Outcry over Lee's 'unaware' remark prompts pledge to help NK detainees

The presidential office on Thursday pledged to seek a resolution for nationals detained in North Korea by pressing for the prompt resumption of inter-Korean dialogue. The commitment followed President Lee Jae Myung’s comment during Wednesday's press conference that he had been "unaware" of the detainee cases — a remark that drew anger and despair from the families of those held in North Korea as well as from North Korean human rights groups. The presidential office confirmed that “six nationals,

Dec. 4, 2025

Allies reaffirm coordination on N. Korea’s return to ‘meaningful’ dialogue

South Korea and the United States reaffirmed their close coordination on achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and resurrecting long-stalled dialogue with North Korea during a vice-ministerial meeting, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker discussed follow-up measures to the joint fact sheet, coordination on North Korea policy and regional and global issues during the

Dec. 3, 2025

Martial law’s animosity has outlived decree — and now defines political identity

The martial law declaration by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 3 lasted only six hours, but a year later, the animosity it unleashed lives on. Those six short hours fundamentally rewired South Korean politics, seeping into the very bones of the party system and the identities of partisans. The mass rallies have ebbed, but the mutual hostility that once powered the protests has migrated to the heart of politics and society. Lawmakers and party loyalists are locked into a confrontational mo

Dec. 2, 2025

Koreans in Cambodia urge Seoul to ease travel alerts amid economic toll

The Korean Association in Cambodia has called on South Korea’s Foreign Ministry to loosen its travel advisories, saying the tightened alerts are choking local livelihoods and causing "economic damage" to the Korean community. The association on Thursday delivered an official letter to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul making the request, backed by signatures from 844 Korean residents, the group's head Chung Myung-gyu told The Korea Herald on Friday. The South Korean government raised the travel advi

Nov. 28, 2025

Alliance modernzation aims at wider Indo-Pacific deterrence, says US envoy

The modernization of the South Korea–US alliance is aimed at strengthening deterrence not only on the Korean Peninsula but across the broader Indo-Pacific region, Acting US Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim said Friday. Kim said the alliance’s role on the security front has evolved beyond the Peninsula, noting that regional challenges require the two countries to evaluate threats jointly and respond with a wider deterrence posture. "First and foremost, addressing the common challenges on the K

Nov. 28, 2025

S. Korea imposes largest-ever sanctions on Cambodia scam rings

The South Korean government on Thursday imposed its largest-ever unilateral sanctions on 132 organizations and 15 individuals tied to Cambodia-based transnational criminal networks that targeted South Korean citizens. The measure came as part of a whole-of-government effort to address a rapid surge in the number of South Koreans lured to Cambodia by fraudulent high-paying job offers and subjected to associated violent crimes, including kidnappings and forced confinement in criminal compounds. “T

Nov. 27, 2025

Seoul confirms death of Korean volunteer fighter in Ukraine

The South Korean government on Thursday confirmed the death of a national who had volunteered to fight in Ukraine, days after a military farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv for foreign fighters killed in the war. This marks Seoul’s first official confirmation of the death of a South Korean national in the war in Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022. "A funeral for our national who died while participating as a volunteer fighter in Ukraine was held in Kyiv on Nov. 25," a Foreign Ministry offi

Nov. 27, 2025

Ruling party submits US investment bill, locking in retroactive auto tariff cut

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday introduced a special bill to implement its $350 billion US investment pledge, with the goal of expeditiously locking in tariff cuts for automobiles that would apply retroactively to Nov. 1. The legislation — a central follow-up to the joint fact sheet — paves the way for Washington to reduce levies on Korean automobiles and parts to 15 percent from 25 percent. The bill, titled “Special Act on Managing Korea-US Strategic Investments,” wa

Nov. 26, 2025

Tilting playing fields in party selection contests

South Korea’s two major political parties are each racing to rewrite their primary rules ahead of next June’s local elections, igniting fierce internal battles over who should hold greater sway in deciding their candidate slates. In Korean politics, primary rules involve complicated political math that is recalibrated every major election cycle — tilting the electoral landscape and decide a race’s winner. This time, both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and main opposition People Power Party

Nov. 25, 2025

Civil service on edge as martial law probe engulfs 49 state agencies

Scores of government task forces investigating potential misconduct by officials tied to the Dec. 3 martial law declaration formally began operations Monday, with investigations launched into 49 government ministries and agencies. The launch of the sweeping probes has sent ripples of unease through the civil service. Many government officials fear that the push for visible results could lead to the creation of scapegoats and drive the civil service deeper into a defensive crouch. The main opposi

Nov. 24, 2025