The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday it has launched an investigation into Gallery Seomi, one of the most prominent art galleries in Korea, and its director Hong Song-won on suspicion of evading billions of won in taxes. Much attention is being paid to the case as it could cause a ripple effect up to some of the chaebol families who have long been in close relations with the gallery and Hong. The gallery is suspected of avoiding taxes by omitting some of its profits from i

National security, public safety and economic prosperity will be central to President Park Geun-hye’s plans for “opening a new era of hope.”In her inauguration speech, Korea’s first female president presented “economic revival,” “happiness of the people” and “flourishing culture” as key themes for her five-year term.Regarding her plans for the economy, Park did not stray far from past statements stressing the importance of creating a science and technology-based “creative economy,” the efforts f

From tax evasion to influence peddling and religious bias, not a day has gone by in the past week without new allegations emerging about Defense Minister nominee Kim Byung-kwan.Derided by critics as “the department store of corruption,” the retired general became the biggest obstacle for the launch of the Park Geun-hye government that is already behind schedule. The main opposition Democratic United Party categorized Kim as “unfit” almost immediately after his nomination on Feb. 13 and has refus

Controversy over the appointment of Kim Jeong-hoon as the minister of future creation and science is growing as opposition lawmakers are increasingly questioning his nationality and patriotism.Kim’s strong track record as an entrepreneur and engineer with a rich education background, was not enough for the opposition Democratic United Party, which argued that it was against the law to appoint someone who has foreign citizenship.It also raised concerns about Kim’s loyalties, pointing out that he

President-elect Park Geun-hye’s designation of Lee Jung-hyun, 55, as her senior secretary for political affairs was one of the few unsurprising appointments.Having devoted nearly three decades to politics, Lee has been considered one of Park’s very few men that could speak her mind as his own.Entrusted to act as her “ultimate” spokesperson, Lee has been Park’s close ally for years, smartly tuning up his role from being an outspoken mouthpiece to a prudent confidante depending on the situation.Hu

Former lawmaker Huh Tae-yeol, who will be President-elect Park Geun-hye’s chief of staff following her inauguration on Feb. 25, is a veteran politician, bureaucrat and a key ally of Park.With the president-elect planning to give additional authority to the chief of staff, the position will likely be one of the most influential in the administration, especially in top-level appointments, policy coordination and consultation with political parties.In addition to serving the president in the closes

The coming Park Geun-hye government on Sunday nominated Korea Development Institute president Hyun Oh-seok as deputy prime minister in charge of economic policy.He will be the first deputy prime minister in five years, as the Lee Myung-bak administration scrapped the post in 2008.When Hyun gains the National Assembly’s approval, he will take on the nation’s core economic policies by concurrently serving as deputy prime minister and finance minister.At a news conference following the nomination,

The cause to “free Tibet” reached a macabre milestone on Wednesday when a Tibetan exile became the 100th person since 2009 to attempt self-immolation in protest against Chinese rule.According to witnesses, the man in his 20s covered himself in petrol before setting himself alight in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.Supporters of the Tibetan independence movement say that China’s intolerance of protest forces Tibetans to resort t

Foreign Minister nominee Yun Byung-se is the architect of President-elect Park Geun-hye’s policy of reengaging North Korea and is tasked to save it from derailment amid escalating tension following the belligerent neighbor’s new nuclear brinkmanship.The 60-year-old former career diplomat was named the nation’s foreign affairs chief to assist the incoming leader in coping with regional uncertainties such as revived nationalism in Japan and the ever-complicated rivalry between the U.S. and China.H

Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world Monday with his announcement that he would step down from the Roman Catholic Church’s highest office by the end of the month.The church’s 100-plus cardinals, the princes of the Vatican, received the announcement first during a meeting with 85-year-old Benedict at the Vatican early Monday.He said he is stepping down because with his advanced age and diminishing strength, he felt he could not carry on the job.He will be the first pontiff to do so in over 600 yea

Former prosecutor Chung Hong-won is center stage in the country’s political arena as interest mounts as to whether President-elect Park Geun-hye’s second prime ministerial nominee will bear up under scrutiny. Kim is a life-long law professional who began his career in 1972. Chung went on to rise to the highest level within the public prosecutors’ office, and in 2004 opened a law firm.In the same year he was appointed a National Election Commission committee member, and from 2008 and 2011 he serv

Shinsegae Group vice chairman Chung Yong-jin is facing rough seas since taking the helm of the nation’s second-largest retail giant.The prosecution grilled him for 12 hours on Tuesday over allegations that he ordered Shinsegae affiliates to charge their sister bakery firm Shinsegae SVN cheaper commissions to help turn it around.On Thursday, the Seoul Regional Labor Administration raided Shinsegae E-Mart headquarters and several E-Mart stores to search for evidence that the company had spied on i

Despite a growing dispute over alleged flaws of the four-river restoration project here, the nation’s water control and management capability gained recognition overseas as the Korean consortium was selected as a priority negotiation partner for all 10 major water management projects being pushed by the Thai government on Tuesday. Among the bidders, Korea, Japan and China have been in a tight race for the 10 projects worth 12 trillion won ($11 billion), which is intended to advance Thailand’s in

Well known for his dovish and docile temperament, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan took center stage after going head-to-head with the mighty presidential transition team on Monday over its plan to unhitch trade functions from his agency. The controversy pivots around President-elect Park Geun-hye’s envisioned transfer of the ministry’s trade-related operations to a newly expanded Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which will be renamed the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy. After weeks of appare

Lotte Engineering and Construction has yet to promptly address cracks in the 123-story edifice that the company is constructing in its new theme park in Seoul.Up to 11 cracks were discovered in the main pillar of the building -- known as the “mega column,” the main supporting piece of high-rises -- according to its construction supervisor, Hanmi Global.Despite Hanmi Global notifying Lotte about it in October, it has yet to address the problem. Hanmi says while the cracks are not critical as of y