Articles by Son Ji-hyoung
Son Ji-hyoung
consnow@heraldcorp.com-
Yoon administration proposes 1st hike in pension charges in 27 years to slow fund depletion
The South Korean government on Wednesday laid out plans to raise the mandatory national pension contribution rate by 4 percentage points from the current 9 to 13 percent starting next year, with the intention of extending the life span of the state-sponsored public retirement pension scheme by at least 16 years. This reform plan comes as the national postretirement fund's financial viability remains doubtful, with the country suffering from the double whammy of low birth rates and an aging
Politics Sept. 4, 2024
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Outgoing Japanese PM to visit Seoul on Friday
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks during Kishida's two-day visit to South Korea from Friday, in what would be his final one-on-one with Yoon before his planned departure from his post, the presidential office announced Tuesday. Yoon's office said in a note to reporters that the talks will highlight the past achievements through bilateral cooperation and ways to boost ties between the two East Asian countries in bilateral, regional and int
Politics Sept. 3, 2024
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Yoon's popularity falls to 2-year low amid medical standoff
President Yoon Suk Yeol's job approval rating has sunk to its lowest depths in about two years, amid a lingering standoff between medical circles and the government that has sapped public trust in his medical reform push. According to South Korean pollster Realmeter on Monday, Yoon's job approval rating dropped to 29.6 percent in the fifth week of August, down 0.4 percentage point from the previous week. It was the lowest since his rating marked 29.3 percent in the first week of August
Politics Sept. 2, 2024
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Yoon stresses multilateral ties in Indo-Pacific during meeting with US representatives
President Yoon Suk Yeol received a group of United States Congress members to stress trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, the presidential office announced Friday. Yoon told the lawmakers that close cooperation based on common values shared by the three countries is key to overcoming complex global crises, while expressing appreciation for bipartisan US support for the Seoul-Washington alliance. The US delegation led by Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Michigan) told Yoon that the b
Politics Aug. 30, 2024
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Yoon touts pension reform drive amid stagnant popularity rating
President Yoon Suk Yeol outlined his blueprints for pension reform proposals in a rare national address Thursday, vowing to make the fund, one of the world's largest with assets worth 1,113.5 trillion won ($834.7 billion) as of May, more sustainable to ensure that younger generations will benefit from the system in the decades to come. Yoon's initiation of pension reform — a policy drive often described as notoriously unpopular — came at a time when he was already grappling
Politics Aug. 29, 2024
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Presidential office rules out bringing in foreign doctors
A senior official of the presidential office said Monday that the government was not considering bringing in foreign doctors to alleviate the medical staffing shortage exacerbated by an ongoing walkout of trainee doctors. The officials said on condition of anonymity that Seoul "is not immediately considering dealing with the medical staff shortage by deploying foreign physicians." The comment came as the official was talking about ongoing disruptions in emergency medical centers due to
Politics Aug. 27, 2024
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Ruling bloc divided on foreign nannies' pay
South Korea's ruling bloc is divided over whether to exclude foreign caregivers from minimum wage standards, with ruling party politicians advocating for more affordable options for households, while the labor minister nominee warns it could breach the Constitution as well as international labor laws. Kim Moon-soo, the former Gyeonggi Province governor nominated by President Yoon Suk Yeol for labor minister, said in a written statement Sunday, a day ahead of his parliamentary confirmation hearin
Politics Aug. 26, 2024
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Ruling party proposes Oct. 1 as temporary holiday
South Korea is considering designating Oct. 1 this year as a temporary public holiday to mark the 76th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, as the ruling People Power Party requested that the government review the designation to recognize the dedication of those on active military duty. Workers here will be eligible to take the day off as a public holiday on Oct. 1 if the government approves the plan at a Cabinet meeting. It will be in addition to Oct. 3, which South Korea observes as a public holid
Politics Aug. 25, 2024
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Seoul seeks to end KHNP-Westinghouse dispute
South Korea is looking for a solution to end a legal dispute between local nuclear power company Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power and US firm Westinghouse Electric Company "through various channels," amid pressure mounting on Seoul over a nuclear export deal worth at least 24 trillion won ($18 billion) with the Czech Republic. "The government is discussing with the US government through various channels to support the amicable resolution of the corporate dispute," an official of
Politics Aug. 25, 2024
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Yoon pledges overhaul of athlete environment
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to carry out an overhaul to ensure fair chances for young athletes and to create a better training environment, as he and his wife Kim Keon Hee hosted a dinner for South Korean Olympians who competed at the Paris Games. Some 270 participants -- including athletes and family members, as well as coaches, members of sports associations and other staff -- attended the event at Shilla Seoul. According to the presidential office, Yoon told participants he wo
Politics Aug. 22, 2024
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Yoon aide suggests 'direct hire' of foreign nannies to ease cost burden
An aide to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday proposed a "private contract" or direct hire between South Korean individuals and foreign caregivers as a way to ease the cost burden for local households having difficulties balancing between work and family life, which she believes is one cause of the country's low birth rate. You Hye-mi, senior secretary to the president for population policy, said in a KBS 1 Radio interview Wednesday that the government is looking for ways to que
Politics Aug. 21, 2024
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Opposition slams Yoon aide as 'traitor' over Japan remarks
Seoul's presidential office is facing mounting pressure as controversial remarks regarding Japan by President Yoon Suk Yeol's foreign policy aide have prompted criticism from the opposition for bringing humiliation to South Korea. Labeling the aide's remarks as carrying the intention of a "pro-Japanese traitor" -- or "chinil" in Korean, describing those overly favorable to Japan to the extent of betraying national interests -- the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of K
Politics Aug. 20, 2024
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Yoon urges readiness for NK's 'hybrid warfare'
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise of the military forces of South Korea and the United States jointly kicked off on Monday with South Korean civilians, with the primary focus on addressing North Korea's nonkinetic operations, such as public opinion warfare, cyberattacks and the spread of fake news. The annual summertime joint military exercise that runs through Aug. 29 is the third such exercise since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May 2022, as Pyongyang increasingly blends unconven
Politics Aug. 19, 2024
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President may grant liberal ex-governor clemency
The Ministry of Justice on Thursday reportedly prepared a list of high-profile politicians convicted of crimes who would be eligible to be granted either special amnesty or rehabilitation by President Yoon Suk Yeol next week. Among them on the list is liberal bigwig Kim Kyoung-soo, formerly a lawmaker and South Gyeongsang Province governor. The 56-year-old Kim, convicted for his involvement in the high-profile "Druking" opinion-rigging scandal in July 2021, is likely to be rehab
Politics Aug. 8, 2024
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Ruling bloc urges repeal of taxation on investors' gains
President Yoon Suk Yeol's office on Wednesday called on the National Assembly to abandon a plan to implement the "financial investment income tax" scheme that is to come into effect in January 2025 in the face of the heightened domestic capital market volatility in recent days. The political standoff is expected to linger, as the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has insisted that the plan for taxation on investors' sales proceeds must proceed as planned. Desc
Politics Aug. 7, 2024
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