South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Monday began preparations for the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye, holding the first assembly of its justices. The meeting was attended by eight of the nine judges, including Kang Il-won, who will lead the coming trial as head justice. They discussed the formation of a task force, the hearings schedule and other related issues, the court’s spokesperson said. Park Han-chul (left), head of the Constitutional Court, arrives at the court in Seoul on

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2016

As the Constitutional Court gears up for the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye, scholars, politicians and the media are revisiting the 2004 trial of late President Roh Moo-hyun for a hint of what is to come.   It took 63 days for the top court to overturn Roh’s parliamentary impeachment, but opinions are split as to whether the upcoming trial of President Park will produce a similar result or take a similar amount of time. The nine justices of the Constitutional Court will decide whet

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2016

Twelve years ago, South Korea’s parliament impeached the president only to face unforeseen consequences: an overwhelming outpouring of public anger. The president was the now deceased Roh Moo-hyun. Key players in the 2004 parliamentary impeachment are back. But they are in different positions, this time. Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was then leading the Millennium Democratic Party pushing for Roh’s impeachment. National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2016

As nearly 1 in 2 elderly households are living in poverty in South Korea, the poverty rate among senior citizens who live alone has almost doubled since 2006, a study found Monday.According to a report issued by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs recently, about 45.9 percent of elderly in the poverty group were living alone in 2015, up from 27.1 percent in 2006.The poverty rate refers to the ratio of households that make below 50 percent of the median household disposable income,

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2016

Twenty days after a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was first detected in South Korea, the epidemic shows no sign of abating. Nearly 3.4 million poultry had been culled as of Monday morning. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, some 2.5 million chickens, 790,000 ducks and 71,000 quails have been slaughtered nationwide as part of the quarantine, after nearly 70 farms were confirmed or suspected of having avian influenza, or bird flu, outbreaks.Most of the duck

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2016

Housewife Shin Yang-joo, 52, finds herself unable to stay calm when she watches TV news.  Agitated and cross, she often gets on her computer to leave comments, sometimes with flavorful language, about the current political situation in South Korea. “It is almost like a knee-jerk reaction for me to express anger when I watch the news these days,” Shin said. The initial shock over the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil has now turned into feelings of an

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2016

In October, a 2014 Facebook post by Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s now infamous friend Choi Soon-sil, drew public ire. “Blame your own parents if they don’t have the ability. Don’t point fingers at us if your parents don’t have what it takes. Money is also a form of ability,” it read, stoking public anger over what is now being called the Choi Soon-sil scandal. Choi, a friend of the president for some 40 years, is accused of meddling in state affairs, extorting money fro

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2016

Located at the foot of Namsan, Shinheung market was once the center of the local knitwear industry in the 1960s. It had a vibrant and festive market atmosphere, and attracted people from adjacent towns. Over 20,000 people from across the nation flocked to the market looking for jobs up to the 1990s.But the advent of shopping malls and the decline of the knitwear industry in the face of cheap Chinese products in the years that followed spelled doom for the old market located in the upper part of

Social Affairs Nov. 30, 2016

South Korean authorities are in hot water after failing to properly deal with the outbreak of a highly pathogenic bird flu in the country, which swept through neighboring countries earlier this year, killing over 20 people.  According to Rep. Kim Hyun-kwon of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the quarantine authorities first detected the bird flu from feces of migratory birds on Oct. 28. On Nov. 10, the virus was confirmed to be H5N1, a highly contagious strain of avian influenza that al

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2016

Dear people, I apologize for causing concerns. I believe that it is my duty to apologize even more than 100 times to the citizens, seeing you feel so afflicted by this situation.My heart is heavy when I realize even with those apologies I won‘t be able to soothe all the disappointments and anger that I‘ve caused. Looking back, I’ve been so grateful for the past 18 precious years of my political career. From when I first entered politics in 1998 until today as president, I have tried my best to w

Politics Nov. 29, 2016

Despite the government’s stepped up quarantine measures to contain the outbreak of bird flu, a highly pathogenic aviation influenza virus appeared to be spreading rapidly throughout the nation.Following new reported cases in Yangju in Gyeonggi Province and Sejong in South Chungcheong Province over the weekend, some 200 chickens were found dead on Monday morning in Eumseong, South Chungcheong Province, quarantine authories said.So far, a total of 15 poultry farms were confirmed with AI cases, whi

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2016

Grandparents who live with their grandchildren and help raise them are generally more satisfied with life and healthier than their peers, a study found Monday.According to the research led by professor of economics Ahn Tae-hyun at Sogang University, those who lived twith their grandchildren for the past year showed improvements in overall health conditions. Compared to their peers, this group also showed a higher level of satisfaction in their quality of life and relationships with children, mad

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2016