Most Popular
-
1
Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
-
2
10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
-
3
Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
-
4
Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
-
5
DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
-
6
Seoul to promote luxurious side of the city
-
7
First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
-
8
NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
-
9
Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
-
10
Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
-
Cheong Wa Dae treads carefully on choice of senior press secretary
Painstaking checks are reportedly the main concern in selecting the next senior presidential secretary for public relations to fill the post that has been left vacant after the sexual assault scandal in the U.S.With some media chief executives and pro-Park members in the ruling Saenuri Party being suggested as potential candidates, the presidential office is remaining silent over who will take over its public relations coordination.Along with the new senior secretary, President Park Geun-hye is
May 27, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Osaka mayor hurts Japan’s image, his future
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, once seen as the potential prime minister of Japan, has become a lightning rod for international criticism with his remorseless remarks about the victims of wartime sexual slavery.The 43-year-old, who co-chairs the nationalist Japan Restoration Party, earlier said frontline military brothels during World War II were necessary to give troops relief and maintain their discipline. He also suggested U.S. troops in Okinawa use adult establishments to help curb sex crimes.T
May 26, 2013
-
Parties to clash over economic democratization
The June session of the National Assembly is likely to see the country’s two main political parties clashing over economic democratization and labor issues.The two parties’ floor leaders agreed on Sunday to open the 30-day session on June 3 and to hold three plenary meetings.Although the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are in general agreement over economic fairness issues, the two sides are likely to clash with each focusing on different aspects of such measures. O
May 26, 2013
-
Park to make ‘state visit’ to China in June
South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s upcoming trip to China will be a “state visit,” the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, her spokeswoman said Friday“President Park Geun-hye plans to make a state visit to China at the end of June at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping,” presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing told reporters. “South Korea and China plan to announce details, including the length of the visit, at an appropriate time in the future.”A state visit often
May 24, 2013
-
Top civil servants’ wealth averages 1.8 billion won
The average wealth of the government’s top officials is 1.83 billion won ($1.63 million), a government report has showed. The government’s Public Ethic Committee disclosed on Friday the assets of 27 top senior civil servants, including President Park Geun-hye, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won and other Cabinet members.President Park saw an increase in wealth of 120 million won to 2.56 billion won, compared to before taking her post, while the prime minister is slightly above the average with 1.87 b
May 24, 2013
-
Roh memorial allows tense truce in opposition
Flocks of opposition politicians gathered in Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday, for the 4th annual memorial service for late President Roh Moo-hyun.While they stood together, paid their respects and sang “March for Thee” in unison, the tension was ever so palpable.Amongst those present were Kim Han-gil, the recently elected Democratic Party chairman who took the lead in blaming the pro-Roh faction for the major election defeats last year, and Moon Sung-keun, a form
May 23, 2013
-
Right-wing online community fuels regional, political divide
A right-wing online community is adding fuel to ideological and regional frictions that have long plagued South Korea’s politics.The website, Ilgan Best (ilbe.com) began as a subsection of another user-edited website but broke away in early 2010. Although the site began as an online community for humor, it has been dominated by those with extreme right-wing opinions, and its most popular posts are often those that denigrate progressive political leaders as well as the Jeolla provinces and their
May 23, 2013
-
Ahn assigned to Assembly’s health and welfare committee
Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo has been assigned to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee in line with his wishes, a parliamentary spokesman said Thursday.The assignment comes a month after the former presidential candidate was elected to parliament in the April 24 by-elections.“National Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee decided to assign Rep. Ahn to the Health and Welfare Committee upon considering his wishes and the processes undertaken between the floor leaders of the ruling
May 23, 2013
-
Presidents of Uganda, Mozambique to visit Korea
Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Armando Guebuza of Mozambique will visit Korea during the next two weeks upon President Park Geun-hye’s invitation to discuss investment, energy development cooperation and trade, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.Park will hold summit talks with Museveni on May 30 and Guebuza on June 4. Museveni will be the first foreign president to visit since Park’s inauguration. He will stay from May 29-31 and tour the Rural Development Administration and the Saemaul Undon
May 23, 2013
-
Park says to use China visit to ensure no reward to N. Korea for bad behavior
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Thursday she plans to use her upcoming visit to China to enlist the help of North Korea's most important ally in making Pyongyang realize that its bad behavior will never be rewarded.Breaking North Korea's behavioral pattern of seeking economic and other concessions through provocations was one of the major points of agreement that Park reached during her first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington earlier this month.Park is expected to
May 23, 2013
-
Park accepts senior press secretary’s resignation
President Park Geun-hye accepted the resignation of her senior press secretary Wednesday, the presidential office said, holding him responsible over allegations of sexual misconduct by the now-fired spokesman during her visit to Washington.Senior secretary Lee Nam-ki was not involved in the alleged abuse by then spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, but he offered to quit in order to take responsibility as Yoon’s immediate superior. Lee has been under criticism for mishandling the case and reporting it to
May 22, 2013
-
Ahn to launch policy think tank
Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo announced Wednesday that his policy think-tank would be launched on Thursday.“Tomorrow will take a form that is open to the public. Communication with the public will be considered as the highest priority, and a network will be formed with civic forums in various fields,” Ahn said.“The field of research will be issues regarding the livelihoods of the public. (The think-tank) will voice the problems of the public, and reflect them (in politics).” The think tank
May 22, 2013
-
Park accepts senior press secretary's resignation over sex scandal
President Park Geun-hye accepted the resignation of her senior press secretary Wednesday, the presidential office said, holding him responsible over allegations of sexual misconduct by the now-fired spokesman during her visit to Washington.Senior secretary Lee Nam-ki was not involved in the alleged abuse by then spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, but he offered to quit in order to take responsibility as Yoon's immediate superior. Yoon was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward a young intern
May 22, 2013
-
Japanese scholars slam Tokyo on history
A group of Japanese intellectuals on Tuesday rebutted their government’s territorial claim to Dokdo and urged Japan to have a correct understanding of history.During a press conference in Busan, they called on Shimane prefecture to rethink its annual observance of Takeshima (Dokdo in Japanese) Day, designated in 2005 to underline its sovereignty claim to the Dokdo islets in the East Sea.“We perceive the Dokdo issue as a historical issue rather than a territorial one,” said Kuboi Norimo, former h
May 21, 2013
-
Park’s call for ‘grand deal’ on major labor issues does little to impress
President Park Geun-hye has recently asserted a need for striking a “grand bargain” on pending labor-related issues, using the tripartite consultative body of the labor, management and the government that has so far been lethargic but is slated for reform.During a meeting with senior secretaries on Monday, Park used the phrase “grand deal” three times, citing it as a way of resolving labor matters such as employment. She also suggested that the government seek ways to activate the tripartite com
May 21, 2013
-
Ex-Seoul police chief summoned over attempt to cover-up spy agency scandal
Prosecutors summoned a former head of the Seoul police agency Tuesday for questioning over suspicions that he had hampered a police probe into the nation's spy agency's alleged attempt to influence public opinion ahead of last year's presidential election.The summons came after a female detective, who led the police investigation, claimed that high-ranking police officers of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) had pressured her to treat the case lightly.Kim Yong-pan, who headed the SMPA
May 21, 2013
-
Park to meet party leaders soon: sources
President Park Geun-hye will meet with the leaders of the two major parties as early as this week to discuss her latest U.S. visit and other pending issues, sources said Monday.“Discussion is underway” about the meeting, said a Cheong Wa Dae official.Reports said Park suggested chairmen Hwang Woo-yea of the Saenuri Party and Kim Han-gil of the Democratic Party meet in the near future while they were attending a ceremony for the victims of the May 18 pro-democracy movement last Saturday.If actual
May 20, 2013
-
Prosecution raids police agency over attempt to cover-up spy agency scandal
Prosecutors on Monday raided an office of the Seoul police in connection with a female detective's claims that high-ranking police officers hampered an investigation into the nation's intelligence agency's alleged attempt to influence public opinion ahead of last year's presidential election.A team of prosecutors and investigators of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office raided the cyber crime unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) and seized computer hard discs and relevan
May 20, 2013
-
[Graphic News] Magnitude 4.9 quake occurs near Baengnyeongdo Island
A magnitude 4.9 quake occurred near waters off of Baengnyeongdo Island in the Yellow Sea, marking the eighth time in a week that a tremor was reported in South Korea, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Saturday.The seismic event took place at 7:02 a.m. with the epicenter located 31 kilometers south of the island that is the northernmost of the “Seohae Islands” that lie just south of the sea demarcation line that separates the two Koreas.The KMA said the quake was the sixth largest dete
May 19, 2013
-
Parties brace for intense Assembly session
The upcoming extraordinary session at the National Assembly is expected to be a fierce battleground between the two main parties, both of which are starting afresh with new floor leaders and looking to seize the political initiative.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are already hinting at intense battles over controversial bills and issues. They include the latest disagreement over the scope of “ordinary wages,” some economic democratization-related bills, and the
May 19, 2013