President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed that patriotism transcends ideology, as his liberal administration has faced constant political attacks over its approach toward North Korea.In his Memorial Day address at Seoul National Cemetery, which Moon described as a "site alive with patriotism," Moon said, "When it comes to patriotism, there is no difference between conservatives and liberals."Love of country is a matter of caring about the "destiny of a national communit

Liberty Korea Party rejects meeting proposal, accuses Moon of trickery

South Korea has decided to change its liquor tax system for the first time in 50 years, shifting from a price-based to volume-based system, starting with domestically brewed beer and rice wine, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Wednesday. The tax revision bill for 2020 will state that liquor tax will be levied based on the amount of alcohol sold, rather than adopting ad valorem calculations, which is based on the retail base price. The government plans to submit the bill to the National A

Bone of contention in the conflict is the growing use of remote-controlled small tower cranes

Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui was indicted and referred to trial Tuesday on charges of receiving bribes and sexual favors worth 170 million won ($143,700) from a construction contractor.A special team of prosecutors, winding up months of a probe into Kim's suspected sexual assault a decade ago, announced the indictment of the 63-year-old who briefly held the No. 2 post at the Ministry of Justice in 2013.Kim is accused of receiving bribes and sexual favors worth 130 million won between

A former national speed skating coach will stand trial on charges of sexually assaulting South Korean Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee for about three years, prosecutors have said.Prosecutors indicted Cho Jae-beom on Monday on charges of sexually assaulting and molesting the 22-year-old Shim around 30 times beginning in 2014, when she was a high school student.His sexual assaults continued until December 2017, around two months before the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in Fe

Experts suggest conditional license amid aging population

Hank Haney has come under fire in Korea for comments again, says prediction “based on statistics and facts”

With the trade dispute between the US and China casting a shadow over the global economic outlook, South Korea’s exports fell for the sixth straight month in May, as the country’s shipments of semiconductors declined by about one-third from a year prior.　According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Saturday, South Korea exported some $45.9 billion worth of products in May, about 9.4 percent down from a month earlier.The government attributed the poor pe

Police criticized for feeble stance

The foreign ministry decided Thursday to fire a diplomat for leaking the content of a phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump. The decision was made at the ministry's disciplinary panel held earlier in the day, ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said. Another official who was also investigated for relaying the diplomat a copy of the conversation received a penalty of three-month wage reduction. The diplomat, who worked at the South Korean Embassy in Washingto

The Supreme Court sentenced Rep. Lee Woo-hyun of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to seven years in prison Thursday for taking illegal political funds worth some 1 billion won ($839,278).The ruling stripped Lee of his parliamentary seat.Under the law, an elected official loses his or her post if sentenced to imprisonment without forced labor for criminal cases.The top court withheld a lower court's ruling that also includes 160 million won in fines, accusing Lee of violating the political

Protests by the workers of Hyundai Heavy Industries against a tie-up with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering are escalating, with labor unions of Hyundai Motor and DSME joining the strike on Wednesday. Two days ahead of HHI’s shareholders meeting to decide on modalities of the merger, the workers’ protests intensified by occupying the venue and staging an all-out strike to disrupt the meeting. If the proposal for physical division of the company after merger is passed

A dinner meeting between National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Yang Jung-chul, the head of a think tank run by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has stirred up controversy over the spy agency’s involvement in politics. The four-hour meeting between the two prominent figures last week took the spotlight Tuesday, with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party visiting the spy agency in protest.“It was not a private consultation, but a dinner with longtime acquaintances.

The foreign ministry will convene a disciplinary panel later this week to decide on the penalty for a diplomat accused of leaking the contents of a phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump to a lawmaker, a vice minister said Monday. The diplomat, who worked at the South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C., has been investigated over the allegation he handed over the contents of the phone call to Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.