WASHINGTON -- In the eyes of James Robert Lunney, a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Navy, the true heroes of the 1950-53 Korean War were the tens of thousands of Koreans who left everything behind in pursuit of freedom -- the foundation that built South Korea today from the ashes of the brutal war.　“The true heroes were the Koreans themselves who sacrificed everything to leave their villages and their homes to obtain freedom,” said Lunney in an interview.　“We look back with great pride having h

The prosecution said Monday that it will launch a fresh investigation into South Korea’s largest-ever fraud case as a close aide of Cho Hee-pal, a notorious swindler, was arrested in China three days ago. 　Kang Tae-yong, Cho’s No. 2 man in the pyramid scheme, was caught by the Chinese police at his apartment in Jiangsu Province on Saturday, seven years after he fled to China to avoid the police probe.　“We expect Kang, who is a key suspect, to give us decisive clues in investigating the fraud cas

With risks and challenges faced by refugees across the world having become one of the greatest global issues today, the status and conditions of asylum seekers in South Korea have also been highlighted. The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles shedding light on refugees in Korea, their hardships, the systematic fallout, the country’s own history and ways to go forward. The following is the second installment. - Ed. 　 When Yiombi Thona, a former spy agent for the Democratic Republi

Rival parties traded barbs again during a parliamentary audit of the Education Ministry on Thursday over the government’s impending decision on whether or not to reinstate contentious state-published history textbooks for secondary education.　Members of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy stepped up their offensive, arguing that state history textbooks would allow the government to whitewash the flaws in controversial figures such as President Park Geun-hye’s late father, for

South Korean FIFA presidential hopeful Chung Mong-joon said Wednesday he will seek embezzlement charges against incumbent boss Sepp Blatter, calling him "a hypocrite and a liar."In a speech at the Sport Business Summit in London, Chung said he will take legal action against the outgoing world football honcho, who is under investigation by Swiss authorities over financial misconduct.Chung, who himself is facing possible FIFA sanctions, said Blatter must pay for the damage he inflicted on FIFA."Mr

Most regions of the country are suffering a severe drought particularly Seoul City and its surrounding areas, officials said Wednesday.　According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the accumulated precipitation in the country from January to early this month recorded 754.3 milliliters, accounting for only 63 percent of the average of the past 30 years -- 1,189 milliliters. 　Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province had the lowest accumulated precipitation with 572.4 milliliters, making up 43 per

The elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak was summoned for questioning Monday over influence-peddling and bribery allegations involving POSCO, the country’s largest steelmaker. 　Lee Sang-deuk, a former six-term lawmaker, appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at around 10:20 a.m., two years after he completed a 14-month jail term on charges of receiving kickbacks from local savings banks. 　 (Yonhap)This time, the former ruling Saenuri party member is accused of pres

Police said Sunday that the man they had apprehended on suspicion of stabbing the owner of an indoor shooting range and running away with a handgun and bullets in Busan, committed the crime as part of a plot to rob a local post office.　The 29-year-old man, identified only by his surname Hong, was arrested on Saturday, four hours after he stabbed the range’s owner, who attempted to stop him from stealing a handgun and 19 bullets, according to the police.　(Yonhap)After his arrest, the suspect init

The South Korean government will take in refugees from Myanmar to help them settle in the country as part of the U.N.-led refugee resettlement program, the Justice Ministry said Monday.　The ministry said that the application screening process is underway to invite 30 refugees currently taking shelter in Mae Sot, the border town between Thailand and Burma, with interviews to follow next month.　Under the application process, the government will dispatch a staff member to look through documents, co

With the probe into a South Korean man suspected of killing a woman and burning her body inside her car underway, police said Friday that they discovered notes with a list of 28 names that the suspect may have accused of treating him badly.　Kim Il-gon, the 48-year-old murder suspect, had two pieces of paper in his pocket that listed the names and occupations of 28 people, which included female restaurant owners, judges, police officers, doctors and nurses he once came across or worked with.　 (Yo

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday thanked the workers for making a “tough” decision to compromise on reform measures that opponents claimed were biased in favor of businesses for easier employment conditions.　“The government will make sure that workers will not be easily dismissed and forced to make sacrifices,” Park said in a Cabinet meeting, pledging to ensure that reform plans would not be implemented against workers’ interests. 　“It is meaningful that the grand compromise would give a boost

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Kim Min-jin, 24, visited a cafe in Samcheong-dong, a quaint neighborhood in Seoul tucked among tourist hot spots, to seek refuge from the bustle of the metropolitan city.　As Kim and her friends started to chat over a cup of coffee, a mother turned up with three children at the posh premises and sat next to them, as the kids continued screaming, playing games and running around.  　“It could have been fine if the kids were under control, but they were creating such a

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, former cochairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, on Sunday urged the incumbent party leader to withdraw his plan to conduct a vote of confidence, saying that he was only turning the ongoing dispute over the party’s reform initiative into another in a series of power struggles.　 (Yonhap)In a statement titled “A Letter to NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in,” Ahn also called on the party’s executive council to delay a meeting scheduled for Wednesday to v

The prospects for labor market reforms remained grim over the weekend as a trilateral panel continued to lock horns over contentious issues, despite the government’s de facto ultimatum last week that it would push ahead with its own bill even without the committee’s compromise.　As the trilateral committee of labor, business and the government failed to meet a deadline, the authorities and the ruling Saenuri Party pledged to initiate the legislative procedures to press ahead with the market refor

South Korea’s Supreme court on Thursday ordered a lower court to reconsider its ruling that convicted Lee Jay-hyun, the chairman of food and media giant CJ Group, of corporate crimes.　The owner of Korea’s 7th-biggest conglomerate was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 25.2 billion won ($21 million) by the lower court in September 2014 for embezzlement, breach of conduct and tax evasion in a slush fund case. Lee Jay-hyun, chairman of CJ Group (Yonhap)The 55-year-old tycoon was indicted in

South Korea has the biggest wage gap between native and foreign-born workers among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a recent report showed. 　According to the Employment Outlook 2015 published by the Paris-based club of advanced countries, native-born workers received 55 percent higher wages than their foreign counterparts, the biggest gap among the surveyed 22 OECD nations. 　Italy and Spain followed Korea on the list, with locals being paid 32 percen

More than 60 foreign students sponsored by the Korean government quit their studies and return to their home countries every year, mostly due to cultural differences, a report showed Tuesday.　According to a report by the National Institute for International Education submitted to Rep. Ahn Min-suk of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, an average of 63 foreign students benefiting from the government’s sponsorship program each year discontinued their studies and went back to t

Despite the price hike aimed at curbing cigarette consumption, tobacco sales in South Korea recovered to the level of a year earlier in July, raising questions over the effectiveness of the government policy. 　According to a report by the Korean Smokers’ Association submitted to Rep. Yoon Ho-joong of the main opposition New Politics Alliance of Democracy, the number of cigarette packs sold in July stood at just over 350 million, close to the average monthly sales over the past three years, 362 m

PAKSE, Laos -- Nearly 100 experts on tourism gathered in a southern town of Laos on Friday to discuss ways to promote the country’s eco-friendly tourism, a key to boosting its local economy.　Under the theme of “Reinforcing sustainable Tourism in Lao PDR,” the one-day workshop held in Pakse, offered a platform for Lao government officials, travel agencies and professionals to draw ideas to lure more Korean tourists to the landlocked nation in Southeast Asia.　Guests participate in the ecotourism c

South Korea has seen a threefold increase in the number of teenagers caught taking drugs over the past three years, according to the police. 　 (Yonhap)In the report submitted to Rep. Kim Jang-sil of the ruling Saenuri Party by the National Police Agency, the number of teenagers captured for taking drugs nearly tripled from 27 in 2012 to 75 last year. 　The number for this year will likely hit a record high, with 65 having been nabbed by the police as of July. 　A total of 210 juvenile offenders we