The special prosecutor’s team investigating President Park Geun-hye’s corruption scandal has executed an arrest writ issued against Park’s close friend Choi Soon-sil for interrogation, who had been in custody under charges of extorting money from business groups using ties with the president.The execution took place on Wednesday, following the Seoul Central District Court‘s issuance of the warrant earlier at the request of the probe team’s independent counsel Park Young-soo. Choi had declined to

Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2017

Ahn Hee-jung, the liberal governor of South Chungcheong Province, said Tuesday that he would move the country’s capital to Sejong, a new administrative town, if he was elected to the presidency. “I wish to complete the work of the former President Roh Moo-hyun whose dream was to achieve a balanced regional development with the establishment of Sejong City,” Ahn said at a forum in Seoul.  South Chungcheong Province governor Ahn Hee-jung. Yonhap “In the upcoming presidential election, I will win t

Politics Jan. 24, 2017

The special prosecutor’s investigation into admissions fraud surrounding Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s close friend, is reaching its final stage, with a court reviewing Tuesday the arrest of the school’s former president. Choi Kyung-hee, president of Ewha Womans University until October, attended a hearing for her arrest at the Seoul Central District Court over suspicions that she directed professors and school officials to accept Chung. In return for admissions favors

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2017

The special counsel investigating the scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye quizzed her former chief of staff and culture minister on Sunday as the high-profile probe dug into the president’s alleged blacklisting of cultural figures. Former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon and Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun, both detained since last weekend for their suspected role in the creation of the list, appeared for questioning at special prosecutor Park Yong-soo’s office in Southern Seoul. P

Politics Jan. 22, 2017

Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, who leads the parliamentary team for President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment trial, said Thursday that a court decision on the sanctioned president is likely to be made in February. During a parliamentary meeting at the National Assembly, Rep. Kwon, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the National Assembly, said that he is expecting the Constitutional Court to rule on the Dec. 9 parliamentary impeachment of Park earlier than initially expected, as the trial’s witness q

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2017

South Korea’s largest business lobby group claimed Thursday that it was instructed by the presidential office to solicit corporate donations for Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of President Park Geun-hye. A top standing executive of the Federation of Korean Industries -- Vice Chairman Lee Seung-cheol -- made the testimony, appearing as a witness at Choi’s trial at the Seoul District Court. Vice Chairman Lee Seung-cheol of the Federation of Korean Industries enters a courtroom in Seoul to testify a

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2017

South Korea’s Ministry of Education will conduct a study of gifted students following their academic and career path for 25 years after their graduation from state-run special education programs, it said Wednesday. The subjects of the survey -- the first of its kind here -- are 15-year-olds or 16-year-olds who enter eight science high schools here this year. The study will run through 2041 until they reach 40 or 41. “We have analyzed short-term data on the effect of special education for talente

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2017

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology is holding a two-day conference in Daejeon, in the center of South Korea, to provide support and assistance programs for potential startups, the top science university in the country said. The conference, entitled “2017 JETS (Job, Exhibition, Tech-Forum, Startup),” set for Thursday and Friday, is expected to lay the foundation for young entrepreneurs who wish to establish their own businesses, amid the growing importance of startups for the

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2017

Yongin, once South Korea’s most indebted city, is now officially debt-free, Mayor Jung Chan-min declared Tuesday. The city of 1 million, located some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, will now embark on a mission to make the city a better place to live for its residents, investing in key sectors, including education and welfare, the mayor said. “Thanks to the support of residents and burden-sharing by some 3,000 city officials, we could achieve the debt-free goal much earlier,” Jung said at a press

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2017

Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye’s longtime friend accused of manipulating power behind the scenes, may have pulled strings in the country’s controversial deal with Japan last year that settled long-running disputes over former sex slave victims under Japanese colonial rule, a local media outlet reported Monday. According to Segye Ilbo, Special Counsel Park Young-soo is investigating the notion following a tip-off from an undisclosed person that Choi was behind the 2015 agreement. The inve

Politics Jan. 16, 2017

Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of President Park Geun-hye, took the witness stand in Park’s impeachment trial Monday, but her apparent lack of humility only fueled anger among the public. At the fifth hearing of the Constitutional Court on Monday, Choi faced questioning by representatives of the National Assembly, which passed the impeachment bill last month. The questions focused on her alleged influence-peddling in state affairs and the troubled foundations which collected donations from

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2017

South Korean households’ private education spending is growing much faster than their disposable income, statistics showed Thursday, posing a key challenge to the country’s efforts to revive the economy through domestic consumption. According to a recent survey published by Statistics Korea, the average monthly spending on private education by city-dwelling families of two or more people stood at 226,575 won ($191) in the third quarter of last year, a 6 percent increase compared to 2015. The inc

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2017

An opposition lawmaker Thursday proposed a legislative bill to allow foreign residents to become members of Korean political parties. “Long-term foreign residents here have the right to vote in the local elections but are not permitted to acquire political party membership,” said Rep. Song Young-gil of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, who proposed the bill, in a press release, “Since foreigners are subject to local and national taxation as well as other responsibilities as citizens

Politics Jan. 12, 2017

Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of the President Park Geun-hye scandal, withdrew the testimony she gave at a prosecutorial investigation, denying all charges brought against her, during her trial in Seoul on Wednesday. 　At the same court, An Chong-bum, Park’s former aide suspected of being an accomplice to Park and Choi in their alleged crimes, challenged the validity of key evidence: his handwritten memos.　“During the investigation, Choi was forced to make confessions. We contest the volunt

Social Affairs Jan. 11, 2017