South Korea is poised to crank up pressure on Japan over wartime sex slavery and other historical issues at a U.N. session on Wednesday as neighboring countries are increasingly concerned about Tokyo’s rapid swing to the right. Seoul officials plan to urge once again a sincere apology and compensation for the victims during a session of the Third Committee, which covers social, women and human rights issues. Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan raised the issue of the wartime abuses against women at t

Foreign Affairs Oct. 2, 2012

A local memorial association said Tuesday that it has filed a defamation suit against a Japanese activist accused of setting up a provocative wooden stake in Japan last month to lay claim to Dokdo.Nobuyuki Suzuki, a member of an ultra-right Japanese party, allegedly put the wooden post with a phrase claiming Japan’s sovereignty over South Korea’s Dokdo islets next to a monument commemorating Yun Bong-gil, a Korean independence fighter, located in Kanazawa of Ishikawa Prefecture on Sept. 22.He th

Foreign Affairs Oct. 2, 2012

The main opposition Democratic United Party on Tuesday announced two candidates to lead a special probe to determine if any laws were broken in the purchase of land for President Lee Myung-bak’s retirement home. The party said former judge Lee Kwang-bum and civics rights lawyer Kim Hyoung-tae have been recommended to become the special prosecutor with the investigation set to start this month. President Lee has to choose one of the two candidates by Friday.“Both lawyers are fully qualified to be

Foreign Affairs Oct. 2, 2012

The South Korean government will establish a foundation to support victims of Japan’s forced labor during that country’s colonial rule of the Korean peninsula and their bereaved families, officials of a committee handling the issue said Tuesday.The government has earmarked 1 billion won ($899,361) of budget to set up the foundation around early next year, with the budget proposal to be submitted to the National Assembly next month for approval, according to the forced laborer investigation commi

Foreign Affairs Oct. 2, 2012

More than 100 young Korean political, business and social leaders from 22 countries launched a four-day meeting in Seoul on Tuesday to share their visions for overseas Korean communities and reinforce their cooperation. Organized by the state-run Overseas Korean Foundation and sponsored by the Foreign Ministry, the 15th Future Leaders’ Conference coincides with the Korean Day on Oct. 5. Since its founding in 1998, the annual event has provided a venue for networking between Korean entrepreneurs

Foreign Affairs Oct. 2, 2012

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan is expected to raise the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement Friday at the U.N. General Assembly for the first time.“The minister will refer to the importance of proper recognition of history and women’s human rights during wartime, though details are yet to be confirmed,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young told reporters Thursday.Three Asian powers are engaging in a diplomatic quarrel at the U.N. meeting in New York as Korean and Chinese diplomats ge

Foreign Affairs Sept. 27, 2012

The Chinese Embassy owes the highest amount in parking fines among foreign missions in Korea taking advantage of diplomatic immunity, Seoul City data showed Wednesday. In the first eight months of the year, the city government issued 440 tickets worth around 19 million won ($17,000) to embassies. It has so far collected only some 6.3 million won, or about 33 percent. China topped the list with fines worth more than 5.3 million won. Trailing next is Russia with about 1.3 million won, followed by

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2012

Workers in the sex industry called Wednesday for the scrapping or revision of anti-sex trafficking laws, saying it restricts their right of sexual autonomy.South Korea has banned the sex trade since two pertinent laws went into effect in 2004, dealing a serious blow to the industry.“Part of the anti-sex trafficking laws about those who sell sex is against the Constitution,” a sex worker said in a news conference in Seoul hosted by their trade association, Hanteo. The clause limits sex workers’ r

North Korea Sept. 26, 2012

A lawmaker from the main opposition party appeared before Busan prosecutors on Wednesday for questioning over allegations that he bribed his way into parliament.Rep. Choi Dong-ik of the Democratic United Party (DUP) is suspected of giving a total of 70 million won ($62,389) to former DUP lawmaker Jang Hyang-sook over three different occasions between March and April of this year, prosecutors said.The money was allegedly given in return for her help in securing a proportional representative ticke

North Korea Sept. 26, 2012

The Navy said Wednesday it is hosting an international conference on submarine operations for the first time.Officials from 19 submarine-operating nations, such as the United States, China, Russia and Britain, are attending the 12th Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference that got under way Wednesday in Busan and at the Jinhae naval base on the southern coast for a three-day run, the Navy said.Japan also sent a five-member delegation to the meeting, it said.It is the first time South Korea’s Navy has

North Korea Sept. 26, 2012

The ruling Saenuri Party is considering providing college education for free to students from the bottom 20 percent in terms of income, a party official said Wednesday.Lower college tuition has been a cornerstone of the conservative party’s election pledges ahead of both last April’s parliamentary polls and the upcoming presidential vote in December.“We are considering expanding free tuition from people living off social security benefits to those from the bottom 20 percent earnings bracket,” th

North Korea Sept. 26, 2012

The foreign ministry plans to strengthen its public diplomacy next year to improve South Korea’s image abroad and help increase its influence among foreign audiences, an official said Wednesday. Under the plan, the ministry is seeking a budget of 5 billion won ($4.5 million) for next year, which will be used to hold government-sponsored cultural programs and K-pop events in South America, the Middle East and Africa. It is the first time that the ministry has sought a budget to promote such event

North Korea Sept. 26, 2012