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

The would-be dissenters of the ruling Saenuri Party announced Friday a plan to establish their own political party in mid-January. The remaining lawmakers, meanwhile, have appointed an emergency leadership. “The new party will represent the true conservative (spirit) and set its core principles to center around citizens,” Rep. Choung Byoung-gug said after a meeting of Saenuri defectors early Friday morning. Thirty-four Saenuri lawmakers announced their intention to defect en masse on Wednesday.

Politics Dec. 23, 2016

Key figures in the President Park Geun-hye scandal, Choi Soon-sil and her daughter possess some 800 billion won ($667 million) worth of assets under borrowed names in Germany, a local daily reported Thursday. According to the Hankook Ilbo, German prosecutors are investigating Choi and her daughter Chung Yoo-ra for having created some 500 paper companies using the names of 10 affiliates, including Chung’s horseback riding coach and another associate in Europe, mainly in Germany. The newspaper cit

Social Affairs Dec. 22, 2016

South Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party is finally splitting, with about a quarter of its 128 lawmakers having declared their defection Wednesday to create a new political group.  A total of 31 lawmakers from the country’s only major conservative party gathered early in the morning at the National Assembly to announce their abandonment of party membership. Four more are set to follow suit, they revealed. “We decided to part from the fake conservatives and agreed to establish a new core to lead true c

Politics Dec. 21, 2016