President Moon Jae-in will push for policy items that he shared with his four main competitors during the past election, his de facto transition team said Tuesday. The State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee has chosen 44 election pledges, which were shared by all five presidential candidates of the main political parties, and made them a priority for the Moon administration’s state affairs agenda.Rep. Park Kwang-on of ruling Democratic Party of Korea (Yonhap)“We have reviewed the manifestos o

Politics May 30, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday asked former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to play a role in thawing tensions between the two Koreas, during their meeting here, the Seoul presidential office said.“I know you have provided a lot of help in arranging inter-Korean summits for former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun,” Moon was quoted as saying in the talks at Cheong Wa Dae. “I think there would be a good result if you render help as before.”Megawati positively respo

Diplomatic Circuit May 29, 2017

Former UN official Kang Kyung-wha, who is tapped to head South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, on Monday apologized for allegations that she used a false address to get her daughter admitted into her alma mater. “My eldest daughter had trouble getting used to the environment in the US and I wanted her to feel more comfortable in Korea by going to my alma mater, Ewha Girls’ High School,” she said at a short press briefing in Seoul. Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)Her three children went to the United States in

Politics May 29, 2017

South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-in had his first phone talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and expressed hope that the two countries will be able to develop their strategic partnership by holding meetings of diplomatic and defense ministers on a regular basis, Seoul’s presidential office said.“I agree that there is a need to strengthen sectorial cooperation at the ministerial level between the two countries,” Moon was quoted by Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun as sayi

Diplomatic Circuit May 29, 2017

As the National Assembly gears up for the first parliamentary plenary session of the Moon administration on Monday, attention is focused on whether some of the controversial reform bills will pass a National Assembly dominated by opposition parties.The floor leaders of the five main parties met President Moon Jae-in soon after his inauguration and agreed to create a policy consultative body for regular discussions between the ruling and opposition parties. However, the outlook for reform legisla

Politics May 28, 2017

Nowadays, serial killers seem to exist only in movies or fiction. It’s not because society has become more caring and does not produce them anymore. “It is more that a serial of murders are prevented from the beginning. A murderer would be caught before they killed again,” said Kwon Il-yong, the nation’s first criminal profiler who recently retired. But South Korea has in the past had some notorious serial killers. Kwon explained that these “monsters” were born from suppressed anger. “Everybody

Social Affairs May 26, 2017

Nowadays, serial killers seem to exist only in movies or fiction. It’s not because the society has become more caring and does not produce them anymore. “It is more that serial of murders are prevented from the beginning. A murderer would be caught before they killed again,” said Kwon Il-yong, the nation’s first criminal profiler who recently retired. But South Korea has in the past had some notorious serial killers. Kwon explained that these “monsters” are born from suppressed anger. “Everybody

Social Affairs May 26, 2017

A South Korean politician said Wednesday that he feels no need to explain his behavior after a video-clip of him handing his luggage to his aide at Gimpo Airport went viral.“I just saw my aide and gave (my luggage) to him. Why should I explain? I do not really care,” said six-term lawmaker Kim Moo-sung on Wednesday. To the reporters who asked, he said: “You guys should work.”Rep. Kim Moo-sung a six-term lawmaker in South Korea (Yonhap)In the video clip, the politician from splinter conservative

Politics May 24, 2017

Kim Dong-yeon, the nominee for deputy prime minister for the economy and finance minister, donated half of his yearly income last year, parliamentary data revealed Wednesday. According to data submitted by Kim for his confirmation hearing, the nominee returned to society 88 million won ($78,000) of the 186 million won he earned as a university president in 2016.Kim Dong-yeon, the nominee for deputy prime minister for the economy and finance minister (Yonhap)He received a tax refund of 27 million

Politics May 24, 2017

More than 80 percent of South Koreans approved of the job President Moon Jae-in is doing, a local poll revealed Monday. The Realmeter survey, conducted from May 15-19, put Moon’s presidential approval rating at 81.6 percent. Some 10.1 percent of respondents disapproved, while 8.3 percent were unsure. It was the first survey on public support for the new leader, who was elected May 9 with 41.4 percent of votes and was sworn in the following day.President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)Former President Park

Politics May 22, 2017

President Moon Jae-in has named two ruling party lawmakers as his special envoys to Ecuador to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Lenin Moreno, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.The envoys, Rep. Park Young-sun and Rep. Jo Seoung-lae of the ruling Democratic Party, were set to take off Monday and are scheduled to return Friday.Rep. Park Young-sun of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party. The four-term lawmaker was named the head of South Korea's delegation to the inauguration ceremony of Ecuad

Politics May 22, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Friday vowed to complete the revision of the Constitution by June 2018, at a meeting with floor leaders of the country’s five political parties. The meeting, a two-hour long luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae, was Moon’s first with the parties leaders since he took office 10 days ago.At the meeting, the president and the leaders of the five parties discussed a range of issues including revising the Constitution and improving communications among the parties, Cheong Wa Dae spokesm

Politics May 19, 2017

GWANGJU -- Over the past years, the May 18 National Cemetery in this staunchly liberal city in the southwest has been the subject of implied neglect by national leaders, with a sense of dissatisfaction roaming in the annual commemoration of the pro-democracy uprising in 1980. It couldn’t have been more different this year. Liberal President Moon Jae-in, taking office after two conservative presidents, turned the otherwise dull, perfunctory event into an emotional revisit of the nation’s turbulen

Politics May 18, 2017

 (Yonhap)진행자:  조혜림, Paul Kerry1. 문재인, 트럼프 6월 정상회담 합의 문재인 대통령과 도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 오는 6월 말에 워싱턴 DC에서 정상회담을 하기로 합의했다. 16일에는 방한한 매슈 포틴저 백악관 안전보장회의 아시아담당 선임보좌관과 정의용 청와대 외교안보태스크포스 단장과 만나서 북핵 폐기방안에 대해 논의했다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Moon, Trump to hold first summit in June[1] President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump are expected to hold their first summit next month in Washington, a

Podcast May 17, 2017

As part of postelection shake-ups, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea elected a third-term reformist to be its floor leader Tuesday, while the opposition centrist People’s Party welcomed a new chief of its own. Rep. Woo Won-shik beat out Rep. Hong Young-pyo to take the leadership position in a vote by the party’s lawmakers. In his pledge before voting began, he said he would “put forth everything for the success of President Moon Jae-in and the new liberal administration.”“The key to success l

Politics May 16, 2017