[Newsmaker] Governor seeks to inherit Roh’s legacy

Ahn Hee-jung, South Chungcheong Province governor and late President Roh Moo-hyun’s right-hand man, entered the fray in the power-struggle within the opposition Democratic Party on Tuesday. The 49-year-old liberal-minded politician was one of Roh’s closest aides, from 1994 onward. In the years leading up to Roh’s election in 2002, Ahn played the role of top strategist, earning himself the moniker “Little Roh Moo-hyun.” However, Ahn remained on the fringes of power during the Roh administration a

PoliticsDec. 18, 2013

[Newsmaker] Hopes running high for KT chief nominee

There’s a new man in the house at KT: Hwang Chang-gyu, a former Samsung executive who, if Cheong Wa Dae has nothing more to say about it, will become the next chairman and CEO of the nation’s second-largest mobile carrier.While the company seemed to have initially hoped for someone with a KT background, most are ready to welcome Hwang and his expertise, according to those close to KT. Hwang served as president of Samsung’s memory business division from 2001 to 2004. He currently teaches at Sungk

IndustryDec. 17, 2013

[Newsmaker] Chile’s Bachelet returns to presidency

Chile welcomed the return of its first female president, Michelle Bachelet, in a landslide run-off election victory Sunday. The Socialist Party candidate is the region’s first reelected female leader. The widely popular 34th president, who served from 2006 to 2010 and was barred by constitution from running for a second straight term, is to succeed the increasingly unpopular Sebastian Pinera in March after sweeping some 62 percent of second-round votes over her former childhood playmate, Evelyn

InternationalDec. 16, 2013

[Newsmaker] N.K. leader Kim’s aunt, wife in spotlight

Following the demise of Jang Song-thaek, the once-powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the whereabouts of the two’s respective wives, Kim Kyoung-hui and Ri Sol-ju, have come under the spotlight.Kim, the leader’s only aunt, and his wife Ri have been out of the public eye for several months, sparking media speculation about their health and relationships with the increasingly coercive ruler.Attention is now being drawn to whether both would appear in public on Tuesday, when Pyongyang

North KoreaDec. 15, 2013

[Newsmaker] GM’s CEO change features cut in Korean unit

In a move both groundbreaking yet also very traditional, General Motors Company CEO Dan Akerson will be replaced by GM “lifer” and global product chief Mary Barra. But GM Korea chief Sergio Rocha has probably just shrugged his shoulders. Though the ranks of top women executives at top global brands gets a bump with Barra’s appointment, not much has changed for GM in South Korea. Barra will surely follow through with the expected downsizing of GM Korea’s presence in South Korea. GM gets about 20

Foreign AffairsDec. 11, 2013

[Newsmaker] Leadership of rail chief put to test

Choi Yeon-hye, CEO of the state-run rail operator KORAIL, is taking a chance on her leadership by adopting a zero-tolerance policy on the hard-line unionized rail workers’ strike.“I shall deal (with the walkout) with a mother’s heart,” Choi said through an official statement on Monday, apologizing for the inconveniences caused by the KORAIL labor union’s nationwide strike.Despite her seemingly soft-hearted words, the rail operator’s first-ever female chief has largely been stern and forthright s

Dec. 10, 2013

[Newsmaker] Defiance of election result bogs parties

The National Assembly appears headed toward more political wrangling after a first-term proportional representative over the weekend denied the validity of last year’s presidential election.On Sunday, Democratic Party proportional representative Rep. Jang Ha-na declared her official denial of the validity of the Dec. 19 election and argued that a by-election should be held on June 4.The DP as a whole has taken pains to walk a thin line between refuting the election result and shedding light on t

PoliticsDec. 9, 2013

[Newsmaker] Korea hits a wall with F1 Grand Prix race

South Korea has been dropped from the 2014 Formula One Grand Prix race program.The International Automobile Federation eliminated South Korea, Mexico and the U.S. state of New Jersey from its official 2014 calendar of F1 GP races. It also set the schedule for the 2014 season, which will feature 19 races, starting in Melbourne, Australia, on March 16, and ending in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 23.The three eliminated venues had been listed on a provisional 2014 schedule issued in September, with the Korean

More SportsDec. 5, 2013

[Newsmaker] Choe in spotlight after Jang's removal

The alleged removal of the North Korean leader’s powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek put the spotlight on Choe Ryong-hae, who is believed to be Jang’s rival and to control the country’s military. Choe is a vice marshal of North Korea’s military and the chief of the General Political Bureau, a powerful military organ under the direct control of the ruling Workers’ Party.Without Jang, Choe, a loyalist of the Kim dynasty, is considered to be in an unrivaled position, with his level of authority overshad

North KoreaDec. 4, 2013

[Newsmaker] Ethical question hangs over new minister

New Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo took office Monday with little political capital to use to persuade opposition parties to accept controversial pension schemes and downscaled welfare policies.The main opposition Democratic Party fiercely opposed the appointment of the former government researcher, raising doubts about his ethical standards and leadership competence. The 57-year-old minister has been accused of using a corporate credit card for private purposes at a restaurant in Ga

PoliticsDec. 3, 2013

[Newsmaker] Moon seen gearing up for 2017 election

Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Rep. Moon Jae-in is once again causing ripples in and outside the party by hinting at his resurgent political ambitions in a recent series of press meetings.Speaking with reporters on Friday, Moon implied that it would be possible for him to run in the 2017 presidential election, saying that he will do his part to promote a change in administration. In a press release Sunday about his upcoming book, Moon sharply criticized President Park Geun-hye ov

PoliticsDec. 2, 2013

[Newsmaker] War veteran buried alongside his men

Retired Lt. Gen. Chae Myung-shin, the first commander of South Korean forces in the Vietnam War, was buried Thursday alongside enlisted soldiers killed in the conflict.Chae died of chronic illness on Monday. He was 86.Before his death, he told his family that he wanted to be buried in a cemetery for rank and file soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War. His funeral service was officiated by the Army chief of staff, and his ashes were laid to rest in Seoul National Cemetery.It is the first time in

PeopleNov. 28, 2013

[Newsmaker] Scandals plunge Kookmin Bank into crisis

KB Kookmin Bank, the nation’s second-largest lender, is facing what some financial market analysts said is the biggest crisis ever since its foundation in 1963 for its alleged involvement in a widening financial corruption scandal.Seoul prosecutors launched an investigation on Wednesday into the bank on suspicions of its employees’ involvement in illegal loans and embezzlement of customers’ deposit money, and raising slush funds.Later in the day, bank CEO Lee Kun-ho apologized to the public for

Nov. 27, 2013

[Newsmaker] China’s air zone rekindles Ieodo dispute

A maritime dispute surrounding Ieodo, a submerged rock in the East China Sea, has resurfaced as China incorporated it last week in its air defense zone without consultation with South Korea.The renewed dispute has also revealed that despite its claim to the rock, Seoul has not included Ieodo in its own air defense identification zone, although China and Japan have put it under their respective zones.Seoul maintains it cannot recognize China’s ADIZ, while expressing regrets over the unilateral de

DefenseNov. 26, 2013

[Newsmaker] Archbishop rebukes political activity

The Catholic Church is distancing itself from controversial remarks seen as sympathetic to North Korea made by a group of progressive priests.On Sunday, Archbishop of Seoul Andrew Yeom Soo-jung spoke out against priests’ involvement in politics, citing the church doctrine and guidelines issued by late Pope John Paul II.“The Catholic doctrine prohibits priests from making direct political and social intervention,” Yeom said at a Mass.“It is not the role of priests to directly intervene in politic

PoliticsNov. 25, 2013

[Newsmaker] Priests stir row over Yeonpyeongdo, election

A left-wing Catholic priest sparked controversy with remarks that apparently sympathized with North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean border island three years ago. During a mass on Friday, the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice also demanded the resignation of President Park Geun-hye and called her election last year illegal. The priests club, based on voluntary membership, has been at the center of Korea’s pro-democracy movement since the 1970s. “We can only conclude that a president w

PoliticsNov. 24, 2013

[Newsmaker] Lists highlight record-keeping negligence

Korea’s inefficient record keeping system has come under the spotlight again with the discovery of decades-old documents at its embassy in Tokyo, which contain details of nearly 230,000 colonial-era Korean victims. In June, embassy officials discovered two dust-covered boxes containing lists of those killed after the March 1, 1919 independence movement, and the 1923 earthquake in Kanto, Japan. The lists, compiled in the 1950s, had been sitting in a backroom and only discovered during the process

PoliticsNov. 21, 2013

[Newsmaker] 3 years after attack, Yeonpyeongdo fortified

Since North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeongdo Island three years ago, South Korea has built a tighter defense posture to safeguard its frontline islands with more troops, advanced weapons systems and proactive deterrence strategies.The Nov. 23 artillery attack that killed four ― two marines and two civilians ― triggered a major shift in Seoul’s passive defense mechanism and added to the push for military reform to better cope with the unpredictable, provocative regime in Pyongyang.“After our mari

DefenseNov. 20, 2013

[Newsmaker] More join efforts to create part-time jobs

More companies are jumping on the bandwagon to hire contract-based part-time workers, apparently in line with the government’s policy to boost the nation’s employment.Shinsegae, operator of the nation’s biggest department store, first stepped up to the plate as it announced earlier this year that it would hire around 2,000 part-time workers for its businesses including retail store Emart and its department stores across the nation. Other retail firms including CJ Group also followed suit by hiri

IndustryNov. 19, 2013