Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
Seongnam mayor says will run in local elections, but undecided on which office to seek
Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung plans to run in next year’s local elections, but is undecided on which office to seek, he said Tuesday. “I will run in the next year’s provincial elections. (On the question of which office to run for,) I will decide around this fall,” the mayor told reporters in the city just south of Seoul. Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung (Yonhap)A lawyer-turned-progressive politician, Lee was re-elected to the mayor’s office in 2014. During political turmoil sparked by the scandal in
Politics June 20, 2017
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Legislators push for special law to confiscate Choi family assets
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing for a special law to investigate and confiscate assets illegally accumulated by Choi Soon-sil, the arrested confidante of former President Park Geun-hye. Revealed at a press conference Tuesday, the bill envisions the forming of a special investigative committee to look into the assets of not just Choi, but all those who played a role in the corruption scandal involving the former president. Once identified, illegal proceeds would be confiscated, with co
Politics June 20, 2017
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Hong Joon-pyo faces possible lawsuit over critical speech
Hong Joon-pyo, the 2017 presidential candidate for the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, faces a possible lawsuit by a local media outlet after he openly denounced its former CEO on Monday.In a press briefing Sunday, the former South Gyeongang Province governor claimed that Hong Seok-hyun, former chairman of JoongAng Media Group which owns the broadcasting station JTBC and newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, traded his media conglomerate for a government position.Hong Joon-pyo, the 2017 presidential can
Politics June 19, 2017
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Hong declares bid to become conservative party chief
Hong Joon-pyo, a former presidential candidate and provincial governor, on Sunday declared that he would be running for the chief position of the Liberty Korea Party, vowing to rebuild the nation’s right wing through a complete overhaul. “The new start of the Liberty Korea Party will come with innovation. I will lead comprehensive reform and revive the (fallen) party,” he told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. With Hong in the contest, the race for the main oppos
Politics June 18, 2017
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[Graphic News] How Moon Jae-in’s Cabinet is shaping up
President Moon Jae-in had only three ministerial posts to fill in his Cabinet as of Wednesday. He has named 16 Cabinet members so far and two of them -- Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon -- have taken office. The remaining are pending parliamentary confirmation. Six are former or incumbent lawmakers. Twelve are men and four are women. Although the ratio of females is already higher than under the previous administration, which had two female
Politics June 14, 2017
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Parliament speaker calls for open discussion for constitutional revision
National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun on Tuesday vowed to strive for an open and transparent process to revise the constitution. He also urged fellow parliamentarians to come up with an amendment bill within the year so that it can be put to a vote during local elections next June. “I will open up the process of the constitutional reform to the public and make sure that the revision plan is not swayed by political disputes,” Chung the reporters at a press briefing marking his first year in of
Politics June 13, 2017
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Liberty Korea Party leadership race shapes up
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party is preparing to elect its new party leadership in early July, with the race widely expected to be a showdown between supporters and opponents of the party’s previous presidential candidate, Hong Joon-pyo. The former South Gyeongsang Province governor remains a divisive figure among party lawmakers. While he is credited for the party’s better-than-expected performance in the election -- Hong landed in second place despite the blow of President Park Geun-hye
Politics June 12, 2017
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6 in 10 support foreign minister nominee: poll
Six in 10 citizens agree with the appointment of Kang Kyung-wha as foreign minister, a poll showed Monday. According to local pollster Realmeter, 62.1 percent of 505 respondents said they supported Kang as the nation’s top diplomat, while 30.4 percent expressed their opposition.South Korean foreign minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)Tapped to become South Korea’s first female foreign minister last month, Kang was hit by strong backlash from the three main opposition parties over a series of
Politics June 12, 2017
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Moon to encourage job creation in first parliamentary speech
President Moon Jae-in is seeking to make a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations over his policy pledge for a supplementary budget for job creation and his appointment of Cabinet nominees this week. On Monday, President Moon was to visit the National Assembly to give his first administrative policy speech to stress the need for 11.2 trillion won ($9.95 billion) to boost employment in the public sector. It will be the first time an incumbent president will address the parliament on a supplemen
Politics June 11, 2017
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Opposition parties reject foreign minister nominee
Opposition parties have made clear their stance against Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha, putting the brakes on President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to form a diplomatic lineup amid multiple foreign relations challenges. The Liberty Korea Party, Bareun Party and People’s Party formed a united front against the nominee, who underwent a confirmation hearing Wednesday, citing ethical lapses.“Our party concluded that it would reject Kang’s confirmation hearing report on Friday,” the People’s Party
Politics June 8, 2017
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Constitutional Court chief nominee apologizes over 1980 ruling
Constitutional Court President nominee Kim Yi-su apologized over controversial rulings he made against citizen protesters in a democratic uprising in 1980, during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. “I sincerely apologize to those who still suffer from my past rulings,” Kim said. “I was inexperienced then, and it was hard for me to go against existing laws of that time.”As a military judge in 1980, he handed down punishments to protestors who fought against the authoritarian regime led by milita
Politics June 7, 2017
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[News Focus] People’s Party in dilemma as key voting bloc
A small opposition party with just 40 parliamentary seats is enjoying an outsized say in the parliamentary process and in President Moon Jae-in’s key personnel choices and policy pushes. But the People’s Party is also finding itself in a deepening dilemma over its relations with the new liberal administration led by the Democratic Party of Korea with which it shares the same political roots. In last week’s parliamentary endorsement of Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, the centrist party became a key a
Politics June 6, 2017
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Parties’ push for family reunion with NK sparks controversy
Four parties agreed Monday to push for a reunion of families separated by the Korean War on Aug. 15 Liberation Day, triggering controversy over the idea’s legitimacy and feasibility due to the absence of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and an ongoing series of military provocations from North Korea. At a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun, the floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, center-left People’s Party and splinter conservative Bareun Party agreed
Politics June 5, 2017
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Fire breaks out on mountain in northern Seoul
A big fire broke out on Mount Surak in northern Seoul Thursday, firefighters said, with no casualties having been reported so far.Firefighters said they were struggling to contain the fire that started at around 9:08 p.m., with a long ribbon of fire forming near the top of a ridge.(Yonhap)The exact cause of the wind-fed forest fire is not yet known, but the size of the blaze is quite large, they added. South Korea's public safety watchdog said it sent emergency text messages to nearby residents
Social Affairs June 1, 2017
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South Korean elected head of OECD's intergovernment body on transport
SEJONG (Yonhap) -- A South Korean official at the transportation ministry on Thursday was elected the head of the International Transport Forum at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, government officials said.Kim Young-tae, 50, a director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, became the secretary-general of the intergovernmental body for a five-year term, according to the ministry. This photo, provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Diplomatic Circuit June 1, 2017
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