Most Popular
-
1
Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
-
2
Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
-
3
[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
-
4
Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
-
5
Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
-
6
Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
-
7
NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
-
8
Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
-
9
Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
-
10
KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
-
DP leader announces political reform plan
Top opposition leader Kim Han-gil announced a political reform plan Monday centered on reining in the privileges of lawmakers and making their incomes more transparent.Kim of the main opposition Democratic Party made the announcement in a press conference at the National Assembly, saying he would push to enact a law against lawmakers’ abuse of power.Both the ruling and opposition parties have vowed political reforms amid public criticism that corruption is widespread among politicians. The DP’s
Feb. 3, 2014
-
Wrangling stalls data protection bills
Personal information protection is high on the National Assembly’s agenda, but it remains uncertain whether the two main political parties will be able to set aside their differences to take timely action. The weakness of the nation’s information security system became a hot topic after the Financial Services Commission revealed the data theft of some 20 million KB Kookmin, Lotte and NongHyup Card users last month. The developments had both the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democr
Feb. 3, 2014
-
Park urges measures to boost domestic tourism
President Park Geun-hye on Monday called for a package of measures to energize domestic tourism, which could help boost domestic demand and create more jobs.Park made the call at a meeting with relevant ministers, heads of agencies and industry representatives, saying a robust domestic tourism market is the basis for attracting more foreign visitors."Compared with countries boasting advanced tourism industries, our country has a relatively high level of dependence on the international tourism ma
Feb. 3, 2014
-
Opposition leader announces political reform plan
Top opposition leader Kim Han-gil announced a political reform plan Monday centered on reining in the privileges of lawmakers and making their incomes more transparent.Kim of the main opposition Democratic Party made the announcement in a press conference at the National Assembly, saying he would push to enact a law against lawmakers' abuse of power.Both the ruling and opposition parties have vowed political reforms amid public criticism that corruption is widespread among politicians. The DP's
Feb. 3, 2014
-
Korea-Japan ties headed toward nadir
The relationship between South Korea and Japan is plunging toward its nadir as Tokyo shows no signs of willingness to improve the strained ties with its onetime colony amid escalating territorial and historical friction.Hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that Tokyo was considering taking the territorial spat over South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo to the International Court of Justice.His remarks during a parliamentary session came after Tokyo’s stepped-up claim to t
Feb. 2, 2014
-
Parties dig heels in at parliament
An extraordinary parliamentary session begins Monday, but it appears likely to be marked by more political wrangling between the two main parties. Among the outstanding issues, the basic pension for seniors and the candidate nomination system for local elections are likely to be the main stumbling blocks, despite previous agreements between the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party.Under the agreement reached by the parties’ floor leaders, a committee of ruling and opposi
Feb. 2, 2014
-
Rival parties embark on race for June local elections
Rival political parties will embark on a four-month-long race to seize top provincial posts this week with preliminary candidate registration for the June 4 local elections starting on Tuesday.The preregistration of candidates will continue until May 14, according to the election watchdog on Sunday. Those who register during the preregistration period can start campaigning ahead of the main candidate registration scheduled for mid-May.The local elections are for 17 provincial governor and mayora
Feb. 2, 2014
-
Japan’s school guidelines lay claim to Dokdo
Tokyo on Tuesday announced a revision to the state teaching guidelines for middle- and high-school textbooks to step up its claim to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, further aggravating its diplomatic friction with Seoul.Under the revision, Japan’s claim to Dokdo and a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea, also claimed by China, is to be spelled out in school textbooks for history, geography and social studies.“It is only natural for a state to accurately teach about its ‘in
Jan. 28, 2014
-
6,000 minor offenders to get special pardons
The Park Geun-hye government will grant special pardons to nearly 6,000 people, mostly convicted of minor and poverty-related crimes, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said at a news briefing that 5,924 people would benefit from the special pardon proposal for Lunar New Year’s Day. This year’s list will exclude high-profile businessmen, politicians and those convicted of violent crimes, Hwang added.In addition to the 6,000 people, penalties for some 2.88 million
Jan. 28, 2014
-
Disputes escalate over telemedicine
Political tension over the telemedicine bill reached new heights as President Park Geun-hye ardently supported the plan as a key source of quality jobs in the future, amid mounting criticism from opposition parties, doctors and patients that the plan is a step toward privatizing health services.President Park said Monday the regulations that currently forbid telemedicine operations have to be lifted, saying it is a “good example” of a service industry that will create quality jobs and generate n
Jan. 28, 2014
-
Park unveils gift from Davos Forum chairman
President Park Geun-hye said she received a quartz crystal cluster as a gift from Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, when she attended the annual forum in Switzerland last week.In a Facebook posting Monday night, Park said she was given the present before she made a keynote speech at the forum in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos on Wednesday. She attached a photo of the clear white stone with some quartz points sticking out."Chairman Schwab explained that
Jan. 28, 2014
-
For 22 years, former military sex slaves rally for justice
There was a short skit followed by dancing and singing by high school students. The crowd that gathered at noon across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Junghak-dong, downtown Seoul, seemed not to mind the subzero temperature and the blistering wind. The weekly rally organized by The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, known as the Wednesday Rally, had marked its 22nd anniversary the previous week, on Jan. 8, and the participants and the organizers ap
Jan. 27, 2014
-
Park reproaches Hyun over data leak remarks
President Park Geun-hye warned officials on Monday that she would hold anyone responsible for making reckless remarks as public servants, in an apparent gesture to reprimand the finance minister for making controversial comments on the massive data leak in the financial industry.Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok came under fire last week, shortly after he blamed credit card holders for not taking caution when providing their personal information. “(I feel) regret for public servants hurting the peop
Jan. 27, 2014
-
Political schism festers on social media
Social media, once touted as a revolutionary new tool for approaching the public, is proving to be a double-edged sword for South Korean politicians. Local politicians have used Twitter, Facebook and other social networking services extensively in recent years, particularly during election campaigns to deliver their views to the public. However, SNS may have become a hard itch to scratch, particularly for the main opposition Democratic Party that continues to be plagued by discord among its fact
Jan. 27, 2014
-
[Photo News] Representing the people
Jan. 27, 2014
-
Saenuri floats new proposal on nominations
Cronies caught bribing party officials for candidacy in local elections should be expelled from political circles, the ruling Saenuri Party suggested on Sunday. With the June local elections approaching, the Saenuri Party proposed mending the current party-based nomination system instead of abolishing it altogether, while the opposition bloc continued to demand the Saenuri Party to repeal the system, as promised in 2012. The opposition parties claimed that the ruling party’s move was another exc
Jan. 27, 2014
-
Korean parties demand new NHK chief resign
South Korea’s rival political parties demanded Monday that the new chairman of Japanese public broadcaster NHK resign for denying any wrongdoing in Japan’s recruitment of Korean women as sex slaves during World War II.The issue of the so-called “comfort women” has long been a thorn in relations between South Korea and Japan as Tokyo has snubbed Seoul’s demands for talks on compensating the aging Korean women.Historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were coerced into sexual slavery at
Jan. 27, 2014
-
Park calls for Japanese politicians to get back on right path
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday she hopes Japanese politicians will "get back on the right path," apparently calling for the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to face up to history and atone for colonial-era wrongdoings.Park made the remark during a lunch meeting with the wives' association of South Korean residents in Japan, saying it is because of politicians in Japan, not ordinary people, that relations between the two neighboring nations are strained."I think most Japa
Jan. 27, 2014
-
S. Korea's rival parties demand resignation of new NHK chairman
South Korea's rival political parties demanded Monday that the new chairman of Japanese public broadcaster NHK resign for denying any wrongdoing in Japan's recruitment of Korean women as sex slaves during World War II.The issue of the so-called "comfort women" has long been a thorn in relations between South Korea and Japan as Tokyo has snubbed Seoul's demands for talks on compensating the aging Korean women.Historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were coerced into sexual slavery at
Jan. 27, 2014
-
Korea’s balancing act in history dispute
With a shared sense of victimization and historical resentment toward Japan, South Korea and China have presented a united front against Tokyo’s hawkish security policy and refusal to repent for its past wrongdoings.But their collaboration, most recently symbolized by the establishment of a memorial in Harbin of a Korean who assassinated Japan’s first prime minister, is a double-edged sword for Seoul, experts say. Seoul should take caution not to inadvertently aid Beijing’s apparent strategy to
Jan. 26, 2014