South Korea should make it easier for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s elites to switch sides and stir change, Lee Il-gyu, who was Pyongyang’s counselor of political affairs in Cuba, said Friday. “South Korea should engage not only North Korea’s general public but also its elites to elicit change from within North Korea,” he said at a forum hosted by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a National Intelligence Service think tank, at the National Assembly i

Politics Sept. 27, 2024

South Korea’s spy agency considers North Korea publicizing leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to a previously undeclared uranium enrichment facility earlier this month to be a “US election-conscious move,” Rep. Lee Seong-kweon of the National Assembly intelligence committee said Thursday. “Kim’s visits to facilities related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program are rarely ever disclosed this way. The spy agency said the US presidential election was likely the

Politics Sept. 26, 2024

[코리아헤럴드=김아린 기자] 더불어민주당이 미국 대통령 선거를 앞두고 태스크포스(TF)를 꾸려 ‘야당 외교’를 위한 선제적 전략 구상에 돌입했다. 이재명 민주당 대표는 TF에 “한반도 평화를 최우선의 가치로 두는 민주당의 일관된 외교안보 노선에 따라 대비해달라”는 취지의 당부를 한 것으로 전해졌다. 24일 코리아헤럴드 취재를 종합하면, 민주당의 싱크탱크(Think Tank)인 민주연구원은 미국 대선과 관련한 논의를 위해 전문가들과 외교통일위원회· 국방위원회· 산업통상자원중소벤처기업위원회 등 유관 상임위원회의 의원들이 참여하는 TF를 결성했다. 미국의 차기 행정부 출범 이후 상황에 선제적으로 대비하기 위함이다. TF는 민주연구원 수석연구위원을 단장으로 한 전문 연구진과 김영배· 이재정· 위성락·김병주· 곽상언 의원 등으로 구성됐다. 이중 위성락·김병주 의원

한국어판 Sept. 24, 2024

The Democratic Party of Korea has launched a task force to brace for the US presidential election that takes place in six weeks to “prepare for potential challenges after the next administration takes office,” lawmakers told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. The Democratic Party think tank, the Institute for Democracy, gathered a team of experts and lawmakers on the National Assembly’s relevant committees to kick-start discussions on the party’s approach to the US presidential

Politics Sept. 24, 2024

The Democratic Party of Korea has launched a task force to brace for the US presidential election that takes place in six weeks to “prepare for potential challenges after the next administration takes office,” lawmakers told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. The Democratic Party think tank, the Institute for Democracy, gathered a team of experts and lawmakers on the National Assembly’s relevant committees to kick-start discussions on the party’s approach to the US presidential

한국어판 Sept. 24, 2024

Ji Seong-ho, the governor of North Hamgyong Province, is on a trip to Washington to discuss President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “doctrine” on Korean reunification with US government officials, senators and think tanks. The North Korean defector and former lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party told The Korea Herald on Monday that over his trip he is scheduled to meet with Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty; Amb. Julie Turner, special envoy on North Korean human rights; and shadow Sen. Paul

Politics Sept. 23, 2024

Im Jong-seok, who was chief of staff for former President Moon Jae-in, sparked criticism across partisan lines after he argued South Korea should no longer pursue reunification with the North as a policy goal, and instead accept the status quo of two Koreas. Tae Yong-ho, on the presidential advisory council of Korean reunification, told The Korea Herald on Monday that Im was “empowering Kim Jong-un and his two-state policy” with his suggestion. “Arguing we should no longer stri

Politics Sept. 23, 2024

The leaders of the US, Japan, Australia and India on Saturday condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and nuclear pursuits, while reaffirming their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. “We condemn North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” the leaders said in a statement issued at the end of the summit. “We reaffirm ou

Politics Sept. 22, 2024

A lawmaker with the ruling People Power Party came under fire Thursday for suspicions he solicited favors from a hospital amid disruptions in health care services nationwide. At the plenary meeting of the National Assembly, Rep. Yohan Ihn was photographed by a press camera texting “thanks” on his cellphone to an unidentified recipient who appeared to be telling him about a patient that he knows. In the messages, as captured in the photograph, the person on the other side of the conve

Politics Sept. 5, 2024

The two main parties of South Korea are looking to enact tougher requirements for foreign permanent residents to vote in local elections, following a meeting of their two leaders on Sunday. At the weekend meeting, People Power Party’s Han Dong-hoon and Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Lee Jae-myung discussed raising the bar for permitting noncitizens with F5 or permanent residency visa status to cast ballots for public offices, sources told The Korea Herald. Following the meeting, th

Politics Sept. 5, 2024

The Democratic Party of Korea continues to fuel unsupported claims that President Yoon Suk Yeol is trying to declare martial law nationwide with his recent shake-up of the defense leadership. Democratic Party lawmakers, including the party’s chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung, have repeatedly raised suspicions that Yoon is preparing to establish martial law in South Korea, claiming to have “sources.” The main opposition party claims that Yoon nominated his close ally Kim Yong-hyun -- ret

Politics Sept. 3, 2024

North Korean submarines have been removed from the public list of the International Maritime Organization only a day after they were listed, with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff looking into circumstances surrounding the curious move. The South’s JCS said Friday that the previously listed North Korean submarines could no longer be found on the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System. “North Korea has withdrawn its registration (of the submarines), and the

Politics Aug. 30, 2024

INCHEON -- Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties will hold their first meeting on Sunday to discuss the doctors’ protest of the government’s reform initiatives and its toll on the country’s health care systems, both parties said Friday. The two main parties failed to reach an agreement over a bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate the on-duty death of a Marine in July last year, and another opposition-led bill for handing out cash to South Koreans to boost cons

Politics Aug. 30, 2024

A South Korean military intelligence agent is accused of turning over secrets to Chinese agents for about seven years in exchange for money, according to South Korea’s military prosecution service Wednesday. The military prosecutors said the agent with the Korea Defense Intelligence Command had been indicted Tuesday for leaking secrets to Chinese intelligence agents that he had first come into contact with in 2017. For over seven years, he appears to have received over 10 million won ($7,4

Politics Aug. 28, 2024

Ri Il-kyu, the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016, says he “felt humiliated” every time he had to reveal which Korea he was from when he was serving overseas missions. Speaking at a National Assembly event hosted by ruling People Power Party lawmakers on Monday, he said North Korean diplomats “absolutely hate being asked which country they are from.” Ri served as a counselor for political affairs at the North Korean embassy based in

Politics Aug. 27, 2024