It has been 39 years since the May 18, 1980, Gwangju Democratization Movement -- or Gwangju Uprising -- where hundreds of citizens in the city, located some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, were killed in a deadly military crackdown during the authoritarian regime of Chun Doo-hwan, who came to power in a military coup in 1979.While the official figures put the number of deaths at 165 over a 10-day period, it is thought that the actual number of those killed could be three times higher.Even the bas

Politics May 12, 2019

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday elected Rep. Lee In-young as its new floor leader to navigate through the political impasse with main opposition Liberty Korea Parry and carry the party to victory in next year‘s general elections.Three-term lawmaker Lee, 55, received 76 votes out of 125 to clinch the floor leader’s position, vowing to win the upcoming general election in April next year.Lee’s rival Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon received 49 votes in the second round of voting.In his acceptance

Politics May 8, 2019

The race to become the next floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party is heating up, with all eyes on who will be selected to lead the party through multiple tasks and next year’s general election.The party is slated to elect its next floor leader Wednesday from among three three-term lawmakers: Rep. Lee In-young, Rep. Noh Woong-rae and Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon.The election comes amid deepening conflict between the ruling party and the Liberty Korea Party due to the recent fast-tracking of key refor

Politics May 7, 2019

Amid heightening tension between the country’s police and prosecution, Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il is to cut short an overseas official trip and return home over the weekend, the prosecution said Friday.In light of his criticism of the fast-tracked bill that realigns investigative authority between the police and prosecution earlier this week, Moon’s latest move has sparked the possibility of a resignation.There are precedents of previous administrations’ prosecutor-generals stepping down fro

Politics May 3, 2019

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Wednesday said he will “not stand idly by” as the main opposition Liberty Korea Party plans to set up tents at Gwanghwamun plaza in central Seoul as part of its protest against key reform bills that have been fast-tracked.Pledging to take firm action against the Liberty Korea Party, Park posted on social media that “taking over the plaza without authorization from Seoul government is illegal. I will not stand idly by as (Liberty Korea Party) tramples on the plaza.”“I

Politics May 1, 2019

Struck with a severe food shortage due to frequent droughts, North Korea is considering requesting emergency disaster relief, said a report released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.The IFRC depicted North Korea’s food crisis in detail in a report titled “DPR Korea: Drought and Food Insecurity,” saying, “The DPRK Red Cross Society, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is considering a Disaster Relief Emer

North Korea May 1, 2019

A special committee on the sinking of the Sewol ferry on Tuesday decided to investigate main opposition Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn for allegedly hampering investigation of the tragic incident.Hwang had served as justice minister at the time of the tragedy, which claimed more than 300 lives on April 16, 2014.The special investigative committee has the authority to look into what it deems necessary in fact-finding and when a victim or the victim’s family requests investigation. “Upon

Social Affairs May 1, 2019

Physical and verbal violence, sit-ins, sleep-ins and property damage have dominated the National Assembly in the last few days, bringing back the zoo comparisons "Animal National Assembly" it had managed to shake off for a while.To list but a couple remarkable incidents, Rep. Chae Yi-bae of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party was locked in his office for six hours by Liberty Korea Party officials and called police for help, while National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang was hospitalized for hy

Politics April 29, 2019

A tense standoff between the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party over the fast-tracking of reform bills continued Sunday, with both parties ordering their members to remain in the National Assembly building in case the special committees on political reform and judiciary reform hold surprise meetings.Vowing to spare no effort to stop the ruling party from fast-tracking key reform bills, the Liberty Korea Party was on the alert throughout the weekend. Divi

Politics April 28, 2019

Deadlock between ruling Democratic Party of Korea and main opposition Liberty Korea Party over fast-tracking key bills turned to violent clashes overnight Friday.Violence sparked Thursday as Liberty Korea Party members formed human barricades in front of rooms on the second and fourth floors of the National Assembly, where the special committee on political reform and judiciary reform convene. (Yonhap)In doing so, the main opposition bloc sought to prevent the committees from opening a meeting t

Politics April 26, 2019

An agreement reached Monday by leaders of the ruling party and three minor opposition parties roiled the country’s political scene Wednesday, intensifying divisions within the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party and sparking backlash from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. In a dramatic turn of events, the Bareunmirae Party sent an official document to National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang notifying him of its plans to replace Rep. Oh Shin-hwan on the special committee on judiciary reform

Politics April 24, 2019

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and three minor opposition parties on Monday agreed to fast-track key reform bills this week after months of discussion amid strong opposition from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. Floor leaders of the four parties, including Rep. Hong Young-pyo of the ruling party and Rep. Kim Kwan-young of the minor conservative Bareunmirae Party, reached a consensus on the electoral reform bill and the establishment of an independent investigative agency, among oth

Politics April 22, 2019

Wednesday’s brutal arson and murders in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, which left five people dead and 15 others injured, put the spotlight on the glaring shortcomings in the country’s mental health care system. The total budget designated for mental health this year stands at 171.3 billion won ($150.1 million), accounting for 1.5 percent of the government budget for public health, data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed Monday.(Yonhap)The portion of the budget spent on mental hea

Social Affairs April 22, 2019

Growing up students are taught to embrace diversity in all corners of life, think in other people’s shoes and to not judge a book by its cover.　 In South Korea’s fast-paced, results-focused workplaces, however, core values are often forgotten, with companies applying unilateral recruitment processes, leaving almost no room to spare for persons with disabilities. The right assistance and a shift in social perceptions are needed to pave the way for disabled people to excel at work, ultimatel

Social Affairs April 21, 2019

President Moon Jae-in on Friday appointed Lee Mi-sun and Moon Hyung-bae as Constitutional Court justices, pushing ahead with the appointments despite fierce objections from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.The appointment did not come as a surprise as the National Assembly’s Judiciary Committee had failed to reach a consensus on the two nominees Thursday, the deadline for the National Assembly to submit its confirmation hearing reports.Ruling party lawmakers refused to attend the Judiciar

Politics April 19, 2019