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
On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
-
9
Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
-
10
[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
-
Gov't, ruling party, presidential office pledge closer cooperation
Senior officials from the government, the presidential office and the ruling Saenuri Party called in unison for closer cooperation with each other Saturday as they held a workshop to discuss ways to make the new administration of President Park Geun-hye successful."All of us are in the same boat," Prime Minister Chung Hong-won said during the workshop at a training center for civil servants in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul. "If the government becomes successful and wins praises, credits will go
March 30, 2013
-
Presidential office apologizes for trouble over personnel appointments
The presidential office issued a public apology Saturday for mishandling personnel affairs after a series of nominees for senior government posts have resigned over alleged ethical lapses and other problems."As head of the Presidential Committee for Personnel Affairs, I am very apologetic for causing concern to the people over personnel issues of the new government," presidential chief of staff Huh Tae-yeol said in a statement read by presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing. "We will try to ensure ev
March 30, 2013
-
Most top officials’wealth rises despite economic downturn
In spite of the economic downturn straining everyday life for ordinary Koreans, 7 out of every 10 members of the parliament and senior officials at government branches saw their assets increase last year, a report showed Friday. Nearly 72 percent of the country’s high-ranking officials and lawmakers reported that their assets rose in 2012 from the previous year. Under an anti-corruption law, 2,387 senior-level civil servants and members of the National Assembly were required to report their pers
March 29, 2013
-
Lawmaker quits ethics panel over nude photo
Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party resigned from the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Ethics on Thursday, a week after he was caught on camera searching for nude photographs online during a parliamentary session.On March 22, Shim was caught on camera while looking at a photograph of a nude woman on his smartphone.At first Shim explained that he received the photograph through the popular mobile message application Kakao Talk and that he had opened the file to see what it was.
March 28, 2013
-
English names of government ministries finalized
When the then presidential transition team announced last month that the incoming government will create a new ministry in charge of science and information technology, many English-language media reporters were at a loss over what to call it in English.The difficulty was because its Korean title was seen as too grand and perhaps rhetorical as well. When translated literally, it should be the ministry of "future creation and science." The name was coined apparently to underscore the new governme
March 28, 2013
-
South Korea to propose family reunions, dialogue
The Seoul government will propose talks with Pyongyang “at an appropriate time” to resume reunions of separated families in a two-track approach to defrosting tension on the Korean Peninsula, the Unification Ministry said Wednesday.For this, the ministry will suggest meetings between the Red Cross representatives of each side based on how inter-Korean relations progress, while also seeking dialogue between government officials.The Foreign Ministry said it would place priority on pressuring the N
March 27, 2013
-
Parties gear up for by-elections
The ruling and opposition parties are gearing up for the first elections under the Park Geun-hye administration amid escalating controversy over the president’s flawed appointments. In the April 24 by-elections, three National Assembly seats ― Seoul’s Nowon C, Busan’s Yeongdo, and the Buyeo-Cheongyang constituency in South Chungcheong Province ― and a number of provincial government and council seats will be contested. The main opposition Democratic United Party hopes to use the by-elections as
March 27, 2013
-
Chung to lead Korea-China lawmakers’ association
Korean and Chinese lawmakers launched a legislators’ association for foreign affairs issues on Tuesday, with Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party being selected as its first chairman. “(The association) will actively work to take Korea-China relations beyond that of an economic alliance to an alliance that shares values common to mankind such as peace, human rights and upholding international laws,” Chung said at the launch ceremony. He went on to say that measures that will enable t
March 27, 2013
-
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