A lawmaker who made sexist remarks dodged expulsion on Wednesday as the parliamentary ethics committee’s motion failed to meet the required quorum in the National Assembly on Wednesday. Only 111 out of the 297 lawmakers agreed to the bill, while 198 or two-thirds were required. Rep. Kang Yong-seok thus escaped the disgrace of becoming the first lawmaker ever to be dismissed for ethical reasons ...

Former parliamentary speaker Kim Hyeong-o of the Grand National Party announced that he will not enter candidacy in next year’s 19th general election. “I hope to contribute to the restoration of public trust on the party by remaining humble and low in the next parliamentary term,” Kim told reporters in Busan on Wednesday. “As the biggest pending issues, such as the New Town and the Ocean Renova...

Parties once again clashed over the ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement bill during the parliamentary foreign affairs committee meeting on Wednesday, the last day of the August provisional session. The meeting was scheduled to end in the early afternoon but was extended due to the uncompromising debates between the rival parties, especially as the opposition camp hinted at physic...

By Kim So-hyun President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday named his first chief-of-staff and architect of the controversial “Grand Canal” pledge Yu Woo-ik as the new unification minister, confirming what had been expected ever since Yu left his 16-month service as ambassador to China four months ago. Lee also nominated Choe Kwang-shik, historian and chief of the Cultural Heritage Administration; Rim Ch...

President Lee Myung-bak is expected to name on Wednesday successors to ministers of health, unification, gender equality and perhaps culture, as three of the incumbents plan to run in the general elections seven months away. Ministers Lee Jae-oh of special affairs, Chung Byoung-gug of culture and Chin Soo-hee of health currently hold seats in the National Assembly as ruling party lawmakers and p...

Parties stirred uneasily as the prosecution continued its interrogation of Park Tae-gyu, the key lobbyist involved in the Busan Savings Bank. Park’s case, together with that of Seoul Educational Superintendent Kwak No-hyun’s bribery allegations, is shaking up the political landscape ahead of the upcoming Oct. 26 by-elections as well as on the general and presidential races next year. Park turne...

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak will conduct a minor Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday that may affect five ministries, including one in charge of North Korean affairs, presidential officials said Tuesday. The planned reshuffle is seen as Lee's latest attempt to revitalize his conservative ruling Grand National Party ahead of next year's parliamentary and presidential elections. ...

South Korea may ban overseas residents with pro-North Korea attitudes from taking part in national elections, officials said, a controversial move aimed at preventing Pyongyang from wielding influence over local politics. Starting from April next year, some 2.5 million Koreans living abroad will be able to take part in the April 11 parliamentary and Dec. 19 presidential elections by registering ...

Rival political parties are expected to clash once again over the long-disputed Korea-U.S Free Trade Agreement ratification during the parliament’s regular session, starting this week. The ruling Grand National Party aims at having the pact ratified within October, in step with the U.S. Congress, which is expected to endorse its part next month, or in October at the latest. Opposition parities,...

President Lee Myung-bak is expected to conduct a minor Cabinet reshuffle, possibly including the minister in charge of North Korean affairs, as early as Monday before the National Assembly convenes next month, officials said Sunday. The expected reshuffle is seen as Lee's latest attempt to revitalize his conservative ruling Grand National Party ahead of next year's parliamentary and presidential...