system t
Politics Feb. 25, 2024
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Yoon bets big on nuclear energy
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to spend 4 trillion won ($3 billion) on nuclear energy research and development projects during his five-year term until 2027, bolstering his earlier commitment in July 2022 to reverse the nuclear phase-out policy. Yoon also set the goal of planning nuclear power projects that would earn the domestic nuclear energy industry a combined 3.3 trillion won, and promised to extend a total of 1 trillion won in special loans for industrywide support. Moreover,
Politics Feb. 22, 2024
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S. Korea to permit development in conservation area
South Korea is poised to ease regulations on greenfields protected by the government and permit land development projects in such conservation areas in provincial areas. President Yoon Suk Yeol said the eased rules related to protected areas designated as "greenbelt" could create economic value during the 13th session of the policy debate held in Ulsan on Wednesday. "The one-size-fits-all land regulations concerning the greenbelt designation will be addressed for the first time in
Politics Feb. 21, 2024
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Yoon calls German, Danish leaders over postponed trip
President Yoon Suk Yeol called by phone his counterparts in Germany and Denmark Tuesday to provide an explanation for postponing his trip to the two European countries, according to his office on Wednesday. Yoon asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for understanding for delaying his previously scheduled visit. Yoon had been set to depart Seoul this Sunday for a weeklong trip including a state visit to Germany. Yoon told Steinmeier and Frederi
Politics Feb. 21, 2024
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Yoon says trainee doctors' collective actions 'cannot be tolerated'
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday said the collective action of trainee doctors to quit their jobs at teaching hospitals cannot be tolerated, and the government has the "constitutional responsibility" to manage medical resources to prevent the nation's medical system from collapsing. "We are seeing scheduled surgeries being scaled down or suspended, as the (trainee doctors') collective action to halt the provision of medical services was expected," Yoon told the Ca
Politics Feb. 20, 2024
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Dozens of KAIST alumni accuse presidential security of violence
Dozens of alumni from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on Tuesday accused the presidential security of abusing its power and exerting violence by forcibly removing a student from the graduation ceremony venue. The bodyguards of President Yoon Suk Yeol ejected an attendee, named Shin Min-gi, from the ceremony in Daejeon when he protested the budget cut in scientific technology research and development for this year during Yoon's commencement remarks on Friday. The alumni, co
Politics Feb. 20, 2024
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First lady resumes duties after 2-month hiatus
Kim Keon Hee appeared to have resumed her engagements as South Korea's first lady, albeit unofficially, for the first time in over two months. Kim reportedly joined a lunch meeting with Netflix Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos and "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae, who had been received by President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday at the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The initial statement from the presidential office about the meeting did not indicate that Kim was presen
Politics Feb. 19, 2024
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Bodyguards drag student out for protesting Yoon's commencement
A student was physically removed on Friday as he protested a research budget cut as President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a speech at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's commencement ceremony in Daejeon. A clip of the student being carried out with his arms and legs lifted by bodyguards has gone viral in online communities. The video appeared to show some of the bodyguards were clad in graduation gowns. The student, identified as Shin Min-gi, one of some 3,000 graduates tha
Politics Feb. 16, 2024
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S. Korea to introduce stipend for graduate students in tech push
South Korea on Friday unveiled plans to introduce a basic allowance for graduate students taking part in state-sponsored scientific projects, in high hopes of boosting the nation's scientific research capabilities. Any master's degree student in Korea who contributes to state-backed research will receive at least an 800,000 won ($600) stipend each month regardless of the amount of work done. The amount of the allowance will be at least 1.1 million won for an eligible doctor's degr
Politics Feb. 16, 2024
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Yoon taps retired Maj. Gen. Seok as DAPA head
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday tapped Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Seok Jong-gun as the new minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the presidential office announced Friday. Seok will begin in the position on Monday, replacing Eom Dong-hwan, who has served since June 2022. Yoon's office said in a statement that Seok is the right fit for the role of setting up coordinating structures between the government, military, DAPA and local defense industry. The major general will
Politics Feb. 16, 2024
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S. Korea joins Ukraine donor coordination plaform
South Korea has joined the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine as a member country on Wednesday along with the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden to contribute to the post-war reconstruction of the country at war with Russia, the presidential office said on Thursday. The new membership was confirmed during the meeting of the MDCP's steering committee held virtually Wednesday. Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland also joined the platform as observers. Before th
Foreign Affairs Feb. 15, 2024
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Yoon vows more incentives for foreign-invested companies
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday expressed his intention to ease regulations and extend more incentives to further foster an investor-friendly environment. The government will "offer policies and regulatory environments favoring (foreign-invested enterprises) to the extent of the global standard, or even more favorable than the global standard," Yoon told participants comprising foreign-invested company representatives at a luncheon meeting held Wednesday. "We should spare no
Politics Feb. 14, 2024
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Despite failed Expo bid, Yoon pushes for Busan upgrade
South Korea on Tuesday announced a set of measures to boost Busan's economic growth, bolster job creation and improve access to key urban infrastructure, about three months after the city lost its bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Along with the announcement, President Yoon Suk Yeol held a public debate the same day at Busan City Hall, where he said the concentration of the population, companies and talent in the Greater Seoul area, coupled with the excessive competition in society, has &quo
Politics Feb. 13, 2024
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Yoon's 'irrational force' remark signals inter-Korean turbulence
President Yoon Suk Yeol's public characterization of the nuclear-armed North Korean regime as an "irrational force," coupled with his emphasis on the imperative of bolstering defense readiness against threats posed by the regime, signals a further tumultuous path for inter-Korean relations. The conservative president's prerecorded interview with the state-run Korea Broadcasting System aired Wednesday night amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in the face of North
Politics Feb. 8, 2024
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