The National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee’s proposed visit to China to address the issue of fine dust has fallen through due to the Chinese government’s refusal, the committee said Wednesday.The neighboring country’s refusal to meet with lawmakers of the committee to discuss reducing fine dust -- high levels of which hit South Korea last month -- has sparked controversy that China is attempting to shirk responsibility.Earlier this month, China’s National People’s Congress declined

Politics April 17, 2019

Gyeonggi police searched South Korean singer-actor Park Yoo-chun’s home and took hair samples Tuesday in a drug probe that started when his ex-girlfriend accused him of using illegal drugs. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency drug squad said 11 investigators had raided Park’s residence in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and confiscated his cellphone and car, a day before Park’s scheduled appearance for police questioning Wednesday.In spite of Park’s denials, police found his ex-girlfriend’s te

Social Affairs April 16, 2019

Yoon Ji-oh, a colleague of the late actress Jang Ja-yeon and a witness in an investigation into Jang’s death a decade ago, urged authorities on Sunday to leave no stone unturned.“In the past 10 years I have given 13 official testimonies. I am the only one who has testified, (and I’m) not the sole witness. I have decided to speak out about the case, because it is something I have to do as a human being, and to get to the bottom of what happened,” Yoon said at a book promotion at the National Asse

Social Affairs April 15, 2019

Only 1 in 10 single South Koreans consider a wedding ceremony to be mandatory for married couples, a survey showed Monday, indicating a shift in perceptions compared with past years.In Korea, a couple can formalize their marriage by registering a declaration of marriage with the local authorities, with no need for a ceremony.  (Yonhap)According to a survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, out of 2,464 unmarried Koreans asked -- 1,140 men and 1,324 women between the

Social Affairs April 15, 2019

The Justice Ministry on Sunday outlined plans to draft a policy on support programs for multicultural families by the end of this year, in response to growing complaints of reverse discrimination.During a meeting held by the Justice Ministry, officials reached a consensus to apply stricter standards for support provided to multicultural families, the ministry said. (123rf)It added the government currently offers benefits to multicultural families without considering income, wealth, and the lengt

Politics April 14, 2019

Political parties have failed to agree on a schedule for this month’s parliamentary extraordinary session as of Sunday, with Liberty Korea Party objecting to Constitutional Court Justice nominee Lee Mi-sun, raising concerns the National Assembly may fail to take swift action on key bills.　During last month’s extraordinary session, the parties agreed to fast-track 10 key bills, but they remained deadlocked over details regarding electoral reforms and an independent investigative agency.　The lates

Politics April 14, 2019

Constitutional Court Justice nominee Lee Mi-sun was in the hot seat Thursday over stocks worth around 3.5 billion won ($3 million) she and her husband hold, igniting allegations of a possible conflict of interest.The couple bought the stocks through 5,200 transactions -- 1,200 times by Lee and 4,000 times by her husband Oh Cheong-jin -- prompting financial authorities to look into alleged irregularities.Lee claimed she was unaware of the scope of the transactions as stock trading was done by her

Politics April 11, 2019

The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party has presented an unexpected stumbling block for the establishment of an independent agency to uncover wrongdoing by high-level government officials and their relatives. The party supports the core idea behind the government’s plan to form an independent agency, but has sparked contentious debate by proposing that the new agency have a narrower range of authority -- without the power to indict criminal suspects.Last month the Bareunmirae Party put forth its

Politics April 7, 2019

Citizens of Changwon-Seongsan and Tongyeong-Goseong on Wednesday headed to cast their ballots for lawmakers to represent the districts in South Gyeongsang Province, in a by-election widely considered a litmus test for next year’s general elections.Contenders in both regions in South Gyeongsang Province, located some 400-450 kilometers southeast of the capital, have vowed to revive sluggish local economies.“Though the size of the by-election is small, it will give us a glimpse of the sentiment in

Politics April 3, 2019

The National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee on Tuesday said six incumbent police officers have been targeted in the ongoing Burning Sun investigation, with four of them being booked. “Six incumbent policemen are targets in the investigation. One has been booked on charges of dereliction of duty in the process of handling a report on an underage customer of the club. Three have been booked for abuse of power and leaking confidential information to protect high-ranking police officers,” said Re

Politics April 2, 2019

In the final sprint to the April 3 parliamentary by-election, main opposition Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn and the party’s Changwon district candidate Kang Ki-yoon on Monday were blasted for violating the K League’s ban on campaigning inside a stadium of the soccer league over the weekend, while Gyeongnam FC said they may be subject to punishment. Main opposition Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn (center) and the party’s Changwon district candidate Kang Ki-yoon greet spectator

Politics April 1, 2019

An acquaintance of K-pop star Seungri has testified that the celebrity procured prostitution at locations in addition to the ones alleged so far, a local news outlet reported. According to Ilyo Shinmun, police investigating the case obtained testimony from Seungri’s close acquaintance after two rounds of questioning on March 25 and 28.  Seungri (Yonhap)The acquaintance testified that prostitution took place at Seungri’s 2017 birthday party in the Philippines, where he was visiting for business,

Social Affairs March 31, 2019

President Moon Jae-in withdrew his nomination of Science and ICT Minister candidate Cho Dong-ho on Sunday over his participation in a controversial conference, while Transport Minister nominee Choi Jeong-ho voluntarily stepped down amid growing questions over his qualifications for the role. This is the first time the Moon administration has retracted a minister nomination. The move comes amid mounting tension with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and minor opposition Bareunmirae Party ov

Politics March 31, 2019

The Busan District Public Prosecutors’ Office said Thursday that a high-ranking police officer has been indicted on charges related to witness tampering and sexual misconduct after allegedly trying to bribe his accuser to recant.The 48-year-old police officer allegedly groped a woman and exposed himself to her in late August at around 11 p.m. in Busan. Prosecutors say the accused officer was under the influence of alcohol at the time. (pixabay)The complaint was filed by a witness, 24, whom the p

Social Affairs March 28, 2019

Minister of SMEs and Startups nominee Rep. Park Young-sun on Thursday continued her claims that main opposition Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn knew of ex-Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui’s sex-bribery video before he took office.“Tell the truth. Of course, we didn’t watch the CD together. I clearly remember that afternoon, you left the scene baffled with red face and ears,” Park tweeted. SMEs and Startups Minister nominee Park Young-sun speaks at a confirmation hearing by the National

Politics March 28, 2019