[Newsmaker] What will impeachment vote be like?

Friday’s parliamentary vote on whether or not to impeach President Park Geun-hye is unlikely to involve a filibuster or physical brawls among rivalling lawmakers. According to the National Assembly on Thursday, no lawmakers have requested time to address the floor ahead of the ballot during a plenary session slated for 3:00 p.m. Friday. “Traditionally, the motion related to the seat of public officials does not require additional debate among those that approve and those that disapprove,” an off

PoliticsDec. 8, 2016

[Newsmaker] ‘King of secretaries’ fends off onslaught

President Park Geun-hye’s former Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon appeared poised and prepared, flatly denying a string of allegations lawmakers made over his role in the Choi Soon-sil scandal throughout the second public hearing Wednesday.Unlike other testifiers, the 77-year-old showed no emotion, even when an opposition legislator called him an “eel” for his constant, astute evasion of tricky questions, and another said he would not to go heaven when he dies. Unscathed, Kim repeated he was sorry, c

PoliticsDec. 7, 2016

[Newsmaker] Military intranet hacked by North Korea

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday the military’s intranet had been hacked for the first time ever, presumably by North Korea, resulting in a number of military secrets being leaked.The military found that malicious code had been spread on its computers via its servers used to relay updates on Sept. 23. “The military formed a cyber investigative team to look into this matter and found that some military data -- including confidential information -- has been leaked. It appears to be a No

DefenseDec. 6, 2016

[Newsmaker] Public petitions for Park’s impeachment online

A website allowing citizens to submit online petitions to lawmakers for President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment has gone viral, with over 800,000 petitions submitted in less than four days since it was created.As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, 804,823 people have called for Park’s dismissal at “Park Geun-hack.com” (https://parkgeunhack.com). Park is being investigated as a suspect in a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her civilian friend Choi Soon-sil and former aides.The civilian-run web

PoliticsDec. 5, 2016

[Newsmaker] Trump shrugs off fuss over Taiwan call

President-elect Donald Trump is unapologetic about roiling diplomatic waters with his decision to speak on the phone with Taiwan‘s leader, a breach of long-standing tradition that risks enmity from China.The US severed diplomatic ties with the self-governing island in 1979, but has maintained close unofficial relations and a commitment to support its defense.Trump’s conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen drew an irritated, although understated, response from China, as Foreign Ministe

World NewsDec. 4, 2016

[Newsmaker] Trump picks retired Gen. Mattis for defense secretary: reports

US President-elect Donald Trump has decided to nominate retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis for defense secretary, and a formal announcement is expected by early next week, The Washington Post reported Thursday.Mattis, a former commander of the Central Command, has been widely considered the No. 1 candidate for defense secretary as Trump said last month that he had a "very impressive" meeting with him and lauded him as "the real deal" and "a true general's general." The Washington Post said t

InternationalDec. 2, 2016

[Newsmaker] Jeju's women divers gain UNESCO recognition

When the female divers of Jeju Island emerge from their minutes-long foray underwater, they let out a much-awaited sigh. Called “sumbi,” the exhalation releases carbon dioxide from the lungs with a sound that is similar to whistling. When the divers pop up in groups, a chorus of singsong breathing echoes through the coast.“Haenyeo,” or women divers who have been diving in the waters off Jeju for centuries to gather seafood, were inscribed onto the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

CultureDec. 1, 2016

[Newsmaker] Anti-Park Saenuri MPs key to impeachment

President Park Geun-hye‘s allies and foes in the parliament have made their respective stances clear: The former wishes to deter the impeachment of the embattled state head and the latter wants to oust her as soon as possible.The middle ground amid this widening political divide is a group within the ruling Saenuri Party who stand at odds with the president and the party’s pro-president leadership.These 30-40 lawmakers are considered indispensable in the opposition’s impeachment drive, as their

PoliticsNov. 30, 2016

[Newsmaker] Trump threatens to ‘terminate’ US-Cuba thaw

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to end the US thaw with Cuba unless Havana makes key concessions, potentially upending the historic rapprochement engineered by the White House, which insists the opening serves American interests.Trump‘s tough comments sparked a flurry of speculation about the incoming Republican administration’s policies regarding the communist-ruled island, and come after former leader Fidel Castro‘s death Friday.“If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for

World NewsNov. 29, 2016

[Newsmaker] Conservative Fillon wins French presidential primary

Francois Fillon, a conservative reformist promising to shrink the French state, on Sunday clinched the rightwing nomination for next year’s presidential election with a resounding victory over his rival Alain Juppe.Ex-prime minister Fillon, 62, will now become a favorite to be France’s next leader after winning the US-style primary to pick the nominee of the Republicans party and its allies.Near-complete results showed him winning 66.5 percent of the vote, with ballots counted from 9,915 polling

World NewsNov. 28, 2016

[Newsmaker] Castro made revolutionary mark on Cuban history

Cuban President Raul Castro has proved far more pragmatic than his late brother Fidel, ushering in a gradual opening on the communist island and a historic thaw with the United States.Now, he finally steps out of his big brother’s shadow for good.Fidel’s death late Friday at age 90 leaves Castro alone at the levers of power for the first time since health problems forced his brother to step down in 2006.Raul Castro had served as his brother’s defense minister ever since 1959, when Fidel took Hav

World NewsNov. 27, 2016

[Newsmaker] Cuba's Fidel Castro dies at 90

HAVANA (AP) -- Former President Fidel Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half century rule, has died at age 90.With a shaking voice, President Raul Castro said on state television that his older brother died at 10:29 p.m. Friday. He ended the announcement by shouting the revolutionary slogan: ``Toward victory, always!''  Castro's reign over the island-nation 90 miles (145 kilometers) fr

World NewsNov. 26, 2016

[Newsmaker] '40 Saenuri lawmakers support Park's impeachment'

　A group of ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers critical of President Park Geun-hye announced Friday that they have gathered enough votes to pass an impeachment motion against her.  　The dissenting group said that more than 40 lawmakers would join the opposition parties and independents, whose seats total 172 after one Saenuri lawmaker quit the party Tuesday, in voting for the motion. At least 28 votes from Saenuri are needed to meet requirement of 200 votes in the 300-seat Assembly.　Rep. Hwang Young

PoliticsNov. 25, 2016

[Newsmaker] Haley, DeVos first women on Trump cabinet

Injecting the first diversity into his Cabinet-to-be, Donald Trump selected two Republican women on Wednesday who had unflattering things to say about him during the presidential campaign: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations and charter school advocate Betsy DeVos to lead the Department of Education.Gov. Haley has little foreign policy experience, yet Trump praised her as “a proven dealmaker.” DeVos, like Trump, is new to government but has spent decad

World NewsNov. 24, 2016

[Newsmaker] Recapping a month of Choi scandal

One month ago today, a local TV station released a bombshell report that shed light on the veiled relationship between President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. Since then, the entire nation has been gripped by a barrage of shocking revelations and allegations that revealed a network of corruption involving Park, Choi, her daughter Chung Yoo-ra, former presidential aides, government officials and a once-prominent TV commercial director. The scandal effectively unearthed how those

Social AffairsNov. 23, 2016

[Newsmaker] Governor, lawmaker bolt from Saenuri Party

Two heavyweight members on Tuesday quit the ruling Saenuri Party, adding to its woes caused by a rift between President Park Geun-hye loyalists and members who side with the public’s overwhelming disapproval toward her.　The defecting pair -- Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil and third-term lawmaker Kim Yong-tae -- called on other Saenuri members to break away from a clearly wrongful past and join the opposition-led campaign to impeach Park over the scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil.“A pre

PoliticsNov. 22, 2016

[Newsmaker] Trump, Pence discuss cabinet nominations

President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that he had ``made a couple of deals‘’ after spending the weekend meeting with a long list of potential administration appointees, but he did not reveal any more picks. Trump and the vice president-elect, Mike Pence, did drop some hints. Pence said that Mitt Romney was ``under active and serious consideration‘’ to become the nation‘s next secretary of state. Trump said retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis was an ``impressive’‘ prospect for defense secre

World NewsNov. 21, 2016

[Newsmaker] Trump signals shift to right in US security policy

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general and Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo to head the CIA, signaling a sharp rightward shift in US security policy as he begins to form his Cabinet. Trump on Friday also named retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn as his national security adviser. A former military intelligence chief, Flynn has accused the Obama administration of being too soft on terrorism and has cast Islam as a “political ideology” and driver of extremism.The s

World NewsNov. 20, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hansik champion talks on Michelin success

Extending his hand in a handshake, Cho Tae-kwon, chairman of KwangJuYo, smiles broadly. Cho Tae-kwonCho has every reason to be smiling. His two restaurants had been awarded much coveted Michelin stars earlier in the week: Gaon, a Korean fine-dining restaurant in Sinsa-dong helmed by chef Kim Byeong-jin, received three stars while Bicena, the more casual sister to Gaon in Hannam-dong, where chef Bang Ki-su presides, was given one star.For those familiar with Cho’s passionate and relentless effort

FoodNov. 18, 2016

[Newsmaker] Merkel to be the new ‘leader of the free world’?

The shock election of Donald Trump as US president has forced greater responsibility for defending Western values and interests onto German Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s shoulders, analysts say, with some even crowning her the new “leader of the free world.”While the last decade has been defined by Britain, France, Germany and the US showing a largely united front on issues ranging from NATO affairs to defense of basic freedoms, the coming four years may present a more fragmented picture.During his

World NewsNov. 17, 2016