In South Korea’s democracy, the most proven ways for politicians to get their message across are either holding a press conference at the National Assembly or making comments to the crowd of reporters that often surround them. But a new, more efficient method has emerged: Facebook. Liberal and conservative politicians alike now rely on social media to broadcast their thoughts on issues ranging from nuclear armament to economic policies. According to data from the Assembly’s Research Service rele

Politics Oct. 12, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party on Monday assailed Moon Jae-in, a potential presidential candidate of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, for his call for the suspension of the deployment of a controversial US-led missile shield in South Korea. 　“I’m disappointed at the level of understanding that a presidential hopeful like Moon has on our security and reality,” Saenuri floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk said. “The one who would be most delighted by the news that we suspend the THAAD deployment is

Politics Oct. 10, 2016

Following a rancorous week of parliamentary audit, rival parties are bracing for another showdown in audit sessions this week over the issue of whether high-profile figures involved with ongoing political scandals should be summoned to testify before lawmakers.  Opposition parties, salivating over a series of corruption scandals involving close confidants of President Park Geun-hye, want to question them during the audit sessions while the ruling Saenuri Party rebukes the move as an attempt to p

Politics Oct. 9, 2016

A lobby group representing Korea‘s powerful conglomerates has been called on to disband by opposition lawmakers and civic groups over its connection to a scandal linked to Cheong Wa Dae. The Federation of Korean Industries is at the center of a snowballing political scandal surrounding Mir Foundation and K-Sports Foundations, accused of pulling strings to have member conglomerates donate funds to the foundations, which are suspected to have been run by a President Park Geun-hye confidant. “The F

Politics Oct. 6, 2016

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a potential presidential candidate on the liberal opposition side, said Wednesday that he would “soon” announce whether he will run for the 2017 presidential election.“I will carefully consider my decision and tell you my conclusion soon,” said Park in a radio interview.Asked about whether he would make that announcement within this year -- the election is slated to take place in December 2017 -- the mayor refused to offer a specific timeline. “I think we shouldn’t get

Politics Oct. 5, 2016

After a weeklong legislative impasse, rival parties returned to the National Assembly to resume parliamentary audit on Tuesday. But they continued to clash at standing committees over some highly political issues. Scandals involving close associates of President Park Geun-hye were high on the agenda for lawmakers from liberal opposition Minjoo Party, while the lawmakers from the conservative ruling Saenuri Party sought to play them down.In one of the scandals, President Park’s confidant is alleg

Politics Oct. 4, 2016

A political standoff surrounding a parliamentary audit has seemingly subdued after the ruling Saenuri Party decided to withdraw its boycott and rival parties agreed to extend the period of the audit session.But bipartisan tension is likely to continue, as the Saenuri pushed for a law revision to reinforce the Assembly Speaker‘s political neutrality, an idea which The Minjoo Party of Korea dismissed.The vice floor leaders of the top three political parties attend a joint press briefing after a tr

Politics Oct. 3, 2016

South Korea’s filmmaker Hwang Yoon shot a movie titled “Farewell” in 2002 featuring a baby tiger who lives at a zoo in Seoul. Being born out of incest encouraged by zookeepers, the little tiger – named “Crane” -- was predisposed to cataracts and had a deformed face. Ten years later, Hwang reunited with Crane, who was relocated to a zoo in Gangwon Province after losing popularity among Seoul spectators when it became bigger and older. By the time Hwang saw Crane, the tiger had fallen ill because

Politics Sept. 30, 2016

Members of the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday filed criminal charges against the National Assembly’s speaker for allegedly abusing his power and continued their boycott of the parliamentary audit for the fourth day, with the legislative impasse over the parliamentary audit showing no signs of abating. Warning that dissenters would be punished, the ruling party’s leadership pledged to continue their boycott of the parliamentary sessions until Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Sye-kyun resigns over hi

Politics Sept. 29, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party’s boycott continued to stymie the second day of the parliamentary audit, with tension peaking as the party’s members locked its member and chief of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee in his office for several hours to prevent him from convening a session.Rep. Kim Young-woo of the Saenuri Party was to hold an afternoon session at around 2 p.m. but was blocked at around 11 a.m. by fellow party members including former leader Rep. Kim Moo-sung. They entered Kim Young

Politics Sept. 27, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party and opposition parties Sunday hit an impasse over holding a parliamentary audit as scheduled, clashing over President Park Geun-hye’s veto of a parliamentary motion to dismiss a cabinet member.The clash followed Cheong Wa Dae’s announcement that the president had refused to accept the opposition-led recommendation to dismiss Agriculture Minister Kim Jae-soo, saying the legislative process lacked legitimacy.　It was the first presidential veto against a National Assembly r

Politics Sept. 25, 2016

In 1949, South Korea’s first President Syngman Rhee introduced military conscription for the first time upon liberation from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945). In 1951, the system, which was suspended in 1950, was reinstated during the Korean War. 　Since then, every Korean able-bodied man has been mandated to serve in the military for between 21 and 24 months. In doing so, they constitute the backbone of the armed forces with 640,000 active in duty and 4.3 million as reserve forces. 　Now, the m

Politics Sept. 22, 2016

Lawmakers criticized the government’s response to the record-breaking earthquake and aftershocks in the southeastern region during the interpellation Tuesday, noting that the nation’s safety system faces serious challenges in coping with potential natural disasters.Ruling and opposition parties alike slammed the government for failing to issue warnings immediately after the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled Gyeongju on Sept. 12, and again when the 4.5 magnitude aftershock hit the region and

Politics Sept. 20, 2016

Political parties on Tuesday sharply criticized the government’s lackluster response during and after the country’s strongest earthquake the day before, accusing safety agencies of failing to promptly alert the public of the natural disaster.The ruling Saenuri Party and opposition camps asserted that the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the nation’s top disaster agency, failed to inform the people swiftly enough about disaster news and safety protocol when the 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit

Politics Sept. 13, 2016