Most Popular
-
1
'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
-
2
Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
-
3
Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
-
4
Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
-
5
[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
-
6
Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
-
7
Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
-
8
Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
-
9
Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
-
10
Will China's self-sufficient dream in HBM come true?
-
Ten UPP party-list candidates withdraw
Ten proportional representation candidates from the embattled Unified Progressive Party renounced their status on Tuesday to help restore public support and pressure defiant hardline lawmakers-elect to step down.The leftist party has been faltering amid allegations of vote-rigging and some leading members’ past pro-North Korea activities.“We cannot deny that although it is an in-house poll, any irregularities in the selection of public office holders is an act of betraying voters,” Na Sun-ja, on
May 29, 2012
-
Ideology disturbs new Assembly
19th National Assembly starts Wednesday with allegedly pro-North Korea membersWith the National Assembly opening Wednesday, concerns over security risks posed by the presence of so-called pro-North Korean members remain unresolved.Debate over how to classify pro-North lawmakers and prevent leaks of state secrets through the Assembly’s standing committees is likely to intensify as the two major parties are set to negotiate the formation of the new parliament.On Tuesday, the ruling Saenuri Party
May 29, 2012
-
Rhee In-je to lead the new “Forward Unification Party”
The conservative minority Liberty Forward Party changed its name to the Forward Unification Party and elected Rhee In-je as new chairman."I have been tasked to take over the helm of this drifting party,” Rhee said, after being elected in the party’s national convention on Tuesday.The sixth-term lawmaker, who was the party’s emergency leadership council chief, won 934 out of 1,103 votes. The party
May 29, 2012
-
Leaders of Korea, Paraguay agree to expand cooperation
The leaders of South Korea and Paraguay discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, development and other areas during their summit in Seoul on Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae said.President Lee Myung-bak and his Paraguayan counterpart Fernando Lugo Mendez also expressed appreciation that ties between the two countries have deepened in various sectors since the two countries established diplomatic relations some five decades ago.Lugo arrived here on Monday for a three-day visit.
May 29, 2012
-
Lee lashes out at ‘pro-N.K.’ politicians
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday publicly denounced “pro-North Korea” political forces, as ideological conflict grows ahead of the presidential election.“What North Korea claims is a problem, pro-North Korean forces among us echo that it is a bigger problem,” Lee said on a radio address. He noted leftists backed North Korea’s stance that denied its responsibility for the 1983 bombing in Myanmar which killed 17 Seoul officials and its 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 South K
May 28, 2012
-
DUP snubs UPP proposal to ally against prosecutors
The main opposition Democratic United Party rejected the Unified Progressive Party’s proposal to form an alliance to fight what the leftists call a politically motivated investigation. “We believe that the top priority for the UPP is to restore its internal order and regain the people’s trust,” DUP interim chief Park Jie-won said on Sunday.The two parties joined forces in the parliamentary elections in April. But the liberal DUP has been distancing itself from the alliance as the UPP’s image is
May 28, 2012
-
DUP rivalry surfaces in leadership race
Lee maintains tight lead against Kim in regional votes ahead of Seoul, Gyeonggi pollsThe tight leadership race of the Democratic United Party between Lee Hae-chan and Kim Han-gil is becoming a flashpoint of factional rivalry ahead of the contest for the party’s presidential nomination.Lee and Kim, purportedly backed by presidential hopefuls Moon Jae-in and Kim Doo-kwan respectively, are neck-and-neck, with Kim beating Lee in hotly contested Daegu and Gyeongsang provinces, while Lee remains in th
May 28, 2012
-
Lee criticizes pro-N. Korea groups in S. Korea
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday urged "pro-North Korea" groups in South Korea to wake up to reality and stop blindly accepting nonsense assertions Pyongyang makes, calling their unconditional following of the communist regime "problematic."It was the first time Lee, who has tried to avoid ideological remarks, has openly criticized those sympathetic to North Korea by using the word, "jongbuk," wh
May 28, 2012
-
DUP refuses anti-prosecution alliance with UPP
The main opposition Democratic United Party, rejected the suggestion of the Unified Progressive Party to form an inter-party unity against the prosecution’s forceful investigation.“Our top priority is to restore order within the party and to regain the people’s trust,” said the DUP’s interim chief Park Jie-won in the party’s primary in Jeju on Sunday.Park nevertheless expressed concerns over the p
May 27, 2012
-
UPP taking steps to expel defiant lawmakers-elect
The Unified Progressive Party is to officially urge its Seoul branch Monday to strike off the proportional representatives who have refused to step down amid a vote-rigging scandal.“The expulsion of the disputed figures is inevitable to maintain progressive politics,” Kang Ki-kab, chief of the party’s interim emergency committee, said in a letter to party members on Saturday.“I understand that many party members are against the disciplinary actions but the disciplinary committee is obligated to
May 27, 2012
-
Lee: Korea, China to strike FTA in 2 years
South Korea and China can conclude free trade negotiations in two years, and the deal can be expanded to include Japan, President Lee Myung-bak said in an interview broadcast Saturday, stressing the ambitious three-way trade pact can be reached earlier than expected.The three countries agreed earlier this month to launch free trade negotiations this year. The ambitious pact, if realized, would create one of the world’s largest markets as South Korea, China and Japan account for 20 percent of the
May 27, 2012
-
Controversy over lawyer’s profane remarks on TV
A South Korean lawyer has become the topic of a heated debate after he used profane remarks to criticize North Korean leaders on Saturday.Jeon Won-chaek, who is well-known for his rightist stance, said that anyone who cannot insult North Korea’s authoritarian regime is pro-North Korean.“Simply put, are Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il -- former leaders of North Korea -- gaesaeki? If you can say yes to the question, you’re not pro-North,” Jeon said on “Late Night Debate” show on KBS.The word “gaesaeki
May 27, 2012
-
Lee: S. Korea, China can conclude free trade deal in 2 years
South Korea and China can conclude free trade negotiations in two years, and the deal can be expanded to include Japan, President Lee Myung-bak said in an interview broadcast Saturday, stressing the ambitious three-way trade pact can be reached earlier than expected.The three countries agreed earlier this month to launch free trade negotiations this year. The ambitious pact, if realized, would cre
May 27, 2012
-
Expelling members necessary for sustaining progressive politics
The interim head of a minor opposition party said Saturday that expelling two lawmakers-elect and two other candidates linked to a primary vote rigging scandal is critical for the survival of South Korea's progressive movement.Unified Progressive Party (UPP) chief Kang Ki-kab said in an open letter addressed to party members that failure to take firm action at this juncture will lead to the extinc
May 26, 2012
-
UPP to expel two defiant lawmakers-elect
The emergency leadership of the scandal-ridden Unified Progressive Party on Friday decided to discipline two proportional lawmakers-elect allegedly involved in vote-rigging, signaling the beginning of a process to expel them from the party.The emergency committee held a meeting in the afternoon and agreed to place lawmakers-elect Lee Seog-gi and Kim Jae-yeon under the party’s disciplinary committee, along with two other proportional representation candidates, for defying the party’s decision.The
May 25, 2012
-
Ahn lays groundwork for presidential bid
Appoints former Roh aide as spokespersonSoftware-mogul-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo appeared to be preparing to enter the presidential race by naming Yoo Min-young, a former presidential press secretary, as his spokesman.Ahn, 50, has recently been polling just behind Saenuri Party’s presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye in various popularity polls of potential presidential candidates. The founder of anti-virus software firm AhnLab emerged on the political scene before the Seoul mayoral by-electi
May 25, 2012
-
Tricky diplomatic task for Seoul
Korean court makes unprecedented ruling on compensation for colonial forced laborSeoul faces another sensitive diplomatic task with Japan after the top court on Thursday recognized the responsibility of two Japanese firms to compensate Koreans forced to work during the colonial period.Overturning a lower court’s ruling, the Supreme Court made the landmark decision in favor of nine plaintiffs, who have demanded compensation for their forced labor and mental and physical suffering from Mitsubishi
May 25, 2012
-
Ahn brings in ex-presidential press secretary as his spokesman
Potential presidential hopeful Ahn Cheol-soo has recently brought in a former presidential press secretary as his spokesman in a move seen as suggesting the popular professor and software developer is gearing up his bid for the top office. Ahn, 50, has been widely considered a potential opposition candidate in December's presidential vote since he demonstrated powerful influence over voters during
May 25, 2012
-
Saenuri reformists push for ‘progressive right’ agenda
Four reform-minded lawmakers of the Saenuri Party banded together to push for a “progressive” agenda and challenge a new, ever-enlarging mainstream loyal to presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye. Reps. Chung Doo-un, Nam Kyung-pil, Choung Byoung-gug and Kim Tae-ho said on Wednesday they will launch the “progressive right” group.Gatherings of self-proclaimed reformists are not new to the conservative party. Minbon 21, a gathering of first-time lawmakers with a reform agenda, featured in the last
May 24, 2012
-
Saenuri moves to block UPP leftists
Ruling party seeks legal means to keep allegedly pro-North figures out of AssemblyThe ruling Saenuri Party started moves to disqualify two progressive lawmakers-elect accused of past involvement in alleged pro-North Korean organizations and election fraud.Saenuri floor leader Lee Hahn-koo said that the party is seeking to discuss with the main opposition Democratic United Party the possibility of expelling Lee Seog-gi and Kim Jae-yeon of the Unified Progressive Party, elected under the proportio
May 24, 2012