A controversial ultraright civic group’s chief on Friday denied allegations that its pro-government demonstration over the past few years had been orchestrated by the presidential office.　Korea Parent Federation Secretary-General Choo Sun-hee appeared for questioning by the prosecution over charges that he received illicit money from the Federation of Korean Industries. He is suspected of receiving more than 500 million won ($423,785) from the business association. 　Before entering the Seoul Ce

Politics June 24, 2016

　Breathing in South Korea has become more risky. There have been a slew of reports from overseas that warned of worsening air pollution in Korea, with the latest being Yale University’s study released last Friday. It found that Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of air quality. 　One of the main culprits for the worsening air quality is particulate matter, otherwise known as fine dust. The small particles -- 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter -- can penetrate deep into the respirat

National June 24, 2016

The third-biggest People’s Party leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Wednesday urged the legislative body to come up with a comprehensive plan for reducing gaps in society, blaming the business and political elites for worsening socioeconomic inequalitiesDuring his debut speech as a party leader at the National Assembly, the entrepreneur-turned-politician also suggested that the political parties should set up a parliamentary committee to create more jobs in the future industry. People’s Party chairman

Politics June 22, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday urged the government to compile a “sizable” amount of supplementary budget, highlighting that extra spending is needed to bolster the nation’s faltering economy marred by rising unemployment. In a meeting with high-profile officials from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Saenuri lawmakers belonging to a special in-house committee on employment recommended that the government increase the amount of extra budget t

Politics June 21, 2016

The main opposition party leader pledged Tuesday to enact a strict law on South Korean conglomerates’ illegal business activities, pushing his agenda for “economic democratization” in an address to the National Assembly.The Minjoo Party of Korea’s chairman Rep. Kim Chong-in said that his party will seek to revise the Commercial Act in order to prevent large businesses from abusing their power and engaging in unfair business practices. “The job of a legislative body is to keep the activities of b

Politics June 21, 2016

In South Korea’s raucous politics, there has been one well-known gimmick favored by the nation’s power brokers to prove their point and turn things around: Going into hiding until someone finds you. Over the weekend, the ruling Saenuri Party’s interim leader Kim Hee-ok vacated his seat and stayed home to protest against the party’s decision to accept its defectors. The former justice threatened to leave his post, saying that the decision-making process was “undemocratic” and “offensive” to his l

Politics June 20, 2016

Dozens of lawmakers from the opposition parties introduced on Sunday a bill aimed to block middle and high schools from adopting history textbooks authored by the state. .The government decided last year to mandate that secondary schools use state-authored history textbooks, claiming that the previous books contained “ideologically-biased” descriptions. The Education Ministry plans to finish writing the book by this November and begin distributing them in March 2017. The measure prompted vehemen

Politics June 19, 2016

Dozens of lawmakers from the opposition parties introduced on Sunday a bill that would require middle and high schools to adopt history textbooks published by private entities in a move meant to block the government from reinstating state-authored textbooks.The government decided last year to mandate that secondary schools use state-authored history textbooks, claiming that the previous books contained “ideologically-biased” descriptions. The Education Ministry plans to finish writing the book b

Politics June 19, 2016

One of the most talked-about campaign ads in the last general election featured a candidate mimicking the main character of “House of Cards,” a popular U.S. show depicting the behind-the-scenes power struggle in the world of politics.  In a parody video clip that went viral, then-candidate Keum Tae-sup plays Frank Underwood, a Machiavellian politician played by actor Kevin Spacey. As the main theme music of the show plays in the background, Keum exchanges text messages with one of his campaigner

Politics June 16, 2016

The ruling Saenuri Party announced Thursday that it would let elected defectors return to the party, allowing its total seats in the National Assembly to outnumber the main opposition party.The interim leadership reached the much-debated decision to allow back seven lawmakers who were elected as independents. Among them is former party whip Rep. Yoo Seong-min.Upon the decision, Yoo along with Reps. Yoon Sang-hyun, Kang Ghil-boo and Ahn Sang-soo immediately filed a request to return to the party.

Politics June 16, 2016