Christian churches in Korea have kept an unusual, anti-democratic and unfair system for decades ― the practice of hereditary succession or “seseup,” just like the father-to-son power transition that occurs in conglomerate groups.This unnatural process has allowed some commanding pastors at the top mega-churches to turn over their leadership to their children. The proponents of the practice have claimed that the system is necessary to ensure church stability and security. However, this seseup tra

No stranger to incendiary rhetoric, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad riled Israel and the West once again with his remarks on Monday that the world’s only Jewish-majority state had no roots in the Middle East and would be “eliminated.” Speaking in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad also dismissed the credibility of Israel’s threats to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, and condemned the “Innocence of Muslims,” the film trailer depicting the prophe

Mitt Romney, the Republican challenger to President Barack Obama in November’s U.S. presidential election, tried to dampen speculation and political attacks over his finances on Friday with the release of his 2011 tax return and a 20-year overview of tax payments. Last year’s tax return showed that the former governor of Massachusetts paid $1.9 million in taxes on income of $13.6 million, for an effective tax rate of about 14 percent. Romney has indicated that he does not intend to release his t

After Libya’s 200-member General National Congress elected him prime minister Wednesday, the domestic security situation must be foremost on the mind of Mustafa Abu-Shakour.One of his last acts as Deputy Prime Minister was to condemn the killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens during an attack on the United States’ consulate in Benghazi just hours before he was elected. The attack brought more international attention to a situation Abu-Shakour had sought to downplay a month before. In a Reuters

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for vice president Wednesday with a speech that showed he was not afraid to take on Obama.While pushing his outline for smaller government, he took several swipes at the U.S. president.“Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House,” he said. “What’s missing is leadership in the White House.” Ryan even took on the left over health care, traditionally a weak suit for the Repu

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, seems desperate to grasp his nation’s top political post again, judging by his decision to jump into the intensifying diplomatic spat between Korea and Japan in a thinly veiled tactical move. Fully aware of the extreme sensitivity of the issue, Abe pledged to reverse all of Japan’s past apologetic statements over its colonial atrocities, if his party wins the election and he is again elected prime minister.Abe’s newly reaffirmed stance on the issue come

It was a deft move by the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye. The appointment of former Supreme Court justice Ahn Dae-hee on Monday as the chairman of the Saenuri’s political reform committee showed, to its maximum, the frontrunner’s determination on political reform.Thrown off balance, the main opposition Democratic United Party strongly criticized the designation, but with little grounds to back their condemnation.Dubbed “the people’s prosecutor” for his full-fledged c

A South Korean-born New Zealand teenager has written what might be the best golf story of the year. Lydia Ko won the Canadian Women’s Open on Sunday to become the youngest player to ever win an LPGA Tour event.The 15-year-old golf sensation also became the fifth amateur champion of the event. She finished the 72 holes on 13-under-par 275 at the Vancouver Golf Club course to beat this year’s Evian Masters champion Park Inbee by 3 shots. After Ko wrapped up her historic round, the World Golf Hall

Curiosity, NASA’s unmanned vehicle currently exploring Mars, could hardly be more aptly named. The rover’s $2.5 billion mission is testament to the fact that, even in tough economic times, man has an insatiable desire to explore the unknown. After successfully touching down on the Red Planet on Aug. 6, Curiosity made its first short test drive on Mars’ surface on Wednesday. Images transmitted back to Earth show vast plains of rusty, gravelly landscape, liberally punctuated by valleys and mountai

U.S. Republican Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin has provided a clear reminder of the effect a few words can have on an individual’s political fate.Akin’s comments during an abortion debate that women’s bodies can prevent pregnancy after a “legitimate rape” have drawn fire from all sides. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was the latest Republican to call on him to quit his challenge for a senate seat in Missouri. Earlier, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt and four former Republican senators from the stat

Director Choi Dong-hun’s star-studded film “The Thieves” has been a sensation since its opening in local theaters last month. Now, Choi’s biggest commercial hit ― the sixth domestic film to top 10 million viewers in Korean movie history at 10,095,387 viewers in 22 days ― is going overseas, slated to open in theaters in Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia next month. It will also be released in Singapore and Malaysia later this year.The film, featuring top stars including Kim Hye-soo, Jun Ji-hyun,

Park Geun-hye may have the most nicknames among Korean politicians. Supporters call the Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate “Korea’s Thatcher” and “Election Queen.” Dissenters like to deride her as “Dictator’s Daughter,” “Notebook Princess” and “Furious Geun-hye.” One sure thing is that she is extremely beloved by many and deeply detested by just as many. Her polarizing nature largely stems from the vicissitudes of the 60-year-old lawmaker’s life.The eldest daughter of former president Park C

South Korean singer Psy’s every move is headline news after his new single, “Gangnam Style,” went viral in July. The tongue-in-cheek, laugh-out-loud music video of the hit song and its infectious “horseback riding” choreography have spawned a global buzz that refuses to die down. Paparazzi followed the 34-year-old star to Incheon International Airport on Wednesday to catch him before he boarded a plane for the U.S., where he is scheduled to meet pop star Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun. N

North Korea’s Jang Song-thaek has enjoyed much international attention since he became the lynchpin of national leader Kim Jong-un’s inner circle following the death of Kim Jong-il in December.The fledgling ruler’s powerful uncle is now in China to attract economic aid to shore up the North’s debilitated economy. The scale of his entourage and the treatment he receives in Beijing speak volumes of how much clout he wields in the reclusive state.His trajectory of success began in the early 1970s w

It appears that nobody wants him back except President Lee Myung-bak and his advisers. Lee’s reappointment of National Human Rights Commission chief Hyun Byung-chul for another term Monday was met with excoriation from all walks of life. Civic groups staged a protest Tuesday at the commission office in downtown Seoul to stop the infamous commissioner accused of ethical lapses from coming to work. Other activists denounced the reappointment as reversing the nation’s human rights development.The m