With Pyongyang having threatened to conduct a “new type” of nuclear test, attention is being drawn to what method it might employ for a fourth test and how far its military nuclear technology has come. Analysts argue that the communist state may carry out a more powerful nuclear experiment as it seeks to show off its “nuclear deterrence” capability and up the ante in future negotiations with the...

The New Politics Alliance for Democracy is moving along centrist lines in the hopes of drawing in nonpartisan voters and avoiding an ideological dispute. The March 26 launch ceremony carried a strong undercurrent of national security, an element of politics more closely linked to conservatives. Early in the ceremony, even before the pledge of allegiance, the participants paid their respects to ...

According to its usual protocol, the Financial Supervisory Service should have made its regular personnel appointment in March. But this year, the troubled regulator was far too preoccupied. FSS Gov. Choi Soo-hyun, weighed down by an endless string of scandals in the financial industry, decided that the only way out was by changing everything, especially his staff. As such, the financial regula...

Korean mine developer Oh Deok-gyun, a key figure in a multimillion-dollar stock manipulation scandal, was arrested Wednesday after two years of hiding in Cameroon. The 48-year-old entrepreneur was accused of allegedly acquiring about 90 billion won ($83.2 million) in profits by exaggerating the value of diamond reserves at a mine in Cameroon. “Criminal charges against Oh have been acknowledged ...

The top court said on Tuesday that it is reviewing plans to revise policies on labor penalties as online critics lambaste its light sentence for a former business tycoon. The court decision to take stern measures against wealthy chief executives attempting to exploit legal loopholes for tax evasion is seen as a belated step in the right direction. In December 2011, the Supreme Court upheld an a...

It had been common in Korea to see those with money and power, such as owners and executives of conglomerates or even their relatives, acting above the law. Whenever they found themselves in trouble, chaebol would use their status, political connections and wealth to find a way out of the mess they caused. For instance, chaebol and their affiliates would immediately announce plans to contribute...

What does it take for both domestic and foreign consumers to log in and buy items on Korean e-commerce sites? The answer is “patience.” There are about a dozen steps to go through to download security programs, set up personal authentication functions and enter personal information, and on some low-end computers this can take ages. Furthermore, they need to agree to a long list of conditions a...

Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Choi Soo-hyun and Financial Services Commission chairman Shin Je-yoon may consider themselves unfortunate, as they are burdened with the role of leading Korea’s financial industry at a difficult time. Shin and Choi would have celebrated their first inauguration anniversary amid much fanfare this week, if it were not for the sluggish economic performance and the...

Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Choi Soo-hyun and Financial Services Commission Chairman Shin Je-yoon may consider themselves unfortunate, as they are burdened with the role of leading Korea’s financial industry at a difficult time. Shin and Choi would have celebrated their first inauguration anniversary amid much fanfare this week, if it were not a sluggish economic performance and the es...

MOSCOW (AP) ― With Crimea in Russia’s pocket, the world anxiously awaits Vladimir Putin’s next move. Beyond the prize of the Black Sea peninsula, a picture is emerging of what the Russian president ultimately wants from his power play: broad autonomy for Ukraine’s Russian-speaking regions and guarantees that Ukraine will never realize the Kremlin’s worst nightmare ― joining NATO. The big questi...

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) ― Officials have revealed a new timeline suggesting the final voice transmission from the cockpit of the missing Malaysian plane may have occurred before any of its communications systems were disabled, adding more uncertainty about who aboard might have been to blame. The search for Flight 370, which vanished early March 8 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 peo...

A town in the south of Korea has quickly turned into a hot spot for treasure hunters and researchers, as scientists confirmed that two rocks recently unearthed in the area were rare meteorites. Officials from Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, said there had been a flood of inquiries about meteorites since two were found at local farms. They added that some people had even visited the area hoping...

Korea Communications Commission’s chair-nominee Choi Sung-joon vowed to eliminate excessive, illegal smartphone subsidies in the nation’s telecom market on Saturday. “The vicious cycle causing users to run out and buy cheaper smartphones at dawn should end. I will put the utmost effort into eradicating excessive smartphone subsidies with several policies,” Choi, a former judge, told reporters on...

President Park Geun-hye’s use of uncharacteristically colorful expressions as she pushes for regulatory reform is generating ripples across the nation. Politicians on both sides are closely following her words, with some taking to mimicking her to further their own agendas, while her words have decorated newspaper headlines on a daily basis. Since the beginning of February, Park has used increa...

It’s official: Pope Francis is coming to Korea. His visit was widely predicted. In multiple news reports, sources at the Vatican and Seoul had said the papal visit was highly likely. Still, the announcement by the Vatican on Monday was a source of surprise, and of course joy, for many Catholics here because the holy man decided to commit the entire five days of his trip to Asia, his first as po...