The ruling Saenuri Party urged on Thursday a revision to the bill that was aimed at reforming the legislation process, blaming the rules for creating legislative gridlock. Senior members of the Saenuri Party criticized the so-called “National Assembly Advancement Act” for blocking the passage of key draft bills such as a national pension reform bill. The law requires the approval of more than three-fifths of lawmakers to put contentious draft bills to a final vote on the floor. “The National Adv

Politics May 28, 2015

The main opposition party decided on Tuesday to discipline an outspoken lawmaker for making incendiary remarks that triggered fractional feuds and leadership dysfunction, putting an end to weeks-long debates over the lawmaker’s vulgar comments. The New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s ethics committee said it would suspend Rep. Jung Chung-rae from his post in the party for a year. Jung’s remark, criticizing a fellow party member, was brought to the committee after NPAD members filed a protest a

Politics May 26, 2015

The main opposition party on Sunday named the chair of a committee that will drive reforms to end factional feuds and rebuild the party ahead of next year’s general election. The New Politics Alliance for Democracy said Sunday that Kim Sang-kon, the former chief of Gyeonggi Provincial Education Office, would chair the “innovation committee,” a reform body to overhaul the party, which has been beset by factional confrontations since its defeat in the April by-elections.Kim, 63, will exercise full

Politics May 25, 2015

The main opposition party on Friday officially proposed a former top Gyeonggi Province educator to head the new panel tasked to end factional feuds within the party, after failed attempts to initiate the party reform.Kim Sang-kon, former chief of Gyeonggi Provincial Education Office, said he would consider the offer, and make a decision by Sunday, according to a party official. Calls have been mounting for the New Politics Alliance for Democracy to undertake party reforms ahead of the general el

Politics May 22, 2015

Youths from Korea, Japan and China will gather in downtown Seoul on Saturday to participate in a music festival and ceremonial events to counter widespread cyberbullying and hateful Internet comments.Sunfull Movement, launched in 2007, said Thursday that it would hold a concert and ceremonies to showcase their campaign for benign Internet comments. The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul. The festival will be attended by 3,000 youths from Korea, Japan and C

Politics May 21, 2015

With the post of South Korea’s prime minister lying vacant for about a month calls are mounting for a new premier to be chosen to end the hiatus in governance as key policies remain deadlocked.President Park Geun-hye is likely to make her nomination within this week, news reports said, after failing to replace former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo who resigned last month due to the allegation that he received money from late businessman Sung Woan-jong. It was reported that the president has been str

Politics May 20, 2015

The negotiation on the civil service pension bill remained deadlocked on Monday as the Saenuri Party refused to budge while the main opposition faced internal disagreements over a compromise suggested by its newly-elected floor leader.Rep. Lee Jong-kul, the floor leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, offered a compromise on Sunday to rephrase the controversial “50 percent income replacement rate,” the number his party had insisted on putting in the bill.Instead, the agreement would

Politics May 18, 2015

South Korea’s top court ruled the tobacco business act constitutional on Monday, saying that there was no proof that smoking always caused lung cancer. The ruling came amid a heated public debate over whether smoking should be seen as a serious public health threat or a matter of individual’s rights. In a 7-to-2 decision, the Constitutional Court ruled against nine petitioners, saying that the legislation does not infringe on an individual’s right to health because there is no definite link betw

Social Affairs May 11, 2015

The number of elderly living alone increased over the past five years, a report showed Friday, adding to growing concerns over Korea’s rapidly aging population and its negative impact on the economy.The report said the number of senior citizens living alone in Korea hit almost 1.37 million in 2015, nearly a 20 percent increase from 2011, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s report, which was released by Rep. Hwang In-ja of the Saenuri Party. Senior citizens refer to those aged 65 or

Social Affairs May 8, 2015