After days of frigid cold, temperatures are forecast to ease up Friday, recording an average low of minus 11 degrees Celsius and rising to 9 C during the day. As of 9 a.m., Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, was showing minus 7.8 degrees Celsius, Daejeon minus 2.9 degrees Celsius, Gwangju 0.3 degrees Celsius and Busan 2.1 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.  (Yonhap)In Seoul, the morning temperature was at minus 6 degrees Celsius at 9 a.m. and expected to rise to 2 d

Social Affairs Jan. 5, 2018

South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan said Tuesday the upcoming Winter Olympics in the country will usher in an era of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.In his New Year's address to Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employees, Do also welcomed North Korea's show of interest in participating in the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Winter Games. South Korea's Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan (Yonhap)On New Year's Day, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he would consider sending a delegatio

Olympic Games Jan. 2, 2018

An internal feud has erupted within Fantagio Corp., a mid-sized entertainment agency in South Korea, in the wake of the recent dismissal of its CEO by a China-based shareholder, according to employees Tuesday.Last Thursday, Fantagio founder and CEO Na Byeong-joon was unilaterally fired by JC Group, a China-based private equity fund which acquired a 50.07 percent controlling stake in the agency in October last year. JC’s Korean branch, Gold Finance Korea, which controls Fantagio, announced that t

Television Jan. 2, 2018

South Korea’s two minor parties are speeding up their merger process, following the People‘s Party’s all-member vote that favored the proposed merger with Bareun Party.In the four-day vote of confidence for Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, who proposed the merger with the center-right Bareun Party, 74.6 percent voted for Ahn, while 25.6 percent opposed, the party’s election committee announced on Sunday. Ahn vowed to take the lead in creating a new party that would bring changes to South Korean politics.

Politics Jan. 2, 2018

South Korea’s two minor parties are speeding up their merger process, following the People‘s Party’s all-member vote that favored the proposed merger with Bareun Party.In the four-day vote of confidence for Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, who proposed the merger with the center-right Bareun Party, 74.6 percent voted for Ahn, while 25.6 percent opposed, the party’s election committee announced on Sunday. People’s Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo delivers a New Year’s speech at the party’s headquarters in Yeo

Politics Jan. 1, 2018

A North Korean nuclear scientist, who was caught in China while attempting to defect to South Korea, took his own life after he was forced to return home, a US broadcaster said Friday. According to Radio Free Asia, the defector who was a researcher at the physics center of the State Academy of Sciences in Pyongyang took poison in a state security cell while awaiting interrogation. (Yonhap)“He killed himself only a few hours after he was placed in solitary confinement at the State Security Depart

North Korea Dec. 29, 2017

The number of North Koreans requesting asylum in Europe has dropped since 2013, according to the EU statistics agency Eurostat on Friday.The statistics showed that 85 North Korean defectors sought asylum in 28 European Union member states and four countries from the European Free Trade Association last year. (Yonhap)Among them, 70 requested refuge for the first time and 15 were making the request for the second time after initially being rejected.By gender, more women requested asylum in Europe,

North Korea Dec. 29, 2017

A four-day vote of confidence in the People’s Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo kicked off Wednesday, as he called for an all-member ballot to make a final decision on a proposed merger with the fellow minor opposition Bareun Party. The two minor opposition parties have long struggled to gain a foothold at the National Assembly, as two major parties dominate the legislative process. As a way of reaching a breakthrough, the leaders of the center-left People‘s Party and center-right Bareun Party have p

Politics Dec. 28, 2017

Political parties on Thursday expressed anger and called on the government to come up with a solution, as they reacted to the Foreign Ministry’s task force findings on Wednesday that revealed the former Park Geun-hye administration had deliberately kept secret parts of the 2015 agreement made with Japan on military sex slaves issue. The task force also concluded that the 2015 deal failed to resolve the issue and did not reflect the public sentiment.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party, howeve

Politics Dec. 28, 2017

A four-day vote of confidence began Wednesday for People’s Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo to decide on a proposed merger with the center-right Bareun Party. The vote is being conducted online from Wednesday to Thursday, and by ARS poll for another two days. The People’s Party has about 270,000 members.  People’s Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo (right) and Bareun Party Chairman Yoo Seong-min speak at a conference on political merger at the National Assembly on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The question being pos

Politics Dec. 27, 2017

The divide between political parties over when to hold a public referendum on constitutional revision has delayed the opening of a plenary session, raising concerns that pending bills will be held off until next year.The one-month parliamentary session for December, which was to end Saturday, was automatically extended to Jan. 9 after a plenary session scheduled Friday was canceled.　 First-term lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea urge opposition parties to cooperate on holding a

Politics Dec. 26, 2017

The presidential office on Sunday confirmed it imported anthrax vaccines this year, but denied claims that it has only vaccinated its officials against the disease.Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said in a press release that the purchase was planned by the former administration in early 2016 and that this was reflected in the budget this year.  Presidential office spokesman Park Soo-hyun (Yonhap)“The need to introduce anthrax vaccines came after the anthrax delivery accident at the US m

Social Affairs Dec. 25, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of cooperation between Seoul and Beijing, calling for joint efforts in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear issues, in an address given at Peking University on Friday.“North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches are not limited to South Korea. Its nuclear provocations have raised tension, and threatens not only Seoul but also threatens peace and development of China,” he said in a special lecture to 290 student audiences at the Peking

Politics Dec. 15, 2017

Incheon Global Campus in South Korea is emerging as a leading global education hub in Northeast Asia, providing education to foster the next generation of global leaders in various sectors. A project led by the central government and Incheon Metropolitan City, the educational complex has the campuses of five universities ranking in the top 100 in the global university index.  (Incheon Global Campus)National and local governments have invested about 1 trillion won ($918 million) in the IGC, aimin

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2017

President Moon Jae-in’s ongoing campaign to right past wrongs has put the main opposition Liberty Korea Party on edge. From a first-term lawmaker to party heavyweights, over seven of its politicians have been investigated for corruption or are soon to face interrogation. The latest to come under scrutiny was five-term lawmaker Rep. Won Yoo-chul, who on Wednesday was questioned by the prosecution on the allegation of receiving hundreds of millions of won in illicit political funds from local busi

Politics Dec. 13, 2017