The National Assembly failed to handle President Moon Jae-in’s extra budget and government reorganization plans at a plenary session Tuesday, as rival parties continued to lock horns over some key details. The parties, however, agreed to continue negotiations and were likely to convene another plenary session Wednesday.  The plenary session goes into a temporary suspension at the National Assembly on Tuesday. It didn’t resume until in the evening. (Yonhap)At Tuesday’ plenary, which was originall

Politics July 18, 2017

Senior politicians and lawmakers called for a constitutional reform plan that reflects the opinions of the people during a debate at the National Assembly on Monday, the 69th Constitution Day.“Constitutional reform is now an order from the people and the duty of lawmakers. The amending procedures should also be led by the people, not by a specific authority or political factions,” National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun said, opening the debate. National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun delivers

Politics July 17, 2017

Minor parties are struggling with criminal allegations just as the parliament looks set to resume normal operations. On Friday, Lee Yoo-mi, a rank-and-file member of the People’s Party, was indicted on charges of fabricating evidence to smear President Moon Jae-in’s son during the presidential election. Lee was found to have fabricated evidence, including a voice recording, to back the allegation that Moon’s son Joon-yong was unfairly hired at a public agency with the help of his father. With a

Politics July 14, 2017

The Moon Jae-in administration’s supplementary budget plan gained much needed momentum Thursday with the minor opposition People’s Party agreeing to cooperate with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. With the support of the People’s Party, the Democratic Party is expected to push the bill through the budget committee, which will then enable it to be put to the plenary session set for July 18. As the review at the committee level was expected to take between five and seven days, Thursday was th

Politics July 13, 2017

Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, chairwoman of the conservative splinter Bareun Party, on Wednesday paid homage to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, a liberal icon openly disdained by the conservative old guard. “I will restructure true conservativism and make South Korea healthy, keeping balance between the right and left wing,” she wrote in the visitor’s book. Meeting the widow, former first lady Kwon Yang-suk, she said her party and the late president have some common ground in their political vision

Politics July 12, 2017

An executive of Seoul Metro, a subway operator in the capital, received personal favors from a company in return for helping it win a contract to supply trains, the state audit agency said Tuesday. The Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea said it has requested the subway operator to dismiss the official, a 57-year old surnamed Cho, and impose severe disciplinary action on two other individuals linked to Cho’s alleged wrongdoings. Seoul Metro (Yonhap)Cho is suspected to have influenced the bidd

Social Affairs July 11, 2017

The People’s Party declared Monday it would officially request a special prosecutorial probe into its fake tip-off during the presidential election and the allegation that President Moon Jae-in’s son had received special treatment in the hiring process of a public agency. As the crisis deepened over the allegation that the party’s leadership was involved in fabricating evidence on the allegation against Moon’s son, the 40-member People’s Party decided to propose a special prosecution investigati

Politics July 10, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Saturday said offering humanitarian aid to North Korea should not be linked to political circumstances, drawing a line between the need for aid and the North’s escalating nuclear provocations. “South Korea is watching over the malnutrition problems of the infants in North Korea,” Moon said in his speech at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. “We seek to cooperate with international and civic organizations to provide humanitarian aid with strict and systematic monitoring

Politics July 9, 2017

“No harm can be done even if you hang a corpse upside down in a leap month.” This is a Korean saying that describes a local superstition surrounding the extra 13th month of the lunar calendar.  The myth that marriages be avoided during a leap month is fading among the young generations. (123rf)According to traditional beliefs, during a leap month, good family events, mainly marriages, are to be avoided, while it is OK to carry out funeral-related works such as changing burial sites. South Korea

Politics July 9, 2017

President Moon Jae-in’s de facto transition team is considering designating Oct. 2 as a temporary holiday to allow 10 consecutive days of holidays, its chief official said Thursday. In a local radio interview, Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, who chairs the State Affairs Advisory Committee, said his panel is “almost set” on the holiday plan.　 Rep. Kim Jin-pyo (center) (Yonhap)“Oct. 2 falls between a weekend and Chuseok holidays, and we think it is important to allow workers to fully rest,” Rep. Kim of the ruli

Politics July 6, 2017

A mother on Wednesday filed a complaint against McDonald's Korea, claiming her daughter was diagnosed with the “hamburger disease” after eating a burger with an undercooked patty in one of its outlets.“The 4-year-old victim had no health problems, but caught hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating a McDonald’s hamburger,” lawyer Hwang Da-yeon said at a press conference held in front of the Seoul District Prosecutors Office, before submitting the complaint. Plaintiff Choi Eun-ju holds a picture of

Politics July 5, 2017

Paju, a city north of Seoul, plans to build a park devoted to Korean children adopted overseas, city officials said Wednesday. Construction of the park, whose Korean name roughly translates as “Mother’s Arms,” will begin in September on 1,000 square meters of land that was previously used as a US military camp.  Aerial view image of the park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)First proposed in 2015, the 500 million won ($435,000) project is to remember and provide solace to Korean children sent

Social Affairs July 5, 2017

Hong Joon-pyo, the new party chief of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, said the party needs to participate in the parliamentary deliberation of President Moon Jae-in’s extra budget bill. He also said the party should not put effort into preventing the appointments of “unfit” ministerial nominees, saying they are within the president’s legal authority. “If citizens know that they are ‘unfit,’ that is good enough. It is the government’s fault if they forcefully appoint such personnel,” Hon

Politics July 4, 2017

The complete lineup of President Moon Jae-in’s inaugural Cabinet is out, although nearly half of them are still in the process of parliamentary confirmation. Ten of the 17-member Cabinet, including the prime minister, have taken office. Here’s a look at the lineup. Six hail from academia while another six have had terms in the National Assembly. Thirteen are men and four are women. Their average age is 61.6. Moon wants to add a position to the Cabinet -- the minister for small and medium busines

Politics July 4, 2017

Hong Joon-pyo, a former provincial governor and presidential candidate, was elected as the chief of the Liberty Korea Party on Monday, ending the 200-day leadership vacuum at the conservative main opposition. “Today, you have endowed me with the heavy responsibility of taking the chief position of this party. Your call is an order to revive the nation’s conservative faction and I will bear the decision you have made,” Hong said after his election at the party’s headquarters in Seoul. Hong Joon-p

Politics July 3, 2017