The election for the next president of South Korea is likely to take place on May 9, the last day of the 60 days stipulated by law to fill a vacancy in the nation’s highest office. In a historic ruling Friday, the Constitutional Court expelled Park Geun-hye, the 17th president of South Korea, from office, making her the first democratically elected leader to lose her position by impeachment. Political camps and presidential aspirants across the aisle now face a very tight schedule to prepare for

Politics March 10, 2017

South Korea’s political parties showed contrasting reactions to the arrival of parts of a US anti-missile system Tuesday, revealing a sharp divide over issues tied to the deployment, such as how to deal with North Korea’s military threats and strike a balance between two rivaling global powers -- the US and China. The conservative parties, including the ruling Liberty Korea Party, hailed the surprise move, while the liberal opposition strongly protested against it. “We welcome the quick decision

Politics March 7, 2017

President Park Geun-hye’s fate is still up in the air, but the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is wasting no time in its preparation for the next presidential election. Four presidential contenders of the liberal party squared off at the party’s primary debate Monday, trying to prove their eligibility to become the nation’s next leader. They are former party leader Moon Jae-in, South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung, Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung and Goyang Mayor Choi Sung. Left to right: S

Politics March 6, 2017

Former UN Secretary of General Ban Kim-moon plans to deliver a lecture at a local seminar this week, making his first public appearance since giving up his presidential ambitions, his aides said Sunday.Ban is to give a lecture at the seminar to be hosted by the Korea Institute for National Security Affairs, according to the aides. His lecture is likely to focus on elaborating his thoughts on the latest diplomatic and security situations on and around the Korean Peninsula.  Ban Ki-moon (Yonhap)Th

Social Affairs March 5, 2017

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan’s ruling party on Sunday extended term limits for its leaders, a change that gives Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a shot at becoming Japan’s longest-serving post-war leader.Abe would have had to step down as party leader and prime minister in September next year, even if his Liberal Democratic Party were still in power.The LDP congress approved extending the limit to three consecutive three-year terms, up from the previous two consecutive three-year term limit.Japan's Prime Minis

World News March 5, 2017

South Korea’s top diplomat Yun Byung-se is planning to visit Southeast Asian countries this month, a foreign ministry official said Sunday, as Seoul pushes to rally the region’s support for its efforts to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program as well as the recent assassination in Malaysia.“Foreign Minister Yun is reviewing plans to attend events to mark anniversaries of diplomatic relations with Southeast Asian countries,” the official said. If confirmed, the trip is likely to fa

Diplomatic Circuit March 5, 2017

Lotte Group held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss countermeasures against what appears to be intensifying retaliation by China against its goods and affiliates after its land swap deal with the government for a planned THAAD deployment, its officials said.The meeting, which was held later in the day, came as Lotte is feared to be taking the brunt of Beijing’s retaliation against the THAAD deployment for which it recently provided a land site in a contract signed late last month with the

Industry March 5, 2017

The possibility of the United States redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on South Korean soil to counter North Korea’s evolving military threat is expected to fuel a fresh debate on national defense, sources said Sunday.The debate comes as the weekend issue of the New York Times reported that in the most recent meeting of US President Donald Trump’s national security deputies, discussion took place on the option of basing tactical nukes on the Korean Peninsula.The news outlet said the exchange

Defense March 5, 2017

Alpine snowboarder Lee Sang-ho has won South Korea’s first ever silver medal at the International Ski Federation World Cup.Lee earned silver at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Kayseri, Turkey, on Saturday (local time) after finishing second in men’s parallel giant slalom. He lost to Andreas Prommegger of Austria by 0.21 second in the final.  Lee Sang-ho (Yonhap)This is the best ever result by a South Korean at the FIS World Cup. Previously, Lee had a fourth place finish at the FIS Snowboard World

Olympic Games March 5, 2017

The National Assembly on Thursday failed to pass a revision bill to extend the period of the special investigation into the President Park Geun-hye corruption scandal, as the legislation chief refused to use his authority to directly bring the revision bill to the floor.Earlier in the day, four opposition parties requested National Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Sye-kyun to put the revision bill directly to a vote -- without the approval of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee.But

Politics March 2, 2017

Political parties across the aisle Wednesday celebrated the nation’s 98th Independent Movement Day, recognizing its significance from different perspectives. The conservative camp described the occasion as a call for unity among the citizens of a nation that has been divided over the president’s impeachment. On the other hand, the opposition appealed to those in the public who have been calling for the past months to oust the state leader and establish a new power.The conservative bloc, which in

Politics March 1, 2017

Facing an intense in-party primary, presidential candidates of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday stepped up efforts to win over support ahead of the main race.As of 5 p.m. on Monday, the number of the party’s in-house voters reached 1.2 million, in 12 days since the registration process opened on Feb. 15. Lawmakers expect the trend to continue so to beat the last presidential primary’s record of 1.08 million in 2012. The party’s election board said it would host 10 candidat

Politics Feb. 27, 2017

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn took a hammering from opposition parties Friday for distributing souvenir wristwatches with his position inscribed as “acting president."Not only the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and People’s Party, but also the conservative splinter Bareun Party, viewed this as reflecting Hwang’s tacit presidential ambition and urged him to focus on his current duties.The disputed watch rose to public attention after somebody put one up for sale online Tues

Politics Feb. 24, 2017

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