South Korea is to provide 50,000 tons of food aid to North Korea via an international organization in the coming week, a lawmaker said Friday.“The government is planning to offer 50,000 tons of food to North Korea through an international organization next week,” said Rep. Sul Hoon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.Sul’s remarks were made during the ruling party’s supreme council meeting at the border village of Panmunjom. Citing a UN survey that 10.1 million North

North Korea May 31, 2019

The Seoul Central District Court held an arrest warrant hearing for a 30-year-old man on charges of attempted rape, the court said Friday. The court is to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect, who allegedly followed the victim to her home at around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday in Sillim-dong, southwestern Seoul. Asked why he had followed the victim, the suspect said “I am sorry” and did not respond to further questions.The suspect attended the hearing at Seoul Central Distr

Social Affairs May 31, 2019

The sun glistens in the Paroho Lake in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, exuding a sense of peace and calmness. Not many, except villagers in the nearby area, know the tragic story of this man-made reservoir. In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, this lake, then called Daemyungje, witnessed an epic battle between the South Korean and American troops against a numerically superior force of the Chinese army. Despite the odds, the former won and over 24,000 Chinese were killed. Their bodies were dump

Social Affairs May 30, 2019

The Seoul Southern District Court is expected to decide Thursday whether to arrest senior officials of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions for allegedly damaging police pedestrian barriers and using physical violence against police.The suspects face charges of interfering with official duties, damaging public goods, hindering traffic, trespassing and injuring a journalist.The hard-line Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held three rallies in front of the National Assembly from March 27-Ap

Politics May 29, 2019

A dinner meeting between National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Yang Jung-chul, the head of a think tank run by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has stirred up controversy over the spy agency’s involvement in politics. The four-hour meeting between the two prominent figures last week took the spotlight Tuesday, with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party visiting the spy agency in protest.“It was not a private consultation, but a dinner with longtime acquaintances.

Politics May 28, 2019

Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn has mapped out a plan to launch a committee on economic development by the end of this month following the party’s controversial rallies held nationwide, the main opposition party said Monday.Claiming the country’s sluggish economy is due to the Moon Jae-in administration’s “economic tyranny,” Hwang said “factories that have stopped operations, empty shops and markets … were filled with despair and sighs.&rdquo

Politics May 27, 2019

Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn returned to the National Assembly over the weekend after holding an 18 day-long rally nationwide in protest against the liberal government for fast-tracking critical reform bills.The conservative party plans to hold a workshop this week to share views of supporters garnered during the rally and roll out the party’s road map in the coming days. Though the party has concluded its first round of protest, it has not ruled out the possibility of stagin

Politics May 26, 2019

South Korea has traditionally been known as “the courteous country in the East,” meaning Koreans prioritize politeness above other values.The country’s service industry, however, reveals a strikingly different image of the country, as it grapples with customers on power trips at the expense of employees’ health. The top-down power dynamic between customers and workers has created an environment that tolerates almost any behavior by customers and requires excruciating emot

Social Affairs May 26, 2019

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said former US President George W. Bush’s attendance at a memorial service to commemorate the late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun reflects strong alliance between the two countries.“Thank you for attending the official ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of former President Roh. I believe (former) President Bush’s attendance to commemorate Roh, who was a partner in the Korea-US alliance, is symbolic of the strong alliance,&r

Politics May 23, 2019

Two massive leaks of chemical vapor at Hanwha Total Petrochemical’s factory in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, have affected around 650 people, local authorities said Tuesday.The company, a 50:50 joint venture of Hanwha General Chemicals and French energy giant Total, faces allegations of attempting to cover up the leakages that occurred at around 11:45 a.m. on May 17 and 5:40 a.m. the next day.“There were no reports on the accident until the city government called to confirm the first leak,

Social Affairs May 21, 2019

Officials of South Korea’s legislative and executive branches as well as Cheong Wa Dae on Monday agreed on the need to prevent abuse of power by police, who will be given greater authority under a political reform bill being fast-tracked through the National Assembly.To increase checks and balances, the officials agreed to establish a head office to separate police tasked with investigative assignments from general police. They also talked about amendments to punish police intelligence officers

Politics May 20, 2019

Floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party are expected to convene Monday over beer to discuss ways to resume stalled parliamentary talks. Amid a parliamentary deadlock, all eyes are on whether a consensus will be reached on the extraordinary parliamentary session in May, alongside the 6.7 trillion-won ($5.6 billion) extra budget that awaits parliamentary vote.“I am counting on detailing ways to normal

Politics May 19, 2019

GWANGJU -- Gwangju streets at this time of the year are full of banners on events related to the May 1980 Democratic Uprising as the city remembers the brutal military crackdown on protesting citizens under former President Chun Doo-hwan, with exhibitions, forums, music contests and food sharing.The deadly military crackdown left an estimated 160 dead and some 5,000 injured in the course of 10 days from May 18, 1980.Experts say the figure is expected to be higher given that many of the dead were

Social Affairs May 15, 2019

Former US military intelligence specialist Kim Yong-chang, one of the four experts dispatched to Gwangju during the May 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, on Monday reiterated that former President Chun Doo-hwan was in the city on May 21 -- when soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians in front of the then-South Jeolla Provincial Government Office.He also highlighted there was no North Korean involvement in the uprising and undercover soldiers were deployed to Gwangju from Seoul.Kim was wit

Social Affairs May 13, 2019

One person died and 12 were injured after a man drove into a crowd at a temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, police said Sunday.The incident happened at around 12:50 p.m. on a road near the entrance to Tongdosa Temple, where the victims were celebrating Buddha’s Birthday. The car, a SsangYong Motor Chairman sedan driven by a 75-year-old man surnamed Kim, veered off to the side of the road where people were resting and walking.  One person died and 12 were injured after a SsangYong Motor

Social Affairs May 12, 2019