The Korea Herald

Sewol operator chief gets 7-year jail term

South Korea's Supreme Court said Thursday it has upheld a seven-year jail sentence for the head of the sunken ferry Sewol operator for involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of more than 300 people.Kim Han-sik, chief executive officer of Chonghaejin Marine Co., was convicted of not properly checking the safety conditions of the ferry despite being briefed that the ship's ability to balance itself was compromised.The 73-year-old chief was also convicted of embezzling company funds worth some 2.8

Social Affairs Oct. 29, 2015

Samsung Heavy faces cancellation of ship order upon delivery

Samsung Heavy Industries Co., a major South Korean shipbuilder, is facing cancellation of an order for a $181 million drill ship that has already been built and is ready for delivery, the company said Thursday.The ship, Pacific Zonda, was set to be delivered to Luxemberg-based Pacific Drilling on Tuesday, but the offshore drilling company has refused to accept the delivery and said it was canceling the order, company officials said.Pacific Drilling cited a delay in delivery, which was originally

Industry Oct. 29, 2015

Parliamentary subcommittee passes KF-X budget for 2016.

A parliamentary subcommittee on Thursday approved a 67-billion-won ($58.5 million) budget for a controversial fighter jet development program, said a ruling-party lawmaker. The National Assembly's defense subcommittee passed the 2016 budget for the Korean Fighter Experimental (KF-X) development project after hearing a briefing from the Korea Institute for S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), said Rep. Kim Sung-chan of the ruling Saenuri Party. The budget is subject to further approval from the

Politics Oct. 29, 2015

China decides to abolish 1-child policy, allow 2 children

China's ruling Communist Party announced Thursday that it will abolish the country's decades-old one-child policy and allow all couples to have two children, removing remaining restrictions that limited many urban couples to only one, the official Xinhua News Agency said.Xinhua said on its microblog that the decision to allow all couples to have two children was ``to improve the balanced development of population'' and to deal with an aging population.The decision does away with an unpopular pol

World News Oct. 29, 2015

Seoul calls for peaceful resolution of disputed sea

Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday urged for a peaceful resolution to escalating tensions between the U.S. and China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.“South Korea has been strongly calling for restraint of any action that affects peace and stability in the region through various channels including global forums,” a senior official at the presidential office told reporters. “Disputes should be resolved in accordance with international norms.”The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Lass

Foreign Affairs Oct. 28, 2015

Seoul calls for peaceful resolution of disputed sea

Park urges police to prepare for unification era

Marking the 70th anniversary of Police Day, President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday urged law enforcement officers to set a road map for securing public order in an era of Korean unification.“In the long-term view, I hope the police set a road map from now on for national security in preparation for the era of unification,” said Park in a speech delivered at a ceremony in Seoul. President Park Geun-hye walks toward podium to deliver speech at a ceremony held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Poli

Politics Oct. 21, 2015

Park urges police to prepare for unification era

Park, Obama renew alliance, vow to curb N.K. nukes

WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Friday adopted a joint statement on North Korea, renewing their strategic alliance to effectively contain its nuclear ambitions and provocations.During a summit held at the White House, the highlight of Park’s four-day trip to Washington, the two leaders also reaffirmed their bilateral partnership and agreed to upgrade their ties for shared economic prosperity and regional peace. Joint efforts, alongside

Latest News Oct. 17, 2015

Park, Obama renew alliance, vow to curb N.K. nukes

Korea, Germany to bolster ties to press NK

Leaders of South Korea and Germany on Monday agreed to bolster their bilateral alliance to curb North Korea‘s nuclear ambitions and improve human rights conditions in the reclusive regime."We have shared the urgency and the importance of denuclearizing North Korea and agreed to urge North Korea to abandon its (development) of nuclear (weapons) and to come forward as a responsible member of international society,” said President Park Geun-hye in a joint press conference after a summit with her Ge

Foreign Affairs Oct. 12, 2015

Park to expound unification vision in N.Y.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will deliver her vision of peaceful unification as an ultimate resolution for peace on the Korean Peninsula during her four-day visit to New York later this week, her top aide on foreign affairs said Wednesday.Park is scheduled to give three keynote speeches while attending the United Nations General Assembly and the Sustainable Development Summit, according to Ju Chul-ki, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs. The president will seek global coope

Politics Sept. 23, 2015

Moon-Ahn rivalry laid bare by reform spat

The rivalry between the two former presidential candidates Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo has been laid bare in recent days, as the two have jumped into the fray of a factional fight over the party’s withering reform initiatives.While the two exchanged messages, including an open letter, and tried to patch things up by arranging a rendezvous later Tuesday evening, the damage seemed to be done as watchers likened the situation to the two’s shaky alliance talks during the 2012 presidential election

Politics Sept. 15, 2015

Moon-Ahn rivalry laid bare by reform spat

Party feud erodes Moon’s leadership

The fight at the main opposition party took an ugly turn Monday as rival factions continued to lock horns over reform initiatives and chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in’s leadership became increasingly questionable after his ultimatum last week was seen to further escalate the in-house scuffle.　NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in leaves his office at the National Assembly on Monday. YonhapMoon was absent from the party’s Supreme Council meeting for first time since he seized the chairmanship of the New Politi

Politics Sept. 14, 2015

Moon stakes leadership on party reform

The main opposition party leader said Wednesday he would leave his post as chairman if the party disapproves a package of reform measures, amid an escalating party feud that has increased pressure on him to resign.In an emergency press conference, Rep. Moon Jae-in proposed a vote of confidence in his leadership in line with the fate of the controversial reform measures, and urged the party to end factional infighting. He called for the unity of the party in order to win the general election next

Politics Sept. 9, 2015

Assembly approves Supreme Court judge nominee

The National Assembly on Tuesday approved a nominee for Supreme Court justice, ending weeks of postponement triggered by the ongoing confrontation between rival parties on state offices’ special allowances.Of the 260 attending lawmakers, 178 voted in favor of the appointment of Lee Ki-taek to the Supreme Court while 74 disapproved and eight abstained in the secret vote.With the parliament’s approval, Lee will replace Min Young-il, a retiring judge, nearly a month after President Park Geun-hye so

Politics Sept. 8, 2015

Park calls for China’s role on Peninsula

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday urged China to play a bigger role for unification of the two Koreas on the last day of her three-day trip that highlighted closer ties between the two countries.At a meeting with Korean residents in Shanghai, the president stressed the roles of neighboring countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula to achieve peace in the region, particularly China, to push Pyongyang to take “a right path” to change.On the breakthrough talks between the two Koreas l

Politics Sept. 4, 2015

Park calls for China’s role on Peninsula

China parade marks WWII victory

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Thursday attended the flamboyant military parade in Beijing, bolstering China’s show of rising military power in exchange for their closer regional, political and economic cooperation. Wearing a golden jacket and sunglasses, Park stood second right to her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a prominent position on the balcony of the Gate of Heavenly Peace at Tiananmen Square, which illustrated much closer ties between the two.She was the only U.S. ally to atte

National Sept. 3, 2015

Articles by Cho Chung-un