Articles by Son Ji-hyoung
Son Ji-hyoung
consnow@heraldcorp.com-
[KH Explains] Political leeks: Scallions become election attack line
The green onion, a beloved vegetable among South Koreans, has unexpectedly become the latest political weapon for opposition parties to attack President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling party. It all started with Yoon's visit to a hypermarket in southern Seoul on March 18, just before he rolled out measures to tame food prices in the country. There, Yoon noticed that a bundle of green onions weighing 1 kilogram was selling for 875 won ($0.65), significantly lower than the usual price of between
Politics April 7, 2024
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[Election 2024] Will S. Korea's political regionalism crumble?
South Korean politics has long been marked by a sharp east-west divide in its southern regions. In the southeast, Daegu, Busan, Ulsan and the Gyeongsang Provinces have been a conservative stronghold for decades, while the country’s southwest, including Gwangju and the Jeolla Provinces, has been a bastion for the left wing. In the 2020 legislative election, the center-left won in 27 out of 28 seats in Korea's southwest, while the conservatives won 56 out of 65 constituencies in the sou
Politics April 7, 2024
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Yoon eyes foreign students, spouses as domestic helpers
President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered South Korean government ministries to explore ways to help South Korean families hire foreign students and marriage migrants as domestic helpers, doubling down on a troubled program designed to address the country's low fertility rate. Conservatives such as Yoon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon have proposed hiring foreign nannies at below minimum wage for some time, but faced difficulties in putting the plan into action. Presiding over a meeting at his office to discus
Politics April 4, 2024
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Seoul eyes 'all-time high' R&D budget for 2025
South Korea's budget related to technology research and development for 2025 will "reach an all-time high," reversing course from the 14.7 percent budget cut for this year's R&D projects that baffled scientists here, according to the presidential office on Wednesday. Park Sang-ook, senior presidential secretary for science and technology, said in a press briefing in Seoul that Korea will "exponentially increase" the R&D budget, though he did not elaborate on the speci
Politics April 3, 2024
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Yoon envisions 2nd presidential office, relocation of parliament to Sejong
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday his administration was moving to establish a new presidential office and a parliament branch in Sejong, the de facto administrative capital of South Korea. The new branch of the presidential office, currently located in Yongsan-gu of Seoul near the Yongsan Garrison of the US Forces Korea, will contribute to "breaking down barriers between the presidential office and the government" and at the same time boost Yoon's public engagement, Yoon said
Politics April 2, 2024
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Korea unveils next-generation bullet train
South Korea on Monday unveiled the KTX Cheong-ryong, a new class of bullet train that boasts a maximum speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The new high-speed train is the first domestically designed and manufactured one with a peak speed surpassing 300 kilometers per hour. South Korea launched its homegrown bullet train, the KTX-Sancheon, in 2008 for the first time. Beginning in May, the KTX Cheong-ryong will operate four times a day between Seoul and Busan in southeastern Korea, and twice a day b
Politics April 1, 2024
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Yoon says 'open to talks' but doctors express disappointment
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that he is open to talks with doctors if they can suggest a more plausible option than his administration's plan of adding 2,000 more medical students a year, seeking a breakthrough in a prolonged medical standoff that has apparently been affecting the ruling party's election campaign. Pointing to doctors' failure to refute his administration's plan to increase the school quota by 2,000 to 5,058 per year starting in 2025, Yoon said in a tel
Politics April 1, 2024
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[Photo News] Special instructor for the day
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a lecture about the 2023 launch of the Nuri rocket after making a surprise appearance at a class of first graders as a special instructor for the after-school Neulbom program at Ain Elementary School in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yoon's class involved a presentation of a video about the domestically manufactured rocket, reading the children a book about space and rockets and hands-on activities to teach the class about rocket propulsion, according
Politics March 29, 2024
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New GTX line connecting Dongtan, Suseo in 20 min. to launch Saturday
The new high-frequency suburban rail service for commuters named Great Train Express (GTX) is set to begin operation on Saturday, marking a watershed moment in the evolution of Seoul's public transportation. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday the GTX network will grow to become the South Korean equivalent of the Crossrail of London and its suburbs in the United Kingdom, and the RER centering around Paris. Those using the commuter rail network to travel from Suseo Station in southern Seoul to Do
Politics March 29, 2024
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Korea enters full election mode
South Korea shifted into full-scale election mode Thursday, with political parties launching their official campaigns to stretch until the general election on April 10 that is expected to shape the political landscape for the next four years. For the next 13 days, eligible candidates representing their parties are allowed to use loudspeakers and trucks with megaphones for campaigning activities in open spaces from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the National Election Commission on Thursday. The t
Politics March 28, 2024
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S. Korea seeks W200tr biotech industrial output by 2035
South Korea is poised to quintuple its biotechnology industrial output in 15 years, to 200 trillion won ($149 billion) by 2035 from 43 trillion won as of 2020, according to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday. The Ministry of Science and ICT defined life science industrial output as domestic outputs of all types of biopharmaceutical products including biosimilars, medical equipment, supplements, biomass and biotech-related services. Moreover, his administration will nurture an environment
Politics March 26, 2024
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Med student hike, a must for competent regional hospitals: Yoon
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday reiterated his stance that the medical school expansion plan is a prerequisite for improving the quality of care at regional hospitals. At a Cabinet meeting held in his office Tuesday, Yoon said the plan to increase the school quota by 2,000 to 5,058 starting 2025 -- confirmed on March 20 -- is "a minimum requirement" to address the doctor shortage and improve the medical system, especially in remote areas. Under the plan, the students admitted to sch
Politics March 26, 2024
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[Election Battlefield] Power of young voters gains traction in chip cluster
HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- Hwaseong City lies at the heart of South Korea's chip industry cluster in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province, which anticipates a total of 622 trillion won ($462.1 billion) in spending by 2047 and 3 million new jobs. With a large capital commitment constantly drawing young voters to the chip cluster in the south of Seoul, the number of constituencies in five such cities -- Hwaseong, Suwon, Yongin, Pyeongtaek and Icheon -- increased to 17 for the April elec
Politics March 25, 2024
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Yoon vows new law for autonomy of Yongin, Suwon, Goyang, Changwon
Four cities that have lower-level local autonomy but have populations of over 1 million each may enjoy greater autonomy to set up infrastructure for construction, transportation and education, as the government anticipates a population influx with the advent of new chip industry complexes, according to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday. A new law, if proposed, will ensure the administrative power of a provincial governor in these cities be transferred to the cities' mayors, President Yoon
Politics March 25, 2024
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Han accuses opposition leader of being 'subservient to China'
The ruling party head on Sunday slammed main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung for his speech on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's stance on the South Korea-China relationship, accusing the Democratic Party of Korea as being subservient to China. Han Dong-hoon, interim chair of the ruling People Power Party, said in a meeting of the party's election committee on Sunday that Lee's comment Friday "reaffirms the Democratic Party of Korea's perception of itself as a vassal to China." T
Politics March 24, 2024