The Korea Times

PM celebrates 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Vietnam

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, center, speaks at a luncheon to commemorate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Vietnam at his residence in Seoul, Wednesday. Among those attending were Tran Trong Toan, right, Vietnamese ambassador to Korea, and Luu Thi My Ha, deputy director of the overseas Vietnamese group in Korea.                                                                              / Courtesy of Prime Minister’s OfficeBy Jun Ji-hyePrime Minister Kim Hwang-sik held a luncheon Wednesday for Vietnamese figures living in Korea to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.At the meal at the prime minister’s residence in Seoul, Kim acknowledged those who have made efforts to strengthen the two countries’ close relationship.Among the guests were Tran Trong Toan, Vietnamese ambassador to Korea; Luu Thi My Ha, deputy di

Dec 12, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Politics

Rep. Park in hot seat for gaffes

By Jun Ji-hyePark Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party presidential candidate, shot herself in the foot by making a gaffe in the second televised debate with other candidates Monday.It was the latest in a number of gaffes she has recently made, which have given the opposition camp and some Internet users the opportunity to call her capability as a leader into question.  During her appearance in the second TV debate, the 60-year-old conservative said, while explaining her plan to raise funds for her welfare programs, “I will prepare 135 trillion won ($125 billion) for five years by invigorating the underground economy.”The underground economy refers to unlawful economic activities such as gambling, unregistered lending business and other commercial activities unreported to the authorities.Park chose the wrong word using “invigorating” instead of “incorporating” the underground economy; a move raise more taxes.Kim Chong-in, who chairs the committee to pursue people’s happiness for the ruling party, admitted Park’s mistake in a radio ap

Dec 11, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Politics

Is Ahn rendering full support for Moon?

By Jun Ji-hye Ahn Cheol-sooThere is no doubt that opposition candidate Moon Jae-in needs full-blooded support from former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo in order to score a victory against Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party in next week’s election.However, the software-mogul-turned politician is still only providing lukewarm support to Moon of the Democratic United Party’s (DUP), even after Thursday’s announcement that he would fully back Moon.Ahn was conspicuous by his absence at key campaign events. He has also refrained from drumming up support for Moon at key campaign sites, only repeating calls for political reforms.Ahn did not show up in a “Gwanghwamun battle” where the two leading candidates, Moon and Park, went on an intense campaign confrontation in front of tens of thousands of supporters Saturday.The opposition frontrunner delivered a speech emphasizing “new politics” a catchphrase he shares with Ahn, but his rival-turned-partner was not there.Instead, Ahn visited Daehangno and COEX where many young people gathere

Dec 10, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea

Park, Moon going head to head in slogan battle

Banners promoting presidential candidates hang in the street in Sinsa-dong, Seoul on Nov. 27.                                                                                                / YonhapPolitical pundits give Park higher mark but doubt plausibility By Jun Ji-hyeSlogans are crucial ingredients to campaign success. U.S. President Barack Obama was re-elected on the back of his slogan “Forward.” With just nine days to Korea’s presidential election, who has done a better job in crafting a more compelling slogan between the two main candidates?Would you pick a “Prepared Female President,” the main slogan of the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential contender Park Geun-hye, or someone who is “People First,” from her rival Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP

Dec 9, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Park, Moon going head to head in slogan battle

Politics

Will minor runners finish race?

By Jun Ji-hye Lee Jung-heeWill Lee Jung-hee, the presidential candidate of leftist Unified Progressive Party, and independent candidate Kang Ji-won complete the presidential race?The question is surfacing as the twoKang Ji-wonminor contenders could probably play a role in determining the winner of next week’s presidential election. In a Gallup’s poll on Saturday, Lee had a 0.8 percent support rate and former prosecutor and now youth mentor Kang received 0.5 percent.Analysts say votes for the two minor candidates could become one important variable as the ruling Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye and her liberal rival Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party (DUP) are expected to remain in a neck-and-neck competition within the margin of error.Park briefly widened the gap with Moon last week after former candidate Ahn Cheol-soo’s withdrawal from the race without achieving what he and the DUP candidate had called a “beautiful alliance.” But the gap started narrowing again after Ahn announced he would throw his full support behind Moon. Now the race

Dec 9, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Politics

Saenuri seeks to cut No. of lawmakers

University students in superhero outfits pose for photographs at a campaign event for the ruling Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeLee Hahn-koo, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, suggested Thursday that the opposition United Democratic Party (DUP) agree to cut the total number of National Assembly members to “a reasonable level.”Reducing the number of lawmakers was a campaign pledge made by former independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. Lee’s suggestion to cut the number of lawmakers, currently set at 300, is seen as a move to attract votes from supporters of Ahn.“I call for a bipartisan agreement on downsizing the number of lawmakers to a reasonable level,” Lee told reporters after a meeting with the party's political reforms special committee in the National Assembly.However, he stopped short of defining what a ‘reasonable level’ might be.Lee admitted that it is difficult to pursue the proposed downsizing before the Dec. 19 election. “But we

Dec 6, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

People & Events

'We want to be a window of Asia'

Lee Sang-ki, publisher of The AsiaNBy Jun Ji-hyeThe AsiaN, a Seoul-based online media service published in four languages, aims at playing the role of “the window of Asia” by delivering news in the region from an Asian perspective, its head said.Lee Sang-ki, publisher of The AsiaN (http://www.theasian.asia), said foreign press tend to report Asian news from their own angle and sometimes fail to reflect Asia properly.“For example, I visited Kuwait in October when Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved parliament. Many foreign media including AP reported it with a skeptical view because it’s not acceptable in their democratic society,” Lee said during an interview.“But I found most Kuwaitis naturally accepted it as they live in the royal regime. The AsiaN, especially our Arabic vision, reported it with the angle of people who actually live there, which made it different from those of other foreign press.”AsiaN, composed of 150 reporters from 50 Asian countries which are members of the Asia Journalists Association (AJA), provides news in

Dec 5, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Politics

Candidates lock horns on NK launch

By Jun Ji-hyeTwo leading presidential candidates blamed each other for the escalating tension following North Korea’s announcement of a plan to launch a long-range rocket between Dec. 10 and 22.The North’s latest provocation, coming just two weeks before the Dec. 19 presidential election, is generally reckoned as a development that would unite conservative voters behind the ruling party.Moon Jae-in, the main opposition Democratic United Party’s (DUP), criticized President Lee Myung-bak and the ruling Saenuri Party for their hard-line policy toward the North and its continues threats.“The rocket launch is a typical example indicating President Lee and Saenuri party’s failure to deal with the North,” said Park Yong-jin, a spokesman of the Moon camp, Monday.He accused the conservative party of using the North Korean factor as an election tactic, saying, “It is an outdated attitude to take advantage of the North Korean factor.”Moon has repeatedly said, “There were no military collisions between the two Koreas when late President Roh M

Dec 4, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Politics

Park distances herself from President Lee

By Jun Ji-hyePark Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate, is trying to distance herself as far as possible from unpopular incumbent, President Lee Myung-bak.She harshly criticized the lame duck president over the weekend, slamming him for failing to deliver on promises he made to the people, an apparent strategy aimed at retaining votes from those who are disappointed with the current administration.“Lee’s government pledged to turn around the economy but it only added difficulties to people’s livelihoods because it simply focused on quantitative expansion,” Park said during a stump tour of Gangwon Province, Sunday. “President Lee as well as the late President Roh Moo-hyun didn’t keep their promises to the people, only adding burdens them.”Last Friday, the daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee also attacked Lee at campaign rallies in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province.She told the electorate that she will create a “totally different administration from any other governments of the past.”Such tac

Dec 3, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Politics

Novelist Gong to fast in support of Moon

By Jun Ji-hye Gong Ji-youngLiberal novelist Gong Ji-young said she will begin 12-days of fasting and prayer today as a demonstration of her support for opposition presidential candidate Moon Jae-in.The popular novelist is the latest in a series of literary figures who have thrown their weight behind Moon of the Democratic United Party’s (DUP) in an effort to stop the ruling Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye winning the Dec. 19 election.Best-selling novelist Gong, who has an influential presence on Twitter with more than 500,000 followers, posted on the site that she will remain on hunger strike from Dec. 1 to 12.“As a citizen who sincerely wants regime change and as a member of the mentoring group for the Moon camp, I wanted to make a contribution to the task,” she said.“But I had to reject a request for me to deliver a speech or attend stumping tours because I am afraid of appearing in front of many people due to my personality. Rather, I decided to fast and pray from Dec. 1 to 12.”Also known for her active participation in social activities, the

Nov 30, 2012By Jun Ji-hye

Jun Ji-hye

Read more

PM celebrates 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Vietnam

Rep. Park in hot seat for gaffes

Is Ahn rendering full support for Moon?

Park, Moon going head to head in slogan battle

Will minor runners finish race?

Saenuri seeks to cut No. of lawmakers

'We want to be a window of Asia'

Candidates lock horns on NK launch

Park distances herself from President Lee

Novelist Gong to fast in support of Moon

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