Articles by Shin Ji-hye
Shin Ji-hye
shinjh@heraldcorp.com-
Soaring drug use catches Korea unprepared
Korea, once touted by the government as "drug-free," is seeing a fast rise in drug offences. Experts say the government’s belated crackdown is not enough, and prevention and rehabilitation efforts are needed alongside it. A country with 20 or fewer offenders out of every 100,000 people is generally considerd a drug-free nation, although there is no international index to measure it. Based on that figure, Korea hasn't been drug-free since 2015, and the number of offenders
Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2022
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Yoon says Korea-Japan relations should return to ‘good times’ soon
President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday he agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a phone call that relations between the two nations should be restored as early as possible and agreed to firmly respond to North Korean provocations. “We agreed that if Korea-Japan relations go back to the good times as early as possible and smooth corporate and public exchanges return, it will be beneficial to the economies of both countries,” Yoon told reporters when asked about the
Politics Oct. 7, 2022
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Yoon talks with Kishida over security against NK provocations
President Yoon Suk-yeol discussed security issues related to North Korea’s successive ballistic missile provocations in a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida early Thursday evening. “President Yook Suk-yeol had a 25-minute phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about the recent North Korean ballistic missile launch from 5:35 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday,” the presidential office said in a written statement following the talks. “The two leade
Politics Oct. 6, 2022
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Plan to abolish Gender Ministry involves merger into larger ministry, lawmakers told
The government is speeding up the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a pledge made by President Yoon Suk-yeol when he was a presidential candidate. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Wednesday that it is preparing a reform plan of the government organization law, focusing on abolishing the Gender Ministry. If approved, the plans will see the Gender Ministry become a division under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Vice Minister Han Chang-seob reported the govern
Politics Oct. 5, 2022
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Parties put reprisals before scrutiny as feuding engulfs Assembly audit
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's first parliamentary audit kicked off Tuesday, with the ruling and opposition parties clashing head-on over controversies and allegations as people’s livelihoods were put on the back burner. The ruling People Power Party focused on examining various allegations raised during the former Moon Jae-in administration, and the judicial risks of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s leader Lee Jae-myung. The Democratic Party brought up mu
Politics Oct. 4, 2022
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Rival parties clash as probe into slain official zeroes in on Moon
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has strongly opposed the state inspection agency’s attempt to investigate former President Moon Jae-in, calling it “political retaliation." In September 2020, a South Korean official was shot dead by North Korean soldiers. At the time, the Moon administration defined him as a South Korean defector to North Korea. But in June 2022, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration reversed the decision, saying there was no evidence to prove that the
Politics Oct. 3, 2022
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Harris says US will take measures to address Korea's IRA concerns
President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed concerns on Thursday to US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is in Seoul, about the Inflation Reduction Act that could damage Korean automakers. Harris replied that she would come up with measures to address Korean worries in the process of enforcing the act. It is the first time in 4 1/2 years for a sitting US vice president to visit Korea since the PyeongChang Olympics in February 2018, when former Vice President Mike Pence came here. In the 85-minute closed
Politics Sept. 29, 2022
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Yoon’s office, ruling party step up offensive against MBC
The presidential office and the ruling party are ratcheting up the pressure on local broadcaster MBC over its reporting on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s controversial use of vulgar language, against rising accusations of attempts at censorship of the press. The presidential office said Tuesday night it sent an official letter to MBC President Park Sung-je asking for clarification on the matter. The letter asked the broadcaster to answer on what grounds it wrote the subtitles for Yoon’s
Politics Sept. 28, 2022
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[News Focus] Did media harm nation's integrity?
The controversy surrounding President Yoon Suk-yeol's possible use of vulgar language during his recent US trip continues, despite numerous attempts from the presidential office and the ruling party to downplay the issue. While the ruling and opposition blocs clash head on, the Yoon administration has put the blame on local media, saying that “untrue” reports could damage South Korea’s alliance with the US and put people “at risk.” However, experts say the
Politics Sept. 27, 2022
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Yoon says untrue reports damage alliance, put people in danger
President Yoon Suk-yeol has denied the controversy surrounding his use of vulgar language during his recent US trip, saying the incorrect reports damage South Korea's alliance with the US and put people in danger. On his way to work on Monday morning, Yoon responded to the controversy, “Damaging the alliance with reports that are different from the facts is putting the people at risk." He added, "The rest of the related stories should be clarified more clearly first, such
Politics Sept. 26, 2022
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Critics tear into Yoon for 'ill-planned' Kishida meeting
The meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly after much controversy and led to few immediate results. While Seoul's presidential office touted the meeting as “meaningful,” some critics say the bilateral meeting was unnecessary and that it has put Yoon in a more difficult position. Yoon told reporters on the way to his office Monday morning that Seoul-Tokyo relations were a complicat
Politics Sept. 26, 2022
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Yoon to hold summit with Trudeau to strengthen economic cooperation
President Yoon Suk-yeol is scheduled to hold a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday in Ottawa, Canada, during the last stop of his five-night, seven-day trip, with a focus on strengthening economic cooperation. The bilateral summit is the first since President Yoon's inauguration at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Madrid, Spain, in late June. The two countries' leaders will discuss ways to strengthen economic cooperation, including key mineral s
Politics Sept. 23, 2022
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Yoon's approval rating drops again while overseas
Yoon Suk-yeol's multilateral diplomacy is overshadowed by multiple controversies, with his approval dropping again on Friday. Yoon's five-day overseas trip is coming to the end, with a summit with Canada still remaining. He has been mired in a number of controversies during his trip, including failing to visit the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, holding summits with the US and Japan that failed to meet expectations, and being caught on a hot mic insulting the US Congre
Politics Sept. 23, 2022
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Yoon meets with Biden, Kishida amid much fuss
President Yoon Suk-yeol met with his US and Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, but only after complications -- what the opposition party here has referred to as a debacle -- and without tangible results. The presidential office said on Wednesday in New York that Yoon and US President Joe Biden met at a reception hosted by King Charles III in London on Sunday, the seventh financial pledge meeting of the Global Fund in New York on Wednesday and at
Politics Sept. 22, 2022
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Yoon, Kishida agree to cooperate on NK, improve bilateral relations
President Yoon Suk-yeol held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the first time in New York on Wednesday, where the two agreed on the need to improve relations by resolving pending issues between the two countries. The presidential office said in the afternoon, "President Yoon had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Kishida at a conference building near the United Nations General Assembly for 30 minutes from 12:23 p.m." It is the first meeting between the leaders of So
Politics Sept. 22, 2022
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