Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
Park‘s history textbook plan faces uncertainty
Opposition parties on Tuesday said that the Education Ministry should be abolished if it pushes ahead with the planned introduction of the controversial state-authored history textbook. Calling it the “Park Geun-hye textbook” after the incumbent president who initiated the drive to mandate state-authored history textbooks, they called for a complete abolishment of the plan. “The textbooks are not just partly wrong, but need to be retracted as a whole,” said Rep. Yoo Sung-yeob of the People’s Par
Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2016
-
Professors unite against President Park
Some 70 professors from Seoul National University joined the rally on Saturday calling for President Park Geun-hye to step down. This was the first time that the university professors participated in any kind of protest as a group since the massive democratic uprising in 1960.“Professors have been taking part in the previous protests individually. This time, we decided to bring a stronger voice as a group,” Professor Yoo Yong-tae from the university told The Korea Herald.He, who came with his wi
Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2016
-
Rain forecast for Saturday’s anti-Park rally
The nation’s weather agency has forecast rain for Saturday, when another massive candlelight vigil will be held to turn up the pressure on President Park Geun-hye to step down from her post. Rally organizers expect up to 2 million citizens to take to the streets of central Seoul, more than the turnout of 1 million two weeks ago. The scandal involving Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil broke out more than a month ago and this Saturday will mark the fifth anti-Park rally to take place. It will be a t
Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2016
-
Campaign for impeachment votes begins
South Korea’s opposition parties are scrambling to get as many ruling party lawmakers as possible to support its upcoming campaign to impeach President Park Geun-hye. The three parties -- the Democratic Party of Korea, People’s Party and Justice Party -- have decided to present a parliamentary motion to remove Park from office. At least 29 votes from across the aisle are required for it to be passed. “As soon as we meet the quorum, we will present the impeachment motion,” floor leader Rep. Woo S
Politics Nov. 22, 2016
-
Park Tae-hwan anchors S. Korea to bronze in freestyle relay at Asian championships
Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan closed out his Asian Swimming Championships in Tokyo with a bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay event on Sunday. At Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, Park anchored South Korea to the time of 3 minutes, 18.80 seconds for the bronze medal, sharing it with teammates Yang June-hyeok, Lee Ho-joon and Kim Jae-woo. China won the event with a new championship record of 3:16.37, followed by Japan at 3:17.25. Park, the gold medalist at
More Sports Nov. 20, 2016
-
Train derails in north India, killing 104; many trapped
PUKHRAYAN, India (AP) -- At least 104 people were killed when 14 coaches of an overnight passenger train rolled off the track in northern India on Sunday, with rescue workers using cutting torches to try to pull out survivors, police said. Daljeet Chaudhary, a director general of police, said the death toll was likely to rise because rescue workers had yet to gain access to one of the worst-damaged coaches. About 150 people were injured, he said. The train derailed at around 3:10 a.m., jolting
World News Nov. 20, 2016
-
Teens express anger in anti-Park rallies
As rallies flared up all over the country Saturday to demand President Park Geun-hye’s resignation, teenagers took to the streets to express their anger and frustration at the scandal involving Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. Many middle and high school students are disappointed at how Choi’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, was illegally admitted to a top university and received special treatment there. “She did not study or make the appropriate effort but had the privilege of going to the unive
Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2016
-
[Weekender] Best places for winter bird-watching
Migratory birds visit South Korea from around October as the air begins to grow cool, heralding the change in season. These winged guests come annually from Russia, China and Mongolia, flying without rest for 15 hours per day to spend a “warmer” winter on the peninsula and nurture new life.Their arrival here makes winter prime time for bird-watching, with several spots that are especially popular. These sites are usually near river basins and deltas, where rivers meet the sea. A flock of migrat
Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2016
-
Exam takers to join anti-Park rally
About 600,000 high school students will take the national college entrance exam Thursday and some of them plan to express their anger at the Choi Soon-sil scandal at a rally later in the evening. High school seniors from a teen organization have registered to hold a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. on Thursday in front of the Bosingak Bell next to Jonggak Station in Seoul. “Many high school seniors wanted to join last Saturday’s rally, but they could not because the exam was so close,” Choi Seo-hyun,
Social Affairs Nov. 16, 2016
-
‘Choo’s flip-flop hurts opposition credibility’
South Korea’s main opposition party leader has come under fire for proposing Monday a one-on-one talk with President Park Geun-hye and changing her mind later that day. Her conservative rivals called the quick change in stance a typical case of the opposition camp’s recklessness and lack of responsibility. “I am sorry for causing confusion to the citizens and party members. I am also regretful to the two other opposition parties,” Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Korea, sai
Politics Nov. 15, 2016
-
Saenuri rift deepens
Factional strife continued to escalate in the ruling Saenuri Party on Monday, with members critical of President Park Geun-hye demanding the resignation of party leaders loyal to the embattled president. Five party officials began a hunger strike Monday, demanding party chief Rep. Lee Jung-hyun step down immediately. Other members even mooted the need for the party’s dissolution in order to win back voters’ support amid a devastating scandal engulfing the conservative president and ruling camp.
Politics Nov. 14, 2016
-
Park-Choo talks may split liberals
Opposition parties voiced criticism Monday over the planned meeting between President Park Geun-hye and chairwoman of the main opposition party Choo Mi-ae that any talk with Park now will give the embattled president a chance to salvage her “virtually dead” presidency.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and presidential hopeful, called Choo’s proposal for the talk an “obvious misjudgment” of the situation. “I am afraid the talk would do Cheong Wa Dae (the preside
Politics Nov. 14, 2016
-
[From the scene] Voices from the street
People from all walks of life came to central Seoul to participate in Saturday's protest against Park Geun-hye's presidency, from unionized workers to religious leaders, high-school students and parents with children. Here is what they told The Korea Herald about why they came to protest, and how they felt about the Choi Soon-sil scandal. -- Ed.High school students hold hand signs reading, "Step down, President" and "Searching for the lost seven hours" in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul on Sat
Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2016
-
[From the scene] Up to 1 million rally to demand Park’s ouster
In the largest anti-government rally in decades, up to 1 million South Koreans took to the streets in central Seoul on Saturday, demanding President Park Geun-hye’s resignation over a scandal involving her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. From City Hall through Gwanghwamun Square to Anguk station, protestors packed the boulevards just hundreds of meters from Park’s presidential residence of Cheong Wa Dae, turning the area into a vast sea of candlelight in the evening. Organizers said over 1 mi
Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2016
-
Saturday’s protest to be watershed moment for Park
Cheong Wa Dae, rival political forces and the police on Friday braced themselves for the massive anti-government rally to be held Saturday in Seoul, which observers say could be a watershed moment for the beleaguered President Park Geun-hye in the Choi Soon-sil fiasco. Thousands of chartered buses are expected to take residents from other parts of the Korean Peninsula to the rally, which is expected to be the largest candlelight vigil ever to be held in local history.As many as 1 million people
Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2016
Most Popular
-
1
Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
-
2
40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
-
3
[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
-
4
N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
-
5
Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
-
6
Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
-
7
[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
-
8
From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
-
9
Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
-
10
S. Korea, China, Japan in talks to hold trilateral summit May 26-27: official