"나는 7년 동안 북에 가지 못하고 있다. 북측 형제들이 여권도 없이 왔다갔다 하는 게 아름답고 좋더라. 한발 짝 이라도 가서 고향 사람들 보고 싶었다. 북한 공연단이 내 딸 같았다. 마지막 가는 길을 바래주고 싶었다. 영영 못 만날까봐 두려움도 들었다.”12일 오전 평창동계올림픽 축하공연을 마치고 북측으로 돌아가던 북한 예술단을 향해 “평양시민”이라고 자신을 소개한 뒤 “집에 빨리 보내달라”라고 외치던 탈북자 김련희(48ㆍ여) 씨, 그는 이날 행사가 끝난 후 코리아헤럴드와 가진 인터뷰에서 이날 파주 도라산 남북출입사무소(CIQ)를 찾은 이유를 이같이 밝혔다. 김련희 (연합뉴스 제공)김 씨는 탈북한 2011년부터 탈북 브로커에게 속아 남측으로 오게 됐다며 북측 송환을 정부에 요구하고 있다. 정부는 그간 김씨의 북송이 불가하다는 입장을 고수해왔다. 김씨가 탈북 당시 남한 국민이 되겠다는 서약서를 스스로 썼다는 것이다. 김씨를 북송할 법적인 근거가 없다는 것도 정부의 설명이다. 이에 대

한국어판 Feb. 12, 2018

A North Korean defector, who has long demanded the South Korean government allow her to return to the North, said her hopes are up that she may be able to go back under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration.Kim Ryen-hui caught the South Korean public by surprise Monday morning when ran toward a bus parked at Dorasan Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Office that was to carry a North Korean art troupe back North after two performances to mark the PyeongChang Olympics.  Kim Ryen-hui (Yonhap)Wavi

North Korea Feb. 12, 2018

The center-left opposition People’s Party finalized its decision Sunday to merge with the center-right Bareun Party, calling an end to their party after just two years, ready to start anew.In an all-member vote, which was conducted over three days from Thursday, 73.6 percent of the 53,981 ballots cast supported the proposed merger, while 26 percent opposed, the party’s election committee announced in the party’s last general meeting at the National Assembly. The turnout rate was 20.2 percent.  C

Politics Feb. 11, 2018

Snow that started in the early hours of Sunday in the North and South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces and on Jeju Island is to spread to other areas and continue throughout the day, the state weather agency said Sunday. The Korean Meteorological Administration issued heavy snow warnings for South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province, where 2 to 4 centimeters of snow has accumulated. It said the snow in some areas would continue until the wee hours of Tuesday, Across the country, up to

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2018

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said dialogue between North Korea and the United States is “absolutely necessary” and “urgent” so as to avoid any unpredictable and dangerous situations amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula, during a lecture on Thursday. “I think it’s not a question of possibility. This kind of dialogue is absolutely necessary, and it’s urgent because we need to quickly start to have a serious discussion to avoid the kinds of misunderstanding and escalation that can a

Social Affairs Feb. 8, 2018

The court ordered government bodies to compensate the family of a public servant who took her own life after suffering from sexual harassment and workplace bullying, according to the prosecution Tuesday.The Seoul High Court ordered the Government Employees Pension Service to compensate the family of the female civil servant in December, saying the organization did not provide proper treatment for the victim even after she reported several incidents.  (Yonhap)The married victim, who was working i

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2018

A two-day forum on sustainable development kicked off in Seoul on Wednesday, bringing together experts and international leaders to promote partnership among nations and organizations to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals.The first Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development was held at Yonsei University in Seoul, hosted by Yonsei University Global Engagement and Empowerment Institute and Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizens, which is based in Austria. (Yonhap)Fo

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2018

A close aide to former President Lee Myung-bak strongly denounced the prosecution and the government Tuesday for pointing to Lee as the main culprit in a spy agency fund scandal. The former lawmaker, Cho Hae-jin, also hinted that Lee is reconsidering accepting President Moon Jae-in’s invitation to the opening and closing ceremonies of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.  Former President Lee Myung-bak (Yonhap)“It is difficult to make a decision on Cheong Wa Dae’s invitation, while the prosecution a

Social Affairs Feb. 6, 2018

Lawmakers who bolted from the minor opposition People’s Party launched a new liberal party Tuesday, ending a monthslong dispute over the leadership’s push to merge with a center-right political faction.Fifteen lawmakers and their supporters held an inauguration ceremony of Party for Democracy and Peace at the National Assembly and declared its goal to be a party that puts the livelihood of the people as its priority and promote reform in politics.  Cho Bae-sook, the leader of the new Party for D

Politics Feb. 6, 2018

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was freed Thursday, as a Seoul appeals court cleared him of major charges and handed down a suspended sentence. The Seoul High Court overturned a lower court’s five-year sentence and handed down two years and six months in prison suspended for four years for bribery -- rejecting the special counsel’s argument that it was linked to his succession. Prosecutors had maintained a 12-year prison term for Lee.The 50-year-old scion of the biggest conglomera

Industry Feb. 5, 2018

The temperature will drop back down over the weekend after the slight rise during the week, the weather agency said. On Friday night, it will snow in most regions, including Seoul.The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a cold wave warning for northern Gyeonggi Province, North Chungcheong Province and North Gyeongsang Province.  (Yonhap)During the weekend, the skies will be cloudy overall and snow will continue into Saturday morning for some regions in the southern part of the Peninsula,

Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2018

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea came up with a plan for the revision of the Constitution on Friday, which includes changing the current single five-year presidency and naming popular uprisings in the preface to the Constitution.On the second day of the party’s discussion on how to revise the Constitution, the party’s Floor Leader Rep. Woo Won-shik said they have decided to promote a change in the presidential system but maintain it as well. While there were many who favored a four-year two-

Politics Feb. 2, 2018

The Justice Ministry launched a sexual harassment prevention committee Friday, amid public outrage triggered by a female prosecutor’s revelation of sexual misconduct by a former Justice Ministry official.The newly established committee will investigate sex crimes that occurred at the Ministry of Justice and affiliated organizations, and come up with measures to prevent further occurrences. The prosecution, which has launched its own investigation team, will not be subjected to the ministry’s pro

Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2018

The head of a special probe team looking in to the sexual harassment allegation inside the Prosecution on Thursday vowed to get to the bottom of the case to prevent a repeat of such crimes. “I wish for the special investigation team to lead to creating a working environment where two genders can work together on equal footing,” Cho Hee-jin, the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office said in a press conference in front of the prosecution. The 10 member-investigation te

Social Affairs Feb. 1, 2018