Jan 17, 2020   Politics

Ex-Semo chairman's family ordered to pay 70% of state expenses on Sewol ferry disaster

Three children of a former chairman of Semo Group, which was involved in the operation of the Sewol ferry that sank off South Korea's southwestern coast in 2014, were ordered by a local court Friday to cover 70 percent of the state funds spent to deal with the ferry sinking.The Seoul Central District Court ordered former Semo Group Chairman Yoo Byung-eun's three children -- 53-year-old daughter Yoo Sum-na, 51-year-old daughter Yoo Sang-na and 47-year-old son Yoo Hyuk-ki -- to pay a total of 170

Jan 17, 2020   Social affairs

Cho Kuk indicted for alleged power abuse

The prosecution on Friday filed charges against former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in connection with allegations that he abused his power to suspend an inquiry into a former Busan vice mayor. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office charged Cho with abuse of power without physically detaining him, three weeks after the prosecution’s request for a warrant to arrest him was rejected by a local court.Prosecutors accused Cho of abusing his power in 2017, as then-presidential secretar

Jan 17, 2020   Social affairs

[Newsmaker] Main opposition lawmaker found not guilty in daughter’s hiring scandal

A Seoul court on Friday cleared main opposition lawmaker Kim Sung-tae of bribery charges, clearing a hurdle for him to run in the upcoming April 15 general elections. The Seoul Southern District Court found Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the Liberty Korea Party not guilty of receiving bribes from Lee Suk-chae, former chief of telecom firm KT. Lee was also cleared of offering bribes to Kim. Based on testimony from former KT President Seo Yu-yeol, prosecutors indicted Lee for inappropriately asking Lee

Jan 17, 2020   North Korea

US State Dept. says it supports inter-Korean cooperation

The US State Department said it supports inter-Korean cooperation, Voice of America reported Friday.　“The United States supports inter-Korean cooperation and coordinates with our ROK ally to ensure inter-Korean cooperation proceeds in lockstep with progress on denuclearization,” an official at the State Department spokesperson’s office said, when asked to comment on recent remarks by the South Korean foreign minister, according to the US broadcaster.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-

Jan 17, 2020   Foreign Affairs

S. Korea lowers travel alert level for Hong Kong

South Korea on Friday lowered its travel alert level for Hong Kong, the foreign ministry said, amid signs of stability in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory plagued by clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police.The ministry downgraded the alert level to "caution," the lowest of the four-tier warning system. In November last year, it raised the level by one notch to "restraint" due to increasingly violent confrontation between the two sides."In line with this

Jan 17, 2020   Politics

Moon to have dinner with ruling party officials

President Moon Jae-in has invited senior ruling party officials to a dinner with him at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday to thank them for the passage of several key reform bills, his aides said.The meeting will be joined by Rep. Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party, and 13 other party officials who led negotiations with some opposition parties in the process of handling the bills, especially those on electoral and prosecution reform. It will be Moon's first dinner with the ruling party lea

Jan 17, 2020   North Korea

Pyongyang demands Seoul tear down facilities at North’s resort

North Korea asked the South through the inter-Korean liaison office in December to tear down buildings at the North’s Kumgangsan mountain resort, government sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.  Pyongyang requested Seoul do so by February this year. The northern neighbor had also asked South Korea in November to dismantle facilities at the resort by the month’s end.“I can’t confirm anything at the moment because the matter is under consultation between Seo

Jan 17, 2020   Politics

Moon urges 'tangible' results from New Northern Policy this year

President Moon Jae-in called Friday for all-out efforts to pull off "tangible" accomplishments from his administration's New Northern Policy aimed at improving South Korea's partnerships with Russia and other countries located north of the peninsula.He made the comment while receiving a briefing from Kwon Goo-hoon, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation, on the panel's major policy goals this year.Moon launched the body weeks after taking office in May

Jan 17, 2020   Social affairs

Korean language test applicants hit record high in 2019: data

A record number of applicants took the Korean language proficiency test last year, data showed Friday, reflecting the growing popularity of the language.A total of 375,871 people sat for the Test of Proficiency in Korean in 2019, up 14.2 percent from 329,224 in the previous year, according to the National Institute for International Education's data analyzed by education service provider Haneul Education Corp.It marks the highest figure since 2,692 people took the exam when TOPIK was first launc

Jan 17, 2020   North Korea

Seoul calls shots in engaging Pyongyang: official

South Korea is a sovereign country that dictates its own North Korean policies, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Friday, in a reference to remarks by US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris that Washington should be consulted on potential cross-border tourism to the North. “The United States has made it clear through many channels that it respects the sovereignty of South Korea, and our policies on North Korea fall under that description,” Spokesperson Lee Sang-min said at a

Jan 17, 2020   Politics

Growing numbers of illegal stayers leave Korea voluntarily

A growing number of foreigners staying illegally in South Korea are voluntarily leaving the country after the government offered various incentives, including an opportunity for reentry, to overstayers choosing to voluntary depart, a government agency said Friday.According to the Incheon Immigration Office, the number of illegal stayers leaving the country of their own free will soared 66 percent from 433 last November to 720 last December. In the first 14 days of this month, the number already

Jan 17, 2020   North Korea

S. Korea says inter-Korean policy matter of sovereignty

South Korea's policy on North Korea is a matter of sovereignty, the unification ministry said Friday, after US Ambassador Harry Harris called for Seoul to make sure to consult closely with Washington about its engagement plans with the North.On Thursday, Ambassador Harris told foreign media reporters that South Korea should consult with Washington about its plans to engage with North Korea in order to "avoid a misunderstanding later that could trigger sanctions."His remarks came as Sou

Jan 17, 2020   Foreign Affairs

Pompeo, Esper issue joint appeal to South Korea to pay more for US troop presence

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper have made an emphatic call for South Korea to pay more for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops stationed in the country.They made the appeal in a rare joint commentary in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday (US time), after the two sides ended their sixth round of talks in Washington to negotiate the Special Measures Agreement, the cost-sharing deal for the stationing of the US Forces Korea.t the SMA talks on Tuesday and Wednes

Jan 17, 2020   North Korea

US sends nuke-detecting plane to air base in Japan

The United States has deployed a WC-135W radiation detection plane to one of its air bases in Japan, an aviation tracker said Thursday, a move seen as aimed at beefing up surveillance of North Korea.The WC-135W Constant Phoenix arrived at Kadena Air Base in Japan's Okinawa, Aircraft Spots said in a Twitter post, without elaborating on the exact time of the arrival.Nicknamed the "nuke sniffer," the WC-135W played a key role in detecting radioactive leaks after the Chernobyl nuclear disa