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Moon's approval rating remains solid despite Sohn Hye-won scandal

Rep. Sohn Hye-won, center, waves to her supporters before holding a press conference in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonPresident Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped slightly this week despite a growing controversy over former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Sohn Hye-won's involvement in possible property speculation, according to a poll released Thursday.In the poll conducted by Realmeter, 47.7 percent of respondents approved of Moon's performance as president, down only 1.4 percentage points from a week earlier. The survey was run from Monday through Wednesday, on 1,508 adults nationwide. Meanwhile, the DPK's approval rating dropped only one percentage point to 38.3 percent.The results show the scandal surrounding Sohn barely affected public support for Moon and the ruling party. She quit the party after being accused of playing a key role in speculative property investments in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, by mobilizing her relatives and aides to act on insider information. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), meanwhile, gained 1

Jan 24, 2019By Park Ji-won
Moon's approval rating remains solid despite Sohn Hye-won scandal

Ruling camp pushes for hearing on sexual abuse in sports

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, center, Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan, third from right, Gender Equality and Family Minister Jin Sun-mee, second from right and Rep. An Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) hold hands at a meeting between the government and the DPK at the National Assembly, Thursday, to come up with measures to eradicate sexual assault in sports. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Thursday it will push for a National Assembly hearing on sexual abuse cases involving female athletes.The party will also take measures to toughen punishment against perpetrators in an effort to eradicate sexual abuse in the sports community.DPK lawmaker An Min-suk, who chairs the Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said lawmakers need to hear from victims as well as suspects through a hearing. “This is the least the Assembly can do. The hearing should be the first step to come up with stronger punitive measures and revise related laws,” An said after a meeting with sports officials.The move came after Olympic short

Jan 24, 2019By Park Ji-won
Ruling camp pushes for hearing on sexual abuse in sports

INTERVIEW Fintech newbie keeps migrants away from risky cash delivery

Customers at GME Remittance's Dongdaemun branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Courtesy of GME Remittance GME Remittance CEO John Sung decries banks' domination in the industryBy Ko Dong-hwanBanks play an important role in society, but for some people access to their services is difficult, if not impossible. This is especially so in developing regions and Third World countries. There, people do basic monetary transactions in down-to-earth ways, relying more on human hands than the computerized systems of conventional banking.Many migrant workers in Korea from such regions have opted for this method for transferring their hard-earned money home because they are unable to wire it through banks as those it is destined for do not have bank accounts. They have used “transporters,” who are entrusted with cash from multiple senders to deliver it. But the carriers sometimes disappear with the money. Besides the theft risk, the delivery breaks Korean law, which requires personal effec

Jan 24, 2019By Ko Dong-hwan
[INTERVIEW] Fintech newbie keeps migrants away from risky cash delivery

Trump delays State of Union address till shutdown ends

President Donald Trump, second from right, speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, as he hosts a roundtable with conservative leaders to discuss the security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is second from left. AP-YonhapPresident Donald Trump said Wednesday night he is postponing his State of the Union address until the partial government shutdown ends, yielding after a weeklong showdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Following a high-stakes game of dare and double-dare, Trump conceded that “no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber” and that he was not looking for an alternate option after Pelosi served notice earlier Wednesday that he won't be allowed to deliver the address to a joint session of Congress next week. Pelosi had taken the step after Trump said he planned to show up in spite of Democratic objections to the speech taking place with large swaths of the government shut down. Denied that grand venue, Trump

Jan 24, 2019
Trump delays State of Union address till shutdown ends

Top court chief apologizes over his predecessor's arrest in power abuse scandal

Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su bows in apology to the public at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Thursday, after his predecessor Yang Sung-tae was arrested on charges of power abuse earlier the day. YonhapIncumbent Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su apologized to the public Thursday over the unprecedented arrest of his predecessor in a massive power abuse scandal.Hours earlier, the Seoul district court approved the arrest warrant for former top court chief justice Yang Sung-tae on charges that he abused his authority to use trials as a political tool to lobby the office of the then President Park Geun-hye. "I would, again, like to apologize to the public. I feel wretched and ashamed," he told reporters outside the Supreme Court building. "I don't have the words to describe how I feel or what I could say at this stage so as to at least offer even a tiny bit of comfort to everyone." Yang is the first former South Korea's top court chief to have been questioned by prosecutors and then detained prior to indictment. The disgraced retired justice is facing a trial o

Jan 24, 2019
Top court chief apologizes over his predecessor's arrest in power abuse scandal

Korea Gas growing as global energy firm

The photo shows the Manzanillo LNG Terminal operated by Korea Gas in Mexico. / Courtesy of Korea Gas Corp.By Jun Ji-hyeKorea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) has expanded its presence worldwide, carrying out 25 energy-related projects in 13 countries, in a bid to supply energy resources stably and secure new growth engines, the firm said Wednesday. The projects the firm has conducted included exploration and production of natural gas, and construction of LNG terminals.KOGAS said it possesses liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchasing power and market information in addition to networks and infrastructure, which enables itself to buy natural gas at appropriate times.As of December 2017, the firm has brought 33 million tons of LNG into Korea annually from 16 countries.The firm has invested in three LNG-related projects, including an OLNG project in Oman, generating a dividend income of 1.4 trillion won ($1.2 billion) as of 2017. This contributed to a drop in gas prices here. The firm noted its exploration projects in Myanmar and Mozambique, among others, have been deemed a major success story.The state-r

Jan 23, 2019
Korea Gas growing as global energy firm

Lawmaker in hot seat over 'I love Japan' T-shirt

This captured image shows a Facebook chat between Rep. Keum Tae-sup of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and a citizen. / Screengrab of Keum Tae-sup's acebookBy Park Ji-wonRuling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Keum Tae-sup is caught in a controversy for wearing an “I love Japan” T-shirt.The prosecutor-turned-lawmaker posted Tuesday a captured image of an exchange with an unknown person via Facebook chat. A netizen first sent him a message asking Keum whether he has Japanese ancestry using an ethnic slur, while showing a picture of him wearing a T-shirt with the words “I love Japan” printed on it. Keum, in a reply, lectured him for the slur, “jjokbari” in Korean. “Your profile says you majored in education,” he told the citizen. “Is it okay for you to use hate speech?”The term jjokbari is a slur that was directed at pro-Japanese collaborators during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation. Currently, it is used to belittle a person who says something favorable of Japan or to refer to Japanese people.His remarks cam

Jan 23, 2019By Park Ji-won
Lawmaker in hot seat over 'I love Japan' T-shirt

Sohn Hye-won pledges to donate lacquerware collection

Rep. Sohn Hye-won speaks during a press conference held in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday. The former ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker pledged to donate her collection of lacquerware to the local government as part of a move to “prove” her innocence amid growing suspicions over her central role in speculative property investments in the city. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonRep. Sohn Hye-won pledged to donate her entire collection of traditional lacquerware to the local government as part of a move to prove her innocence amid growing suspicions of her central role in speculative property investments in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. The announcement came as the opposition parties are stepping up their political attacks regarding her involvement in the investments by her aides and relativesThe former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker held a press conference in Mokpo and said “I will donate a collection of lacquerware made between the 17th and 21st centuries, which I collected to open a museum, to Mokpo City or South Jeolla Province. The conference was h

Jan 23, 2019By Park Ji-won
Sohn Hye-won pledges to donate lacquerware collection

Moon marks 67th birthday on Thursday

In this photo taken on Jan. 24, 2018, a citizen takes a photo of a subway station ad celebrating Moon's 66th birthday.By Park Si-soo President Moon Jae-in will celebrate his 67th birthday (“Korean age”) on Thursday. It is his second in office. Cheong Wa Dae said Moon ― born on Jan. 24, 1953, in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province ― will have low-key celebrations with his family, like he did last year. Defying his wish, some of his avid fans are poised to mark his birthday openly. They posted celebratory messages titled “Happy Birthday to President Moon” on Cheong Wa Dae's online bulletin board. “I pondered what I can give you as a (birthday) gift,” one wrote. “I planned to collect money to run birthday ads on subway stations like last year. But it seems that it's not allowed this year. So I put this message right here.” According to reports, Moon's enthusiastic fans are planning to gather across the country Thursday night to host their own birthday parties for the president.

Jan 23, 2019
Moon marks 67th birthday on Thursday

China asked to tackle fine dust in Korea

President Moon Jae-in speaks at the start of a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in called for concerted efforts with China, Tuesday, to reduce fine dust, saying diplomacy is necessary to find solutions to the worsening problem.“There are concerns the China-originated fine dust is influencing public health. I want relevant ministries to step up diplomatic efforts to address the rising smog levels such as an establishment of an early smog-detection alarm system,” Moon said in a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, according to press pool reports. “We have to address fine dust-related issues as these are at the top of the state agenda in terms of protecting the right to health. We have to take on these issues sternly by applying all possible measures and developing relevant technologies.” The President asked relevant ministries to outline plans to reduce CO2 emissions.Environmental officials from South Korea and China plan to hold a meeting in Seoul on Jan. 23 and 24 at which they will explore ways to encounter the r

Jan 22, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
China asked to tackle fine dust in Korea
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