Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
National Assembly crippled, leaving pending bills behind
Rival parties blamed each other Wednesday for failing to narrow the differences to normalize the National Assembly after marathon negotiations the day before.The main sticking point is the demand by the opposition for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to accept a special counsel probe into an opinion rigging scandal involving an online blogger who is allegedly linked to the ruling party’s lawmaker.The National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun had set Tuesday as the deadline for negotiations, a
Politics May 9, 2018
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20 suffer from blood poisoning in Gangnam dermatologist
Twenty patients who were treated while under propofol anesthesia at a dermatologist clinic in Seoul have been transferred to nearby hospitals after showing symptoms of blood poisoning, the police said Tuesday. According to the Gangnam District Police, 20 patients treated at a dermatologist’s located in Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu, are being treated for septicemia, or blood poisoning and low blood pressure, in six nearby hospitals including Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital. (Yonhap)One man and 19 w
Social Affairs May 8, 2018
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Political standoff continues to paralyze National Assembly in May
Rival parties continued a standoff Monday, failing to normalize the National Assembly that has been paralyzed since April. Lawmakers have been clashing over several agenda items, including a recent opinion-rigging scandal, a supplementary budget and a set of contentious bills. A closed-door meeting of the four negotiating blocs in the morning ended without reaching an agreement. The main sticking point was a demand from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, which insists that a special counse
Politics May 7, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘North Korean human rights is key to resolving inter-Korean conflict’
The historic meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has raised hopes for a lasting resolution to the inter-Korean standoff. But American human rights activist Suzanne Scholte urged for caution, saying that the nuclear issue and human rights should not be separated. She added that the South Korean government seems to care the least about the abuse of human rights in North Korea -- when it should care the most. “I feel like it is the exact same play
North Korea May 4, 2018
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Prosecutor who ignited #MeToo in Korea condemns prosecution’s sexual assault probe
Seo Ji-hyun, the prosecutor whose disclosure of sexual misconduct by a senior Justice Ministry official ignited a nationwide #MeToo movement here, strongly condemned the prosecution’s independent team for its lax investigation.Calling it cursory work, Seo said Tuesday the investigation team had lacked the will to look thoroughly into the sexual misconduct case she had brought against former senior Justice Ministry official Ahn Tae-geun in January. The prosecution last week indicted former senior
Social Affairs May 2, 2018
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Hong still railing against inter-Korean summit
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s barrage of criticisms against a recent inter-Korean summit may be causing fissures in the party. On Tuesday, Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo continued his attacks, warning that politics swept up by the atmosphere always fail. “What I intended (through hard-line remarks) was to raise concerns, and that we need to look at the situation with levelheadedness,” Hong said in a post on his Facebook account“It is good that the government dragged the N
Politics May 1, 2018
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Moon seeks ratification of inter-Korean joint statement at National Assembly
President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the National Assembly for a swift ratification of the Panmunjeom Declaration, which came after the historic inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in order to make sure the agreement is legally implemented.But his plan looks set to face an uphill battle, as it faces strong backlash from the main conservative opposition, “Please quickly take the steps needed to ratify and promulgate the joint statement according to the Development of Inter-
Politics April 30, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘South Korea should lead abolition of death penalty in Asia-Pacific’
South Korea has an unprecedented record when it comes to the death penalty, allowing a political prisoner on death row to become its president.Late President Kim Dae-jung, who was in office from 1998 to 2003, was sentenced to death in 1980, on treason charges.With a campaign by the international community and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Kim was able to leave the country for the United States two years later. Chiara Sangiorgio (Courtesy of Amnesty International)T
Social Affairs April 27, 2018
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[2018 Inter-Korean summit] Kim Jong-un’s handwriting reflects feisty personality: experts
Kim Jong-un’s handwriting hints at confident, feisty personality, experts say. As the first-ever North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea, every word and gesture by Kim has drawn media attention. After sharing friendly conversations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in walking to the meeting venue, Kim left a handwritten message in the guestbook inside Panmunjeom where their summit is taking place. (Cheong Wa Dae)“A new history begins now. At the starting point of history and the era of
North Korea April 27, 2018
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[Herald Interview] NK defector anticipates return to Pyongyang before year-end
With the coming inter-Korean summit taking place for the first time in 11 years, North Korean defector Kim Ryon-hui‘s hope is high that she may return to Pyongyang to her family.“I was so nervous counting the days to the summit. I believe I will be able to go back to Pyongyang within this year, may be in June. Is my anticipation too high?” she said in a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday. Kim Ryon-hui (Courtesy of Kim Ryon-hui)Kim, 47, has been demanding repatriation to the North
North Korea April 26, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Vietnam massacre victims demand Korean government’s apology
Two Vietnamese women sat nervously in a mock trial on Sunday as they awaited the ruling on their case against South Korea over massacres that took place during the Vietnam War.“Defendant South Korea should pay reparations accordingly to the State Compensation Act and officially recognize its liability (in the massacre) to regain the dignity and honor of the plaintiffs,” Kim Young-ran, former Supreme Court Justice, delivered the ruling as the chief judge of the mock trial.As Kim read out the verd
Foreign Affairs April 25, 2018
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Justice Ministry to reinvestigate sex crime charge against former vice justice minister
Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui is likely to be reinvestigated on sex crime charges, of which he had been cleared in 2013, as the Justice Ministry views the previous decision as an apparent misjudgment. A special independent panel at the Ministry of Justice looking into past rulings recommended Tuesday a probe into Kim’s case in which he was accused of multiple charges, including rape, bribery and narcotics use. The committee, which was established by the Moon Jae-in administration in De
Social Affairs April 24, 2018
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Foreign voters seek more information on elections in other languages
With less than two months until the June 13 local elections, foreign residents with voting rights say they lack information on candidates. In 2005, the South Korean government revised the Immigration Control Act to allow non-Korean citizens who have held resident visas (F-5) for at least three years to vote in gubernatorial elections, so that they can claim their rights in their registered local constituencies. The number of eligible foreign voters has tripled since the law came into effect for
Politics April 18, 2018
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Hongik Univ. Station most prone to hidden camera crimes: statistics
Hongik University Station on Line No. 2 had the greatest number of hidden camera crimes reported, followed by Express Bus Terminal Station and Gangnam Station, a local subway operator said Tuesday.According to Seoul Metro, 83 cases of hidden camera crimes -- secretly installed cameras or photos taken without permission -- were reported from Hongik University Station to the subway squad of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency last year. It is the second time the station has topped the list that i
Social Affairs April 17, 2018
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One arrested, 10 booked for swindling 4,600 Chinese migrants
A group of Chinese migrants has been arrested for swindling over 4,600 other Chinese migrants out of billions of won in a fraudulent multilevel investment scheme.Busan Metropolitan Police Agency’s International Criminal Investigation team on Monday said it had arrested a 42-year-old naturalized citizen from China and booked without detention 10 others for fraud and violating fundraising law. The falsified webpage (Busan Metropolitan Police Agency-Yonhap)The suspects are accused of taking 3.2 bil
Social Affairs April 17, 2018
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