The Korea Herald

Lee names top aide Kwon as justice minister

Jul 15, 2011

Han nominated as prosecutor generalPresident Lee Myung-bak on Friday named his top aide for civil affairs Kwon Jae-jin as the new justice minister despite objections from some ruling and opposition lawmakers.Lee also nominated Han Sang-dae, chief of the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, as the prosecutor general to succeed Kim Joon-kyu who resigned in apparent discomfort over the passage of a bil
Sex scandal rumors fly at Assembly

Jul 15, 2011

The National Assembly was recently shaken by a series of sex scandals, most of them involving members of the Grand National Party.Earlier this month, a major daily newspaper reported that a married ruling party lawmaker sexually harassed a drunken woman in a taxi and handed over money to the driver who threatened to upload the recorded file on the Internet.The subject of the article was the illici
S. Korea, China agree to high-level military dialogue, bolster security cooperation

Jul 15, 2011

Defense chiefs of South Korea and China on Friday agreed to establish an annual “strategic defense dialogue,” paving the way for enhanced cooperation in tackling peninsular and regional security issues, officials said.During their talks in Beijing, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Chinese counterpart Gen. Liang Guanglie also expressed their opposition to “any acts that undermine peace and sta
Hong says main aim is private investment

Jul 14, 2011

GNP leader says will ensure smooth nomination of presidential candidateThe Grand National Party Chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo pledged to act as a “windbreak” for other frontrunners in the race for presidential candidacy next year.“I have no intention to enter candidacy, nor am I entitled to do so, according to our party constitution,” said the ruling party leader.“My role is to act as a connecting b
‘Lee may nominate new justice minister by Friday’

Jul 14, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak is expected to nominate a new justice minister and new prosecutor-general as early as Friday, an official said Thursday, as Lee faces opposition from within his own party against naming one of his secretaries for the minister’s post.The nominations will be announced after consultations with the ruling Grand National Party and background checks on candidates to see if they a
Korea regrets Japan’s boycott of Korean Air in Dokdo spat

Jul 14, 2011

Korea regrets Japan’s boycott of Korean Air in Dokdo spatThe Korean government expressed its regret on Thursday after Japan reportedly instructed diplomats not to use Korean Air planes in protest over its showcase flight over the disputed Dokdo islets.The Korean Foreign Ministry urged Tokyo lift the order immediately and pledged stern responses against any Japanese moves encroaching Korea’s sovere
Lee awards highest national security order to U.S. commanders

Jul 13, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak awarded South Korea's highest order of national security merit to the outgoing chief of U.S. forces in Korea and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff at a ceremony Wednesday, participants said. Gen. Walter Sharp and Adm. Michael Mullen were given the Tong-Il Medal of the Order of National Security Merit for their contributions to the defense of South Korea, part
Bugging scandal hits politics, journalism

Jul 13, 2011

State broadcaster KBS denies bugging allegations, calls probe threat to press freedomAllegations of bugging involving the state-run broadcaster KBS have sparked criticism over “unethical journalism,” with others denouncing the ongoing investigation into the claims as an infringement on press freedom.The suspicion is that on June 23, a 33-year-old KBS reporter, surnamed Jang, bugged a closed-door m
Seoul mayor marks 1st year of 2nd term, decries spending

Jul 13, 2011

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pledged to fight “welfare populism” in a city council bill to offer free school meals at all schools in the capital.“If we don’t overcome ‘welfare populism,’ the democracy of our nation cannot move forward,” he noted at the press conference marking the first year of his second term Wednesday.“Seoul citizens have made a wise move to put the free school lunch on referendum and
Lee says will consult GNP on appointments

Jul 13, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak told the newly-elected leadership of the ruling Grand National Party over lunch on Wednesday that he will discuss with them before nominating the new justice minister and the prosecutor-general amid backlash from both ruling and opposition lawmakers against the president’s top candidate.During his first official meeting with the new GNP leader Hong Joon-pyo and other member
GNP leader picks close aide as new secretary-general

Jul 12, 2011

A close aide to the newly-elected chairman of the Grand National Party Hong Joon-pyo was appointed secretary-general on Tuesday, despite backlash from pro-Lee Myung-bak and pro-Park Geun-hye groups.Floor leader Hwang Woo-yea and policy chairman Lee Ju-young, together with council members Reps. Nam Kyung-pil and Na Kyung-won, supported the chairman’s selection and approved Rep. Kim Chung-kwon as ne
Parties target tough constituencies

Jul 12, 2011

DP lawmakers eye GNP home turf; ruling party mulls replacing veteransParties are seeking to turn the table in next year’s general elections with a bold lineup of possible candidates as some veteran lawmakers gave up their candidacy or pledged to run in strategically important areas other than their home-turf constituencies.Rep. Kim Hyo-seuk, a third-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic
Korea crippled by chronic corruption

Jul 12, 2011

President Lee in uphill battle to keep his ‘fair society’ campaign afloatA workplace inspector suspected of taking bribes from companies called on a police investigator and tried to bribe him with an envelope of cash only to be caught red-handed early this year.When police later raided the Seoul branch office of the Employment and Labor Ministry, where the inspector surnamed Park worked, they foun
GNP chiefs to cancel tax cuts, reduce tuition

Jul 11, 2011

The ruling Grand National Party, led by newly elected chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, has announced a reformative, “people-friendly” stance.In the party workshop at the National Assembly on Sunday, the Supreme Council and the policy committee agreed almost unanimously to slash university tuition fees and reinforce regulations over conglomerates.The plan also included overturning additional corporate
Lee to name new top prosecutor, justice chief

Jul 11, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak, who returned from his African tour Monday, is expected to replace the justice minister, prosecutor-general and senior presidential secretary for civil affairs later this month.In protest over a bill which state prosecutors believe restricts their investigative rights, Prosecutor General Kim Joon-kyu offered to resign last week while Lee was in South Africa. Lee is likely t