National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun on Tuesday vowed to strive for an open and transparent process to revise the constitution. He also urged fellow parliamentarians to come up with an amendment bill within the year so that it can be put to a vote during local elections next June. “I will open up the process of the constitutional reform to the public and make sure that the revision plan is not swayed by political disputes,” Chung the reporters at a press briefing marking his first year in of

Politics June 13, 2017

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party is preparing to elect its new party leadership in early July, with the race widely expected to be a showdown between supporters and opponents of the party’s previous presidential candidate, Hong Joon-pyo. The former South Gyeongsang Province governor remains a divisive figure among party lawmakers. While he is credited for the party’s better-than-expected performance in the election -- Hong landed in second place despite the blow of President Park Geun-hye

Politics June 12, 2017

Six in 10 citizens agree with the appointment of Kang Kyung-wha as foreign minister, a poll showed Monday. According to local pollster Realmeter, 62.1 percent of 505 respondents said they supported Kang as the nation’s top diplomat, while 30.4 percent expressed their opposition.South Korean foreign minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)Tapped to become South Korea’s first female foreign minister last month, Kang was hit by strong backlash from the three main opposition parties over a series of

Politics June 12, 2017

President Moon Jae-in is seeking to make a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations over his policy pledge for a supplementary budget for job creation and his appointment of Cabinet nominees this week. On Monday, President Moon was to visit the National Assembly to give his first administrative policy speech to stress the need for 11.2 trillion won ($9.95 billion) to boost employment in the public sector. It will be the first time an incumbent president will address the parliament on a supplemen

Politics June 11, 2017

Opposition parties have made clear their stance against Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha, putting the brakes on President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to form a diplomatic lineup amid multiple foreign relations challenges. The Liberty Korea Party, Bareun Party and People’s Party formed a united front against the nominee, who underwent a confirmation hearing Wednesday, citing ethical lapses.“Our party concluded that it would reject Kang’s confirmation hearing report on Friday,” the People’s Party

Politics June 8, 2017

Constitutional Court President nominee Kim Yi-su apologized over controversial rulings he made against citizen protesters in a democratic uprising in 1980, during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. “I sincerely apologize to those who still suffer from my past rulings,” Kim said. “I was inexperienced then, and it was hard for me to go against existing laws of that time.”As a military judge in 1980, he handed down punishments to protestors who fought against the authoritarian regime led by milita

Politics June 7, 2017

A small opposition party with just 40 parliamentary seats is enjoying an outsized say in the parliamentary process and in President Moon Jae-in’s key personnel choices and policy pushes. But the People’s Party is also finding itself in a deepening dilemma over its relations with the new liberal administration led by the Democratic Party of Korea with which it shares the same political roots. In last week’s parliamentary endorsement of Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, the centrist party became a key a

Politics June 6, 2017

Four parties agreed Monday to push for a reunion of families separated by the Korean War on Aug. 15 Liberation Day, triggering controversy over the idea’s legitimacy and feasibility due to the absence of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and an ongoing series of military provocations from North Korea. At a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun, the floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, center-left People’s Party and splinter conservative Bareun Party agreed

Politics June 5, 2017

A big fire broke out on Mount Surak in northern Seoul Thursday, firefighters said, with no casualties having been reported so far.Firefighters said they were struggling to contain the fire that started at around 9:08 p.m., with a long ribbon of fire forming near the top of a ridge.(Yonhap)The exact cause of the wind-fed forest fire is not yet known, but the size of the blaze is quite large, they added. South Korea's public safety watchdog said it sent emergency text messages to nearby residents

Social Affairs June 1, 2017

SEJONG (Yonhap) -- A South Korean official at the transportation ministry on Thursday was elected the head of the International Transport Forum at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, government officials said.Kim Young-tae, 50, a director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, became the secretary-general of the intergovernmental body for a five-year term, according to the ministry. This photo, provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Diplomatic Circuit June 1, 2017

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at the daughter of former US President Bill Clinton in an expletive-laden speech for a second straight day Thursday after she criticized a comment he made about rapes committed by soldiers.          Duterte, speaking Wednesday at a navy event, questioned whether Chelsea Clinton also criticized her father when he had an affair with Monica Lewinsky in the White House when he was president. He repeated his remarks Thursday

World News June 1, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday held phone talks with Denmark’s prime minister to discuss North Korea’s nuclear issue and ways to strengthen their countries’ ties, the presidential office said.Moon expressed his thanks to Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen for Denmark’s support of Seoul’s move to seek North Korea’s denuclearization, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)Moon solicited support from Rasmussen over Seoul’s plan to push for North Korea’s denuclearization in a bol

Diplomatic Circuit June 1, 2017

South Korea said Thursday it is too early to say whether it will approve a civic group’s plan to visit North Korea for a joint inter-Korean summit anniversary event slated for this month.The Ministry of Unification on Wednesday decided to allow a civic group to contact North Koreans to prepare for a joint event to mark the first inter-Korean summit held on June 15, 2000.The ministry cast a prudent stance over whether it will approve the group’s visit, saying that it will take into account the ev

North Korea June 1, 2017

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Thursday said it was pulling out of a consultative body that President Moon Jae-in proposed as a platform for discussions between five major political parties and the president. 　“In yesterday’s general meeting, many of our lawmakers agreed that we cannot just watch the government unilaterally wielding its political force,” the party’s interim chief and Floor Leader Chung Woo-taik said Thursday. “I think the president’s suggestion to create a consultati

Politics June 1, 2017

The National Assembly on Wednesday endorsed Lee Nak-yon as prime minister, allowing President Moon Jae-in to fill the No. 2 post amid a prolonged state management vacuum. Lee, a former provincial governor nominated for the job on May 10, the first day of Moon in office, received 164 votes out of 188 cast at the plenary session on Wednesday afternoon. Some 107 lawmakers of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party lawmakers boycotted the vote, while some 20 voted to disapprove. Prime Minister Lee N

Politics May 31, 2017