President Moon Jae-in’s promises to cut collusive ties between conglomerates and politicians, overhaul corporate governance and ensure fair competition have raised expectations for corporate reform in South Korea. The changes, however, shouldn’t stop at ownership and market practices, a global labor union activist said. South Korean businesses have labor problems that go beyond local borders, according to Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, the world’

A South Korean court on Saturday rejected an arrest warrant for the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of the corruption scandal that led to former President Park Geun-hye’s downfall. 　“It is hard to acknowledge the reason, necessity and appropriateness for her arrest at the current stage (of the investigation)” the Seoul Central District Court said, citing a lack of evidence as the reason for the rejection.Chung Yoo-ra, 21, was released at around 2:20 a.m. from the Seoul Central Di

The daughter of Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of the scandal that led to former President Park Geun-hye’s downfall, turned up at a local court Friday to fight against the prosecution’s request for her arrest. Chung Yoo-ra, 21, attended the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, which will decide whether to detain her for another 20 days for questioning in connection with the allegations involving her mother and Park. The court’s decision is expected to come near or past midnight.Chun

South Korea is moving to levy fines on large companies that hire an excessive number of irregular workers, as part of the new administration’s efforts to create quality jobs and boost the economy.The Presidential Committee on Job Creation announced Thursday a set of measures, including the plan, to be implemented during Moon’s presidency. The measures include the removal of irregular jobs, the creation of jobs in the public sector, an increase of the minimum wage and the reduction of working hou

Chung Yoo-ra, who has enjoyed a wide range of privileges on the back of her once-influential mother Choi Soon-sil, returned to South Korea on Wednesday to face questioning about the corruption scandal involving her mother and ex-President Park Geun-hye.Eight months after she went into hiding in Europe to avoid the prosecution’s summons, Chung finally returned home in handcuffs and shifted all responsibility to her mother.Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye's

Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, was arrested Tuesday on board a flight heading to Seoul. Chung, whose mother is at the center of the scandal that led to the impeachment and arrest of former President Park Geun-hye, had been in custody of Danish authorities after she went into hiding to avoid the prosecution’s summons.(Yonhap)The prosecution said that Chung, a 20-year-old former national dressage team member, was arrested at 4:08 a.m. on a Korean Air flight departing from a transit p

There will be no more police water cannons and bus barricades at street rallies, a ranking police officer said Friday, signaling a dramatic shift in the police’s treatment of protestors after millions-strong demonstrations expelled a sitting president from power. “From now on, we plan to make it a principle not to dispatch police forces, water cannons and bus barricades,” said Lee Dae-hyung, a human rights protection officer from the National Police Agency during a forum on human rights and poli

Ewha Womans University has elected its new president through its first-ever direct vote of all students, faculty members and administrative staff, ending months of allegations and internal turmoil that were tied to the scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye.  Kim Hei-sook, new president of Ewha Womans University. (Yonhap)Philosophy professor Kim Hei-sook was formally appointed Friday by the board of directors as the new president, the Seoul-based school said. She received 57.3 percent

Allegations surfaced Friday that former President Park Geun-hye spent 3 billion won ($2.7 million) of state funds while she was impeached by the parliament and suspended from duty. “I learned that 3 billion won in special activity expenses was used when former President Park Geun-hye was suspended,” said Rep. Lee Yong-ho of the centrist People’s Party in the party‘s emergency meeting.”“The public have a right to know how and where Cheong Wa Dae used these special activity expenses.” (Yonhap)Form

Following the military court‘s conviction Wednesday of a gay soldier for having sex, many expatriates living in South Korea reacted with a mixture of shock, disappointment and anger toward what they said was a violation of basic human rights. “These men are serving their country and their country repays them with prison?” said Amanda Melgarejo Bastos, a 28-year-old English teacher from the United States. “Seeing how racism and sexism are big issues here, I can’t say I am surprised, but I am stil

With President Moon Jae-in now in office, an association of civic groups that were at the forefront of the movement to remove the former president from power formally declared its disbandment Wednesday.“We declare disbandment because we completed our mission and role to oust former President Park Geun-hye,” said the civic groups at a press briefing held in central Seoul. Named “The Action for Park Geun-hye’s Ouster,” the association of 1,500 civic organizations led massive street protests after

More South Koreans joined a lawsuit against the governments of Seoul and Beijing, seeking compensation over mental distress they suffered due to fine dust in the country. The class action suit, filed in April with seven plaintiffs including Choi Yeol, president of the Korea Green Foundation, now has a total of 88 plaintiffs, each demanding 3 million won ($2,660) in compensation from both governments.Murky air covers buildings and the cityscape in Seoul as the worst fine dust sweeps across the na

As a judge announced the opening of a trial hearing, former President Park Geun-hye stepped inside a courtroom in a navy suit with her prison number 503 attached to her jacket. Amid a barrage of camera flashes and with some 150 spectators looking on, Park entered the courtroom No. 417, where two of South Korea’s former presidents had also stood trial. The chief judge Kim Se-yun of the three-justice panel addressed her as “the accused Park Geun-hye” and asked her what her occupation is. She feebl

Former President Park Geun-hye appeared in public for the first time in 53 days on Tuesday to stand trial on charges, including bribery and abuse of power, which brought an end to her presidency in March. Park, who has remained in detention since her arrest in late March, arrived at 9:10 a.m. at the Seoul Central District Court, wearing her own clothes, not a prison uniform, and with her signature hairstyle.  (Yonhap)As formal proceedings for her trial begins Tuesday, her attendance in hearings

President Moon Jae-in on Friday named a reformist prosecutor as the new chief of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, giving a boost to sweeping reforms of the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency.The presidential office said that Moon had appointed Yoon Seok-yeol, who played a key role in the investigation into the corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, to head the nation’s biggest prosecutors’ body.Yoon Seok-yeol (