Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
10-day holiday in October becoming reality
President Moon Jae-in’s de facto transition team is considering designating Oct. 2 as a temporary holiday to allow 10 consecutive days of holidays, its chief official said Thursday. In a local radio interview, Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, who chairs the State Affairs Advisory Committee, said his panel is “almost set” on the holiday plan. Rep. Kim Jin-pyo (center) (Yonhap)“Oct. 2 falls between a weekend and Chuseok holidays, and we think it is important to allow workers to fully rest,” Rep. Kim of the ruli
Politics July 6, 2017
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Mother files complaint against McDonald’s after daughter diagnosed with ‘hamburger disease’
A mother on Wednesday filed a complaint against McDonald's Korea, claiming her daughter was diagnosed with the “hamburger disease” after eating a burger with an undercooked patty in one of its outlets.“The 4-year-old victim had no health problems, but caught hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating a McDonald’s hamburger,” lawyer Hwang Da-yeon said at a press conference held in front of the Seoul District Prosecutors Office, before submitting the complaint. Plaintiff Choi Eun-ju holds a picture of
Politics July 5, 2017
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Park devoted to adoptees to be constructed in Paju
Paju, a city north of Seoul, plans to build a park devoted to Korean children adopted overseas, city officials said Wednesday. Construction of the park, whose Korean name roughly translates as “Mother’s Arms,” will begin in September on 1,000 square meters of land that was previously used as a US military camp. Aerial view image of the park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)First proposed in 2015, the 500 million won ($435,000) project is to remember and provide solace to Korean children sent
Social Affairs July 5, 2017
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Hong parliamentary boycott over Moon’s budget, personnel picks
Hong Joon-pyo, the new party chief of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, said the party needs to participate in the parliamentary deliberation of President Moon Jae-in’s extra budget bill. He also said the party should not put effort into preventing the appointments of “unfit” ministerial nominees, saying they are within the president’s legal authority. “If citizens know that they are ‘unfit,’ that is good enough. It is the government’s fault if they forcefully appoint such personnel,” Hon
Politics July 4, 2017
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[Graphic News] Moon finishes Cabinet line up
The complete lineup of President Moon Jae-in’s inaugural Cabinet is out, although nearly half of them are still in the process of parliamentary confirmation. Ten of the 17-member Cabinet, including the prime minister, have taken office. Here’s a look at the lineup. Six hail from academia while another six have had terms in the National Assembly. Thirteen are men and four are women. Their average age is 61.6. Moon wants to add a position to the Cabinet -- the minister for small and medium busines
Politics July 4, 2017
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Hong Joon-pyo elected as Liberty Korea Party chief
Hong Joon-pyo, a former provincial governor and presidential candidate, was elected as the chief of the Liberty Korea Party on Monday, ending the 200-day leadership vacuum at the conservative main opposition. “Today, you have endowed me with the heavy responsibility of taking the chief position of this party. Your call is an order to revive the nation’s conservative faction and I will bear the decision you have made,” Hong said after his election at the party’s headquarters in Seoul. Hong Joon-p
Politics July 3, 2017
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Opposition rejects defense, education nominees
Three main opposition parties on Friday urged President Moon Jae-in to withdraw the nominations of two Cabinet picks -- Defense Minister nominee Song Young-moo and Education Minister nominee Kim Sang-kon. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party, centrist People’s Party and splinter conservative Bareun Party also pressured the two nominees to voluntarily give up the jobs, declaring them unfit and unqualified. The call for resignation came even before the parliamentary confirmation hearing was ove
Politics June 30, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Tradition, family behind first lady fashion
Traditionally, South Korea’s first ladies, unlike their American counterparts, have not had much liberty in choosing their outfits when accompanying their husband on official overseas trips. Without fail, they have all donned Korea’s traditional dress, hanbok. First lady Kim Jung-sook has also stuck with tradition, wearing a sky blue hanbok for the official dinner at the White House on Thursday night, hosted by US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump. In her hand was a gray-blue squ
Politics June 30, 2017
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Moon to spend all paid leave this year
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said he would use all of his 21 annual paid leave days and encourage his subordinates to use theirs as well. On his flight to Washington for his first overseas trip as president, Moon told a group of journalists that he wants to make it mandatory for other workers in South Korea to use their time off, stressing the importance of kicking back.President Moon Jae-in talks with reporters aboard the presidential plane on his way to the United States for a four-day vi
Politics June 29, 2017
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[팟캐스트](202) 미 주재 일본 총영사관 ‘매춘부’ 발언, 외고, 자사고 폐지
The Japanese consul general in Atlanta, Takashi Shinozuka. (Captured from the website of the Reporter Newspapers)진행자: 조혜림, Kevin Lee Selzer1. 미 주재 일본 총영사관 ‘매춘부’ 발언 기사 요약: 미국 조지아 주 애틀랜타 주재 일본 총영사관 시노즈카 다카시가 위안부 피해자들을 돈을 받은 매춘부들이라고 발언해 논란이 일고 있다. 지역신문 리포터뉴스페이퍼와 진행한 인터뷰에선 위안부들에 대해서 성노예가 아니며 강압적으로 데려온 것도 아니었다 말했다. 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Japan diplomat’s ‘paid prostitutes’ claim draws ire[1
Podcast June 28, 2017
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Pressure mounts on Ahn Cheol-soo to explain fabrication scandal
Pressure is mounting on Ahn Cheol-soo, former presidential candidate of the People’s Party, to explain a fake accusation that the party allegedly made against the son of President Moon Jae-in during the election season. Strongly denouncing the centrist camp, Moon’s Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday demanded that Ahn “stop hiding” and make clear his stance on the scandal. Other parties, including the main conservative Liberty Korea Party, echoed the view.“The party has plotted a political te
Politics June 28, 2017
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Vigorous leader personality appointed to head anti-corruption watchdog
Pak Un-jong, who is tapped to head the nation’s anti-corruption watchdog, has ample experience in the fields of human rights and civic movements. The law professor at Seoul National University is the second female chief to lead the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, following her predecessor, Kim Young-ran, a former Supreme Court justice.Pak Un-jongShe took the chief director role at the Korea Human Rights Foundation in 2008. She was the head of the judicial watchdog center within Peop
Politics June 27, 2017
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Parties agree to handle pending bills but leave out Moon’s extra budget plan
Ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday agreed to normalize the National Assembly, which has been deadlocked for over a week, resuming the necessary process for President Moon Jae-in’s government reorganization plan. The agreement, however, left out the most contentious issue, Moon’s 11.2 trillion won ($9.85 billion) extra budget proposal, due to strong resistance from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. It was signed by the floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the conser
Politics June 27, 2017
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Liberal activist scholar bent on reform of prosecution
Tapped to head the Justice Ministry, Park Sang-ki is an activist scholar who has been writing regularly on ways to reform the country’s powerful law enforcement authorities. “Prosecutors are not above the people. Their exclusive rights to indict are endowed by the people for them to serve the people,” is what the nominee, a law professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, has written many times when prosecutorial reform is being discussed.Park Sang-kiIn other writings, Park, 64, has criticized those
Politics June 27, 2017
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Conservative Bareun Party elects new leader
Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, a three-term lawmaker and once an ally of former President Park Geun-hye, was elected as the leader of the minor conservative opposition Bareun Party on Monday. “I will now think, speak and act as the chief of the Bareun Party. I will become a ‘blast furnace’ -- a leader who can listen to diverse opinions and melt away any kind of conflict,” the 53-year-old lawmaker said. Rep. Lee Hye-hoon makes her acceptance speech (Yonhap)Lee also vowed to do her best to hold the party tog
Politics June 26, 2017
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