President Moon Jae-in said Friday he would remove the controversial financial watchdog chief if his overseas trips are found to have been illegal or unethical as a lawmaker. Kim Ki-sik, who was appointed head of the Financial Supervisory Service on April 2, has been under fire for overseas trips in 2014 and 2015, when he was a lawmaker and member of the National Policy Committee. Opposition parties called for Kim’s dismissal, saying the trips had been sponsored by the Korea Exchange, Korea Insti

Politics April 13, 2018

Although the recent #MeToo movement in Korea has encouraged many to open up about their experiences of sexual assault and harassment, the victims often end up suffering secondary victimization by third parties who cast doubt on their claims and pass judgment.Addressing growing concerns over secondary victimization, a women’s rights activist on Wednesday urged for changes to the law and policies, adding that society should stop expecting victims to behave in a certain way.  (National Police Agenc

Social Affairs April 12, 2018

Opinions are divided over the government’s announcement that it will change the planned qualification test for taxi drivers over 65 to a medical assessment. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Thursday posted a public notice of a bid to require a medical test for taxi drivers over 65 years of age, rather than the qualification test that was planned for implementation starting next January.(Yonhap)Amid rising concerns by the rate of car accidents involving senior drivers, the mi

Social Affairs April 10, 2018

The prosecution on Wednesday indicted former President Lee Myung-bak on a series of charges involving tens of billions of won in embezzlement and bribery, making him the fourth Korean president to face criminal charges.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said they had indicted 76-year-old Lee on 16 charges, including violation of election law, tax evasion, abuse of power and leaking of government secrets.The former president, who served from 2008 to 2013, became the fourth president i

Politics April 9, 2018

Former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in prison and a fine of 18 billion won ($16.8 million) on Friday, over the massive corruption scandal that led to her ouster in March last year. The Seoul Central District Court convicted Park on 16 of 18 charges, which included abuse of power, coercion, bribery and the leaking of government secrets. Prosecutors had demanded 30 years in prison and a fine of 118.5 billion won. The ruling, which was first of its kind made by the lowest court

Social Affairs April 6, 2018

A Seoul court is to deliver its verdict Friday for former President Park Geun-hye over the massive corruption scandal that led to her ouster last year. The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to start the sentencing hearing at 2:10 p.m. It will be the first ruling by the lowest court to be televised live. Last year, the Supreme Court amended the law to allow broadcasting of a trial if deemed necessary in the public’s interest. Park, 66, faces 18 charges including bribery, abuse of power an

Social Affairs April 5, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday announced plans to increase public after-school day care services for children from 7 to 12 years of age to relieve the burdens of households where both parents work.In a policy presentation conference held in Kyungdong Elementary School in Seoul, Moon explained the plan to expand day care services to allow 200,000 more elementary school students to use the services by the end of 2022. President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“The government and the society should be resp

Social Affairs April 4, 2018

Ahn Cheol-soo, a former presidential candidate and former leader of an opposition party, announced Wednesday his bid to run in the Seoul mayoral election in June. Ahn is currently the recruitment chief of the center-right Bareunmirae Party, which has been struggling with low support ratings and difficulties finding competent candidates to run in the local and gubernatorial elections slated for June 13. Ahn Cheol-soo (Yonhap)“With the belief that South Korea will change when Seoul changes, I aim

Politics April 4, 2018

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Tuesday announced its proposal for a constitutional amendment that seeks to redistribute presidential powers, hinting at a difficult negotiating process with the ruling party.The conservative party also outlined its preferred timeline to bring to the table an amendment bill at the National Assembly in June and put it to a national referendum by September.Floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae of main opposition Liberty Korea Party (Yonhap)The main opposition’s

Politics April 3, 2018

In front of the Hyoja community service center, just 200 meters away from the presidential office in Seoul, some 3,000 parents and volunteer workers took to the streets to demand support for people with developmental disabilities on Monday. During the rally organized by Korean Parents’ Network for People with Disabilities, 209 parents and activists also shaved their heads, in the hopes that their pleadings will be better heard and seen by the government.“We are parents who have to take care of o

Social Affairs April 2, 2018

Korean parents’ emphasis on education, in particular their keen interest in early English language education, are well-known. Teaching children a foreign language while they are still learning their first language may raise concerns. However, Stacy Molnar, the head of the elementary school at St. Johnsbury Academy on Jeju Island, said it is crucial to build a foundation for children’s mother tongue in order for them to more effectively learn another language.St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju Elementary

Social Affairs April 2, 2018

Recent comments by the presidential office on the website Ilbe Storehouse indicate that it may be possible to abolish the website if the majority of its contents are unlawful. On Friday, presidential secretary for legal affairs Kim Hyung-yeon explained that the Korea Communications Commission could order the deletion or a halt to the distribution of illegal content, in response to an online petition calling for the abolishment of the website. “When more than 70 percent of the uploaded content is

Social Affairs March 26, 2018

As fine dust reached its highest level for March -- rising three to four times higher than the average recorded since 2015 -- over the weekend, the Environment Ministry issued warnings and the government announced measures in response to the situation Sunday. The Ministry of Environment issued emergency pollution measures and convened an emergency situation room to monitor the air quality. It also asked local governments to take appropriate measures against the increase of fine dust in the atmos

Social Affairs March 25, 2018

With Cheong Wa Dae set to table its constitutional amendment proposal Monday, parties are struggling to narrow their differences in an effort to come up with their own revision plan.The government’s proposal includes plans to change the current five-year single term presidency to a four-year term with the possibility of re-election. It will be discussed in a Cabinet meeting Monday morning before it is passed on to President Moon Jae-in for approval to be submitted to the National Assembly.The Li

Politics March 25, 2018

The courts on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former President Lee Myung-bak, who is suspected of a string of allegations including bribery, embezzlement and power abuse. Ex-President Lee Myung-bak waves to his supporters before being taken to a Seoul detention house on Thursday night. (Yonhap)The allegations against him include bribery of some 11 billion won ($10.3 million) from the state spy agency, individuals and conglomerates, such as Samsung. The former president, who was in office f

Social Affairs March 22, 2018