[Exclusive] ‘Troops paused on way to Election Commission, felt something was up’

Troops dispatched from the Defense Counterintelligence Command to take control of the National Election Commission of Korea office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, paused on the way because they felt something was amiss, military sources told The Korea Herald. This is the first time it has been revealed why and how troops slowed down on the way to their targets, and suggests troops may have acted in defiance of the martial law decree that was in effect from 11 p.m. Tuesday until the early hours of W

PoliticsDec. 9, 2024

Military authority remains with President Yoon Suk Yeol: Defense Ministry

President Yoon Suk Yeol retains authority over the military, the Ministry of Defense confirmed Monday amid controversy over calls to exclude him from state affairs in the wake of his short-lived martial law declaration last week. During a regular briefing, Defense Ministry Spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said, “The authority over the military belongs to the president,” when asked about who currently holds military control. When asked whether someone under criminal investigation for insurrec

PoliticsDec. 9, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS hits 1.9b views with ‘Dynamite’ music video

BTS surpassed the 1.9 billion view mark on YouTube with the music video for “Dynamite,” said label Big Hit Music Monday. It was the first time the band reached the milestone. “Dynamite” was rolled out in August 2020 and made a hotshot debut on Billboard’s Hot 100, a first for a K-pop artist. The upbeat single topped the main songs chart two more times and stayed on it for 32 weeks in total, setting records for a K-pop act. Meanwhile, solo albums from RM and Jin made

K-popDec. 9, 2024

[Herald Gallery] Information

At the Kukje Gallery in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a solo exhibition of Bill Viola (1951–2024), titled “Moving Stillness,” is being held until Jan. 26. This exhibition highlights the artistic world of Bill Viola, a pioneer of video art, showcasing seven of his video installations and works. Notably, the piece “Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier,” displayed in Exhibition Hall K3, explores themes of change, balance and the passage of time. Through the shimmering movement of water

CultureDec. 9, 2024

Man who claimed depression to avoid military duty gets suspended jail term

A South Korean man who falsely claimed to have depression to avoid combat duty in military has been sentenced to one year in jail, suspended for two years, the Daegu District Court said Sunday. The 26-year-old defendant, based on false claims he made to medical staff, was diagnosed with depression last year at a Daegu-based university hospital. He then submitted his diagnosis to the Military Manpower Administration and received grade 4 in his physical examination, which made him eligible to serv

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2024

Seoul shares at over 1-yr low amid impeachment vote turmoil; won tumbles

Seoul shares tumbled by nearly 3 percent Monday amid deepening political chaos as the opposition-led National Assembly is pushing for another impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol after a failed bid over the weekend. The Korean won fell sharply against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index plummeted 67.58 points, or 2.78 percent, to 2,360.58, the lowest since the 2,351.83 point closing on Nov. 3 last year. Trade volume was moderate at 583.08 million shares

MarketDec. 9, 2024

Shantytown painter Joung Young-ju's solo London show held at Almine Rech

Korean artist Joung Young-ju, known for paintings of fast-disappearing old shantytowns in Korea, is having her first solo exhibition in London at Almine Rech through Dec. 20. The exhibition “Way Back Home” includes some of her new works such as “Spring Series” and “Autumn in Village 1031” which feature the artist’s experimentations with color and natural elements. “While inherently Korean in subject and material, Joung’s work speaks to transn

Arts & DesignDec. 9, 2024

Korea pledges additional W100b to support rattled stock market

The South Korean government has decided to inject an additional 100 billion won ($69.7 million) to stabilize the local stock market battered by deepening political uncertainty after President Yoon Suk Yeol averted impeachment last week. On Monday, the first trading day after the failed motion to impeach President Yoon, the benchmark Kospi and secondary Kosdaq plummeted to new 52-week lows, while the Korean currency approached its weakest point since 2009. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok vowed t

EconomyDec. 9, 2024

[News Analysis] Why Yoon escaped Park’s fate even with smaller ruling party

The failed impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk Yeol, derailed by a lack of quorum on Saturday, has prompted sharp comparisons to the single vote that ousted President Park Geun-hye. The focus now shifts to why only three members of the ruling People Power Party defied the party’s boycott, particularly when just eight defections would have been enough to push Yoon’s impeachment forward with 200 votes out of the 300-member Assembly. The outcome is particularly notable given the

PoliticsDec. 9, 2024

'Orderly retreat' struggles to win support

The ruling People Power Party is struggling to justify the legitimacy of transferring President Yoon Suk Yeol's role to the party and government, as calls for impeachment escalate. Amid this struggle a leadership vacuum is opening up in the ruling party. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced Monday it was seeking to expel the party's Floor Leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho -- who offered to resign following Saturday's impeachment vote -- from the National Assembly, accus

PoliticsDec. 9, 2024

Hanwha sets up financial AI center in San Francisco

The financial subsidiaries of Hanwha Group, South Korea’s seventh-largest conglomerate, have launched an artificial intelligence research center in San Francisco, the global hub for AI development. Hanwha AI Center, established by Hanwha Life in collaboration with Hanwha General Insurance and Hanwha Asset Management, officially opened last week at Hanwha Group’s San Francisco headquarters. The opening ceremony was attended by senior executives, including Hanwha Life Vice Chairman and

IndustryDec. 9, 2024

Korea, Indonesia strengthen partnership in general insurance

The general insurance industries of South Korea and Indonesia are deepening their partnership. The General Insurance Association of Korea announced on Monday that it recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the General Insurance Association of Indonesia to strengthen exchanges and collaboration. The agreement outlines plans to support member companies' overseas expansion and collaborate on initiatives aimed at mutual growth in both countries' insurance sectors. The associatio

IndustryDec. 9, 2024

K-democracy? Lawmakers flooded with protest texts after impeachment boycott

Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party have faced a barrage of protest text messages after an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was scrapped due to their decision to boycott the vote. PPP lawmakers have been struggling to deal with an endless stream of text messages, according to local reports, Monday. Some lawmakers have complained that their batteries don’t last more than two hours without a backup even with fully charged phones. Just before and after the impeachme

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2024

Yoon banned from leaving country

The Justice Ministry said Monday that it had issued a travel ban on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, shortly after he was booked over his short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3, a rare move against a sitting president. The decision came after a number of investigative agencies, including the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, requested that the embattled president be banned from traveling overseas hours after the police said they were considering the measure

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2024

Korean investors dump Kospi, flock to US stocks despite strong dollar

Losing faith in the local stock market, which has fallen to its lowest point in months, South Korean investors are shifting their focus to US shares. However, the weak local currency may have become a burden for cross-border trading. While the benchmark Kospi dropped to a low of under 2,400, closing at 2,360.58 on Monday, retailers are pouring money into US stocks, betting that the depressed value proposition on home turf is likely to continue. According to the Korea Securities Depository, local

MarketDec. 9, 2024

Power struggle intensifies among investigative bodies over Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law case

  The investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial December 3 martial law declaration has descended into a jurisdictional tug-of-war among South Korea’s prosecutorial, police and anti-corruption agencies, raising concerns about the investigation's clarity and efficiency. At the heart of the dispute is the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which rejected a request from the prosecutor’s office to hand over all cases related to the mart

PoliticsDec. 9, 2024

Cheaper Chinese chips hamper profit outlook for Samsung, SK hynix

Chinese chipmakers are posing challenges for South Korean memory chip giants, flooding the global market with legacy chips at half the market price amid slowing demand. With the price of the older DRAM chips plunging more than 30 percent, market analysts lowered the earnings prospects for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world's top two memory chip makers. According to DRAMeXchange on Monday, the spot price of 8 gigabyte DDR4 chips for computers fell to $1.35 in November, marking a 35.

IndustryDec. 9, 2024

Chinese battery makers gobble up Korean firms' global market share

The competitiveness of Korean battery makers -- LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On -- continues to be threatened by the seemingly unceasing growth of Chinese rivals, a global electric vehicle battery usage report showed Monday. According to SNE Research’s analysis, the three Korean battery makers’ combined share in the global EV battery sector logged 20.2 percent between Jan. and Oct. this year, down 3.5 percentage points from the same period last year. The decline came even t

MobilityDec. 9, 2024

Global talent market expands as “professionals” eyes abroad

Global job mobility has emerged as a dominant trend in 2024, with an increasing number of professionals here seeking career opportunities abroad, data found Monday. According to data released by the professional search division of Manpower Korea, global recruitment sales accounted for over 10 percent of the division’s total revenue this year, a tenfold increase from 2022. The company noted that the global sales proportion was less than 1 percent just two years ago, highlighting a significa

IndustryDec. 9, 2024

'Squid Game 2' will leave audience reflecting on social chaos of today

With about two weeks to go until "Squid Game" returns for its second season, the show's director unveiled Monday that the thriller will invite viewers to reflect on the chaos of modern society. "From my perspective, people are drawing lines, becoming hostile toward one another, and such conflicts seem to be deepening globally," Hwang Dong-hyuk, director of the first and second seasons of "Squid Game," said during a press conference held on Monday in Jung-gu,

TelevisionDec. 9, 2024