Moon Jae-in, the opposition front-runner in the upcoming presidential race, on Thursday extended his lead in the polls as the support rating for runner-up rival An Hee-jung edged down following a spat over a controversial remark. According to local pollster Realmeter, Moon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea garnered 32.4 percent support this week, 13.2 percentage points higher than South Chungcheong Gov. An of the same party, who saw a fall of 1.2 percentage points to record 19.2 p

Politics Feb. 23, 2017

With President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment trial drawing to a close, some ruling party politicians are trying to reignite talk on “a political solution,” by which they mean the president’s voluntary departure on condition of her being spared from a criminal investigation. President Park, although named an accomplice to multiple crimes allegedly committed by her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil and aides, has not been indicted due to the presidential privilege of criminal immunity. But once she leav

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump has chosen as his national security adviser a soldier-scholar who fought in both Iraq wars and wrote an influential book that called out the US government for "lies’’ that led to the Vietnam War.　 Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster would remain on active military duty while leading the National Security Council, White House officials said Monday. He joined two retired generals -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly -- already

World News Feb. 21, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Zoo in Washington is saying a final goodbye to its panda cub Bao Bao. Giant Panda Bao Bao eats bamboos at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington DC, the Unite States on Thursday. (Xinhua-Yonhap)The zoo is packing up the American-born panda for a one-way flight Tuesday to China, where the 3-year-old will eventually join a panda breeding program.　 Bao Bao is scheduled to leave the zoo Tuesday morning and fly from Washington Dulles International Airport in Virg

World News Feb. 21, 2017

A South Korean ship with 24 crew members and some 5,000 cars was released Tuesday after being seized by the Libyan military last week, Seoul‘s foreign ministry said.The ministry said that the ship, Morning Compass, which was travelling to reach its final destination of Germany, was captured by the Libyan Navy some 1,400 kilometers east of Misurata in the North African state’s northwest region at 5 p.m. on Saturday. This photo is captured from a Libyan news outlet site by Yonhap News Agency.The s

Diplomatic Circuit Feb. 21, 2017

AALBORG, Denmark (Yonhap) -- The Danish prosecution on Tuesday deferred a decision over whether to repatriate the daughter of South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s close confidante at the center of a high-profile corruption scandal.South Korea’s special probe team, led by Independent Counsel Park Young-soo, has requested Denmark to send Chung Yoo-ra, the 21-year-old daughter of Choi Soon-sil, to Seoul so she could be questioned on a series of alleged wrongdoings related to the president.Chung,

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2017

South Korea is reviewing a plan to raise the issue of North Korea’s recent assassination of leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother at an incoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Kim Jong-nam (Yonhap)“Concerning the latest murder, (the government) is reviewing an action to publicize the North Korean regime’s brutality and inhumanity on the occasion of the international community’s human rights discussion,” foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck

North Korea Feb. 21, 2017

Is fury over today’s injustice a requisite for a better tomorrow? Two front-runners vying for South Korea’s presidency are locking horns in a rare philosophical debate over the question. The spat began with a controversial remark by South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung from the liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea about the failures of the two conservative presidents. “I think they (Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak) tried to govern well for the citizens and those from the lower p

Politics Feb. 21, 2017

Three presidential candidates from the main liberal party have more than 60 percent of voter support between them, a recent poll showed Monday, indicating a tough fight for the ruling conservatives in the upcoming election. According to a weekly poll released by Realmeter, the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, South Korea’s largest parliamentary party, is enjoying record-high popularity of 47.7 percent, with the combined poll figures of its three presidential hopefuls even higher at over 60

Politics Feb. 20, 2017

With the chances increasing of President Park Geun-hye being forced out of office, the ruling conservative Liberty Korea Party has begun preparations to select a new state chief.The party leadership visited the Daegu and North Gyeongsang region Sunday as part of a bus tour campaign to communicate with party members at its regional headquarters.The team included emergency council chief In Myng-jin, Floor Leader Rep. Chung Woo-taik, as well as the party’s presidential aspirants.Also, the party kic

Politics Feb. 19, 2017

The four rival parties on Sunday reached an agreement to normalize the parliamentary session, ending the four-day boycott by the ruling party.They, however, continued to stand at odds on the extension of the ongoing special investigation looking into President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.In a four-way meeting of vice floor leaders, the ruling Liberty Korea Party, its splinter Bareun Party, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and the runner-up opposition People’s Part

Politics Feb. 19, 2017

South Korea has nearly the worst air quality among advanced economies, with its level of fine dust soaring over the past 25 years, a report revealed Thursday. According to the “State of Global Air 2017,” a report by nonprofit environmental group Health Effects Institute in the United States, the nation’s average population-weighted concentration level of PM2.5 -- which refers to ultrafine particles or particle matter with a diameter of at least 2.5 micrometers -- was 29 micrograms per cubic mete

Social Affairs Feb. 16, 2017

A toxic spray is thought to have been used in the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.While the communist regime is often seen using poison to kill its “nuisances” abroad, it would be the first time that a spray has been used, if Kim’s autopsy confirms it. Kim, 46, is reported to have fallen after two unidentified women sprayed his face with a liquid-like substance as he waited for his flight to Macau in an airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ki

North Korea Feb. 15, 2017