‘National Assembly should recall, penalize underperforming lawmakers’: Democratic Party floor leader

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Floor Leader Lee In-young on Wednesday suggested changes to the National Assembly law in order to prevent another monthslong parliamentary deadlock, and called for the implementation of a political recall system to penalize underperforming lawmakers.“The parliament must automatically open on the first of every month to prevent the National Assembly from ending empty-handed after discussing the schedule,” Lee said during a parliamentary speech at the N

PoliticsJuly 3, 2019

[News focus] In Korea, even a US president can be branded pro-NK

While the jury is still out on the impact of US President Donald Trump’s excursion to the inter-Korean border, some staunch conservatives in South Korea are reacting with extreme responses. On Sunday, Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he stepped across the Military Demarcation Line. He became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea.  Some internet users, particularly those on right-wing websites, have acc

PoliticsJuly 3, 2019

German commerce chamber begins female empowerment program

The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Wednesday its female leadership group Women in Korea kicked off the second generation of its mentorship program. KGCCI started the mentorship program in 2018 with 14 mentors who are international and Korean C-level female executives in Korea and 16 mentees who are female employees in the middle management of KGCCI’s member companies. The second generation of the WIR mentorship program has more than doubled the number of participa

IndustryJuly 3, 2019

Posco becomes first Korean firm to join WEF’s Lighthouse Network

Steelmaker Posco said Wednesday it has become the first South Korean company to be included among 10 leading firms joining the World Economic Forum’s global Lighthouse Network. The Lighthouse Network consists of facilities of leading manufacturers, dubbed “Lighthouse Factories,” in various industries across the world, which are advanced in applying technologies of the “fourth industrial revolution” -- such as the internet of things, artificial intelligence and big d

IndustryJuly 3, 2019

Ministry busts anti-air pollution mask scams during two-month crackdown

Over 1,000 online advertisements for anti-pollution masks have been blocked and sales banned after the government found they included false or misleading information.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korean Intellectual Property Office conducted an inspection of anti-pollution masks that were sold online in May and June, and found a total of 1,125 cases of misleading product labelling. Of them, 437 involved false advertising, 8 false quality indications, and 680 false patent marks. Th

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2019

[Behind the Wheel] K7 Premier feels brand new with dramatic face-lift

Kia Motors’ full-sized K7 sedan has been always compared to its competitor, the Grandeur, a same-class sedan from its sister company Hyundai Motor. And the rival Grandeur has always topped the sales rankings in the category, selling 46,790 units this year as of June, while K7 sold 12,652 units. Kia Motors’ latest K7 Premier has been face-lifted to bring the car “up to date,” the automaker said, but the changes were so extensive that it almost feels like new generatio

MobilityJuly 3, 2019

Pompeo, Ri Yong-ho may hold talks in August in Bangkok

The US and North Korea may hold high-level talks early next month in Bangkok after the countries’ leaders agreed to resume denuclearization negotiations Sunday at Panmunjom.Following working-level talks scheduled for mid-July, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho are expected to attend the foreign ministers’ meeting at the ASEAN Regional Forum on Aug. 2 in Bangkok.The ARF foreign ministers’ meeting is the only ministerial-level conferen

North KoreaJuly 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Irregular workers’ strike disrupts school operations

Irregular workers at schools went on strike Wednesday, calling for an end to discrimination in wages and welfare benefits vis-a-vis regular workers and disrupting meal services at thousands of schools nationwide. Six-hour-long negotiations between irregular workers at schools and education authorities fell through the previous day, leading some 22,000 irregular workers at schools -- including cooks, nutritionists and administrative workers -- to stage a walkout until Friday. As of 10 a.m. Wednes

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2019

Defense ministry requests 8% budget increase for 2020

The defense ministry said Wednesday it has proposed an 8 percent on-year hike in its budget for next year to strengthen national defense capabilities and better manage troops.According to a ministry report presented to the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, the ministry has asked the government to earmark 50.43 trillion won ($43.23 billion) for the budget for 2020, up from this year's 46.7 trillion won. If accepted, it will be the first time that the defense budget surpasses the 50

DefenseJuly 3, 2019

South Americans marvel at total solar eclipse

A rare total solar eclipse plunged a vast swath of Latin America's southern cone into darkness Tuesday, briefly turning day into night and enthralling huge crowds in much of Chile and Argentina.Hundreds of thousands of people -- including large crowds congregated in La Higuera in Chile, a country that hosts some of the world's most powerful astronomical telescopes -- looked to the skies captivated by the breathtaking spectacle.Thousands of people on beaches near the Chilean city of La Serena che

World NewsJuly 3, 2019

63% of S. Koreans back Trump-Kim-Moon meeting in DMZ: poll

More than 6 out of 10 South Koreans positively evaluate the historic meeting among the leaders of South Korea, the United States and North Korea in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, according to a survey released Wednesday.The survey, conducted by public pollster Realmeter with 501 adults aged 19 or older nationwide, found that 62.7 percent of the respondents gave a positive assessment of the meeting that took place Sunday and paved the way for Washington and Pyongyang to re

North KoreaJuly 3, 2019

Govt revokes permit for gene therapy drug Invossa

South Korea's drug authorities on Wednesday revoked its permit for the gene therapy drug Invossa for mislabeling and the false reporting of an ingredient used.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it made the final decision banning the production and sales of Invossa after it canceled the license for the drug made by Kolon Life Science in late May and ordered the suspension of sales in April. The ban officially goes into effect next Tuesday.Kolon Life acknowledged that a substance in the joi

IndustryJuly 3, 2019

S. Korea to hold 2nd round of talks on revising FTA with Chile

South Korea's trade ministry said Wednesday it will hold the second round of negotiations with Chile on revising their bilateral free trade agreement that went into effect in 2004.The two-day talks, which will be held in Chile from Thursday, will focus on expanding the scope of free trade and updating terms of the 15-year-old FTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Chile was South Korea's first FTA partner. Two-way trade volume quadrupled to US$6.28 billion last year from $1

EconomyJuly 3, 2019

Xi urged Trump to ease North Korea sanctions in 'timely' fashion

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged US President Donald Trump to "show flexibility" towards North Korea, including the "timely" easing of sanctions, at the G20 summit last week, China's foreign minister said Tuesday.Xi visited North Korea prior to meeting Trump at the G20 in Japan on Saturday, and analysts had said the Chinese leader could use the trip as leverage in his trade war talks with the US leader.Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un the next day at the Demilitari

North KoreaJuly 3, 2019

South Korea releases two ships as oil transfers to North "not deliberate" sanctions breach

South Korea has released two shipsit had seized on suspicion of transferring oil to North Korea as there was no deliberate breach of UN sanctions, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.South Korea seized four vessels to check whether they violated UN sanctions by making illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil or coal products to North Korean ships.A UN panel approved the release of the Hong Kong-flagged Light house Winmore and the South Korean P-Pioneer based on South Korean probe results that

North KoreaJuly 3, 2019

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' opens in S. Korea with 674,000 admissions

The latest Marvel film "Spider-Man: Far From Home" earned a solid 674,000 views on its first day of release in South Korean cinemas, data showed Wednesday.The superhero flick dominated the daily box office charts on Tuesday, dethroning the long-time leading Disney live-action film "Aladdin" seen by about 72,000 people on the 49th day of its release, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. The figure 674,000 beats the 545,000 opening total for the 2017 film "S

FilmJuly 3, 2019

S. Korea lowers growth forecast to 2.4-2.5%

South Korea’s government on Wednesday revised the growth rate forecast for this year to 2.4-2.5 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from its earlier figure, amid sluggish exports and investments.It also reiterated the call for the National Assembly to approve the pending supplementary budget bill of 6.7 trillion won ($5.7 billion), vowing to execute 70 percent of the amount within two months. “The government has devoted maximum efforts for an economic paradigm conversion but uncertain

EconomyJuly 3, 2019

N. Korea releases commemorative coin highlighting denuclearization

North Korea has released a commemorative coin that emphasizes denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, an official from an inter-Korean cooperation body said Tuesday. Lee Sang-hyun, a member of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation (KCRC), said he has obtained a commemorative coin issued by the North's central bank this year.  The coin obtained by Lee was engraved with text reading, "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," and "protection of the world's pe

North KoreaJuly 3, 2019

Moon vows improved health insurance system

President Moon Jae-in made it clear Tuesday that his administration will stick to its signature state health insurance policy despite criticism from political opponents over funding.The so-called Moon Jae-in Care is meant to expand coverage of the state-run health insurance program, especially for the underprivileged, children and the elderly."The government's promise is robust," Moon stressed during a visit to a hospital run by the National Health Insurance Service in Goyang, northwes

PoliticsJuly 2, 2019

N. Korean FM meets Swedish envoy: KCNA

North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho met with a special envoy from Sweden, Pyongyang's official news agency said Tuesday, raising speculation over whether the two officials discussed the whereabouts of an unaccounted-for Australian student.The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Ri held talks with Kent Rolf Magnus Harstedt, special envoy of the Swedish government. The KCNA said that the two diplomats exchanged their opinions "on the development of bilateral relations an

North KoreaJuly 2, 2019