Shinsegae Group vice chairman Chung Yong-jin may be the first target of scrutiny against conglomerates under President-elect Park Geun-hye’s strong pitch for “economic democratization.”The prosecution is reviewing summoning Chung for interrogation on whether he ordered Shinsegae affiliates to charge cheaper sales commissions on his sister’s bakery business.The Fair Trade Commission in October slapped Shinsegae with fines of over 4 billion won for “unfair backing” of Shinsegae SVN. The antitrust

Poet Kim Ji-ha, a well-known dissident figure during former President Park Chung-hee’s authoritarian regime in the 1960s and ’70s, has been stirring up controversy since he abruptly announced his support for Park’s daughter, president-elect Park Geun-hye.On Tuesday, the 72-year-old poet shocked the public further when he bashed Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo during an interview with a local radio station. Not mincing his words, Kim said Moon’s performance as a presidential candidate was “dreadful

Washington is bracing for a fight between the Democrats and Republicans over United States President Barack Obama’s nomination Monday of former two-term Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska as Secretary of Defense.Democrats continue the tradition of nominating a Republican to oversee the Pentagon, but don’t expect Democratic lawmakers to greet Hagel as one of their own. Nor is the Midwestern maverick expected to enjoy support from his former GOP colleagues.One thing is for sure. Hagel will

Despite Washington’s discomfort with the timing, Bill Richardson may end up playing troubleshooter for yet another American detainee in North Korea when the former New Mexico governor wraps up his trip to the communist country later this week. This time, he is bringing an even bigger carrot: Google Inc. chairman Eric Schmidt, an apostle of global Internet freedom and its role in lifting people out of poverty and persecution. In the North, precious few of the elite are granted access to the Web. 

Hugo Chavez may not be capable of participating in his own swearing in ceremony on Jan. 10, but he will start an unprecedented third term as the democratically elected president of Venezuela. He has been president since his election in 1998.Chavez supporters say the inauguration date is not set in stone, and argue that the president should be given more time to recover from surgery.Chavez, 58, has not been seen in public since arriving in Cuba for his fourth cancer operation on Dec. 11, which ha

Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman, is likely to visit North Korea on a private, humanitarian mission, sources said Thursday. A Seoul official confirmed an Associated Press report that Schmidt will travel to the reclusive country along with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. “He planned to visit North Korea earlier but the schedule was delayed in consideration of the sensitive mood to do with the North’s long-range rocket launch,” a Seoul official said. “I understand the visit is pur

President-elect Park Geun-hye’s transition team is receiving criticism even before it is launched.At the center of the controversy is Yoon Chang-jung, a journalist-turned-columnist with vulgarity to match his radical conservativeness.Park’s appointment of Yoon as her senior spokesperson on Dec. 24 came as a complete surprise to all.Yoon was one of the most active columnists during the election, making such over-the-top comments as calling progressives “anti-Korean forces,” or former conservative

The shadow of his grandfather loomed large when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave a much-trumpeted New Year’s speech on Tuesday, calling for economic growth and the defusing of tensions with the South. It was the first verbal New Year’s address made by a North Korean leader in 19 years. Kim made his maiden live speech on April 15 when Pyongyang held a massive celebration for the 100th anniversary of the birth of national founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung. The late Kim delivered his own

“I highly respect this person, who incarnates the Saenuri Party’s cherished values, law and principles, and the constitutional spirit.” So said Park Geun-hye in October when she appointed former Constitutional Court president Kim Yong-joon co-chair of her campaign committee. The former top judge proved her assessment right, exerting a calm and credible leadership within the election committee dogged by conflicts over key policies and verbal gaffes against liberal foes.Named the chief of Park’s p

Local passengers raised their eyebrows when the state-run railway operator Korail claimed the safety and on-time operation of its trains as global No. 1 in a report submitted for evaluation in June. At the time, Korail was suffering from public condemnation after a series of frequent breakdowns and delayed schedules of the nation’s KTX bullet trains.Korail explained that it had cited official data from the International Union of Railways, or UIC, and then the agency was designated as one of the

President-elect Park Geun-hye’s first choice of her senior aides was a lawmaker versed in tax and fiscal policy and without a distinctive factional hue. Rep. Yoo Il-ho, 57, a two-term lawmaker of Park’s conservative ruling Saenuri Party, will serve as her chief of staff, assisting the incoming leader in shaping the new government in the next two months. His has a powerful post, controlling access to the president-elect, managing her schedule and also developing policies of the next administratio

Seichu Naito, a Japanese historian renowned for his relentless rebuttal of Japan’s territorial claims to Dokdo, died on Dec. 16. He was 83.After news reports on his demise belatedly circulated, many Koreans lamented the passing of a “conscientious intellectual” who bravely dug into the falsity of Tokyo’s claim to Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo in the East Sea.His death comes as concerns are rising that the incoming Tokyo government to be led by security hawk Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democr

U.S. President Barack Obama tapped John Kerry, a Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate, to be the new secretary of state on Friday.For the entirety of his career on Capitol Hill since 1985, Kerry, 69, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and son of a foreign-service officer, has specialized in foreign affairs. Since 2009, he has chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.Serving as Obama’s unofficial envoy, he has played a central role in defusing diplomatic tension, particul

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday took down its signboard to signal its move to Sejong City. The relocation has been anticipated for the past year, but to ministry employees, it was a moment to remember.“The era spent at Gwacheon was one of passion and devotion, and we are overcome with emotions as we prepare to let go of this era,” said a nostalgic Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan, who will be the last minister to have experienced the Finance Ministry in Gwacheon City.It will take over 300 5-ton tru

Former presidential candidate Lee Jung-hee and her leftist party are coming under increasingly heavy fire from the conservatives over the issue of the government election subsidy.Lee’s minority Unified Progressive Party has received 2.7 billion won ($2.5 million) from the government following her candidate registration in November.Although Lee is no longer in the race, having withdrawn her candidacy Sunday saying that she was stepping down for “the public’s desire for administration change,” the