[Newsmaker] Nobel Prize for candle-holding citizens?

Following the monthslong street rallies that peacefully removed President Park Geun-hye from office, some politicians in South Korea say that the protesters should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for being a role model for other troubled democracies. 　Massive protests by citizens holding candles pushed the parliament to vote to impeach Park on Dec. 9 over a corruption scandal involving Park’s friend Choi Soon-sil. It was upheld by the Constitutional Court on March 10, which many hailed as

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2017

[Newsmaker] Hyundai Motor chief retains board seat

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo renewed his board membership at Friday’s shareholder meeting with the carmaker’s largest institutional investor, National Pension Service, abstaining from the vote.The 79-year-old Hyundai chief retained his seat on the nine-member board for the seventh time with his membership set to expire in 2020. At the meeting the wage limit of the board members was set at 15 billion won ($13.2 million), the same as last year. Chung‘s son, Vice Chairman Chung Eui-s

IndustryMarch 17, 2017

[Newsmaker] Dutch PM Rutte beats off ‘wrong kind of populism’

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday claimed a dominating parliamentary election victory over anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, who failed the year’s first litmus test for populism in Europe.　Provisional results with over half the votes counted suggested Rutte’s party won 32 seats in the 150-member legislature, 13 more than Wilders’ party, which took only third place with 19 seats. The surging Christian Democratic Appeal claimed 20.　Following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union a

World NewsMarch 16, 2017

[Newsmaker] Excitement rises over Samsung chip investment

The amount Samsung Electronics will invest in the booming semiconductor business this year is being widely discussed among related industries and the financial market, even though the world’s top chipmaker has yet to announce its final plan.According to the semiconductor industry on Wednesday, Samsung is currently looking at its annual investment plan, which includes building a new production line within the current 17 Line in the company’s Hwaseong Campus in Gyeonggi Province, and constructing

TechnologyMarch 15, 2017

[Newsmaker] Speculation grows over Hwang’s presidential bid

After the fall of President Park Geun-hye, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is in the spotlight as her cover and possible successor. The problem is he can’t be both for long, as this country has only 55 days to prepare for the presidential election and to stand in the race, he has to resign from office. Perhaps a hint at the state of his mind not yet made up, Hwang on Tuesday delayed a decision on the timetable for the election, although May 9 has been highlighted as a possible date. Acting Presiden

PoliticsMarch 14, 2017

[Newsmaker] Old guard stays loyal to fallen Park

Former President Park Geun-hye’s loyalists and aides are showing unrelenting support for the disgraced leader even after the top court forced her out of office over a corruption scandal. On Sunday evening, Park moved from the presidential residence back to her private house in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, and some eight lawmakers greeted her at the entrance of her house. A large crowd of supporters also gathered to welcome her return. Rep. Cho Kyung-hwan (right) and other lawmakers of the Libe

PoliticsMarch 13, 2017

[Newsmaker] Lee Jung-mi: From beacon for the underprivileged to historic judge

With the Constitutional Court scheduled to unveil its ruling on the fate of then President Park Geun-hye at 11 a.m. on Friday, acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi arrived at the courthouse earlier than usual to gather with other judges for their one last deliberation before reaching a verdict. Amid a burst of camera flashes, the most intriguing component of the scene were two tiny pink hair rollers still attached to the back of her bobbed curly hair. The image went viral in no time, despite court o

Social AffairsMarch 12, 2017

[Newsmaker] Park Geun-hye: A life stranger than fiction

When Park Geun-hye won a grueling presidential election in December 2012 in defiance of most exit polls, the outside world extolled her as East Asia’s first-ever female leader.At home, however, expectations had not been high for her role in such tasks as empowering women and improving gender equality. Many South Koreans instead questioned whether she would manage to embrace not only her foes, but also the marginalized, as the daughter of a president whose 18-year dictatorial rule and subsequent

PoliticsMarch 10, 2017

[Newsmaker] WikiLeaks: CIA hacks everyday gadgets for snooping

Maybe the CIA is spying on you through your television set after all.Documents released by WikiLeaks allege a CIA surveillance program that targets everyday gadgets ranging from smart TVs to smartphones to cars. Such snooping, WikiLeaks said, could turn some of these devices into recorders of everyday conversations -- and could also circumvent data-scrambling encryption on communications apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp.　 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorean

World NewsMarch 8, 2017

[Newsmaker] Sino-US rivalry puts Seoul on edge

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is a core element of the US’ multilayered missile defense program, designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles at altitudes of 40-150 kilometers during the terminal stage of their flight. Built chiefly by US defense giant Lockheed Martin, a THAAD battery typically consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, a fire control and communications unit and an AN/TPY-2 X-Band radar. Before interception, the

Foreign AffairsMarch 7, 2017

[Newsmaker] Democratic Party jockeys for presidential race

President Park Geun-hye’s fate is still up in the air, but the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is wasting no time in its preparation for the next presidential election. Four presidential contenders of the liberal party squared off at the party’s primary debate Monday, trying to prove their eligibility to become the nation’s next leader. They are former party leader Moon Jae-in, South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung, Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung and Goyang Mayor Choi Sung. Left to right: S

PoliticsMarch 6, 2017

[Newsmaker] Trump accuses Obama of tapping his phones

President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Barack Obama of tapping his phones during last year’s White House campaign, charges that his predecessor denied as “simply false.”　“I’d bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!” Trump wrote on Twitter, without providing evidence of the explosive charge.　 US President Donald Trump (left) and former President Barack Obama EPA/AP-Yonhap“How low has President Oba

World NewsMarch 5, 2017

[Newsmaker] Korean, Chinese chipmakers raise stakes on Toshiba

Chipmakers from South Korea, Taiwan and China are beefing up moves to acquire the NAND Flash business of Japan’s cash-strapped Toshiba in their quest to spearhead the global NAND market. According to the semiconductor and financial industries Thursday, global chipmakers are doubling efforts to take over Toshiba’s NAND business after it was reported earlier this week that the financially troubled Japanese company will sell a majority stake in the NAND businessToshiba aims to raise about 1 trillio

IndustryMarch 2, 2017

[Newsmaker] Suspects charged with murder of Kim

 KUALA LUMPUR (AP) -- Appearing calm and solemn, two young women accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea‘s leader, were charged with murder Wednesday. The women, who arrived in court under the protection of masked special forces carrying machine guns, are at the center of a bizarre killing at a busy Kuala Lumpur airport terminal. Many speculate the attack was orchestrated by North Korea, but Pyongyang denies any role. Indonesian Siti Aisyah (

World NewsMarch 1, 2017

[Newsmaker] Independent counsel Park rises to fame

It took an exceptional investigation team to handle the corruption scandal involving an incumbent president -- a case turning the nation’s politics upside down.Spearheading this challenging role was independent counsel Park Young-soo, whose leadership played a crucial role every time the inquiry into high-profile figures faced a dead end.  Park Young-soo, independent counsel (Yonhap)The special team looking into the corruption allegations of President Park Geun-hye officially ended its term Tues

PoliticsFeb. 28, 2017

[Newsmaker] LG mobile chief confident about G6

BARCELONA -- Technical finesse, practicality and sincerity seem to be the main elements that LG Electronics are betting on for its new flagship smartphone, the G6, which the tech giant hopes will bring a long-sought-after turnaround in its handset business. Looking to continue the hype created by its unveiling of the phone Sunday, LG’s mobile chief held a press conference, expressing his confidence that the new device would record strong sales and stressing its focus on the basics.LG Electronics

TechnologyFeb. 27, 2017

[Newsmaker] Trump to skip press dinner amid media row

President Donald Trump ratcheted up an increasingly hostile feud with the media Saturday, announcing he would skip a century-old annual correspondents’ dinner a day after a fierce row erupted over press access to the White House.　The Trump White House triggered widespread outrage on Friday by denying access to an off-camera briefing to several major US media, including CNN, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Politico.　Smaller outlets that have provided favorable coverage of the Trump

World NewsFeb. 26, 2017

[Newsmaker] Current FKI chairman Huh to stay in office

Huh Chang-soo, the current chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, will stay in office for another three years as finding a new chief for the country's largest lobby body has made little progress with key members withdrawing their membership, industry sources said Friday.FKI board members will recommend Huh continue his duties for another three years at a board meeting to be held later in the day, according to the sources.The FKI board meeting came amid a mass withdrawal of key FKI memb

Feb. 24, 2017

[Newsmaker] 7 Earth-size worlds found; could hold life

For the first time, astronomers have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a single nearby star _ and these new worlds could hold life.This cluster of planets is less than 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, according to NASA and the Belgian-led research team who announced the discovery Wednesday.The planets circle tightly around a dim dwarf star called Trappist-1, barely the size of Jupiter. Three are in the so-called habitable zone, the area around a star where water and,

World NewsFeb. 23, 2017

[Newsmaker] Qualcomm wages long, hard legal battle against FTC

(The Investor)Qualcomm has waged a legal war against South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, filing a lawsuit in Seoul late Tuesday, unyielding to the antitrust agency’s order of a massive fine and corrective measure. The legal fight between the US mobile chipmaker and Korean government body is expected to be unprecedentedly fierce, as both sides have vowed to win by mobilizing all possible measures, legal sources say. “The battle could be longer than usual, considering it is a matter of pride for

TechnologyFeb. 22, 2017