The Korea Times

NK leader delivers message to Hyundai chairwoman

By Jun Ji-hyeNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered a personal message to Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun Saturday during the latter’s visit to the communist state to hold a memorial service in Mt. Geumgang resort for the late Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong-hun.It was the young North Korean leader’s first ever personal message given to somebody from the South.According to the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said in his messages conveyed by Won Dong-yeon, deputy chief of the United Front Department, that: “Chung Mong-hun opened up the way of national reconciliation and cooperation. He contributed a lot to improving inter-Korean relations and preparing for unification.”Kim added, “I pray for the soul of the deceased. I wish Hyun and Hyundai group the best of luck in the future.”Pyongyang’s official news agency reported that Hyundai Group officials promised to spare no efforts to resume Mt. Geumgang tours and boost reconciliation between the two Koreas in line with the wish of Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung and

Aug 4, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Opposition party takes to streets

Rep. Kim Han-gil, left, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), eats an ice-cream bar at the party’s tent headquarters set up on Seoul Plaza, Thursday. The DP sought to rally support from citizens, arguing the ruling Saenuri Party blocked an investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s alleged illegal intervention in the presidential election. At right is DP floor leader Jun Byung-hun. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe main opposition Democratic Party (DP) took to the streets Thursday to protest against the ruling Saenuri Party for allegedly blocking an investigation by the National Assembly into the spy agency’s meddling in the 2012 presidential election.The DP rigged up a temporary headquarters at Seoul Plaza where it held a meeting with senior members. Ninety DP lawmakers were present at the outdoor event.The last struggle by the DP outside the Assembly was in November 2011 when then the Grand National Party (now the Saenuri Party) pushed for passing a bill to ratify the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, despite opposition from the DP.“The ru

Aug 1, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

IT firm probed for helping NK hackers

By Jun Ji-hyeThe prosecution said Wednesday that it is investigating an information technology firm over allegations that it helped North Korean hackers attack South Korean computer networks.According to the Seoul Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, its officials and agents of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Tuesday raided the firm’s office as well as the house of its president, surnamed Kim.50-year-old Kim is suspected to have violated the National Security Law by helping North Korean hackers residing in China spread a malicious code to the South. The law bans any activities that benefit or praise the communist North.Two other firms that lent servers to Kim were included as subjects of the raids.    The prosecution said that Kim is under suspicion of helping the hackers set up “zombie PCs” called “Botnet” in the South.Zombie PCs refer to computers infected with malicious software and programmed to conduct the attack so that it can be served as the main tool for the hackers. Those are usually used for large-scale cyber attack,

Jul 31, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

'3 nations should block Japan'

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea needs to strengthen cooperation with the United States and China to tackle Japan’s move to revise its pacifist constitution and other attempts to turn to the political right, experts and scholars said Tuesday.Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the ruling Saenuri Party presided over an open forum to come up with measures against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s move for the constitutional revision. The move is apparently designed to give the Japanese military a larger role, probably including the right of collective self-defense.This means the right to engage in military activities overseas if one’s allies are under attack. Abe stated that enabling this through a constitutional revision is one of his representative election pledges, upsetting neighboring nations such as China and Korea.Rep. Nam chairs the National Assembly Special Committee to straighten historical disagreements in Northeast Asia.“Probably not immediately, but soon, the Abe government is likely to launch preparatory works to revise the country’s pacifist constitution and p

Jul 30, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Ahn Cheol-soo loses ground in party politics

Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo gives a speech in an open forum he arranged to mull ways of reforming the nation’s social and political structure in an art center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on July 18. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hye When he won a seat in the National Assembly after a by-election on April 24 in Seoul’s Nowon district, many political pundits forecasted that a second wave of the Ahn Cheol-soo phenomena would emerge.The first wave occurred during the lead-up to last year’s Dec. 19 presidential election when he stood as an independent candidate until he dropped out of the race to join hands with Moon Jae-in, candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).Although the opposition lost to the ruling Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye, Ahn’s political influence was strong enough to trigger speculation about “political reform and a new politics.”Following his victory against the ruling Saenuri Party candidate Huh Joon-young in the by-election, every comment he made at the time made headlines and provided content for front

Jul 29, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

Ahn Cheol-soo loses ground in party politics

South Korea

Parties fail to decide witnesses on NIS probe

Rep. Shin Ki-nam, left, of the main opposition Democratic Party presides over a plenary session to conclude details of a parliament investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s alleged meddling in the 2012 presidential election held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Monday. He chairs the National Assembly Special Committee. Rival parties, however, failed to decide on witnesses to face questions during hearings scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe two main rival parties in the parliament failed to agree Monday on who should face questions regarding the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) alleged illegal intervention in the 2012 presidential election.  During a plenary session of the National Assembly Special Committee, the parties planned to fix details to resume the parliamentary investigation, which was crippled last week due to a boycott by the ruling Saenuri Party. This task should have included deciding who is to be questioned and give testimony at hearings.Hours before the session, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the ruling

Jul 29, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Body of male rights activist discovered

By Jun Ji-hye Police said Monday that they found a body of Sung Jae-gi, 46, a male rights activist who jumped off a bridge into the Han River on Friday.Investigators said the corpse was discovered under the southern part of Seogang Bridge connecting Yeouido to northern Seoul. They said that Sung was barefooted, but that his white shirt and dark gray pants were the same as what he was wearing when jumping into the river.Seogang Bridge is next to Mapo Bridge where Sung, head of a male rights advocacy group, Man of Korea, jumped from, asking the public to lend the group 100 million won ($90,900) to pay off its debts.A day before making what was apparently intended to be a mock suicide attempt, he posted a message on his Twitter account, forewarning that he planned to jump from one of the 24 bridges on the Han River.The incident stirred a huge debate over aiding and abetting suicide.Police questioned two of Sung’s colleagues, who were at the scene and took pictures of him jumping, about whether they abetted his attempted suicide which appears to have been successful.The two in

Jul 29, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Youngsters indifferent to division, war

Yoon Je-hyeonBy Jun Ji-hye“I was born while my mother was escaping to the south following the breakout of the Korean War,” said 63-year-old housewife Jeon Jeong-hwa who lives in Gyeonggi Province.“At the time, my father was in the army near the 38th parallel and was fighting on the frontiers.”During the interview, she recalled the war, although she was too young at the time to have clear memories.But she said the war years are an integral part of her family’s history and fortunately her father survived the conflict.“My dad told me that the war broke out while he and his colleagues were sleeping. What shocked me most was when he told me about people’s severed arms and legs that he had seen as he wandered around the towns,” she said. “It was so horrific. This must never happen again.” For teenagers, however, the war seems somehow unreal.  When asked about the significance of July 27, Yoon Je-hyeon, 17, a high school student in Gyeonggi Province, answered, “I guess it is the 100th day before the college entrance

Jul 26, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Parties want to put end to NLL disputes

By Jun Ji-hyeThe ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Friday expressed hopes of ending the continuing controversy over remarks that the late former President Roh Moo-hyun is said to have made about the Northern Limit Line (NLL) six years ago.Saenuri Party Floor Leader Choi Kyung-hwan declared that his party will stop making comments about the missing transcripts of the 2007 inter-Korean summit as well as making allegations that Roh disavowed the de facto border line in the West Sea.“From now on, we will cease all political strife regarding the NLL,” said Choi. “Leaving the task of verifying the truth about the matter to an investigation by the prosecution, we will go back to our essential duties, handling affairs related to people’s livelihood.”Parties earlier agreed to unseal the original summit records to scrutinize whether or not Roh negated the NLL. But lawmakers failed to find the material in the National Archives of Korea, creating a fresh controversy over who was responsible for the disappearance.Choi also expressed sk

Jul 26, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Ruling party boycotts probe of NIS

By Jun Ji-hye Rep. Jung Cheong-rae, right, of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), together with other party members, visits the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in southern Seoul, Friday, to protest its Director Nam Jae-joon’s failure to appear at the National Assembly Special Committee’s questioning session on the NIS’s alleged meddling in the 2012 presidential election. / YonhapThe parliamentary investigation into the spy agency’s alleged intervention in last year’s Dec. 19 presidential election came to a sudden halt Friday due to a boycott by the ruling party.Members of the ruling Saenuri Party and spy agency head Nam Jae-joon did not attend a session of questioning in front of the National Assembly Special Committee, demanding that it should only proceed behind closed doors.The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) unilaterally opened the session, saying that it should be open to the public.But they soon had to suspend it because there was nothing to do without the relevant figures in attendance to face questions.The DP condemned the r

Jul 26, 2013By Jun Ji-hye

Jun Ji-hye

Read more

NK leader delivers message to Hyundai chairwoman

Opposition party takes to streets

IT firm probed for helping NK hackers

'3 nations should block Japan'

Ahn Cheol-soo loses ground in party politics

Parties fail to decide witnesses on NIS probe

Body of male rights activist discovered

Youngsters indifferent to division, war

Parties want to put end to NLL disputes

Ruling party boycotts probe of NIS

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