Most Popular
-
1
Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
-
2
Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
-
3
New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
-
4
Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
-
5
[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
-
6
Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
-
7
Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
-
8
Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
-
9
Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
-
10
KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
-
DUP ups pressure on ex-NIS chief
The main opposition Democratic United Party ratcheted up pressure on former spy chief Won Se-hoon on Wednesday, demanding his arrest on charges of masterminding what it claims to be illegal intervention by the agency in elections.Prosecutors and police are widening their investigation into National Intelligence Service officials who allegedly posted comments critical of opposition politicians and progressive groups over the past several years including during last year’s presidential campaign pe
March 27, 2013
-
Park urges Pyongyang to renounce nukes and missiles
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday renewed her calls for North Korea to renounce its nuclear programs and focus on its people’s livelihoods instead during her speech marking the third anniversary of the sinking of the corvette Cheonan.“Putting down nuclear weapons and missiles, renouncing any provocation or threat and opting for change to become a responsible member of the international community, this is the only way for North Korea’s survival,” she said.“Pyongyang should immediately stop any p
March 26, 2013
-
FTC chief nominee resigns over ethics
Fair trade commissioner-designate Han Man-soo quit Monday over new slush fund allegations, adding to the list of fallen high-ranking nominees and further impairing President Park Geun-hye’s personnel appointment process.Controversy continues to rage as her other choices, including police chief nominee Lee Sung-han and Korea Communications Committee chairman-designate Lee Kyeong-jae, also face growing opposition over their ethics or allegedly biased position.Cheong Wa Dae sources said Han offered
March 25, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Former spy chief accused of political intervention
Won Se-hoon, former right-hand man to then-President Lee Myung-bak, faces a prosecution investigation just days after he resigned Thursday as chief of the National Intelligence Service. The prosecution banned him from leaving the country on Saturday pending an investigation into allegations that he directed his agents to carry out what critics call smear campaigns against opposition politicians and progressive activists.Won reportedly had planned on taking up a research post at Stanford Universi
March 25, 2013
-
DUP gives way to Ahn in Seoul race
The main opposition Democratic United Party will not be fielding a candidate for Seoul’s Nowon C constituency in the April 24 by-elections in what is seen as a passive display of support for its former ally and rival Ahn Cheol-soo, who declared his candidacy in the district. The decision set the stage for a three-way race between frontrunner Ahn, the ruling Saenuri Party and the leftist Progressive Justice Party. The constituency in northern Seoul has been vacant since the Supreme Court confirme
March 25, 2013
-
President Park's nominee for corporate watchdog resigns
President Park Geun-hye's nominee for South Korea's corporate watchdog offered to resign on Monday amid allegations that he has been holding secret overseas bank accounts to evade taxes.Han Man-soo, a law professor at Ewha Womans University, was appointed on March 14 to lead the Fair Trade Commission (FTC)."Controversy is arising over whether I am suitable for the job or not and even the schedule of the confirmation hearing has yet to be determined, which resulted in hampering the government fro
March 25, 2013
-
Presidential cyber security secretary eyed to counter hacking
The government is pushing to create the post of cyber security secretary at the presidential officeCheong Wa Dae in a bid to rapidly and efficiently cope with cyber attacks on key national organizations, officials at the ruling party said Sunday. The presidential cyber security secretary, if appointed, will report directly to the chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, the officials said. Last week, several of the nation's major television stations and banks suffered what appea
March 24, 2013
-
Park ally to head broadcasting panel
President Park Geun-hye on Sunday named Lee Kyeong-jae, a close ally and veteran politician, to head the state agency regulating the broadcasting and communications industries.In addition to the ministerlevel post, the presidential office also announced eight new vice minister-level officials at agencies including the finance, science and defense ministries. Park has striven to fill her government posts as a number of her choices stepped down amid allegations of ethical misdeeds, including a vic
March 24, 2013
-
Sex-for-favors scandal tarnishes Blue House
A snowballing sex-for-favors allegation is fast developing into a political scandal highlighting the Park Geun-hye administration’s failure to properly screen nominees for government positions.New allegations emerged over the weekend over the presidential office’s dubious choice of a scandal-ridden prosecutor to the No. 2 post at the Justice Ministry.Reports said that Cheong Wa Dae appointed Kim Hak-ui, a senior prosecutor, as vice justice minister, knowing that he was one of the high-ranking of
March 24, 2013
-
Cabinet endorses gov't reorganization bill
The government approved the reorganization bill at a Cabinet meeting on Friday.The endorsement came after the National Assembly earlier in the day passed a bill to reorganize the government under new President Park Geun-hye following a near-two-month parliamentary impasse that blocked the administration from fully forming.The revision endorses the creation of two ministries -- the future creation and science ministry and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries – and the promotion of finan
March 22, 2013
-
New administration approves first private-level aid to N.K.
South Korea approved Friday the first shipment of humanitarian aid by a private charity group to North Korea since President Park Geun-hye took office last month.“This latest approval was given for the pure humanitarian need to help tuberculosis patients in North Korea,” unification ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk said.Under the approval, Eugene Bell, a South Korean charity group, will ship tuberculosis medicine worth 678 million won (US$606,500 to eight tuberculosis clinics run by the South Ko
March 22, 2013
-
Malware originated from local bank computer: regulator
The malicious codes that crippled networks of broadcasters and banks in Korea on Wednesday originated from a local bank computer, the nation’s communications regulator said on Friday.Government investigators previously said the cyber attack used an Internet protocol address based in China, suspecting that North Korea might be behind the attack. The malware could have spread from an internal private IP of Nonghyup, the Korea Communications Commission said after looking into the network system of
March 22, 2013
-
Assembly passes reorganization bills after 52-day impasse
The National Assembly approved the government reorganization bills on Friday, opening the way for President Park Geun-hye’s plans to be implemented 26 days after her inauguration. Under the plans the government will be restructured to 17 ministries and three lower-level ministries, from the current format of 15 ministries and two low-level ministries. Of the attending 212 lawmakers at the Assembly’s plenary session held in the afternoon, 188 approved the bill, while 11 opposed and 13 abstained.T
March 22, 2013
-
Park retains defense minister after nominee quits over ethics
Incumbent Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin will stay in office to replace controversy-ridden minister-designate Kim Byung-kwan, who resigned upon spiraling allegations, to lead the nation’s defense at a time of heightened security tension on the Korean Peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.Kim Byung-kwan’s resignation came 38 days after heavy opposition attacks against his alleged irregularities, leaving a sizeable dent on the credibility of President Park Geun-hye’s personnel appointment system. “A
March 22, 2013
-
Besieged defense minister nominee offers to resign over ethical lapses
Defense minister nominee Kim Byung-kwan on Friday offered to resign after coming under fire for a series of ethical lapses, including a link with a local arms broker, real estate speculation and stock asset disclosure."As the defense minister nominee, I apologize for causing trouble to the people," Kim said in a brief statement. "I am stepping down from the defense minister nominee post to help normalize government affairs."I wish the present security crisis will be successfully overcome and our
March 22, 2013
-
National Assembly fails to pass government reorganization bill
The National Assembly failed to pass a government reorganization bill on Thursday.The bill will be submitted to a general session at the National Assembly at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, according to reports.The parliament was expected to go on a vote to pass the bill as the ruling and main opposition parties reached an agreement over pending broadcasting-related issues at a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday evening.If the bill gains the parliamentary approval, it is expected to give a boost
March 21, 2013
-
Constitutional Court, SMBA chiefs named
President Park Geun-hye on Thursday nominated Constitutional Court justice Park Han-chul as its chief, and business administration professor Han Jung-wha to head the Small and Medium Business Administration.Park, who has been serving as a member of the top court’s nine-member bench since 2011, was chosen for his “expertise and capability,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Yoon Chang-jung said. Yoon also explained that Park was the first in line to succeed the top seat in terms of his tenure, the longest
March 21, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] First prosecutor nominated to head top court
Constitutional Court presidential nominee Park Han-chul is set to become the first public prosecutor to head the top court in Korean history. The current justice at the Constitutional Court was nominated by President Park Geun-hye on Thursday. Park’s nomination comes more than a month after former justice Lee Dong-heub stepped down as the nominee amid a series of allegations of wrongdoing.Park is a lifelong public prosecutor who rose to some of the highest posts within the prosecutors’ office.Pa
March 21, 2013
-
Park calls for shift in welfare policy
President Park Geun-hye called for a shift in welfare policy Thursday, saying it should be designed to help people support themselves.One of Park’s major administrative goals is to provide tailored welfare services for each period of a person’s life, from free childcare to additional monthly allowances for senior citizens aged 65 or older.“There’s a need to shift away from a social welfare system that does favors by distributing cash to one that helps people stand on their own feet and support t
March 21, 2013
-
China frees activist who helped defectors
China has released one of two South Korean activists who were detained early this month after helping North Korean defectors hide there, a Seoul government source said Thursday. The two female activists were apprehended on March 9 in Yanji of China’s eastern Jilin province for allegedly helping North Koreans flee their totalitarian homeland. “One of the two South Korean nationals was released yesterday,” the source said on the condition of anonymity. On March 12, Rev. Kim Seung-eun of South Kore
March 21, 2013