The defection of the main opposition party’s former leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo appeared to leave the party’s dissenting lawmakers with a tough choice: join him or wait for the public reaction to his departure in the opinion polls.　The chaotic power struggle within the New Politics Alliance for Democracy was also seen as a reason for the delay in inter-party negotiations over how to draw up next year’s constituencies. The registration of preliminary candidates is set to begin on Tuesday without a

Politics Dec. 14, 2015

The New Politics Alliance for Democracy party’s former leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo bolted from the main opposition party Sunday, further aggravating factional strife and foreshadowing a realignment of the opposition bloc ahead of the parliamentary elections slated for next April.   　　During a press conference at the National Assembly, the entrepreneur-turned-politician pledged to establish a new political group strong enough to win the 2017 presidential vote, noting that his struggle to realize po

Latest News Dec. 13, 2015

The National Assembly kicked off its 30-day extraordinary session on Thursday in an effort to pass contentious bills that were shelved from the 100-day regular session due to partisan bickering over bills on business regulations, national security and election rules.  　But the prospect of the bills clearing the Assembly remained uncertain as the rival parties have yet to agree on the parliamentary schedule for legislation, even as the outstanding bills are stuck at relevant committees. 　Frustrat

National Dec. 10, 2015

A debate on racism in Korea was sparked over the weekend by a news report on the country’s first naturalized-citizen lawmaker, Rep. Jasmine Lee, who was seen eating chocolate in the National Assembly’s plenary hall.　Local media outlet Focus News claimed last Friday that Lee had violated parliamentary law during the Dec. 2 plenary session by eating a candy bar and demonstrated inappropriate behavior by playing games on her cellphone. The Assembly law bars lawmakers from bringing food into the hal

Politics Dec. 9, 2015

Main opposition party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in Tuesday rejected demands by dissenting party members that he step down in an escalating power game between the current leadership and the sidelined faction ahead of next year’s parliamentary race.The chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy refused to accept a proposal from former cochairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo and other nonmainstream lawmakers to hold a national caucus early next year and elect new leadership before the 2016 general electi

Politics Dec. 8, 2015

Main opposition party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in Tuesday rejected demands by dissenting party members that he step down, in an escalating power game between the current leadership and the sidelined faction ahead of next year’s parliamentary race.　The chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy refused to accept a proposal from former cochairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo and other nonmainstream lawmakers to hold a national caucus early next year and elect a new leadership before the 2016 general el

National Dec. 8, 2015

With South Korean youths struggling to get jobs amid the worsening employment rate, the nation’s higher education trend has been shifting toward practical courses like finance and engineering and away from liberal arts, which many job seekers have dismissed as irrelevant to their future careers. But Smith College president Kathleen McCartney believes otherwise. The head the leading liberal arts college in the U.S. stressed that what students learn through flexible curriculum provided by the libe

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Monday called in the ruling Saenuri Party leadership to Cheong Wa Dae and urged them to speed up the legislation of pending bills on economy, labor reform and counterterrorism, calling them crucial to revitalizing the economy and protecting the people.“How will (you) face the people if you fail (to pass the pending bills) when you head into the general elections next year?” Park told Saenuri chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung and floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-cheol.“It is a make-o

Politics Dec. 7, 2015

Factional infighting at the main opposition party showed no signs of abating as the party’s former cochairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Sunday reiterated his call for an early convention to replace current chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in.　Ahn of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy demanded last week that a party caucus be held by January to select a new leadership before the April 13 general election. Moon rejected the idea Thursday but instead accepted a set of reform measures suggested by Ahn three

National Dec. 6, 2015

The National Assembly late Wednesday passed legislation that authorizes the government to impose taxes on religious leaders who have been exempt from taxation since the establishment of the South Korean government in 1948. Nearly 50 years after repeated and failed attempts to revise the law, lawmakers managed to add religious workers to the taxable list despite vehement opposition from South Korea’s big churches, one of the most influential voting groups in Korea’s conservative bloc. Korea is th

Politics Dec. 3, 2015

The South Korean government’s move to publish state-authored textbooks mimics tactics used by countries that attempt to control public memory of the past following their transition from dictatorships to democracies, a leading political theorist said.　John Keane, political science professor at the University of Sydney who authored “The Life and Death of Democracy,” stressed that democratic societies must allow people with different viewpoints to debate over different interpretations of history. 　

Politics Nov. 29, 2015

　Kim Hyun-chul, the second son of the late President Kim Young-sam, had a powerful nickname when his father was in office -- “little president.” 　The junior Kim was said to have been one of the late president’s aides who stood beside him during his years of democratic struggle. After Kim Young-sam entered Cheong Wa Dae, however, Kim Hyun-chul started to peddle influence in various state affairs involving major conglomerates who wanted to reach out to the president. In 1997, as his father’s presi

Politics Nov. 29, 2015