Articles by Son Ji-hyoung
Son Ji-hyoung
consnow@heraldcorp.com-
Historic bill-signing signals Yoon's shift on veterans affairs
President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted a historic bill-signing ceremony Thursday to elevate the Veterans Affairs Ministry to a full-fledged ministry and establish a government agency to support the Korean diaspora. The event marks the first public bill-signing ceremony by a South Korean president to reorganize the government structure, according to Yoon's office. The elevation of the Veterans Affairs Ministry and creation of Overseas Koreans Agency will become effective early in June. The ceremony
Defense March 2, 2023
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1 in 4 foreign laborers relocate with some citing violence: data
Nearly 1 out of 4 low-skilled foreign workers who came to Korea on the E-9 visa have applied to change their workplace in the past six years on average, with some citing workplace violence, data showed Wednesday. From 2017 until October 2022, Korea has seen nearly 45,000 applications on average to change the workplace each year, out of some 200,000 workers on an E-9 visa, according to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor requested by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee In-young. They ac
Social Affairs March 1, 2023
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Bill gets Cabinet nod to create agency for Korean diaspora
A new state-run agency dedicated to providing consolidated administrative support to some 7.3 million South Korean diaspora across the world will likely to be set up in June this year. The new government body will be carved out of the Foreign Ministry and be tasked with creating and implementing state policies aimed at supporting Korean diaspora, according to the bill to revise the Government Organization Act, endorsed by the Cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday. This means the first governmen
Politics Feb. 28, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Ashurst-Hwahyun joint venture looks to growing cross-border litigations in Korea
South Korea's first joint venture between foreign and local law firms said it would provide comprehensive legal services for companies facing a growing number of cross-border litigations, touting its competitiveness in practicing both Korean and international law in Korea. "As companies invest internationally, and often into challenging jurisdictions, the result is often cross-border arbitrations and investigations related to compliance with anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and sanc
Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2023
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More than 1 in 5 young adults heavily in debt
More than 1 in 5 young adults are suffering huge debt in the face of soaring housing costs or living expenses, data showed Monday. According to a recent study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, a state-run research institute, more than 21 percent of householders aged between 19 and 39 saw their debt-to-income ratios exceed 300 percent as of 2021, meaning their level of debt was more than three times their income. The proportion of young people with debt ratios above 300 perc
Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2023
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Yoon's office mulls raising limit on anti-graft law
South Korea's Presidential Office is mulling a revision of the anti-graft law, also known as the Kim Young-ran law, to raise the limit on food price from the current 30,000 won ($22.82) to 50,000 won. Unveiling the plan, Lee Do-woon, spokesperson of President Yoon Suk Yeol's office, said the revision is being discussed to prop up the local economy. Those subject to the law, including public officials, school teachers and journalists, are currently banned from being offered with meals t
Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2023
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Yoon's office under fire over vetting process
President Yoon Suk Yeol's office on Sunday came under fire over a flaw found in the vetting process of a state police investigation chief who was revealed to have defended his son in a school bullying case instead of holding his son accountable. Former prosecutor Chung Sun-sin was appointed by Yoon to be the South Korean police investigation chief on Friday, but resigned the next day hours after criticism built up over his son's verbal abuse of his classmate five years ago. Chung and h
Politics Feb. 26, 2023
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Seoul wary of reduced disclosure of radioactive elements in Fukushima wastewater
Japan's nuclear regulation authority tentatively confirmed plans Wednesday to narrow the scope of radioactive elements to be monitored in the radiation-contaminated water from quake-stricken Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the South Korean Prime Minister's Office said in a statement Wednesday. The types of nuclides under the monitoring has been reduced from 64 to 30, according to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's office. The Seoul government pledged to place the Ko
Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2023
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Korea to lift COVID-19 testing requirements for China arrivals in March
South Korea will lift the coronavirus testing requirements for entrants from China beginning in March, the government said Wednesday. From March 1, mandatory PCR testing for coronavirus upon arrival at the airport for entrants from China will no longer be in place. The measure will also permit China entrants to arrive at airports other than Incheon. This means such measures effective through the end of February will not be extended, and flights between, for example, Jeju Island and places like C
Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2023
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Court recognizes same-sex partner as dependent
A South Korean high court ruled on Tuesday that the spouse in a same-sex partnership is eligible for national health insurance coverage under his partner’s subscription. The landmark ruling overturns a lower court's decision in January 2022 that rejected the same-sex couple's petition to cancel the National Health Insurance Service's decision to demand back-payments from the non-earning partner. A spouse without a source of income is exempted from making a health insurance c
Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2023
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State not responsible for death of child who followed school vaccine mandate: court
The South Korean government is not responsible for compensation for a child who was inoculated following a boarding school's vaccination requirement, a court ruling showed Monday. The mother of the deceased son, whose identity was not disclosed, claimed in a lawsuit that the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency had unlawfully rejected the mother's request to review whether the case was subject to state compensation or not. She demanded the case be at least discussed at a committ
Social Affairs Feb. 20, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Mongolian PM wants to use Busan as outlet for trade corridor
Mongolia wants South Korea's largest port city, Busan, to become an integral part of a trade corridor for the landlocked country, its Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene told The Korea Herald in an interview Friday. Mongolia currently relies on the sea ports of Russia and China to import foreign goods and sell products to other countries. This means international sanctions imposed on Moscow and Beijing, as well as port lockdowns due to internal policies like zero-COVID, often led to fr
Foreign Affairs Feb. 19, 2023
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Korea, Mongolia pledge rare earths cooperation
South Korea and Mongolia will expand cooperation in exploring, developing and trading rare metals in Mongolia to bolster the supply chain of Korea's electronic goods and components. According to the South Korean Prime Minister's office, the two countries agreed to set up a new committee co-led by South Korea’s Second Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Il-jun and Mongolia's Mining and Heavy Industry Minister Ganbaatar Jambal, to hold an annual regular meeting on
Social Affairs Feb. 15, 2023
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Selling your Seoul: Why city slogans keep changing
Seoul city is moving to replace its eight-year-old slogan, "I.Seoul.U," by putting two new candidates, "Seoul, My Soul" and "Seoul for You," to an online vote for the next 30 days starting Wednesday. The city government under Oh Se-hoon has stated that a new slogan is needed as the current one lacks popularity and does not make sense. In calling time on the slogan, Oh is erasing one of the legacies of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who died amid a sexual harass
Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2023
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COVID-19 cases hit 7-month low 2 weeks after eased masking
The number of daily novel coronavirus cases in South Korea hit 5,174, its lowest count in seven months, government data showed Monday. It marked the lowest point since June 27, 2022, when Korea counted 3,419 daily cases, according to data by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The latest figure has brought Korea's accumulated number of COVID-19 cases to 30.35 million. In general, figures announced on Mondays tend to be lower due to fewer people taking tests over the weekend. St
Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2023
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