[Newsmaker] Park wins LPGA Player of the Year

Park In-bee has become the first South Korean to earn the LPGA Tour’s Player of the Year.Park won the award with a fourth-place finish at 11-under par 277 at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, Sunday. She fended off her closest rival, Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, who placed fifth, 1 stroke behind Park.Park led Petteren 290-252 in points before the tournament. Park added seven points and Pettersen six points after the event. Park has secured the most prestigious honor bestowed o

GolfNov. 18, 2013

[Newsmaker] Rajin-Khasan key project for Seoul, Moscow

The participation of South Korean firms in the development of a railway between North Korea and Russia and a North Korean port is poised to be the centerpiece of renewed cooperation between Seoul and Moscow. President Park Geun-hye and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to cooperate on the project during their summit Wednesday. Seoul’s support for the Rajin-Khasan project reflects President Park Geun-hye’s desire to rebuild relations with Moscow. The Russian-led initiative calls for the ref

Foreign AffairsNov. 14, 2013

[Newsmaker] Bigwig summoned as summit probe nears end

The prosecution on Wednesday questioned ruling party heavyweight Rep. Kim Moo-sung as its probe into the alleged illegal leaking of the 2007 inter-Korean summit records entered the final stretch. In the run up to the Dec. 19 presidential election, Kim, campaign chief and close aide to President Park Geun-hye, attacked the Democratic Party’s Rep. Moon Jae-in with claims that late President Roh Moo-hyun conceded the Northern Limit Line to Pyongyang with wording very close to that of the transcript

PoliticsNov. 13, 2013

[Newsmaker] Parties clash over game addiction act

A widening dispute over a proposal to toughen regulations on online games has emerged as a hot political issue dragging party leaders into a harsh war of words. The ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Shin Yee-jin in April proposed a new law that would define Internet gaming and digital media content as one of the four major sources of addictions, along with alcohol, drugs and gambling, subject to tougher government controls. The bill sparked angry reactions from the industry, game lovers and liberal-mi

PoliticsNov. 12, 2013

[Newsmaker] Celebs mired in illegal gambling allegations

Two A-list hosts of variety shows and a former K-pop singer are under investigation for illegal sports gambling in the latest in a long line of celebrities caught up in the illegal sport.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it summoned comedian Lee Soo-geun, 38, on Sunday for questioning on suspicions he wagered hundreds of millions of won on football teams in the English Premier League through a private gambling site. Under a related law, “Sportstoto” (www.sportstoto.co.kr), oper

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2013

[Newsmaker] Far-left party threatened with ax

The oft-troubled Unified Progressive Party is facing its biggest crisis yet as the government moves to have the left-wing party disbanded, citing its links to North Korea. The unprecedented decision came in the wake of an investigation into UPP lawmaker Lee Seok-ki and other senior officials indicted on charges of plotting an armed revolt.The UPP represents the more radical end of Korea’s progressive bloc. As such its former and current members have resorted to extreme actions within the parliam

PoliticsNov. 5, 2013

[Newsmaker] Ahn seen reviving presidential ambition

Independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a former presidential candidate considered a “sleeping dragon” of Korean politics, appears to be speeding up the process of establishing his own party ahead of next year’s local elections.On Monday, Ahn took to the podium of the National Assembly’s briefing room for the first time since his election office in April to call for a special probe into alleged election meddling by government agencies.“I think that a comprehensive investigation conducted by a special co

PoliticsNov. 4, 2013

[Newsmaker] Defense Security Command mired in politics

The Defense Security Command is facing a sweeping reform after Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin reportedly directed it to abolish its practice of clandestinely reporting military intelligence to Cheong Wa Dae without his knowledge.Kim is said to have ordered the DSC to focus on supporting his leadership and carrying out its key missions to ensure security in the military and defense industry, and to prevent and investigate espionage and terrorism.Kim’s directives came after former DSC chief Jang Ky

DefenseNov. 3, 2013

[Newsmaker] Korea’s jury system: Is it working?

Korea introduced a jury system six years ago as part of reforms to make court proceedings fair, transparent and more in tune with common sense. But the system has come under scrutiny following the separate jury acquittals in less than a week of progressive political satirists Ju Jin-u and Kim Eo-jun, and poet Ahn Do-hyun.They all were accused of spreading false information about President Park Geun-hye and her family members and charged with defamation.The verdicts troubled conservatives includi

Social AffairsOct. 30, 2013

[Newsmaker] U.S. alienates world with spying

United States diplomacy appears to have been caught flat-footed this past week by an avalanche of anger from its closest allies, apoplectic over one report after another detailing vast American spying, including the tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s personal cell phone and data on tens of millions of calls in Spain in a single month. The most recent revelations from classified documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden detail NSA snooping on the phone conversations of 35 world

PoliticsOct. 29, 2013

[Newsmaker] Mongolian leader heads to Pyongyang

Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj arrived in Pyongyang on Monday as the first foreign head of state to enter the isolated country since Kim Jong-un took power in December 2011.The Rodong Sinmun, an official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, expressed hopes that Elbegdorj’s trip would upgrade bilateral ties and boost cooperation in economy, culture and sports. He was officially invited not by Kim Jong-un, but by its titular head of state Kim Yong-nam, president of the Supreme Pe

North KoreaOct. 28, 2013

[Newsmaker] Rocky road ahead of new chief prosecutor

Prosecutor-general nominee Kim Jin-tae is known inside the law enforcement agency by his piquant nickname: Bull Pen. He was an acting prosecutor general in late 2012 when then the prosecutor-general resigned, taking responsibility for a series of corruption and sex scandals involving some prosecutors, as well as a failed prosecution reform. Kim was the man who put immediate effort to settle the unprecedented crisis and quickly restore the tarnished image of corrupted prosecution. Kim is now give

PoliticsOct. 27, 2013

[Newsmaker] Kimchi making for winter gets recognition

Kimjang, the traditional practice of making kimchi before winter, may soon be included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, government officials announced on Wednesday. Representatives of Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration submitted the recommendation for kimjang, categorized under the title “Kimjang; Making and Sharing Kimchi,” to be added to the UNESCO list. Kimjang refers to the process of preparing large vats of the spicy, fermented cabbage with a large gathering

CultureOct. 24, 2013

[Newsmaker] KT CEO becomes yet another political target

KT Corp. has long been cut from the strings of the government apron, but it seems the fate of its chief executives remains in the hands of the administration. KT chairman Lee Seok-chae has been plagued with rumors of his imminent departure from the moment President Park Geun-hye took office.The allegations about his mismanagement aside, the biggest strike against Lee is that he started his term under former president Lee Myung-bak. “We thought the chairman would be able to carry out his term, bu

IndustryOct. 23, 2013

[Newsmaker] Juncker, Europe’s longest-serving PM

Luxembourg’s embattled prime minister would likely not appreciate the comparison, but Jean-Claude Juncker shares something in common with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a man derided in the West as “Europe’s last dictator.” It might be unfair to describe the enduring Luxembourger as authoritarian, but now he certainly vies with the Belarusian strongman for Europe’s longest-lasting leader in power today. Though the party of Luxembourg’s prime minister emerged somewhat diminished from

PoliticsOct. 21, 2013

[Newsmaker] Ousted prosecutor adds fuel to NIS row

Yoon Seok-yeol, a senior prosecutor who was leading an investigation into the spy agency’s alleged election interference last year, is in the political limelight after being ousted from the special probe team last week.His dismissal has sparked a backlash from the main opposition Democratic Party, which claims the government attempted to meddle in the high-profile probe.The probe team has looked into the allegations that former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon directed his operat

PoliticsOct. 20, 2013

[Newsmaker] Daesung chief chairs global energy body

Daesung Group chairman Younghoon David Kim, 61, made an international debut as leader of the World Energy Council, the world’s largest independent network of global energy leaders and practitioners.Kim was chosen as a co-chair of the WEC last December and took office on the last day of the World Energy Congress in Daegu that closed Thursday.It is the first time for a Korean to take the top post of a global energy body. The London-based WEC, formed in 1923, is one of the most influential independ

IndustryOct. 17, 2013

[Newsmaker] Ryu first Korean to win in MLB postseason

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw seven shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, becoming the first South Korean to pick up a starting win in the Major League Baseball postseason. At Dodger Stadium on Monday night, he allowed just three singles and struck out four batters in seven innings, leading his team to a 3-0 win over the Cardinals.It was the second career postseason start for the 26-year-old left-hander, who signed with the Dodgers last December after seven s

BaseballOct. 16, 2013