Legislation to exempt taxes on Islamic bonds and tap into the Islamic finance market missed the boat again amid fierce opposition from Protestant leaders, one of whom threatened to topple President Lee Myung-bak.The governing Grand National Party delayed deliberations on the Islamic bond bill last week, fearing conflict with religious groups ahead of the April by-elections.Rev. Cho Yong-gi, senior

President’s key supporter calls for parliamentary move on amendment to basic lawPresident Lee Myung-bak feels an urgent need to revise the country’s decades-old Constitution but believes the issue is up to the parliament and not his office, his spokesperson has said.The issue of redrawing the Constitution, created in 1987, has sparked political disputes here, especially as the move could change th

Vote seen as a yardstick for parliamentary, presidential polls in 2012Rival parties are striving to field powerful candidates to win the crucial April 27 by-elections, regarded as a prelude to the parliamentary and presidential elections slated for next year.The vote is expected to serve as a political weather vane ahead of the two major elections as it is a nationwide poll to fill at least 26 pos

An opposition lawmaker has recently changed her family’s permanent address of origin to Dokdo in protest against Japan’s sovereignty claim over the rocky islets in the East Sea.Rep. Park Sun-young, the spokeswoman for the Liberty Forward Party, said Sunday that her family transferred their domicile from Gyeonggi Province to Dokdo on Feb. 22.It was the first time for a lawmaker to have their family

   WASHINGTON (AP) _ Ratcheting up the pressure, U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has lost his legitimacy to rule and urged the Libyan leader to leave power immediately.   It was the first time Obama has called for Gadhafi to step down, coming after days of bloodshed in Libya. Gadhafi has vowed to fight to the end to maintain his four-decade grip on power

   A female opposition lawmaker said Sunday that she has transferred her permanent address to Dokdo, seeking to put further pressure on President Lee Myung-bak's government to sternly deal with Japan's frequent claims to the easternmost South Korean islets.   Rep. Park Sun-young, who serves as the spokesperson of the minor Liberty Forward Party, told Yonhap News Agency that she changed her permane

A second South Korea-chartered plane has flown out of Libya as part of Seoul's efforts to evacuate its nationals from the North African nation engulfed in bloody clashes between protesters and government forces, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.The special Korean Air flight left the Libyan capital of Tripoli with 236 South Koreans on board around 11 p.m. Friday (6 a.m. Saturday Korean time) befo

South Korea said Thursday it has ordered its anti-piracy naval unit stationed in Somali waters to sail toward Libya in case its plan to evacuate its nationals out of the troubled African country goes awry.   The dispatch of the 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young comes as anti-government protests intensify in Libya where leader Moammar Gadhafi is reportedly mobilizing armed units to strike those who op

Presidential office to check on oil supply, draw up plans to protect KoreansPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday instructed his government to closely monitor the continuing turmoil in the Middle East and take steps to minimize its economic impact during an emergency meeting with related ministers.Lee also called for utmost efforts to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Libya as violent uprisings

Better communication, political coordination key to president’s successPresident Lee Myung-bak greets the third anniversary of his inauguration Friday with a stack of uncompleted policy tasks and lingering concerns of political estrangement.Tricky pending tasks include deciding where to locate a 3.5-trillion-won science-business belt and a new international airport in the southeastern region, both

President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday named scientist and former minister Kim Doh-yeon as chief of the National Science and Technology Council.Under a revised bill passed late last year, the presidential advisory panel is to become a standing organization in charge of distributing the state budget for research and development, starting in April.The upgrade of the council to the nation’s top decisio

Ruling party still pushing for negotiation with opposition groupsThe main opposition Democratic Party has said it will not participate in any talks on constitutional revision before the parliamentary elections next year.“There will be no discussions on constitutional amendment in the 18th National Assembly,” DP floor leader Park Jie-won said Tuesday during his speech as the representative of a par