Rival parties continue to trade barbs over the controversial broadcast law reforms which will partially deprive the ruling party of its authority to select and appoint the heads of public broadcasters, leading the country’s opposition parties to boycott plenary sessions at the National Assembly as a way to push for the proposal’s approval.　The ongoing boycott by the opposition parties over the broadcast law reform has crippled the National Assembly this month. 　The long-pending reform proposal,

Politics April 8, 2018

Three medical professionals accused of medical negligence that authorities believe was responsible for the deaths of four newborns at a hospital in Seoul were arrested early Wednesday morning.In December, four premature babies at Ewha Womans University Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit died one after another in a span of less than 90 minutes.Dr. Cho Su-jin, a pediatrician who also serves as a professor at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, was arrested along with another doc

Social Affairs April 4, 2018

South Korea’s Education Ministry on Friday strongly protested Tokyo’s decision to revise its high school curriculum guidelines to teach all Japanese students that the disputed islets of Dokdo belong to Japan.“The Korean government requests for an immediate removal of the new guidelines,” the Education Ministry said in a statement, adding Dokdo is South Korea’s inherent territory historically, geographically and in the eyes of international law.“We make it clear again that any provocation on this

Foreign Affairs March 30, 2018

Enraged responses are flowing from political and public circles after the prosecution concluded Wednesday that former President Park Geun-hye spent crucial time on the morning of the Sewol disaster in her bedroom. 　The 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy, which killed 304 people -- most of whom were school children on a trip -- is considered one of South Korea’s deadliest disasters. More than half of the survivors, some 170 of them, were rescued by private fishing boats and commercial vessels, not by the n

Social Affairs March 29, 2018

 Former President Lee Myung-bak, who was taken into custody last week on multiple corruption charges, once again refused to be questioned by the prosecution Wednesday, claiming he does not believe a fair probe will be carried out under the current government. 　　Lee, whose charges include bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion, among others, has insisted that the ongoing investigation is “political revenge” mounted by the current administration in office, headed by liberal President Moon Jae-in. 　

Politics March 28, 2018

When K-pop group Red Velvet’s Irene shared she had just finished a novel -- “Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982” -- at a public gathering with fans earlier this month, she probably did not expect to enrage some of her male followers. But her brief mention of the book, considered an iconic piece of contemporary feminist literature in Korea, triggered a storm of controversy among some fans online. Some went as far to burn and destroy photos of the K-pop star. Suddenly, being associated with feminism had b

Social Affairs March 27, 2018

A ferry carrying 158 passengers and five crew members was grounded on rocks off the coast of Sinan, a country in South Jeolla Province, on Sunday, but all on board were rescued, according to the Korea Coast Guard.The 223-ton ferry hit rocks at around 3:48 p.m. while reportedly trying to avoid a fishing boat amid dense fog.A total of six passengers suffered minor injuries and were sent to medical facilities.Ferry "Pink Dolphin" (Yonhap)All remaining passengers are safe and are being transported b

Social Affairs March 25, 2018

Ex-President Lee Myung-bak’s former associates, including those who served as his asset managers during his presidency, are expected to attend trials or preparatory proceedings this week for their alleged involvement in Lee's bribery and other corruption charges.　Lee Myung-mo, the executive secretary of the Cheonggye Foundation, has long worked for the former president, mostly taking care of his property and assets. Lee, whose first preparatory proceeding is set for Wednesday, is accused of dest

Politics March 25, 2018

In front of the main gate of the National Assembly on Thursday morning, Kim Yoon-song had her head shaved bald. The 15-year-old was wearing what looked like a white hairdressing gown; written across it was “Suffrage is human rights.” Tears rolled down her face as the last bits of her hair fell to the ground.　　　“I’ve been slapped on my face or got my hair pulled so many times at home for simply talking back to elders and expressing my opinions, only because I was a ‘teenager,’” Kim told The Korea

Social Affairs March 22, 2018

Former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung, who is currently under investigation by the prosecution after being accused of rape by two women, denied the charges and submitted photographs as evidence of consensual sex.　The photographs reportedly show An and each of the alleged victims posing together. An, who is married, has said that he had extramarital affairs with the two women, but never sexually abused them. 　“I thought (my sexual relationships with the women) were consensual, but th

Politics March 21, 2018

Verbal sexual harassment in the workplace may soon be subject to criminal charges, Seoul announced Monday as part of its anti-sexual violence plan proposed in response to the #MeToo movement.Unlike rape and other physical sexual assaults, verbal sexual harassment is currently not recognized as a crime in South Korea. It is classed only as a civil offence and subject to a penalty of up to 10 million won ($9,300). According to the proposals, the Ministry of Labor will consider a revision to the Cr

Social Affairs March 19, 2018

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his hope for talks between his country and North Korea during his phone conversation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, according to Seoul officials. In their 45-minute conversation on Friday, the two leaders agreed that relations between Japan and North Korea should improve to help resolve North Korea issues."Peace on the Korean Peninsula is not possible only with a South-North summit," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom quoted Moon as telli

Politics March 16, 2018

Since the 1990s, there has been a change in how Koreans view death, with more preferring cremation after death, according to a new report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The cremation rate stood at 20.5 percent in 1994, but rose to 82.7 percent last year. As of last year, 86 percent of Koreans said they would like to be cremated after death. “Many find it too troublesome to maintain grave sites, which require regularly cutting weeds and grass,” said an official from the ministry.

Social Affairs March 16, 2018

About 10 days after an allegation of multiple rapes was made public against former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung, a second alleged victim filed a legal complaint against him for sexual assault on Wednesday.　The woman says she was sexually assaulted by An seven times over the course of more than a year, from October 2015 until January last year. Of the seven assaults, the victim alleges she was raped on three occasions. 　The woman worked for a think tank founded by An. In the most r

Politics March 15, 2018

Ex-President Lee Myung-bak’s wife Kim Yoon-ok received a bribe from former Woori Financial CEO Lee Pal-seung during her husband’s term in office, Kim’s son-in-law reportedly told prosecutors in a recent questioning session. 　Kim’s son-in-law, Lee Sang-joo, a senior executive at Samsung Electronics, told prosecutors he received 1.45 billion won ($1.36 million) from the former Woori chief and passed on part of the money to Kim. The money was given sometime during Lee Myung-bak’s term as president,

Politics March 15, 2018