Located near Jeongbalsan, in the middle of Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, a thatch house built of chestnut wood has been preserved to give a glimpse into a traditional farm house of the late Joseon Period.  The house is thought to have been built in the 19th-century in the village in Ilsan area where members of the Danyang Yi clan settled. With an abundance of chestnut trees in the village, the house used chestnut wood as its main building material, and came to be known as Bamgasi Cho

Culture Nov. 14, 2020

The screening process to select two finalists who are qualified to head an envisioned anti-corruption agency that will investigate high-ranking government officials has begun Friday amid fierce partisan strife. A seven-member panel of government officials and outside experts will choose two candidates out of 10 legal professionals they recommended to be the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, or CIO. During a day-long meeting, the panel members revie

Politics Nov. 13, 2020

New daily cases of the novel coronavirus in South Korea have increased by 146, bringing the total caseload to 27,799, marking the fourth day in a row above 100, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday. The death toll rose by two to 487. The fatality rate stands at 1.75 percent. The triple-digit rises in COVID-19 cases are pushing health authorities to consider an elevation of social distancing measures. The country adopted Level 1 distancing rules Saturday, t

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2020

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl emerged as the favorite to win the next presidential election, outpacing two seasoned politicians from the ruling party who had dominated similar surveys, a poll showed Wednesday. The outspoken top prosecutor’s favorability rating stood at 24.7 percent in the survey conducted by pollster Hangil Research. It was the first time that Yoon, who was appointed by liberal President Moon Jae-in but is widely supported by conservatives after feuding with the in

Politics Nov. 11, 2020

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday the incumbent government has drastically cut its special expenses in the past four years, following the main opposition party’s demand for a comprehensive review on such kind of funds spent by government bodies. 　 “The size of special activity funds has been reduced by 40.5 percent in the past four years since the current administration was launched,” Hong said during a meeting of the special committee on

Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2020

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong appeared in court for his bribery retrial Monday, in the next chapter of a corruption scandal that involves ousted President Park Geun-hye. The third-generation leader of Samsung Group arrived at the Seoul High Court at around 1:30 p.m. He entered the building without answering any questions from reporters. Four former Samsung executives, Choi Gee-sung and Kim Jong-joong, Hwang Sung-soo, Park Sang-jin and Chang Choong-ki, also attended the trial

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2020

Health authorities are grappling with the growing burden of contact tracing as sporadic group infections continue as cold weather increases COVID-19 risks both here and abroad. Lee Sang-won, who heads epidemiological investigation analysis at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said the country has seen a growing number of cases stemmed from small cluster infections and sporadic outbreaks led by those who had close contacts with infected people. “Small-scale group infections ar

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2020

Now that Democrat Joe Biden has won the US presidential election, how the new president-elect and his administration will cope with North Korea is attracting keen attention here. During his election campaign rallies, Biden called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a “dictator” and a “thug,” and criticized his rival President Donald Trump for befriending Kim. But Biden left the door open for a possible summit, with the condition being that Pyongyang work to make the Kor

North Korea Nov. 8, 2020

The ruling Democratic Party’s support rating has fallen behind that of the conservative opposition People Power Party in Seoul, where the two parties seek to strengthen their support base ahead of next year’s mayoral by-elections. According to a survey released by Realmeter on Thursday, the People Power Party’s support came in at 31.4 percent among Seoul residents surveyed, up 1.0 percentage point from the previous week, while that of the ruling party decreased 3.8 percenta

Politics Nov. 5, 2020

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a life sentence for a woman who was convicted of killing her former husband, dismembering his body and dumping it into the sea. However, she was cleared of another murder charge for allegedly suffocating her 4-year-old stepson, due to lack of evidence. Koh Yu-jeong, 37, was sentenced to life in prison in previous rulings by lower courts in February and July, upon conviction for the murder of her former husband, surnamed Kang, and for hiding his body. On

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2020

The floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party on Wednesday hinted at the possibility of a right-wing alliance in next year’s Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections. People Power Party floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young said he sees “a very high probability” that his party could join hands with Ahn Cheol-soo, head of the minor opposition People’s Party, and former lawmaker Keum Tae-sup, who defected from the ruling Democratic Party in October. Joo said the tie-

Politics Nov. 4, 2020

The government and the ruling Democratic Party agreed on tax relief for single homeowners and retail stock investors, in an apparent move to soothe public anger over increased levy burden under the Moon Jae-in administration. According to Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki on Tuesday, the government scrapped its initial plan to broaden the tax base for capital gains to include retail stock investors who own stocks worth over 300 million won in a single company. This means the current standard -

Politics Nov. 3, 2020

State prosecutors have posted a slew of online criticism decrying Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s prosecutorial reform and her decision to sideline the prosecutor general from certain cases involving politicians and prosecutors suspected of corruption. The heated discussion was triggered by an online statement that began “Prosecution reform has failed,” posted Wednesday by Lee Hwan-woo, a prosecutor at the Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office, via the bulletin board at Eprose

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2020

A committee that will recommend candidates for the top job within a new investigation body targeting high-ranking public officials held its first meeting Friday, putting in motion President Moon Jae-in’s prosecution reform initiative. The main opposition People Power Party designated two experts to join the seven-member committee on Tuesday. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea seeks to complete the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, or CIO, before t

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2020

The country’s highest court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling sentencing former President Lee Myung-bak to 17 years in prison for bribery and embezzlement. The Supreme Court also upheld the 13 billion won ($11.4 million) fine and the additional forfeiture of 5.78 billion won that the appeals court handed down in February. “There is no fault in the previous ruling in terms of fact finding on embezzlement or bribery charges,” the court said in a verdict. The top court

Social Affairs Oct. 29, 2020