New Zealand's top envoy in Seoul said Tuesday she hopes South Korea will join the Trans Pacific Partnership, calling the country a "natural partner."New Zealand is one of 12 countries that have joined what is expected to emerge as the world's largest free trade block. US President Barack Obama has been pushing to ratify the pact before the end of his term. South Korea has yet to decide whether to join.Its actual implementation, however, faces uncertainty as key presidential candidates in the Uni

The leaders of South Korea and Denmark will hold a summit in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation on a range of regional and global issues, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.President Park Geun-hye and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen will exchange their views on cooperation in trade, investment, electronic governance and renewable energy, among other topics, Cheong Wa Dae said.The leaders will also discuss their collaboration in addressing North Korea-related iss

A university student received an immediate prison term of 30 months for smuggling in illegal drugs from overseas. Daegu District Court said Sunday that the 25-year-old brought in 4.5 grams of marijuana from Manila, Philippines, in April. She transported it hidden in her luggage, which went undetected through airport customs at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, the southeastern port city of Korea. (Yonhap)Emboldened by this success, in July she once again visited Philippines, this time buyin

Prosecutors on Friday sought an 18-month prison term for social activist and artist Hong Seung-hee, who was indicted without detention for drawing satirical graffiti of President Park Geun-hye and for her participation in the 2014 Sewol ferry mourning protest.Hong was indicted on three counts for separate offences. The first involved her participation in the post-Sewol ferry crisis protest in August 2014, where more than 3,000 people marched together in mourning for the tragic sinking of the ove

A woman was rescued after she crawled into and got trapped inside a claw machine Tuesday. According to the Incheon Seobu Fire Station, the 165-centimeter tall 20-year-old had somehow managed to crawl through a slot in the machine in a drunken state, in an attempt to steal the stuffed toys inside it.  (Yonhap)A local wire service quoted a fire department staff as saying, “It’s a mystery how she got inside. She was taller than the average women.”The hole was 30 cm in width and height.The fire depa

A man who raped his underage daughter for more than six years was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Wednesday.  Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court (Yonhap)The Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court said the 41-year-old convict had raped and sexually abused his underage daughter for a six-year period from 2009, when she was 7 years old. The victim, currently 14 years old, is undergoing treatment at a local children’s welfare center. By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

South Korea and Russia agreed to work toward early activation of their treaty on joint maritime search and rescue during a recent consular affairs meeting, the foreign ministry in Seoul said Wednesday.The director at the South Korean foreign ministry's overseas Koreans and consular affairs bureau Kim Wan-joong held a meeting with his Russian counterpart Yevgeniy Ivanov in Moscow a day earlier, it said. The meeting was the annual consultation gathering to discuss consular matters.In the latest ta

Two Russian men in their 20s were arrested Monday for vandalizing train cars in Daegu, southeastern Korea.The men are accused of trespassing and spraying graffiti on trains that belong to Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corp. at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. (Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corp.)Graffiti is illegal if done on public property.The police tracked down the suspects based on surveillance camera footage.The arrested men are also being accused of stealing clothes worth 7.5 million won ($6,600) fr

A customer’s sudden death exposed a group of illegal foreign sex workers in Gwangju, southern Korea. According to the police, a man surnamed Oh, 37, was arrested for hiring women of foreign nationalities and making them have sex for money.(Yonhap)Two staff members who assisted in the recruitment and a 20-year-old woman from Kazakhstan, were also arrested. The act of buying, selling or facilitating sex in exchange for money is punishable by law. Oh hired women from Kazakhstan and Russia, who can

South Korea's squid catch from the East Sea has been on a steady decline over the past four years due mainly to Chinese boats' overfishing, data showed Tuesday.According to the data by the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, the amount of squid sold at its 18 cooperatives along the east coast came to 67,479 tons last year, slightly down from 67,941 tons the previous year.Squid catch from the East Sea amounted to 83,566 tons in 2012, but it slumped to 75,660 tons the following year.In

The number of boar sightings here is on the rise, raising alarm throughout Seoul. Between Sunday and Monday, four boar sightings were reported in populous parts of Seoul. (Yonhap)Seoul Jongno Police said Monday that two boars were seen in Sajik-dong, central Seoul, on Sunday at around 10 p.m. One was shot down at around 11:30 p.m. while the other escaped to the nearby Bukhansan.At 1:30 a.m. on Monday, another boar was reported wandering around near Gyeongbokgung in the same district. It was shot

South Korea's special envoy on North Korea human rights will leave for Europe this week to discuss the abject human rights situations in the reclusive country, the foreign ministry said Monday.Lee Jung-hoon, who took office as Ambassador for North Korean human rights on Wednesday, plans to attend a seminar in Prague, set for Tuesday on the sidelines of an international forum, according to the ministry.The visit to the Czech Republic marks his first overseas trip since inauguration. His post was

초대형 크기 바퀴벌레를 손 위에 얹고 노는 한 여성의 영상이 사회공유망서비스(SNS)상 화제가 되고 있다.　　지난 7월 페이스북에 게재된 영상에서 이 여성은 약 15센티미터 크기 바퀴벌레를 거리낌 없이 손에 쥐고 쓰다듬는 모습을 보인다.　　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　

Toddler safety harnesses and leashes have caught on in Korea, sparking off debate about their usage here. On Friday, a local wire service released a story on the growing number of mothers who put their toddlers on a leash when they go outdoors or visit supermarkets, to prevent losing their children. (Yonhap)One end of the leash is usually attached to the child’s backpack or wrist, while the mother holds on to the other end. Some people have commented that it looks humiliating and might even viol

When South Korea’s professional baseball league first began in 1982, it started small with a total season attendance of 1.4 million. Now, things have changed. A record number of 8 million fans flocked to stadiums across the nation this season alone, with tickets for many games selling out almost instantly. “There’s nothing like going to the ballpark,” said Kim Bo-gyung, a 25-year-old fan who was watching the LG Twins play at Jamsil Stadium on Tuesday. “I’m singing, shouting and dancing the stres

Spectators come in representative colors. Electrically amplified cheering and sing-alongs by fans of each team echo throughout ball parks. Cheerleaders, dancing along to K-pop hits during the breaks, wow the tens of thousands in the crowd. The cheering culture of South Korean baseball fans can be overwhelming -- something akin to the overflowing emotions pioneered by the high-profile cheering squad at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Back then, a number of Korean soccer fans clad in trademark red

A woman was booked without detention Friday on charges of assaulting a man who refused to engage in sexual intercourse with her.According to Busan Nambu Police, the woman, 36, and the man, 62, became acquainted with each other through an online chatting platform and agreed to meet offline for sex.  Busan Nambu Police (Yonhap)The two finally met at a motel room in Busan on Wednesday and saw each other for the first time. The accused was turned down by the victim, who said the woman, 175 centimete

Hot dogs and nachos are often associated with baseball in the United States. For Korean baseball fans, however, the range of options is far wider. The variety of food available at ball games is a boon for Korean baseball buffs, including Kim Young-won, who frequented the Lotte Giants’ home ground Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan city during the time he lived there.“You only really go to the stadium for the food and the fun that comes with it,” Kim said, “The distance to the field is too far from

South Korea said Friday it has signed an agreement with Singapore to share some financial information on their nationals residing in each other's territory.It's meant to help tackle offshore tax evasion and other illegal activities, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said.Under the deal, the two sides will automatically exchange some details on their bank accounts each year starting in 2018.The information to be shared include individuals' names, addresses, tax numbers, account numbers and acc

South Korea and Cuba have inked a high-level bilateral accord on an economy-related program, laying the groundwork for the launch of full-scale partnerships, Seoul's finance ministry said Friday.The two sides signed the memorandum of understanding on sharing the Northeast Asian nation's experience in economic development in a ceremony held in Havana on Thursday (local time), according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.It represents the first government-level MOU between the two countries,