President Park Geun-hye has decided to donate 20 million won ($17,000) to a fund aimed at helping young people find jobs, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Wednesday, in a gesture to quell lingering opposition to the government-led labor market reform with a move that will expand to all sectors of society.Park will also give 20 percent of her monthly salary each month to the fund, Hwang said. Given that Park’s annual remuneration stood at 192 million won last year, her monthly contribution could

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the spouse who caused damage to a marriage, such as by cheating, cannot file for divorce on principle.The court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the spouse responsible for an action damaging to the relationship cannot be the one to file for divorce, following suit precedent cases.The case was brought to court by an unidentified plaintiff, who married the defendant in 1976. He had an affair with another woman and had a child with her in 1998. The man left

Main opposition party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in on Friday decided to go ahead with a vote of confidence from this weekend despite key members’ vehement opposition. The move, aimed to silence objections to the party’s reform initiatives, appeared to set off more infighting as most members of the Supreme Council condemned it as an ultimatum against nonmainstreamers.New Politics Alliance for Democracy spokesman Kim Seong-su said during a press briefing that the vote of confidence will be held for thr

South Korea’s Red Cross on Friday proposed to hold working-level talks with its North Korean counterpart on Sept. 7 to arrange a fresh round of reunions for families displaced by the Korean War following a recent cross-border agreement, the Unification Ministry said. The Red Cross suggested through a border telephone channel for the two sides to meet at the House of Peace in the southern part of the truce village of Panmunjeom. “In the message, we offered to meet at Panmunjeom in line with the h

President Park Geun-hye’s approval rating has skyrocketed to reach nearly 50 percent, hoisted by the dramatic inter-Korean agreement earlier in the week that tamed cross-border tensions, a poll showed Friday.Gallup Korea said a survey of 1,004 adults conducted Aug. 25-27 showed that 49 percent of them supported Park, compared to 44 percent that didn’t, marking this year’s highest approval rating. Her job ratings this year had hovered around 30 percent. Those in their 40s and 50s showed the highe

 The number of sex trade businesses caught by police in the past two years has nearly tripled, a report showed Friday, as authorities have led a crackdown against prostitution despite ongoing debate over whether to legalize the controversial industry. The overall number of businesses offering sex, gambling or similar services apprehended by police dropped to 48,121 last year from 51,652 in 2013 and 55,785 in 2012, the report submitted by the National Police Agency to New Politics Alliance for De

여야는 13일 민주당 홍익표 의원의 이른바 '귀태(鬼胎) 발언' 논란으로 완전 중단됐던 국회 운영을 정상화하기로 합의했다.새누리당 최경환, 민주당 전병헌 원내대표는 이날 여의도 모처에서 양당 원내수석부대표가 배석한 가운데 이른바 '2+2' 회동을 갖고 이같이 의견을 모았다고 새누리당 윤상현, 민주당 정성호 원내수석부대표가 각각 기자간담회를 통해 밝혔다.이로써 홍 의원의 '귀태 발언'에 대해 새누리당이 강력 반발하면서 빚어졌던 국회 일정 중단은 이틀 만에 일단락됐다. 양당은 공공의료 국정조사 특위 활동 마지막날인 이날 오후 5시 전체회의를 열어 국정조사보고서를 채택하고, 특위의 동행명령을 거부한 홍준표 경남지사에 대한 고발 여부를 결정하기로 했다. 또 2007년 남북정상회담 대화록 열람을 위해 15일 국회 운영위원장실에서 양당 열람위원 10명이 상견례를 가진 뒤 곧바로 국가기록원을 방문, 대화록 예비열람을 실시하기로 합의했다.새누리당 윤 원내수석부대표는 "홍 의원의 사과는 내용이나 대

 Political parties agreed Saturday to reopen parliamentary proceedings that have been suspended over a row triggered by an insult leveled at President Park Geun-hye by an opposition lawmaker.All parliamentary activity came to a halt on Friday after Democratic Party spokesman Hong Ik-pyo referred to President Park as a "gwitae" or a "baby born to a ghost" the day prior. This word can be interpreted as a child of someone who should never have been born.The remark is a direct insult to the chief ex