Author: Jae young

September 11, 2025SEOUL – South Korea concluded negotiations for the release of more than 300 nationals detained in a recent US immigration raid. They were arrested Thursday at the construction site of an electric vehicle battery plant operated by a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Georgia. Reportedly, they are likely to return home voluntarily instead of facing deportation.It is fortunate to receive news of their early release, but the very fact that this happened between South Korea and the US, which are allies, is shocking. There are mounting concerns that it could seriously undermine…

September 11, 2025SEOUL – South Korea has become an indispensable partner in the Philippines’ military modernization, providing core assets such as FA-50 fighter jets. Now Manila is exploring ways to deepen that relationship through joint production, the Southeast Asian country’s top defense official said Tuesday.On the sidelines of the 2025 Seoul Defense Dialogue, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told The Korea Herald that Korean-built systems form the backbone of his country’s current capabilities.“Korea, as our track record has shown, provides a substantial amount of our core military capabilities, from frigates to the FA-50 fighters to our munitions,” he said in an…

September 11, 2025SEOUL – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a health initiative on Wednesday, aimed at extending residents’ life expectancy by three years and raising physical activity levels by 3 percentage points by 2030.On Wednesday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled Seoul’s citywide health initiative, seeking to make healthier diets and regular exercise everyday habits through expanded health facilities, healthier food programs and targeted exercise and care programs for the elderly.The plan was launched after a city government survey revealed a significant gap between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. While Seoul residents are expected to live an average of…

September 11, 2025SEOUL – Plans for more than 300 South Korean detainees to depart Georgia on Wednesday via a charter flight have been postponed “due to circumstances on the US side,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.The detainees were arrested on Sept. 4 during an immigration raid at the construction site of the HL-GA battery plant, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, near the city of Savannah, Georgia.“The departure on Wednesday, US time, of our nationals detained in the state of Georgia has become difficult due to circumstances on the US side,” the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday…

September 11, 2025SEOUL – Acquittal of Choi, now 78, seen not just as clearing her record but as restoring her dignityAfter more than six decades, a South Korean woman who spent her lifetime branded as an offender for resisting sexual assault has been declared innocent.On Wednesday, the Busan District Court acquitted 78-year-old Choi Mal-ja, overturning a 1964 conviction that punished then 18-year-old for biting off part of her attacker’s tongue while fighting off rape.The ruling concludes a 61-year legal battle, reshaping definitions around gender and self-defense. Presiding Judge Kim Hyun-soon declared Choi not guilty of the charge of causing grievous…

September 10, 2025MANILA – South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has halted the implementation of a 700-billion won (₱28.7 billion) infrastructure loan to the Philippines, citing its “potential for corruption.”This development follows a major corruption scandal in the Philippines involving flood control infrastructure, which has prompted intense House and Senate investigations into suspected collusion between politicians and contractors to embezzle funds intended for projects mitigating river overflows during strong and often deadly typhoons.Lee made the announcement on Facebook on Tuesday, following an exclusive report of Korea’s center-left daily, The Hankyoreh.READ: LIVE UPDATES: Anomalous flood-control projects House hearing“The project, which was deemed…

September 10, 2025SEOUL – A teenage boy was arrested Monday in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for allegedly trying to kidnap an elementary school girl — the latest in a string of child abduction attempts that has led to a spike in purchases of self-defense items and safety apps.According to Gwangmyeong Police Station on Tuesday, the teen is supected of following the girl into an elevator at an apartment building Monday afternoon. Police added that the suspect allegedly tried to drag the girl away after covering her mouth as she stepped out of an elevator. When she screamed and resisted, he fled…

September 10, 2025SEOUL – The most heavily used AI chatbot app in South Korea by daily engagement time is not ChatGPT. Nor is it made by a Silicon Valley tech giant. It’s a homegrown app called Zeta, an anime-styled roleplay app where nearly one million mostly teenage users spend an average of 2 hours and 46 minutes a day talking and flirting with virtual characters.That figure even surpasses entertainment platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, according to Mobile Index data from June.Though Zeta is officially rated 12+ on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play, making it accessible to middle…

September 10, 2025SEOUL – A Korean Air chartered flight is set to depart as early as Wednesday to repatriate more than 300 South Koreans detained in the US Department of Homeland Security’s largest single-site immigration raid, conducted at a construction site in Georgia run by South Korean conglomerates.President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the incident, saying he felt “a deep responsibility for the safety of Korean citizens” and called on government ministries to manage the situation with the utmost care.“I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathy to those who must have been deeply unsettled by the…

September 9, 2025SEOUL – The government’s decision to curtail the power of South Korea’s prosecution is expected to not only bring structural reform, but also trigger a potential exodus of prosecutors from public service.In a high-level meeting Sunday, the government, the presidential office and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea announced a major overhaul of public institutions, including splitting the prosecution service into two agencies: a crime investigation unit under the Interior Ministry and an indictment body under the Justice Ministry.Under the plan, prosecutors must choose between the two new tracks. Those who want to stay on the investigative side…