[Korean History] From 'miracle to debacle': Painful 'IMF days' of 1997-1998

The act of purchasing Christmas gifts was viewed as a luxurious indulgence for Koreans in December 1997, as the nation was beset by deepening economic woes amid the Asian financial crisis. "Won plunges to record low," was the boldest headline on the Christmas Eve edition of The Korea Herald in 1997, which delivered a news story that was decidedly incongruous with the typical consumerist holiday spirit. The Korean currency, having significantly depreciated, had plummeted to an all-tim

Foreign AffairsSept. 13, 2023

Waning commitment? Govt. moves to abandon plan to reduce disposable cups

The South Korean government appears to be reconsidering its earlier plan to introduce a disposable cup return program by 2025, in spite of the country’s proliferation of cafes and their widespread use of single-use cups. Designed by the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the deposit-refund system for plastic cups mandates cafe and restaurant owners to impose a surcharge of 300 won ($0.23) on each takeaway cup, eligible for a refund upon return of the used cup. Ahead of its scheduled nati

Social AffairsSept. 13, 2023

Kim, Putin meet at Russian spaceport, pledge support

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at Russia's primary spaceport, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in the Russian Far East on Wednesday, signaling a closer alignment between the two increasingly isolated countries. Kim and Putin emphasized their shared commitment to supporting each other's internationally prohibited actions, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's weapons development, expressing their determination to elevate bi

North KoreaSept. 13, 2023

General-turned-lawmaker tapped as defense chief

Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party was nominated as the minister of national defense on Wednesday. He is a former three-star general with 35 years of military service who built an extensive experience in both policy crafting and operations. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s chief of staff Kim Dae-ki said in a briefing on this day he was the “most qualified candidate to complete building South Korea’s security capabilities against escalating nuclear and missile threats.&

PoliticsSept. 13, 2023

Kim-Putin summit at Russian space center: What does it mean?

Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's massive spaceport that is about 5,500 kilometers east of Moscow, drew international attention on Wednesday, as the leaders of two isolated countries, North Korea and Russia, met in a high-profile summit there. The spaceport sprawls across 551.5 square kilometers of land -- outsizing South Korea's state-run Naro Space Center by over 100 times. It began operation as the main spaceport there in 2016, replacing Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which had bee

North KoreaSept. 13, 2023

Rail strike set to begin Thursday

A strike by the Korean Railroad Workers' Union is to begin Thursday morning, raising concerns over transportation and logistics turmoil. According to unionized workers at the state-run Korea Railroad Corp., also known as Korail, the union will go on a four-day strike from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Monday. The strike is the union's first since November 2019. Members voted 64.4 percent in favor in a strike ballot at the end of August. The railway union's requests include the expansi

Social AffairsSept. 13, 2023

Foreign detainees need more freedom: Human rights commission

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has issued a recommendation that detention centers for foreign nationals should improve and increase provisions for detainees, including computer and internet access, the time allowed for exercise outdoors and the ability to bring in food from outside. In a recommendation issued Wednesday to an unspecified detention center for foreign nationals, the commission said there is an urgent need to improve provisions in these areas to guarantee foreign nati

Social AffairsSept. 13, 2023

S. Korea to hold massive military parade for 1st time in decade

South Korea will hold a large-scale military parade for the first time in 10 years to showcase its strategic weapons as part of an Armed Forces Day event later this month, the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. The 75th Armed Forces Day falls on Oct. 1, which is a day to commemorate the service of the country's former and current troops. This year, the government's official ceremony will be held on Sept. 26 ahead of the Chuseok holiday, which runs for six days from Sept. 28. The cerem

DefenseSept. 13, 2023

N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the launch but gave no further details, pending an analysis. Pyongyang's latest saber-rattling came as its leader Kim Jong-un is on a trip to Russia this week to meet with President Vladimir Putin. The North last fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Aug. 30. (Yonhap)

North KoreaSept. 13, 2023

Seoul to subway maps to get revamp for foreigners, visually impaired

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it would update its subway map design to give riders a more comprehensive overview of the system. The city government claimed that foreigners in Korea often find the current map challenging to use and understand. The new subway map design will use a new layout that the city says will help riders understand multiple routes and transfer stations. The colors and patterns differentiating routes will also be upgraded, allowing travelers to navigat

Social AffairsSept. 13, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s total rice paddy area down in 2023

  South Korea’s rice paddy area decreased 2.6 percent in 2023 from a year earlier amid a reduction in domestic consumption, data showed. The country’s rice cultivation area came to 708,041 hectares, compared with 727,054 hectares tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. South Jeolla Province accounted for the largest area at 149,896 hectares, followed by South Chungcheong Province with 131,643 hectares and North Jeolla Province with 107,383 he

Social AffairsSept. 13, 2023

National Assembly introduces resolution mourning Morocco earthquake victims

A lawmaker from South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is leading a resolution to mourn the lives lost in the recent Morocco earthquake​ and to mobilize support for recovery efforts in devastated communities. Rep. Jung Hee-yong, who heads the ruling party’s committee for natural disaster preparedness, said Tuesday he had introduced a resolution to recognize the victims of the the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night, and to support their recovery. The resolut

PoliticsSept. 12, 2023

S. Korea to send emergency relief team, $2 mil in aid to quake-hit Morocco

South Korea will send a disaster relief team and humanitarian aid worth US$2 million to Morocco, which is struggling with the effects of last week's powerful earthquake, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Last Friday, the 6.8 magnitude quake struck the North African country, and the death toll had risen to over 2,800 as of late Monday (local time), according to foreign media reports. To support relief and rescue efforts, South Korea conveyed to Morocco its intention to dispatch the Korea Di

Foreign AffairsSept. 12, 2023

Opposition leader questioned again over suspected illegal remittance to N. Korea

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was grilled by prosecutors again Tuesday over allegations of his involvement in a company's illegal remittance to North Korea in 2019. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, left the Suwon District Prosecutors Office after around five hours of questioning on charges of third-party bribery, three days after he underwent the first round of questioning on Saturday. "I don't know why (investigators) called me again, as they again failed to

PoliticsSept. 12, 2023

Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate expresses concern about Kim-Putin summit

The upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is poised to present a significant challenge to the universal values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said Tuesday. Kim arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a rare summit with Putin, raising speculation they may discuss the North's supply of ammunition and weaponry to support Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The

Foreign AffairsSept. 12, 2023

Seoul plans more tourist-friendly landscape by 2026

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday announced a set of plans to turn Seoul into a more tourist-friendly city by adding various attractions and increasing its convenience for travelers. During the “Seoul Tourism Future Vision Proclamation Ceremony” held on Sebitseom in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled the city's vision for what he calls the “3-3-7-7 Tourism Era.” As part of this plan, which the city aims to achieve by 2026, Seoul hop

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2023

UN rights expert pins hopes on NK’s border easing

North Korea’s recent decision to slowly lift border shutdowns could help the isolated country re-engage with United Nations bodies on human rights, a UN rights expert said Monday on the last day of her trip to Seoul that started Monday last week. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the North had kept its borders sealed, expelling rights and aid groups. Pyongyang last month approved the return of its citizens overseas. “I hope that the DPRK will restart its engagem

North KoreaSept. 12, 2023

Entry-level teachers’ wages below OECD average

South Korean entry-level public school teachers earn less money than their counterparts in most member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Education Ministry said Tuesday. According to the latest edition of the OECD report “Education at a Glance,” released and analyzed by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute, the average gross salary of entry-level teachers was $33,615 for elementary teachers and $33,67

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2023

Kim Jong-un takes mysterious family train to Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted Monday traveling by his family train on his way to a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The third-generation Kim diverged from his famously flight-phobic father in his past summit trips, in June 2018 flying Air China to get to Singapore for the landmark meeting with then-US President Donald Trump. This time he chose to travel 20 hours on the train that is speculated to be bulletproof and multifunctional, with luxurious decors. Rep. Tae Yong-

PoliticsSept. 12, 2023

Man arrested for hurling bricks from Seoul building

Pedestrians in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul, were sent scrambling for cover Monday morning as concrete bricks and wood, some weighing up to 3 kilograms apiece, were hurled from the rooftop of a nearby seven-story building onto the sidewalk and road below. The chaos unfolded at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4, as people were busy heading to work. One of the falling objects struck a moving car. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. Police responded to the scene and arrested a man in

Social AffairsSept. 12, 2023