Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam meets victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery in Seoul on Tuesday. YonhapThe Seoul government on Tuesday set the ball rolling to execute Monday’s bilateral agreement with Tokyo to settle the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, despite escalating controversy over the ambiguity of the clauses and objections from the victims and civic groups.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry began its internal preparatory work for the establishment of a fund to support the Korean victi

Hangwha E&C manager Kim Dong-sun. YonhapKim Dong-sun, the third son of Hanwha Group chairman Kim Seung-youn, showed up at the media briefing Dec. 21 to showcase the Galleria Duty Free 63, the company’s duty-free store in Yeouido, southwest Seoul. Unlike the usual hierarchical introduction, Dong-sun came forward right after Hanwha Gelleria Time World CEO Hwang Yong-deuk, outranking four other vice presidents of the company. He also stood at the center when posing for photos at the opening of the

Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo (third from right) and pianist Cho Seong-jin (third from left) pose in November in Japan. Cho, the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Competition, participated in Kumho Foundation’s training program. Kumho Asiana Cultural FoundationOn Christmas Eve at the Kumho Art Hall in central Seoul, an old man approached a little boy sitting at the back row of the front bloc during the intermission of the Kumho Soloists’ recital.“Why don’t you come and sit with

A day after Seoul and Tokyo pulled off a compromise in their sex slavery row, the U.S., the U.N. and other actors in the international community churned out praise and support, displaying hopes for an end to the decades-old historical animosity. While acknowledging the need for Japan to follow through on its promises, they stressed the significance of what is supposed to be a “final and irreversible” closure of the dispute that has long plagued relations between the two neighbors and staunch U.S

Despite a much-touted breakthrough with Japan on sex slavery, criticism is simmering over Seoul’s apparently rushed negotiations that led to its failure to consult beforehand with the victims, leaving room for potential diplomatic blunders and political backlash at home. Monday’s announcement came as a surprise to many because the bilateral director-general-level talks had made little headway during the 11 rounds since April 2014. Even early this month, diplomatic sources remained skeptical of t

Shortly after President Park Geun-hye took office in early 2013, her administration announced a plan to collect an additional 27.2 trillion won ($23.3 billion) in tax revenue over the next five years by shedding light on underground business activities. The envisioned tax revenue was part of a scheme for financing Park’s welfare programs without raising tax rates as she promised during her election campaign.In a parliamentary audit of the National Tax Service in September, taxation officials sai

Hyundai Motor Group on Monday promoted 368 staff at the executive level of 25 affiliates, highlighting the company’s globalization strategy as well as its new standalone premium sedan brand, the Genesis. Luc Donckerwolke and Manfred Fitzgerald“The promotion is designed to beef up our core competitiveness in future technologies, quality and brands, to become the global market leader,” a Hyundai spokesman said. The company appointed Luc Donckerwolke as the head of Hyundai Design Center, and Manfre

A former Korean journalist has published a book that traces the holy grails of rock ‘n’ roll based on his journey across the musical heartlands of the U.S.“In Search of Rock ‘n’ Roll Heritage: American Rock Music Landmarks” is a travelogue highlighting the cultural and economic power of museums, monuments and memorials. The book was written by Cho Hyun-jin, a distinguished professor at Kookmin University and former journalist for YTN, Arirang TV and Billboard magazine, who is also credited with

When the world mourned over dead Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi, who washed up on a Turkish beach in early September, one Syrian man was not tormented. He had lost three children in an air strike some time before. “The boy looked like a sleeping angel. I wish my children had died like that,” the grief-stricken father told Abdul Wahab Almohammad Agha, the director of humanitarian organization Help Syria, at a refugee camp in Jordan in September. “Aylan’s father is a lucky guy compared to me. I died e

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo said Sunday that his forthcoming political party would seek rational reform, further distancing himself from the established parties that he has vowed to challenge in next year’s general election.He also stepped up his attacks against the Park Geun-hye administration, lambasting its economic policies as “insufficient” and “uncreative.”“The new political party will embrace ‘rational reform’ instead of ‘old progressivism’ and ‘reactionary conservatism,’” the independent lawmaker