The scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family has tarnished President Moon Jae-in’s repeated pledge to enhance equality, fairness and justice in South Korean society.The public is indignant particularly over various privileges and irregularities Cho’s daughter benefited from in gaining admission into a prestigious university and then into medical school. The disgraced ex-minister’s wife, a professor, is accused of faking documents that helped the couple

Line is a messenger application that nearly all Japanese smartphone users have. The application originally started as a disaster response messenger system after 2011 earthquake. Soon, Line became the most popular application in Japan. One thing about Line that many Japanese probably don’t realize is that Line Corporation is a subsidiary of Naver, the Google of South Korea. Line shows that the relationship between South Korea and Japan is not always a competitive one -- and can be a constru

Korea’s 2 percent growth this year, regarded as a psychological Maginot Line of its economy, looms as a long shot.According to the Bank of Korea, Korea’s real gross domestic product grew only 0.4 percent in the third quarter from the previous quarter.The central bank estimates the Korean economy must grow at least 0.97 percent on-quarter in the October-December period to reach the 2 percent target. But given tough economic situations at home and abroad, it is hard to expect a strong

South Korea last week made what seemed an inevitable decision to give up its developing country status at the World Trade Organization.Given its economic standing, it is unlikely to be recognized as a developing state in the course of future negotiations within the framework of the Geneva-based global trade body. A delayed decision could undermine its negotiating power.What prompted the decision announced by Seoul on Friday was the US proposal that the WTO strip countries of developing nation st

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of hotels and other tourist facilities South Korea built at the North’s Kumgangsan resort, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.“The mere sight of shabby facilities built by the South offends me,” the agency quoted Kim as saying to officials while inspecting the resort. “Kim instructed the officials to remove all of the facilities after agreement with the South and build modern service

Under a defense cost-sharing accord with Washington, Seoul is required to pay 1.04 trillion won ($885 million) this year for the stationing of 28,500 US troops here. The amount, which represents an 8.2 percent increase from last year, marks the first time that South Korea’s payment has exceeded 1 trillion won.South Korea is now facing US demands for a hefty rise in its contribution next year, compared with which this year’s increase would look minuscule. Washington has reportedly cal