Criticism is deepening of the political and historical views of prime ministerial nominee Moon Chang-keuk as he was found in his doctoral thesis to have decried Koreans for harboring anti-U.S. sentiment in the wake of the watershed democratic uprising in 1980. The discovery is the latest in a series of verbal and behavioral gaffes that prompted not only the opposition camp but also some members of the ruling party to call for his withdrawal. The 1980s witnessed a surge in anti-Americanism around

Politics June 13, 2014

The dilemma is deepening for Seoul and Washington as North Korea seeks to improve relations with Japan and Russia, shrinking the allies’ policy options already eroded by the communist regime’s continuing nuclear development. A series of unilateral moves by Tokyo to reengage Pyongyang has sparked concern that it could undermine international efforts to deter its nuclear ambitions and military provocations. Furthering the concern is a recent agreement between the two old foes to reopen a probe int

North Korea June 11, 2014

Korea’s income gap between men and women is the biggest among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.In 2010, Korean men who worked full time received a median wage that was 39 percent higher than their female counterparts, almost the same as the 40 percent extra they made 10 years ago. The latest figure was the highest among the 25 countries surveyed, followed by Japan with 28.7 percent and Finland with 21.2 percent. Hungary had the lowest gap with 3.9 per

Social Affairs June 10, 2014

The death of another victim of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery is expected to heap pressure on Korea as negotiations over an apology and compensation by Japan have made little headway and public sentiment is growing bitter. A throng of ranking officials, politicians and ordinary citizens on Monday flowed in and out of a funeral home in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, for the wake of Bae Chun-hee, who died Sunday at age 91.Born in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Bae at age 19 was coaxed into appl

Foreign Affairs June 9, 2014

YANGON, Myanmar ― Solemnity, sobs and scents of incense filled the air as some 90 South Koreans gathered here on Friday to mark the establishment of a memorial for the victims of North Korea’s deadly bombing in 1983.The 1.5-meter-high, 9-meter-wide stone monument was unveiled on a 258-square-meter site at the entrance of the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in the former Myanmar capital, engraved with the names of the 17 officials who died during the attack. The assassination attempt apparently targeted then-

Foreign Affairs June 8, 2014

This is the eighth installment in a series of interviews with chiefs of United Nations offices in Korea. ― Ed.In late January, shock and disbelief swept through the country as two people with disabilities were rescued from a salt farm on a remote southwestern island after years of forced labor, sleep deprivation, confinement and beatings. A probe found at least 18 other such victims around the region, with the back pay for one of them topping at least 120 million won ($117,000) over the past 10

Foreign Affairs June 8, 2014

President Park Geun-hye on Sunday appointed Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin to lead the presidential National Security Office, her spokesman said, in a show of her resolve to deal sternly with increasing North Korean threats. Han Min-koo, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also nominated as Kim’s successor.The announcement came about 10 days after then-national security chief Kim Jang-soo and National Intelligence Service director Nam Jae-joon stepped down in the aftermath of the Se

Politics June 1, 2014

The defense chiefs of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on Saturday agreed to shape up their pursuit of an agreement on sharing military intelligence to better deal with North Korea’s provocations. During the trilateral talks in Singapore, Kim Kwan-jin, Chuck Hagel and Itsunori Onodera “reaffirmed the importance of sharing intelligence about North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” they said in a joint statement.“We shared the view that a continued review of the issue is necessary,” it said, in

Foreign Affairs June 1, 2014