Author: Jae young
August 7, 2025SEOUL – South Korea will allow visa-free entry of Chinese tour groups for a limited time, starting Sept. 29, the government announced Wednesday. The visa exemption will remain in effect until June 30, 2026.“Given the rapid recovery of the inbound tourism market, the implementation of this visa-free policy is expected to generate additional demand for travel to Korea, thereby contributing to regional economic revitalization and providing a tangible boost to domestic consumption,” the government said in a statement Wednesday.This also serves as a reciprocal gesture following China’s waiver of visa requirements for Korean nationals since Nov. 8, 2024.…
August 7, 2025SEOUL – Ki-cheol, who uses a pseudonym, was born in South Korea in 2002 and has lived in the country his entire life. Yet, he still has no permanent place in the only country he has ever known.Because his parents were undocumented migrants from Mongolia, Ki-cheol was also never registered at birth — neither in Korea nor in his parents’ home country.“For most of my life, I was like a ghost due to my undocumented status,” the 23-year-old told The Korea Herald. “There were no official records of my birth or of my existence in either my parents’…
August 7, 2025SEOUL – Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, made an unenviable mark on the country’s history by becoming the first former first lady to be investigated by the prosecution as a criminal suspect.Kim, 52 appeared for questioning Wednesday morning by a special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki that is tasked with looking into allegations involving the former first lady.Kim’s appearance came a little over a month after the team was officially launched on July 2.“I sincerely apologize to the people for causing concern, even though I am a nobody. I will fully…
August 7, 2025SEOUL – Picture this. A senior government spokesperson dressed like a K-pop idol, dancing to a viral Netflix tune ― on the official YouTube channel of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture.On Tuesday, the ministry uploaded a video featuring spokesperson Jeon Han-young dressed as Abby, a muscular K-pop boy band member of the fictitious Saja Boys in Netflix’s “Kpop Demon Hunters.”In the clip, Jeon takes on the “Soda Pop Challenge,” a trending dance from the show, bouncing his shoulders to the beat.The lighthearted video was made to promote the 10th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting. The summit will bring together…
August 7, 2025SEOUL – The leaders of South Korea and the United States are expected to agree in principle to “modernize the alliance” at their upcoming summit, amid a shifting regional security environment, while deferring key details to lower-level negotiations, according to officials in Seoul familiar with the matter.Seoul and Washington have been gearing up for the first in-person summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, widely anticipated to take place in Washington later this month.The summit is poised to address a wide range of agenda items centered on two key pillars: security and…
August 6, 2025SEOUL – Korea is launching an aggressive policy push to rescue its steel industry from mounting global pressure, unveiling a bipartisan bill aimed at helping domestic producers hit hard by a 50 percent US tariff and a surge of low-cost Chinese products.Announced Monday by 106 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, the proposed “K-Steel Act” outlines a long-term industrial strategy that frames steel as a vital base for national security and economic resilience.“Korea’s steel industry has grown rapidly since 1970. But today, it faces an unprecedented crisis, caught between the global push for carbon neutrality, a flood…
August 6, 2025SEOUL – Over the past three years, at least 14 women have been killed despite being granted protective measures by police.In all but one of the cases, the perpetrator was a former romantic partner.These women had reported threats and violence. Police responded with measures designed for people at risk of revenge attacks: special patrols, smartwatches designed to send emergency signals to police, and temporary protection orders. Yet, without the legal authority to isolate their attackers, officers were often unable to intervene effectively.While laws exist to specifically address domestic violence and stalking, there is no separate legal framework targeting…
August 6, 2025SEOUL – A very last-minute tariff deal between South Korea and the US brought some relief to Asia’s fourth-largest economy last week, lowering threatened import duties on Korean products from 25 percent to 15 percent just before the Aug. 1 deadline.However, the deal is widely regarded as a framework, with many specifics yet to be ironed out. There also remain discrepancies between the two sides, particularly in nontariff barriers in the digital and agricultural sectors. These details will need to be resolved through follow-up negotiations.Under the agreement reached in Washington on July 30, Korea was able to avert…
August 6, 2025SEOUL – Bodyguards clad in black security vests are a familiar sight at airports in South Korea, often accompanying celebrities through large crowds of fans who sometimes get too close or behave in an unruly manner.But the actions of some security guards and managers have sparked debate over the use of excessive force.Last week, a video of K-pop boy group Zerobaseone’s manager pushing fans at an airport and appearing to raise his fist circulated on X.In the video, the band’s manager is heard shouting “Move out of the way,” which is then followed by a loud thud, suggesting…
August 5, 2025SEOUL – Jae-yoon dived head-first into a pile of grass to avoid approaching women; Jung-mok confessed he’s already thinking about marriage just days into the experience. These raw, awkward and often hilarious portrayals of first love quickly helped “Better Late Than Single” to become a breakout hit.Following 12 participants, most of them in their late 20s, who had never been in a romantic relationship, the Netflix Korea show has gained global popularity since its July premiere. Just one week after its release, the series broke into Netflix’s global Top 10 for non-English TV series at No. 10. In…