Articles by Yoon Min-sik
Yoon Min-sik
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com-
PM apologizes for ‘inappropriate joke’ related to Itaewon tragedy
Prime Minister Han Duk-soo on Wednesday issued an apology for a joke he made during the previous day’s press conference related to the Itaewon tragedy. “No matter what the circumstances are, I apologize for making the people uncomfortable,” he said in a message that he relayed to reporters through the Prime Minister’s Office. During Tuesday’s foreign media briefing, Han became the subject of controversy for what was perceived by some as “light-hearted behavior
Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2022
-
Bereaved family of Japanese teenage victim of Itaewon tragedy identify body
The family of a Japanese teenager who died during the Saturday crowd crush in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, arrived in South Korea on Monday and identified the victim's body. Accompanied by officials from the Foreign Ministry, the family arrived at the funeral hall of the Seongnam Central Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Monday afternoon. They began the procedure of transporting the victim’s body back to Japan. Officials at the hospital said the family wished to carry out the
Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022
-
[Photo News] Pro players mourn Itaewon victims
Professional sports leagues across the country joined the nation in mourning the loss of 154 lives during Saturday night’s deadly crowd surge in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Prior to the kickoff for game 2 of the 2022 Hana Bank FA Cup finals between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul on Sunday, the players, coaching staff and fans bowed their heads out of respect for victims. The game was won by the eventual champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who took the cup after a 3-1 victory. Profession
More Sports Oct. 31, 2022
-
Festivities across Korea cancelled in aftermath of Itaewon tragedy
Numerous festivals and events across the country have been cancelled or put on hold after Saturday's deadly crowd surge in Itaewon, in Yongsan-gu, Seoul that claimed 154 lives as of Monday. Seoul has designated a period of mourning for Yongsan-gu that will last until Dec. 31, cancelling all events that the city government had been slated to host. In case of festivals sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, officials will request the hosts to downsize the events. The 17th Busan Firew
Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022
-
[Newsmaker] Why Itaewon disaster was more fatal for women than men
Of the 154 fatalities from last weekend’s Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, nearly two thirds were women. As of Monday, a total of 98 women are confirmed to have been killed in the deadly human stampede, compared to 56 men. The significant gender gap has led many to wonder why the accident proved to be much more fatal to women than men. The gender ratio of the crowd at the time of the deadly crush remains unclear, but some medical experts say those with smaller body frames and less physica
Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022
-
[Interview] ‘It’s just a job’: Actor-turned-shaman speaks against prejudice toward shamanism
Many Koreans have a love-hate relationship with traditional shamans, or “mudangs” as they are called here. While it is not unusual to find a practitioner around the block, they are still widely frowned upon by the majority of the public. Jeong Ho-geun, a 58-year-old veteran actor better known as a shaman nowadays, has experienced such prejudice firsthand since he decided to become a shaman in 2014. His friends started dodging his calls and people left him “like the parting of t
People Oct. 29, 2022
-
[Newsmaker] Hanoi-Yangyang flights on hold after Vietnamese tourists go missing
Over 60 Vietnamese tourists who entered South Korea this month using the visa-free system have fallen out of contact with immigration authorities, raising suspicion that the individuals came here for illegal stay. Sixty-seven out of 1,600 Vietnamese tourists who came through Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province from Oct. 13-25 for packaged tours remain unaccounted for, as of Friday, according to the Korean Immigration Service. Earlier this week, Vietnamese media reported that its F
Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2022
-
[Newsmaker] Depression, panic disorder fester in Korea as social stigma persists
Two-hundred and fifty-six. That's the number of people between age 10 and 20 that took their lives due to mental health problems last year. Of a total 13,205 deaths by suicide in 2021, some 5,258 had histories of mental health treatment, according to police data provided by Rep. Oh Young-hwan of the main opposition Democratic Party. The same data shows that the number of suicides aged 10-29 age groups jumped each year from 2019, with the figure for the latter marking 888 as of 2021. The figures
Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2022
-
[Newsmaker] Church finalizes punishment on pastor for blessing LGBT people
The Korean Methodist Church’s court on Thursday upheld its earlier decision to suspend a pastor from his duties for two years for blessing sexual minorities in 2019. “According to the creed of the Methodist Church, praying in front of sexual minorities can be seen as advocating or agreeing with their actions,” the court said, on why it decided to deny the appeal made by Rev. Lee Dong-hwan, the 42-year-old pastor of Glory Jeil Church in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The decision was
Social Affairs Oct. 21, 2022
-
NK may have attempted cyberattack amid Kakao outage: report
An attempted cyberattack that occurred during the recent outage of South Korea’s biggest messenger service KakaoTalk may have been the work of North Korean hackers, a news outlet has reported. According to Radio Free Asia, various individuals working in services related to the communist country, along with several North Korean defectors received an email claiming to have been sent by the Kakao tech service team on Sunday, as the extended outage that began Saturday took down most of the tec
North Korea Oct. 18, 2022
-
A journey through Seoul in honor of Hangeul and its famed creator
King Sejong of the Joseon era, or simply Sejong the Great, is arguably the Korean who has left the biggest mark on the nation’s history. Every single day, people across the country use the monarch’s creation --- Hangeul, the Korean writing system. How highly Koreans think of him can be seen in numerous instances. Among the many things named after him are a Seoul street, a city, a university, a performing arts center, a naval Aegis destroyer, a satellite and the country’s Antarc
Culture Oct. 7, 2022
-
Films about King Sejong and Hangeul
From a ruler to an academic, a musician and a linguist, King Sejong wore many hats. And the 15th-century monarch who invented Korea’s writing system Hangeul has also been an inspiration for Korean filmmakers and TV drama producers. The most recent of the big-screen attempts to convincingly depict Sejong was 2019's “The King’s Letters,” directed by Jo Chul-hyun and starring none other than “Parasite” star Song Kang-ho as King Sejong. The film follows the t
Film Oct. 7, 2022
-
[Photo News] Soaring Black Eagles
The 53rd Air Demonstration Group of the Korean Air Force, nicknamed the Black Eagles, demonstrates a flying stunt at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day on Saturday. The event held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
Defense Oct. 1, 2022
-
[From the Scene] Memorial for comfort women turns into ground zero of conflict and chaos
A half-naked elderly man stood precariously on a balcony of a high-rise building in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, hoisting a banner with an anti-Japan message. A few meters away, a group of elderly women shouted insults at two dozen people taking part in a rally, locally referred to as "the Wednesday protests," demanding an official apology by Japan for the sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II. A few others standing nearby claimed the whole thing as a fraud. The women w
Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2022
-
[Newsmaker] YouTube’s ever-growing role in Korean politics
In a recent interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Cho Dong-youn, a former co-head of the Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung’s presidential campaign, revealed that she had contemplated taking her own life after revelations about her personal life were made online, causing an onslaught of online bullying. The allegation that Cho had a child out of wedlock -- which she later revealed was the result of a sexual assault -- was made by a controversial far-right YouTuber K
Politics Sept. 26, 2022
Most Popular
-
1
[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
-
2
N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
-
3
NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
-
4
[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
-
5
S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
-
6
[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
-
7
US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
-
8
[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
-
9
[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
-
10
US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House