Most Popular
-
1
Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
-
2
Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
-
3
[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
-
4
S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
-
5
Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
-
6
[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
-
7
Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
-
8
Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
-
9
On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
-
10
[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
-
Lee to announce nuclear material reduction plan at Seoul summit
President Lee Myung-bak is expected to announce a nuclear material reduction plan at a special press conference after compiling some participating countries’ pledges during the Nuclear Security Summit to take place in Seoul from March 26-27.Some countries including the U.S. and Russia are expected to put forward their plans to reduce both plutonium and uranium materials that can be used for building nuclear weapons, news reports here said.“After the plenary session is over (on March 27), Preside
March 16, 2012
-
Opposition party vows ‘all-out renegotiation’ of FTA with U.S.
The main opposition Democratic United Party vowed Friday to seek an “all-out renegotiation” of South Korea‘s free trade agreement with the United States, after the party gains a parliamentary majority through next month’s general elections.The trade pact went into effect Thursday, nearly five years after it was first signed in 2007.The landmark deal has been one of the most contentious political issues in South Korea, with the government saying it will boost exports, create jobs and further stre
March 16, 2012
-
Parties ax controversial candidates
With the election less than a month away, parties acted swiftly to cancel nominations of candidates at the center of controversy for remarks or allegations of corruption. The main opposition Democratic United Party on Thursday revoked two of its candidates for the April 11 legislative election ― incumbent Rep. Jeon Hae-sook and former Rep. Lee Hwa-young. “The Supreme Council decided to revoke their candidacy,” spokesperson Shin Gyeong-min told reporters after a meeting of the liberal party’s top
March 15, 2012
-
Pro-Lee figures decide to stay in Saenuri
Decision not to run is expected to ease feuds, bolster conservatives’ campThe ruling Saenuri Party’s internal feud over its candidate nomination seemed to be subsiding as leading figures pledged to remain in the party, regardless of their candidacy.Reps. Ahn Sang-soo and Chin Soo-hee, both key pro-Lee Myung-bak members, said Thursday that they will stick with the party and accept the nomination committee’s decision.Their moves followed the announcement of former floor leader Rep. Kim Moo-sung, w
March 15, 2012
-
Lee, Obama celebrate start of free trade pact
President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama celebrated the implementation of the bilateral free trade pact on Thursday, saying it would further deepen their alliance and promote global free trade.The two leaders held a 10-minute telephone conference in the morning as the pact, signed in 2007 and revised in 2010, took effect as of midnight Wednesday here. Its effectuation came as left-wing activists and politicians remain opposed to it, arguing that it largely favors U.S. intere
March 15, 2012
-
Former President Chun says he considered serving second term
Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, who was convicted for his role in the 1980 bloody crackdown on pro-democracy movements in the southern city of Gwangju, said he had once considered serving a second term before finishing out his single, seven-year term. Chun, 81, revealed the behind-the-scenes story during a meeting on Wednesday at his home in Seoul with a group of visiting students at the graduate business school of Yale University. His remarks were aired by a local television channe
March 15, 2012
-
Ruling party chief calls for maximizing FTA with U.S.
The leader of the ruling Saenuri Party said Thursday South Korea should pool wisdom to best take advantage of the landmark free trade agreement with the United States while at the same time paying attention to its dark side.The trade pact went into effect Thursday, nearly five years after it was first signed in 2007. The deal, which was modified in late 2010 and then ratified last year, has been one of the most contentious political issues in South Korea, with opposition parties claiming it favo
March 15, 2012
-
Ruling party revokes party ticket for two candidates
The ruling Saenuri Party on Wednesday revoked party tickets for two candidates who were picked to run in Seoul after they received flak for controversial comments made in the past.The party's candidate selection committee said it has rescinded candidacies for Park Sang-il and Lee Young-jo who had be
March 15, 2012
-
Podcast star to run in election
The main opposition Democratic United Party said Wednesday that it has selected one of the four hosts of an anti-President Lee Myung-bak talk show, to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections on its ticket. Kim Yong-min, a 39-year-old political commentator and professor, will contest the Nowon-A constituency in northeastern Seoul. The constituency was once represented by his co-host Chung Bong-ju, who is now serving a jail term for spreading false information about the current president. “I a
March 15, 2012
-
Lee to speak by phone with Obama to celebrate FTA's implementation
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak plans to speak by phone with U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday to mark the implementation of a landmark free trade agreement between the two countries, the presidential office said.The trade pact, first signed in 2007 and modified in 2010, is set to come in
March 14, 2012
-
Strong quake shakes northern Japan; no damage seen
A strong earthquake shook northern Japan on Wednesday evening, causing small tidal changes on its Pacific coastline but no damage or injury was reported.Several towns issued evacuation orders or advisories to residents nearest the coast. A swelling of 20 centimeters (8 inches) was observed in t
March 14, 2012
-
Conservatives take pains not to widen chasm
Saenuri lawmakers denied candidacy decide to stayEscalating moves to divide the country’s political conservatives have apparently been reined in as a key legislator of the ruling Saenuri Party on Monday decided not to quit the party despite being denied candidacy for the upcoming general elections.Fourth-term lawmaker Kim Moo-sung had been expected to leave the party to protest what he called the “unfair, biased” nomination process. But he decided to remain so as not to become a “nucleus of the
March 13, 2012
-
Opposition demands reopening probe on surveillance scandal
The main opposition Democratic United Party on Tuesday demanded a reinvestigation of the 2010 illegal surveillance scandal, following a claim from a key suspect that the presidential office had directed its cover-up. “The prosecution should re-investigate the case and get to the bottom of the suspicions that the Presidential Office was behind the illegal operation,” Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, the party’s floor leader, said during a party meeting. The opposition politicians equated the case to the Waterga
March 13, 2012
-
Park Geun-hye apologizes to ‘victims of industrialization’
Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s interim leader and leading presidential hopeful, made an apology Tuesday to those who were victimized in the process of the nation’s industrialization decades ago, in a gesture of reconciliation with her opponents ahead of next month’s general elections.The daughter of late president Park Chung-hee made the remark during her visit to the southern port city of Busan to drum up support for a 27-year-old female novice candidate who is running against a high
March 13, 2012
-
Big shots gear up for battles in Busan
The leading parties’ presidential hopefuls set out to campaign in electoral races in Busan just a month ahead of the general elections. Rep. Park Geun-hye, chairwoman of the ruling Saenuri Party, visited the city on Tuesday.Eyes were especially drawn to her initial meeting with Sohn Su-jo, a 27-year-old political debutante who recently won the party’s candidacy for the high-profile Sasang constituency.Sohn is to vie with left-wing heavyweight Moon Jae-in, the main opposition Democratic United Pa
March 13, 2012
-
Seoul mayor drags dolphins into Jeju base controversy
Seoul Metropolitan Government’s decision to release one of the three illegally obtained dolphins at the city-run zoo has sparked a political debate On Monday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announced that one of Seoul Grand Park’s three Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins illegally caught in the wild will be released after a year of preparations and training. The Seoul government will fund the 870 million won ($776,000) estimated cost for the process.The city has decided not to release the other two dol
March 13, 2012
-
Young thrust into political establishment
Parties strive to recruit fresh faces for April 11 parliamentary electionsTwo women in their 20s, who belong to opposing parties on the ideological spectrum, have recently grabbed the media spotlight.Sohn Su-jo, 27, has been the main subject of political discourse since she was chosen last week as the conservative ruling Saenuri Party’s candidate to run against a liberal heavyweight in a Busan constituency in the April 11 parliamentary elections.She has been trying to catch up with Moon Jae-in,
March 13, 2012
-
Ieodo not part of territorial dispute with China: Lee
President Lee Myung-bak stressed Monday that Ieodo, a submerged rock south of Jeju Island, is within South Korea’s jurisdiction, dismissing China’s renewed claim to the economically important maritime area.But he said that the continuing arguments between Seoul and Beijing over the rock were not a “territorial dispute,” in an apparent show of concern that the issue could undermine bilateral ties as the two mark the 20th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.“How we manage the waters near Jej
March 12, 2012
-
Some desert, others stay as major parties suffer nomination discord
A senior member of the ruling Saenuri Party pledged his alliance to the party despite a feud over nominations and urged right-wing unity, while defectors from the main opposition Democratic United Party established a new party in reaction to recent nominations.Rep. Kim Moo-sung, former floor leader of Saenuri, said Monday that he would stay in the party, regardless of the nomination results for the April general elections.It was speculated earlier that the fourth-term Busan lawmaker would declar
March 12, 2012
-
Han throws barbs at Park in mobile vote controversy
Democratic United Party chairwoman Han Myeong-sook on Monday fired back at Park Geun-hye, the chief of the ruling party who called the opposition group’s mobile phone voting system for its primaries corrupt. “Rep. Park used the phrase ‘an epitome of political corruption’ to describe our mobile voting system. I think that she is the ‘epitome of ignorance’ to say something like that as the leader of the ruling party in this era of 20 million mobile phone users,” Han said in a debate session at the
March 12, 2012