Rival parties pressed to overhaul themselves as independent voices riseLawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party met separately at the National Assembly last Wednesday morning to discuss their final positions on the nominee for Supreme Court chief justice.

Koreans in their 30s negative toward establishment, frustrated over economic difficultiesBooks on how to become rich have always been steady sellers in Korea, particularly when the economy is suffering. In the first half of this year, however, three books designed to address the concerns of 30-somet

Budget planners, politicians in head-on clash over tax cuts for the rich, corporationsBillionaire investor Warren Buffett’s recent call for higher taxes on the U.S.’s super rich drew much attention from Koreans.Korean media also reported moves by wealthy Europeans to follow Buffett’s lead by offerin

The Aug. 18 announcement of the nominee for new Supreme Court chief justice came as a surprise to most reporters and judiciary members, who had been closely watching the selection process for the past weeks.Former Justice Yang Sung-tae was not considered to be on the shortlist, as he went on a trip

Latest bout of friction with political circles presses conglomerates to assume more social responsibilityWhen asked what word first comes to mind when large corporations are mentioned during a TV interview in July, Grand National Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo gave an answer that left his interviewer

Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, feels the most heat from Moon Jae-in’s rise in political stature, but his aides say their potential rivalry will not harm the DP leader.They hope that any competition between Sohn and Moon galvanized through next year’s parliamenta

Confidant to late President Roh raises profile as potential opposition standard-bearerIt was supposed to be a gathering of senior civic and religious leaders to call for the merger of liberal and progressive opposition parties in preparation for the parliamentary and presidential elections next year

Koreans’ lack of faith in strangers, foreigners holds country backA 25-year-old man surnamed Choi beat and raped his girlfriend in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in July last year after she demanded they break up. When he faced police investigation, Choi’s mother, 50, hurt his son with a ston

Rich people must make more donations for a cohesive societyOn an April day in 2008, a woman in her 70s visited a charity office in Seoul to convey her intent to donate all she had ― 15 million won ($14,200) in key money for her rented room ― after her death.“I have received too much during my life. I want to close my eyes after giving it back,” said Park No-ju, who had been living alone, suffering

Alarm bells are ringing loudly over the rapidly growing number of suicides among aged Koreans.Figures from Statistics Korea show the number of suicides per 100,000 people aged 65 or over increased 5.38 times from 14.3 in 1990 to 77 in 2009. In comparison, the figures for age groups of 15-34 years and 35-64 years rose by 2.49 times and 3.41 times to 23.2 and 35.9, respectively, over the same period

Calls mounting for better safety net for aged people living aloneA 65-year-old woman surnamed Park was found dead in an apartment where she had lived alone in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on a freezing day in February. Just two hours earlier, police had discovered a 55-year-old man, who had also been living in solitude, lying dead in a neighboring apartment.Police officers, who visited their

President Lee in uphill battle to keep his ‘fair society’ campaign afloatA workplace inspector suspected of taking bribes from companies called on a police investigator and tried to bribe him with an envelope of cash only to be caught red-handed early this year.When police later raided the Seoul branch office of the Employment and Labor Ministry, where the inspector surnamed Park worked, they foun

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been engaged in another wrangle with the opposition-dominated council over a project to build a waterway linking downtown Seoul to the western port city of Incheon.Oh initiated what he termed the “Seohae (West Sea) Waterway Project” as part of his campaign pledges for the 2006 mayoral election, saying it would bring in a larger number of tourists from Japan and China by

Vote on school meals to be watershed for Oh’s political future, welfare competitionAgainst the backdrop of a pile of boxes containing what he had awaited for months, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stood before a crowd of reporters at City Hall on June 16.“The upcoming referendum will be a watershed to decide whether to expand or put an end to welfare populism,” said Oh. He hoped the judgment to be made by

Rep. Park Geun-hye (right) sits with her sister Geun-ryeong (left), brother Ji-man and his wife Seo Hyang-hee during a memorial service for her late mother Yuk Young-soo at the National Cemetery in Seoul in August 2006. (Yonhap News)Current frontrunner needs to show substance as leader, overcome sibling problemsAs she was about to enter the National Assembly chamber on June 7, Rep. Park Geun-hye,