Debate is escalating over President Park Geun-hye and the ruling Saenuri Party’s attack on a widespread pessimistic view of the nation’s standard of living, as they have suggested that the perspective harms public morale. Their campaign against the so-called “Hell Joseon” mentality has prompted criticism from the younger generation, liberal-minded opposition lawmakers and their backers. They counter that the government fails to understand public frustration over worsening income disparity and yo

Politics Aug. 16, 2016

Lawmakers from major parties visited Korea’s easternmost Dokdo Islets on Monday to mark the 71st anniversary of the nation’s liberation from Japanese rule (1910-1945).Ten lawmakers landed on the Dokdo Islets by helicopter at around 8 a.m. for a tour. They met with the coast guard stationed there as well as civic groups. It was the first such trip by Korean lawmakers since 2013 when a group of politicians visited the Dokdo Islets to counter Japan’s territorial claims to it. “(The visit) is a part

Politics Aug. 15, 2016

Internal strife over the deployment of a U.S. advanced missile system continued to roil the main opposition party on Thursday, as the party leader and a group of first termers clashed over the latter’s controversial trip to China earlier this week.During the party’s general assembly, The Minjoo Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Kim Chong-in rebuked the party members for causing a stir by visiting the neighbor state amid growing concerns about Beijing’s assertive attitude toward Seoul’s decision to in

Politics Aug. 11, 2016

Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, the newly elected chairman of the ruling conservative Saenuri Party, may have vowed an end to factionalism and regionalism, but his obvious intimacy with President Park Geun-hye is expected to deepen the crack between the pro-presidential and non-Park cliques.While the pro-Park group set to tighten its bond with Cheong Wa Dae during what remains of Park’s term in office, the fringe group is expected to struggle for power recovery, especially with next year’s presidential elec

Politics Aug. 11, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party’s new chairman Rep. Lee Jung-hyun on Wednesday kicked off his first public schedule, urging members to fully support President Park Geun-hye’s policy initiatives.“I will concentrate all powers of the party so that this government can bring all imminent issues including the public’s livelihood, economy and security to a direction that the people want,” Lee told reporters after paying tribute at Seoul National Cemetery.“The next 1 1/2 years are crucial for managing the pre

Politics Aug. 10, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party’s new leader Rep. Lee Jung-hyun began his political career in 1985 by joining the Democratic Justice Party, South Korea’s ruling party, where he was a rank-and-file member from 1980 to 1988. He then joined the Saenuri Party’s precursor Grand National Party and won his first lawmaker’s seat in 2008 through proportional representation.  Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, the newly-elected leader of Saenuri Party, speaks while campaigning for the ruling party leadership last Wednesday in

Politics Aug. 9, 2016

The South Korean government and the opposition parties are on rare common ground, as they continue to oppose -- citing national security concerns -- Google’s attempt to export South Korea’s map data for popular augmented reality smartphone game “Pokemon Go.”　The main opposition The Minjoo Party of Korea and second-biggest People’s Party last week urged the government to deny the company permission to store detailed map information at its global data center located outside the country. The govern

Politics Aug. 8, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] Google’s attempt to export South Korea’s map data is facing roadblocks despite the soaring popularity of its augmented reality smartphone game “Pokemon Go”, with the government and opposition parties set to block it on national security concerns. The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea and the second-biggest People’s Party last week urged the government to deny it permission to store detailed map information at its global data center located outside the country. The government h

Aug. 8, 2016

The main opposition party Tuesday announced it will push for a tax increase on the wealthy and big corporates to address income disparity, in a direct countermove against the government’s own version released last week.The Minjoo Party of Korea said it will also push to reform the current tax code to prevent any tax evasion attempt. They plan to impose higher inheritance taxes and restrict creation of corporations under false names for real estate rental purposes to avoid taxation.Changes to inc

Politics Aug. 2, 2016

While factional strife has often dominated debate among major parties in South Korea, the nation’s minor progressive party has recently found itself embroiled in an unusual political debate here: feminism. Over the past couple of weeks, the Justice Party has been engulfed in a heated internal division over their official stance on a recent laborer dismissal controversy involving a radical feminism online community “Megalian.com.” The website has gained prominence for its harsh attack against the

Politics Aug. 1, 2016

The leader of the main opposition party on Wednesday urged the government to roll back a tax increase on cigarettes, criticizing the measure as a veiled attempt to collect more money by exploiting health concerns. The Minjoo Party of Korea’s chairman Rep. Kim Chong-in called for the “readjustment” of the taxes on cigarettes, noting that the tax increase appears to be failing in its antismoking aims.In 2014, The Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to double the tax imposed on packs of cigarett

Politics July 27, 2016

The government’s extra budget plan for the latter half of this fiscal year was submitted to the National Assembly on Tuesday as rival parties continued to debate over the scope and purpose of the 11 trillion-won ($9.64 billion) proposal. The supplementary budget is part of the government’s 28 trillion-won stimulus package designed to prop up the sluggish economy and ease fallout from corporate restructuring in key industries such as shipbuilding. The rival parties have tentatively agreed to pass

Politics July 26, 2016

A former floor leader of the ruling Saenuri party said Monday that South Korea should declare nuclear armament if North Korea conducts more nuclear tests. Rep. Won Yoo-chul urged the government to shift its long-held denuclearization initiative and to pledge that it would develop nuclear weapons if Pyongyang runs a fifth nuclear test. “We can no longer rely on the international community’s sanction to prompt changes in North Korea,” the fifth-term lawmaker said in a statement. “The Korean govern

Politics July 25, 2016

On April 29, 1992, South Korea’s top intelligence agency arrested dozens of activists for plotting to overthrow the government by building underground socialist organizations. The authorities described the groups as the biggest antistate entity ever established in the country’s modern history. One of those arrested was Baik Tae-ung, who served as leader of the South Korean Socialist Coalition of Workers or “Sanomaeng” in Korean. Despite the plea that he was exercising the right to political free

North Korea July 22, 2016

A series of bribery scandals involving top presidential aides and prosecutors are expected to boost opposition parties’ push for an independent agency to probe high-profile corruption, which has been stalled for 20 years by differences over its status and investigative authorities. The main opposition, The Minjoo Party of Korea, said Thursday that it would move forward a bill to create an investigation body to exclusively deal with senior officials’ corruption. The centrist runner-up People’s Pa

Politics July 22, 2016