The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday denied rumors that it had purchased large amounts of medicines from a local pharmaceutical firm with the help of a doctor linked to President Park Geun-hye's confidante at the center of an ongoing corruption scandal.Citing data from the state-run health insurance review agency, Rep. Kim Sang-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party claimed that Cheong Wa Dae purchased 20 million won (US$16,999) worth of medicines from Green Cross Corp. in March

Politics Nov. 22, 2016

Only two in 10 employees in management positions at South Korean companies are women, highlighting the continued gender disparity at work, government data released Monday showed. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, women account for 37.79 percent of the total workforce in the country, with 20.9 percent of management posts being held by women at the 2,040 state-run and private firms that were surveyed. Firms with more than 1,000 staff members had a higher level of female managers,

Social Affairs Nov. 22, 2016

With South Korea seeing a series of street rallies against scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye in recent weeks, the protests are turning more creative with satirical performances, open microphone sessions, comedy and music. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the nation in the fourth straight weekend of rallies to demand President Park resign over an influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving her close confidante Choi Soon-sil. Many citizens were seen sta

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2016

Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s embattled confidante Choi Soon-sil, was illegally admitted to a prestigious university in Seoul and was given special treatment after enrollment, the Education Ministry confirmed Friday.Releasing the result of its audit of Ewha Womans University, the ministry said that it would request law enforcement authorities to launch a criminal investigation into Chung, her mother, the college’s former president, faculty members and officials. “Since

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2016

Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s embattled confidante Choi Soon-sil, was illegally admitted to a prestigious university in Seoul and was also given special treatment in academic records after enrollment, the Education Ministry confirmed Friday.In a briefing to release the result of the audit of Ewha University and its faculty members, the ministry said that the school manipulated its admission process to accept Chung and she was given overly generous marks despite not atte

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2016

To teach English in Korea, Christina had to prove she was not HIV-positive. The US citizen was reluctant, but complied with the rule, undergoing a blood test for HIV and submitting the results to local authorities in order to get a job at a public school. When she found out that Korean and Korean-American teachers at the school were exempted from the test despite doing the same job, she was offended. “It perpetuates perceptions of foreigners as dirty, dangerous and impure. I think it

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2016

Supporters of beleaguered President Park Geun-hye are being asked to show up in droves Saturday to counter last week’s record-breaking anti-Park rally. An online fan club of the conservative leader, who call themselves an “association of those who love President Park Geun-hye,” plans to hold a rally at Seoul Station on Saturday. The 73,000-member group plans to march toward Gwanghwamun Square, where over 1 million gathered last Saturday to demand Park’s removal from office over the influence-ped

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2016

The prosecution has obtained fresh evidence and testimonies that may implicate President Park Geun-hye in the spiraling scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil. Park’s ex-presidential aides, who are now under questioning in the prosecution’s probe, told interrogators that they had just followed orders from President Park, after initially denying her role in the scandal, multiple media outlets reported Thursday. According to reports, An Chong-bum, ex-presidential secretary for policy coord

Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2016

At the center of the spiraling influence-peddling scandal engulfing South Korea is Cha Eun-taek, who has been dubbed “crown prince” in the local culture scene for wielding great influence over various state-led cultural projects.Cha, who was arrested upon his return to Korea from China late Tuesday night, is believed to be a core member of the Choi Soon-sil’s clique attending a secretive meeting to discuss state affairs. His professor and uncle served President Park Geun-hye as culture minister

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2016

The prosecution Monday secured what appears to be key evidence that Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye’s longtime confidante, meddled in state affairs in an escalating investigation into the influence-peddling scandal. Prosecutors said they discovered recorded phone conversations between Park’s former presidential aide Jeong Ho-seong and Choi on Jeong’s phones that were seized during a raid on his home late last month. Jeong, ex-secretary for the president’s private affairs, was arrested Sun

Social Affairs Nov. 7, 2016