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

The family of the murdered half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is currently staying in Macau and Bejing, China, under the protection of the Chinese government, the head of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee revealed Wednesday. “Family members of (Kim Jong-nam) are in Macau and Beijing and are protected by the Chinese government,” Rep. Lee Cheol-woo, chairman of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee said after being debriefed by the National Intelligence Servi

North Korea Feb. 15, 2017

International Youth Fellowship to tour KoreaThe International Youth Fellowship will be holding a series of events to share the experiences of its over 400 overseas volunteers, the group said Tuesday. 　The 2017 GoodNews Corps Festival will kick off Thusday in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, and will travel to 12 other cities -- 10 in Korea and two in Japan -- before ending in Hiroshima, Japan on Feb. 28.Overseas volunteers perform a traditional dance at the Good News Corps Festival. (GoodNews Corps

Culture Feb. 14, 2017

South Korea’s ruling conservative Saenuri Party on Monday sought to revive political talk about President Park Geun-hye’s voluntary early departure in April, amid expectations that the fate of her presidency is most likely to be decided next month. “Politicians have left the entire decision on Park’s presidency up to the judicial authority, ignoring political solutions,” Saenuri Party’s Floor Leader Chung Woo-taik said at a party meeting. Before the parliamentary impeachment of Park on Dec. 9 la

Politics Feb. 13, 2017

With former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dropping out of the race, the dynamics in South Korean presidential contest are shifting significantly. While the liberal Moon Jae-in is holding onto his firm, but slightly weakened lead, the nation’s acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn appears to be the biggest beneficiary of Ban’s unexpected exit from contention Wednesday. Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)In the latest poll, conducted after Ban’s surprise announcement and released Thursday by Rea

Politics Feb. 2, 2017

Tension is rising among presidential aspirants, particularly between those of the liberal opposition circles who will soon contend in an in-party primary ahead of the earlier-than-expected election this year.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon blasted Moon Jae-in, former chairman and presidential frontrunner of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, on Sunday during a meeting with local journalists in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.“Moon is one of those with vested rights who needs to be eliminated

Politics Jan. 8, 2017

“One thousand days or 900 days, it’s all the same to me. I am a grieving mother who is still living that day, begging for the life of my child,” said Lee Geum-hee.  A new year has arrived, but Lee is still stuck on the disaster that took place on April 16, 2014. As of Monday, 1,000 days have passed since the ferry Sewol sank with 304 people on board. However, Lee has still not left Paengmok port, the area close to the sea that claimed the life of her daughter, Cho Eun-hwa.Cho is among nine victi

Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2017

Calls for the ouster of President Park Geun-hye continued to echo in the streets, on the last day of 2016, with 1 million protesters gathering in central Seoul.The number of participants in Saturday night’s rally brought the cumulative number of people who have attended the protests since October to 10 million, according to rally organizers.The police, which counts the number of participants at a particular point of time, reported the turnout on the Dec. 31 rally at 65,000 participants in Seoul.

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2017

The National Assembly’s plenary session Thursday officially endorsed a change in floor dynamics following the breakup of the ruling Saenuri Party. The country’s 300-seat unicameral parliament now has four negotiating groups, from the previous three, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea being the largest. Reflective of their elevated status on the floor, the Democratic Party’s 121 lawmakers moved to the center of the plenary hall, an area previously held by Saenuri members. Saenuri

Politics Dec. 29, 2016

For South Korean parents, education is a top priority for their children and there is often keen interest in nurturing their talent. The Afternoon School for the Gifted, or Youngjae-oh in Korean, is an education center that is a key player in the development of education for the gifted. Since its establishment in 2003, Youngjae-oh has come up with numerous educational materials and programs for children’s brain development, based on its study of the field. The materials developed by Youngjae-oh

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2016

The number of voters who view themselves as politically liberal has increased significantly after conservative President Park Geun-hye’s scandal was revealed, latest data showed Thursday.According to an analysis by Herald Business, the sister paper of The Korea Herald, liberals even outnumbered conservatives in Realmeter’s weekly poll for several weeks since the first week of November, shortly after the scandal erupted in late October. Some 23.28 percent of respondents identified their political

Politics Dec. 28, 2016

State-authored history textbooks will be officially released for use in schools in March 2018 instead of March next year as initially planned, the Education Ministry announced Tuesday. The ministry also scrapped plans to mandate all schools to use the state-authored textbooks, effectively signaling the renunciation of one of the most disputed projects initiated by the Park Geun-hye administration.“Schools that wish to use the state-written history textbooks earlier (than the given timeline) may

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2016

Dozens of lawmakers were set to leave the ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday and form their own parliamentary negotiating bloc ahead of the establishment of a new political party in mid-January, the lawmakers said Monday. About 30 Saenuri members, including former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Jeju Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong, neither of whom hold parliamentary seats, will join them in defecting from the Saenuri Party and launching the new conservative party, they said. 　　Former Seoul Mayor Oh-Se-hoon

Politics Dec. 26, 2016