Friday is the 24th anniversary of massive civil disobedience against a military-backed strongman. White-collar workers as well as student activists rose up against President Chun Doo-hwan, a former Army general, demanding that democracy be restored. Chun capitulated three weeks later, on June 29, promising a direct popular vote to elect the next president.Students are set to stage another protest

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced his bid for reelection. In a news conference held in New York on Monday, he disclosed that he had asked the 192 member countries of the world body to consider him for a second five-year term. His current term ends Dec. 31.Wire reports say Ban’s reelection is virtually assured, as he faces no opponents and has the backing of the five veto-wielding me

The confrontation between lawmakers and prosecutors over the fate of the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has taken a new turn following the presidential office’s opposition to the parliamentary bid to scrap the powerful investigation unit.The presidential office advocated on Monday the continued existence of the CID, saying that the prosecution needs a strong in

The two Koreas have so far had two summits, first in 2000 and second in 2007. Those reading the “declarations” from what were hailed as historic meetings would be dismayed at the little effect they have had on the relations between the two parts of the Korean Peninsula.In the two documents, the South and the North agreed to build mutual trust through economic cooperation and exchanges in all field

With the operational deployment of its second Aegis-class destroyer, the 7,600-ton Yulgok YiYi, in the East Sea last week, the Republic of Korea Navy has significantly increased its defense capabilities. The addition of the Yulgok YiYi means that the Navy now has 11 destroyers of 3,000 tons or larger defending the seas off the three coasts against enemy intrusion. In early 2013, they will be joine

The spreading of English-only lectures in Korean universities is likely to slow, as presidents and deans have concluded that they have largely been ineffective because of unpreparedness from both professors and students. In a symposium on the efficiency of English-speaking lectures at Yonsei University last week, the participants agreed on the need to make more use of English in university classes

The U.S. government is reported to have designated Sung Kim, the special envoy to the six-party denuclearization talks, as new ambassador to Seoul. If the Senate endorses and Seoul accepts him, Kim will become the first U.S. ambassador of Korean descent in the 129-year history of diplomatic relations between the two countries.In Seoul, he will represent the national interest of the United States.

The government has come up with a set of measures to curb the deeply entrenched practice of high-ranking bureaucrats descending into high-paying private-sector jobs immediately after their retirement. The package allows ministers, vice ministers, assistant ministers and heads of provincial governments to take a private sector job immediately after retirement. But it bans them from work that is clo

Prosecutors investigating the irregularities at Busan Savings Bank abruptly suspended their probe Friday. They sent testifiers home and walked out of their offices. They did not come to work on Saturday or Sunday either. It was a protest against a decision by lawmakers to abolish the prosecution’s most powerful investigation unit -- the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’

SK Telecom, the nation’s largest mobile carrier, is set to cut its service charges from September. According to one estimate, the rate cuts, which include a 1,000 won discount on the basic service charge and 50 free text messages each month, amount to an average of 28,000 won a year per customer.The rate cuts should please consumers. But not too much. Consumer organizations and advocacy groups com

Before leaving the post of finance minister on Thursday, Yoon Jeung-hyun called on his ministry to serve as the last line of defense against onrushing demands for general welfare. His advice could not have been timelier, given that political parties and politicians, those with presidential ambitions in particular, are shifting their focus from selective welfare to general welfare with little regar

North Korea disclosed Wednesday that South Korea proposed three inter-Korean summits ― first at Panmunjeom in June, second in Pyongyang in August and third in Seoul in March ― at a secret meeting of officials from the two sides in Beijing on May 9. According to the North’s official media, Pyongyang rejected the offer because Seoul demanded an apology for the atrocities the North committed last yea

The National Assembly opened a month-long extraordinary session Wednesday to discuss major state affairs, review the government’s policies and deliberate on the pending bills. But this session is likely to be dominated by one burning issue ― the savings bank scandal.The floor leaders of the ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party have agreed to start a parliamentary in

Student activists forcibly occupied the Seoul National University president’s office in protest against the university’s forthcoming incorporation. The illegal intrusion into the office was anything but a defensible means of conflict resolution.The university is set to be incorporated into a national university corporation in December under a law enacted last December to provide it with greater au

Tax revenues are projected to surpass this year’s target by 10 trillion won to 20 trillion won ― a blessing for a nation which had to borrow and spend its way out of the global financial crisis. With economic recovery gaining momentum, taxes collected during the first quarter increased by 4 trillion won from a year ago.Now where to spend the surplus is an issue of contention between the administra