The Supreme Court is embroiled in a swirling controversy after an investigation panel revealed that the judiciary under former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae had used politically sensitive trials to make a deal with the presidential office in return for support for establishing a new appellate court. The ever-widening scandal has sparked unprecedented calls from judges to conduct prosecutorial probes into the judicial bodies. Judges in Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province hel

The camping season is here and many are packing their bags with tents and fancy gear to enjoy outdoor barbecues. But Han Ho-jun, a 45-year veteran of camping, says the true charm of the outdoor life lies in bush craft.“You can truly feel the freedom of thriving in the wild, and obtain a sense of accomplishment by building your own shelter and tools with the materials you find in nature,” Han, 45, told The Korea Herald.  (Han Ho-jun)Bush craft is a term referring to wilderness survival skills, an

Seoul mayoral candidates clashed on the worsening air pollution in the city during Wednesday‘s televised election debate, with the attacks directed at the current mayor Park Won-soon who is running for his third term.In the 2-hour-long televised debate hosted by local broadcaster KBS at 10 p.m., the four mayoral candidates of parliamentary negotiating groups also spoke on housing and LGBTQ issues.  From left: Kim Moon-soo of main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Ahn Cheol-soo of center-left oppos

Just two weeks ahead of this year’s local election slated for June 13, Seoul’s mayoral candidates are trying to meet and interact with as many voters as they can, reaching out at public spaces and on the streets. From greeting commuters in front of subway stations in the morning and evening rush hours, to visiting traditional markets and speaking in televised debates, there are not enough hours in the day for aspiring mayors. From left: Seoul Mayoral candidates Park Won-soon of ruling Democratic

Korea’s Legislation Ministry shared its technology to launch a new legal database access system in Myanmar, the ministry said on Tuesday.On May 24, Myanmar launched Myanmar Law Information System which allows people to search the country’s legal information via computer and mobile applications. Korea’s Ministry of Legislature cooperated with Myanmar government to establish the system, first developed here and called the National Law Information Center of Republic of Korea. Participants pose at t

South Korea’s ruling party chief on Tuesday urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to commit to accomplishing the upcoming US-North Korean talks, as it is his “responsibility and duty” demanded by the times. In a meeting with foreign reporters, Chair Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea also stressed it was crucial that the two Koreas and the US declare an end to the Korean War, so that they can carry on discussions on peace treaty.  Ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Chairwoma

Police said Monday it may call in a presidential secretary for questioning into his alleged bribery linked to an opinion-rigging scandal.The police have been looking into the “Druking” scandal in which a blogger nicknamed Druking allegedly masterminded an illegal online campaign to manipulate the popularity of certain online comments to sway public opinion on the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and President Moon Jae-in. The presidential aide, Song In-bae, who had also worked as an aide for fo

The wife of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho is expected to be questioned by police Monday over allegations that she used verbal and physical violence against the company’s workers.Lee Myung-hee, 69, is the third member of the family to be grilled by police over the alleged mistreatment of construction workers and employees, along with her two daughters.  Lee Myung-hee, wife of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho. (Yonhap)The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it has gathered testimonies from 10 v

President Moon Jae-in’s constitutional amendment bill was scuttled Thursday, after voting at the National Assembly was declared void as the quorum could not be reached due to the opposition parties’ boycott.Amid public calls to revise the Constitution that was last amended in 1987, the Moon administration announced and submitted its amendment bill to the National Assembly on March 26. Thursday was the legal deadline for lawmakers to decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.Empty seats at

Opposition parties called on the government to withdraw its constitutional amendment proposal Wednesday, a day before the deadline for a parliamentary vote.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party said it would be “right” and “rational” for the government to take back its own proposal, and announced it would not take part in Thursday’s plenary session for the voting. Floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae of main opposition Liberty Korea Party (Yonhap)“While the proposal contains the ideals of democracy,

Former President Lee Myung-bak denied the charges against him at the first hearing of his trial Wednesday, accusing the prosecution of conducting “unreasonable” investigations. At the Seoul Central District Court, the 77-year-old former leader attended his hearing held at 2 p.m., making his first public appearance 62 days after he was arrested in March 22 over a series of charges including bribery and embezzlement. Former President Lee Myung-bak (Yonhap)“I stand here today with grief. I could no

The National Assembly on Monday passed the government’s 3.83 trillion won ($3.54 billion) supplementary budget bill and a proposal to conduct a special counsel probe into an opinion-rigging scandal, after a monthslong deadlock.Motions for the arrest of two opposition lawmakers, suspected of embezzlement and abuse of power, were voted down during the plenary session. National Assembly (Yonhap)On Sunday, rival parties agreed to end the standoff that had lasted almost two months. The ruling Democra

GWANGJU – The government on Friday promised to delve further into the 1980 Gwangju movement on the 38th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement.The commemoration event took place under a rainy sky, with thousands gathered at the May 18 National Cemetery commemorate the movement that was met by a brutal crackdown by the government. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon speaks at the 38th commemoration of the May 18 Democratization Movement at May 18 National Cemetery in the southwestern city of G

More than half the number of female employees working at the Justice Ministry and the prosecution experienced sexual harassment and/or assault by other employees, and most of the incidents were kept secret, a special ministry panel revealed Thursday. In a press meeting, the independent panel looking into sexual crime at judicial bodies reported that 61.6 percent of 7,407 female workers, including prosecutors and ministry officials, responded that they had experienced sexual harassment and/or ass

Dog meat farmers staged a protest near the National Assembly on Wednesday, calling for equal treatment as other animal farms and demanding survival rights. Some 200 members of Korea Dog Farm Council members took to the streets in front of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, and demanded the lawmakers introduce a grace period for dog farms to install excreta treatment facilities.  (Yonhap)In February, the National Assembly passed a revision to the Act on the Manag

Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il on Wednesday denied a prosecution team’s claim that he wielded influence during an investigation into alleged illicit hiring at a state-run casino operator. On Tuesday, the prosecution’s independent investigation team looking into the Kangwon Land Casino scandal accused Moon and other ranking officials of intervening to delay the team from requesting an arrest warrant against Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, who has been implicated

Celebrating Teacher’s Day on Tuesday, Lee Seo-hee felt a sense of awkwardness receiving a paper carnation from a student, as he has often been a troublemaker who would never listen to her.“I know I have to embrace all students, but still it is difficult for me to deal with students when they often tease me and do not respect me as their teacher,” Lee, who has been teaching in an elementary school for three years, told The Korea Herald. In her career, she has experienced some cases of sexual rema

Wang Kena, a naturalized Korean citizen who originally came from China, believes that in order for migrant families and individuals to have a voice in Korean society, it is important for them to contribute to society. Working to improve awareness of migrant households and their children for the past five years, Wang ran for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s proportional representative seat in the Suwon City Council for the upcoming local and gubernatorial election slated for June 13. While

Three-term lawmaker Rep. Hong Young-pyo was elected as the new floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Friday.The new floor leader faces the task of reducing differences with the opposition parties to normalize the National Assembly that has been crippled for the past two months. Hong decisively beat Rep. Noh Woong-rae for the leadership position, garnering 78 votes out of 116 ballots cast. Noh, who is also a three-term lawmaker, obtained 38 votes. Hong, a close aide of President

Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho on Thursday quit the top post in Jin Air Co. amid ongoing investigations into his family over a series of allegations of physical and verbal violence as well as tax evasion and smuggling.Jin Air made the announcement in a regulatory filing with the Financial Supervisory Service. The low-cost carrier said Cho’s resignation from its CEO post is intended to strengthen a responsible management system by a professional manager. Cho Yang-ho (Yonhap)Jin Air is the budget