The main opposition party’s former leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo Sunday rejected the incumbent chairman Moon Jae-in’s request to build a coalition leadership, dealing a blow to Moon’s attempt to unite the embattled party ahead of next year’s general election. 　Instead, the entrepreneur-turned-politician proposed a plan to select new leadership by holding a party caucus next January and merge with the People’s Reform Party, a newly created opposition party founded by Rep. Chun Jung-bae who defected f

Rival parties Thursday clashed over the delayed ratification of a free trade agreement signed between South Korea and China in June, casting a shadow over the government’s push to see the pact in effect by the end of this year. While the ruling Saenuri Party urged the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy to agree on holding a plenary session this Friday to ratify the FTA, the NPAD rejected the call unless the government implements measures to compensate those it said would suffer

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday urged the swift passage of pending counterterrorism bills, highlighting South Korea is not safe from heightened terrorism risks worldwide.　　“Compared to other countries that implemented measures to prevent terror attacks, South Korea has delayed the enactment of antiterrorism bills for 14 years,” Park said while presiding over a Cabinet meeting. “(But) when an incident occurs, the lawmakers are quick to criticize the government while it is they who have been si

Late President Kim Young-sam’s death by illness drew public attention on Monday to the health conditions of South Korea’s three living former presidents -- Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo and Lee Myung-bak. 　While the oldest, Chun, 84, and the youngest, Lee, 74, are active enough to attend public events and write their memoirs, 83-year-old Roh’s condition has deteriorated. Roh has not been seen in public for about 10 years. The photos of South Korea`s living former presidents.　Chun, who rose to the p

Former President Kim Young-sam’s death on Sunday prompted heavyweights across the political spectrum to highlight in unison the significance of South Korea’s transition from dictatorship to democracy.　From conservatives to liberals and bigwigs to rookies, politicians echoed that Kim had left an indelible mark on the nation’s democratic development. Some from the opposition party underscored Kim’s legacy during the Korea’s democratization and urged the Park Geun-hye administration to uphold his v

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s plan to provide cash benefits to unemployed young people has prompted political debate as the government slammed it as an unrealistic attempt to seek political gains. 　　While Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan on Thursday rebuked the move as “welfare populism” and pledged to block the policy, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon vowed to push ahead with the scheme under the support of main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy leader Rep. Moon Jae-in.　“Some local governme

The South Korean government Wednesday said it would tighten regulations on its nationals’ visits to countries banned for travel due to safety concerns.　The Foreign Ministry said it would revise the passport law to impose stricter exceptions for South Koreans traveling to or staying in countries listed as dangerous to visit following the deadly terror attack in Paris last week. As of Nov. 18, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya were designated as travel-restricted nations. 　Under t

Yoon Jeong-sik, a 30-year-old who has studied in the U.S. for half of his life, has struggled to find a job in Korea. Having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political philosophy from a state university in California, Yoon has remained unemployed for almost two years since finishing his mandatory military service.　“I thought the applicant like me who speaks fluent English and has work experience would have little trouble getting a job in Korea,” said Yoon. 　He applied to more than 30 compan

 South Korea’s delayed counterterrorism legislation was put back on the spotlight Monday as parties clashed over how to reinforce the nation’s intelligence agency’s ability to address rising domestic security concerns after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday.　While the ruling Saenuri Party demanded the National Assembly enact the two-year-old antiterrorism bills to grant more authority to the National Intelligence Service, the main opposition party claimed the legislation would gi

The South Korean government vowed tough measures against any unlawful activity during the scheduled mass rally against labor and education measures on Saturday that is anticipated to gather some 100,000 protesters, the most since the anti-U.S. beef protests in 2008, according to police.　The Cabinet members issued a joint statement in a press conference that the government would hold accountable those responsible for violating laws and inciting violence during the protest set to take place around

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the life sentence for Lee Joon-seok, 70, who was captain of the ferry Sewol that sank off the southwest coast in April last year killing 304 on board. He was among the first to be rescued, without giving evacuation orders to the passengers.　The court made the full bench decision that Lee had committed murder by gross negligence in the appeal filed by Lee and 14 other crew members.　“While he could have easily informed the passengers of the urgent situation and

The rival parties on Thursday failed to negotiate the redrawing of a new electoral map, missing the legal deadline and further complicating the political and partisan strategies for next year’s general elections. 　Separate from the failed talks, the National Assembly passed a package of pending bills including a ban against large retailers doing business near traditional markets to jumpstart the parliamentary session, which has been stalled over the government’s push to reinstate state-authored