National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun departed for Russia on Wednesday to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Union that kicks off on Saturday.In his 10-day trip, Rep. Chung will also visit Poland and Slovakia and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and President Andrej Kiska of Slovakia in respective countries to discuss various issues including North Korean nuclear weapons and strengthen cooperative ties with the countries.  National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun (Yonhap)The six-te

Politics Oct. 11, 2017

North Korean special warfare units conducted exercises simulating infiltration of the South Korea-US Joint Combined Forces Command, military sources in Seoul revealed Tuesday. According to multiple sources, North Korean special forces conducted paragliding training on a number of days in mid-September. It was the first time members of North’s special forces are known to have used paragliding equipment to practice targeting the headquarters of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.  This file photo

North Korea Oct. 10, 2017

Nearly 7 in 10 criminal offenses committed by members of US forces stationed in South Korea end up with no one being charged by South Korean authorities, a lawmaker said Tuesday. According to government data released Tuesday by Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the nonprosecution rate for crimes committed by US military personnel here stands at a whopping 70.7 percent as of July this year, up from 58.2 percent in 2014.  Ministry of Justice (Yonhap)The figure for viol

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2017

Peeping toms are making daily headlines, and many South Korean women fear that there is no escape from their use of hidden cameras.The fear is not just of becoming a victim, but that the footage -- taken in places ranging from subway stations and swimming pools to hotels and public toilets -- may be shared on social media.With the calls rising for stronger measures to grapple the issue, the government has announced a comprehensive plan to curb such crimes, but questions remain as to its effectiv

National Oct. 5, 2017

도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 한미  자유무역협정(FTA) 재협상과 관련, 실무진에 “그들(한국인들)에게 이 사람이 너무 미쳐서 지금 당장이라도 손을 뗄 수 있다고 말하라”고 지시한 것으로 알려졌다.미국 인터넷매체 액시오스는 1일(현지시간) 트럼프 대통령이 지난 9월 초  백악관에서 로버트 라이트하이저 미국 무역대표부(USTR) 대표에게 30일 내에 한국  측으로부터 양보를 받아내라고 명령하면서 이같이 말했다고 보도했다. 도널드 트럼프 대통령 (사진=연합뉴스)트럼프 대통령은 렉스 틸러슨 국무장관과 제임스 매티스 국방장관, 소니 퍼듀  농무장관 등이 함께 참석한 당시 회의에서 ‘그렇다면 한국 측에 30일의 기한을 주겠다’는 라이트하이저 대표에게 “협상은 그렇게 하는 게 아니다”라며 ‘거래의 기술’을 가르쳤다는 것이다.액시오스는 트럼프의 이 같은 협상 전략을 ‘미치광이 이론’(madman theory)에 들어맞는 행동 패턴이라고 분석하면서 단기간에는 성과를 거둘 수 있지만, 동맹국을불안하

한국어판 Oct. 3, 2017

이른바 ‘인육 캡슐’이 최근 3년간 8천500여 정이 밀반입된 것으로 나타났다.인육캡슐은 사산한 태아나 태반을 말려 분말이나 알약 형태로 만든 것으로,  국내에서 자양강장제 등으로 잘못 알려져 중국으로부터 반입 시도가 끊이지 않고 있다.3일 국회 기획재정위원회 자유한국당 박명재 의원이 관세청에서 받은 ‘최근 3년간 인육 캡슐 밀반입 유형 및 적발현황’을 보면 2014년부터 올해 6월까지 인육 캡슐 총 8천511정 밀반입됐다. 2014년 6천694정이나 적발된 인육 캡슐은 2015년 1천251정, 지난해 476정  적발됐다. 올해 상반기에도 여행자 휴대품 검사에서 인육 캡슐 90정이 밀반입되다 적발됐다. 인육 캡슐 밀반입 통로는 이전엔 주로 국제우편이었다.  (사진=연합뉴스)2014년 밀반입된 인육 캡슐 절반 이상인 3천871정이 국제우편으로 밀반입됐다. 2015년에도 3분의 2 이상이 국제우편(923정)으로 밀반입됐다. 그러나 지난해와 올해에는 국제우편을 활용한 인육 캡슐 밀반입 사

한국어판 Oct. 3, 2017

North Korea’s trade deficit reached a record high in the first half of this year, due largely to the sanctions imposed since February, a local think-tank’s report showed. According to a report by Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, trade between North Korea and China in the first six months this year was $2.5 billion, 0.8 percentage points down from the same period last year. (Yonhap)Following the series of international sanctions imposed against the communist regime, the North’s

North Korea Oct. 2, 2017

The United States is expected to dispatch an aircraft carrier strike group including the USS Ronald Reagan this month for a joint exercise with the South Korean Navy, a defense official here said Sunday.“We are discussing the plan to dispatch the aircraft strike group, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, to the East Sea around Oct. 15,” the military official said on condition of anonymity. “The military group will carry out a high level joint exercise in the sea wit

Defense Oct. 1, 2017

A total of 155 people have been arrested on charges of illegal drugs trade on the “dark web” since last year, raising alarm about hidden websites increasingly becoming a place for cybercrimes.According to government data released Wednesday by Rep. Song Hee-kgyoung of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, 75 had been busted over trading illegal drugs on websites as of September this year. Last year, 80 were arrested on similar charges. Drugs illegally traded on 'dark web' (Rep. Song Hee-kgyoun

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2017

In the middle of a traffic jam on a highway, snack vendors holding bags of puffed rice snacks weave through vehicles that stand bumper to bumper. This scene is familiar to many in South Korea with the experience of being stuck on a congested highway on weekends or major holidays. “When I was younger, it took some 10 hours to go to Mokpo where my grandparents live during the holidays. We were stuck on the clogged road for hours, moving at the speed of tortoises,” said Lee Jin-hee, a 35-year-old o

Politics Sept. 22, 2017

South Korea’s parliament approved the appointment of Kim Meong-su as Supreme Court chief justice on Thursday, after more than a month of friction among lawmakers across the aisle. Among the 298 lawmakers present in the currently 299-member parliament, 160 voted in approval of Kim, with another 134 voting against. One abstained and three ballots were listed as invalid. This photo, taken Sept. 12, 2017, shows Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Kim Meong-su speaking during a parliamentary confirma

Politics Sept. 21, 2017

Samsung Biologics Co. said Wednesday its affiliate Samsung Bioepis Co. won a nod from South Korea‘s drug agency to sell its biosimilar dubbed SB5.Through the approval granted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Samsung Biologics said in a regulatory filing that the biosimilar is ready for sale in the country. Ko Han-sung, CEO of Samsung BioepisThe SB5 is a biosimilar of Humira released by U.S.-based AbbVie Inc., used for the treatment of various diseases including Crohn’s disease and rheuma

Industry Sept. 20, 2017

President Moon Jae-in vowed to work for peace on the Korean Peninsula for the sake of world peace, and praised his country’s peaceful protests that ousted his scandal-ridden predecessor, in his acceptance speech for a global award in New York on Tuesday. 　The US think tank Atlantic Council presented the Global Citizen Award to Moon, in recognition of his life-long dedication to the advocacy of human rights and democracy, and his efforts to defuse tensions with North Korea and contribute to regio

Politics Sept. 20, 2017

The National Assembly is divided over a proposal to establish a new investigation agency to watch over senior officials, amid concerns over its powerful authority. According to the proposal unveiled Monday, the new body would have precedence over the existing investigative arms, the prosecution and police. It would be able to hire 30 to 50 prosecutors and 50 to 70 investigators, which means the size of the new entity could grow to up to some 120 members at most. The three-year term agency chief

Politics Sept. 19, 2017

North Korea is nearing the final stage of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile and is likely to continue test-launches and nuclear experiments to perfect the technology, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Monday. In a briefing to a parliamentary defense committee, the ministry also said that the North’s launch Friday of the intermediate-range Hwasong-12 rocket appears to be intended at demonstrating its capability to strike the US territory of Guam. In August, the communist regime had thr

Politics Sept. 18, 2017