The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said that it will summon former President Park Geun-hye next week for questioning as a suspect over her involvement in a bribery case that led to her expulsion from office. 　An official from its special investigation unit said Wednesday that they have sent a summons to Park's legal team to appear for questioning next Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. (Yonhap)The summoning is part of their probe into the impeached president and her close friend Choi Soon-sil. Bef

Social Affairs March 15, 2017

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it will summon former President Park Geun-hye as a suspect for in-person questioning, over a wide-ranging corruption scandal that led to her expulsion from office. “We will decide tomorrow when to summon her and notify her,” a source at the office said. The summons date is not negotiable, the official added. A flag of Prosecution Service (Yonhap)If summoned, Park will face a grilling similar to her jailed confidante Choi Soon-sil w

Social Affairs March 14, 2017

South Korea is expected to host the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics successfully regardless of the recent impeachment of its president, former French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin said Monday, vowing to contribute to the hosting as the ambassador representing French-speaking countries at the international sports event.Former French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin (Yonhap)"Some 700-strong staff of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee are working hard in preparation. There could arise complex s

Social Affairs March 13, 2017

Former President Park Geun-hye on Sunday came under fire for failing to honor the decision of the nation’s highest court stripping her of all presidential powers, which critics say only reinforced the national confusion and divide her scandal had created. Park, upon her return to her private residence in southern Seoul on Sunday evening, said the truth about her impeachment would be revealed someday. It was widely taken as a message of defiance from the ousted leader, amid unrelenting protests f

Social Affairs March 13, 2017

Two protestors who supported Park Geun-hye died Friday after sustaining injuries during a pro-Park rally, following the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove the former president from office, the police said.According to the Jongno Police Station in Seoul, 72-year-old Kim Wan-sik was taken to Seoul National University Hospital at around 1 p.m., after being found bleeding from his head near the court in central Seoul.Kim was reportedly struck by a heavy device that had fallen from a vehicle b

Social Affairs March 10, 2017

Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to lose office through impeachment, now faces possible prosecution as a civilian, just like her jailed friend Choi Soon-sil, over the scandal that has rocked the country since late last year and ultimately brought down her administration Friday.The Constitutional Court’s decision made Park subject to prosecutorial questioning as a criminal suspect, depriving her of the presidential immunity to criminal liability.YonhapThe Seoul Cen

Social Affairs March 10, 2017

The independent counsel Monday said that President Park Geun-hye received bribes from Samsung Group in a scheme involving nonprofit foundations set up by her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil. “Park, in collusion with Choi, received bribes and illicit solicitation for her support of Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong’s succession process,” special counsel Park Young-soo told a news conference to announce the results of his investigation. The counsel’s team -- the largest in South Korean history -- wrap

Social Affairs March 6, 2017

Tension is rising in South Korea as the nation awaits a court ruling on the fate of the Park Geun-hye presidency, expected to be out as early as this week. 　The Constitutional Court’s eight justices on Sunday continued their closed-door sessions to deliberate on the legality of Park’s parliamentary impeachment on Dec. 9 amid a sharp national divide over what to do with the disgraced leader. The Constitutional Court’s acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi enters the court in Jongno, Seoul, Sunday. Yon

Social Affairs March 5, 2017

The use of toxic chemicals will be banned in dishwashing liquids, reflecting the public’s growing safety concerns, health authorities said Thursday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it would revise the Public Health Act so to ban the use of chloro-methylisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone in dishwashing liquids. The reinforced law is to take effect from the second half of the year. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (Yonhap)The two disputed substances, used in the deadly humidifier

Social Affairs March 2, 2017

A court specializing in bankruptcy opened Thursday, aiming to respond to the increasing number of bankruptcy and rehabilitation cases.The Seoul Bankruptcy Court is to replace the Seoul Central District Court’s bankruptcy division, to settle all types of both personal and corporate cases regarding bankruptcy, according to officials.Seoul Bankruptcy Court (Yonhap)Consisting of 34 judges, the new court will henceforth deal with corporate bankruptcies and individual rehabilitation cases, both of whi

March 2, 2017

The student council leader of Seoul National University will step down due to his inappropriate comments about women, following its student government’s decision Thursday. The student government had voted on whether Lee Tak-Kyu should resign, amid growing criticism that he insulted female students before being elected as president last year. Seoul National University (Yonhap)“I sincerely apologize for my comments that made people feel uncomfortable,” said Lee before the vote. “I will abide by th

Social Affairs March 2, 2017

 진행자: 박세환, Kevin Lee Selzer1. 90일 동안 달려온 박영수 특검팀기사요약: 특검수사가 28일 화요일 모두 마무리가 되면서 이제 남은 수사는 중앙지검 특수본에 이첩되어 계속 진행될 전망이다. 특검팀은 수사기간 동안 모두 30명을  재판에 넘기면서 역대 12차례 특검 중 최고의 기소 수를 기록했다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Independent counsel Park rises to fame[1] It took an exceptional investigation team to handle the corruption scandal involving an incumbent president — a case turning the nation’s politics

Podcast March 1, 2017

State prosecutors are gearing up to reopen a special investigation unit to probe into President Park Geun-hye’s corruption scandal, taking on key investigative findings from the independent counsel team who officially closed up Tuesday. With key charges still pending for further inquiry -- especially the bribery charge of President Park -- the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office is expected to revive a former special investigation unit for a smooth transition of the remaining cases, its official

Politics March 1, 2017

The special prosecutor’s team Tuesday named President Park Geun-hye as a suspect in the extensive corruption scandal involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, rounding off its three-month investigation and handing the case back to state prosecutors.It also decided to indict Lee Jae-yong, heir apparent of the nation’s most powerful conglomerate Samsung Group, along with four other executive-level officials of the group, for their connections to Choi. “President Park will be booked as a suspect

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2017