The Korea Herald

Lee to replace at least 4 ministers

Aug 30, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak is expected to name on Wednesday successors to ministers of health, unification, gender equality and perhaps culture, as three of the incumbents plan to run in the general elections seven months away. Ministers Lee Jae-oh of special affairs, Chung Byoung-gug of culture and Ch
Savings bank lobbyist to weigh on elections

Aug 30, 2011

Parties stirred uneasily as the prosecution continued its interrogation of Park Tae-gyu, the key lobbyist involved in the Busan Savings Bank.Park’s case, together with that of Seoul Educational Superintendent Kwak No-hyun’s bribery allegations, is shaking up the political landscape ahead of the upco
Lee to conduct minor Cabinet reshuffle Wednesday

Aug 30, 2011

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak will conduct a minor Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday that may affect five ministries, including one in charge of North Korean affairs, presidential officials said Tuesday.The planned reshuffle is seen as Lee's latest attempt to revitalize his conserv
South Korea eyes vote ban for pro-North Korea overseas residents

Aug 29, 2011

South Korea may ban overseas residents with pro-North Korea attitudes from taking part in national elections, officials said, a controversial move aimed at preventing Pyongyang from wielding influence over local politics. Starting from April next year, some 2.5 million Koreans living abroad will be
Kwak’s case keeps parties on edge

Aug 29, 2011

DP Joins call for resignation; Oct. 26 by-elections may include education chief The opposition camp faced an unexpected obstacle in gearing up for elections including for Seoul mayor, as calls for the city’s liberal education chief to resign over bribery allegations indicated his position may also b
Parties to clash over U.S. FTA ratification

Aug 28, 2011

Rival political parties are expected to clash once again over the long-disputed Korea-U.S Free Trade Agreement ratification during the parliament’s regular session, starting this week. The ruling Grand National Party aims at having the pact ratified within October, in step with the U.S. Congress, wh
Race heating up for Seoul mayoral post

Aug 28, 2011

Rep. Chun of DP abandons parliamentary seat to run in Oct. 26 by-electionParties rushed to establish strategies for the Seoul mayor selection in the Oct. 26 by-elections, after Oh Se-hoon’s resignation on Friday.The ruling Grand National Party strove to defend its control of the Korean capital and t
Lee may conduct minor Cabinet reshuffle this week

Aug 28, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak is expected to conduct a minor Cabinet reshuffle, possibly including the minister in charge of North Korean affairs, as early as Monday before the National Assembly convenes next month, officials said Sunday. The expected reshuffle is seen as Lee's latest attempt to revitaliz
Mayor resigns, parties brace for by-elections

Aug 26, 2011

Oh says excessive welfare will increase taxes, place burden on next generationOh Se-hoon resigned as mayor of Seoul Friday, as he had pledged, saying he will take responsibility for his failure to thwart an opposition-led plan to give all elementary school students free school meals from next year.H
Defeated Seoul Mayor resigns over failed free lunch vote

Aug 26, 2011

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- Embattled Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced his resignation Friday, saying he would take responsibility for his failed attempt to block the free lunch program in a referendum earlier this week.The decision came two days after the vote on the opposition-led free lunch progra
GNP in dilemma over when Oh should step down

Aug 25, 2011

Seoul mayor expected to announce position by Friday at the latestThe ruling Grand National Party on Thursday struggled to agree on when Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon should resign, a day after the city’s referendum on free school meals was invalidated due to low turnout.Having vowed to quit if the referend
Names being floated for next Seoul mayor

Aug 25, 2011

With Oh Se-hoon expected to step down as Seoul mayor, rival political camps were pondering Thursday over who among their members has the best shot at winning the post, which some say is second most influential in Korea after the president. In media reports, a handful of names are being floated as po
Oh’s pet projects face uncertainty

Aug 25, 2011

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s ambitious yet controversial, projects to beautify the capital city face an uncertain future as he is expected to quit after Wednesday’s failed referendum. For the past five years in office, the conservative mayor has single-handedly pushed some costly works in Seoul, defying
Five men indicted in pro-N. Korean spy ring bust

Aug 25, 2011

Prosecutors said on Thursday they have investigated 10 South Koreans of spying for the North Korean regime for more than a decade, leaking political and military secrets in the latest in a long series of espionage cases.Operating in an underground anti-state organization called Wangjaesan, the name
Embattled Seoul mayor mulls early resignation

Aug 25, 2011

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will soon announce when he will resign over the failed free lunch vote after consulting with his ruling Grand National Party (GNP) to minimize its negative impact ahead of next year's major polls, his aides said Thursday.A referendum was held on Wednesday to ask Seoul resident