The fragile solidarity in the main opposition party is fast crumbling again as dissenters joined former cochairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s calls for the chairman to step down Monday. Dissenting floor leader Rep. Lee Jong-kul and Supreme Council member Rep. Joo Seung-yong refused to attend the party’s regular Supreme Council meeting in the morning. They demanded chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in accept Ahn’s proposal to hold a national caucus early next year to overhaul the embattled party leadership.Their

One out of 5 teenagers in South Korea do not think there is a need to have children in life, a report showed Sunday.The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs surveyed 1,179 students in middle and high schools to look into teen perceptions of marriage and childbirth. (123rf)While 21.1 percent said they did not think they “must have children” when they became adults, 55.1 percent said they should. Some 23.6 percent said they were not sure yet. The response also varied between genders, with

College students who defected from North Korea feel the need for unification more than South Korea-born students, a survey showed Thursday.The survey was compiled by Story K, a youth forum, by interviewing 257 native South Koreans and 180 North Korean defectors currently attending universities here over a seven-day period this month.According to the report, 44 percent of South Korean students said they “mostly disagreed” with the statement that “unification should be realized as soon as possible

 [Reporter's Column]President Park Geun-hye, according to a number of her staff at Cheong Wa Dae, is a very meticulous, strict boss. Though it is a staff member’s job to write the first draft of her speeches, Park has, many times, taken a few hours to complete the final version -- replacing some words to add stress or defend against the opposition, and perhaps to express her emotions.After three years in office, her choice of words has become a window to understanding the president, who veils he

The rival parties on Monday traded accusations over the violence at a rally in central Seoul on Saturday that left dozens of protesters and police officers injured with one in critical condition.The ruling Saenuri Party defined it as an “illegal political rally” that was attended by a police-estimated 64,000 people against the government’s state-authored history textbooks, labor sector reform and free trade agreements. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy accused the authoriti

Antibiotics are prescribed for children suffering from acute ear infection too rampantly in South Korea with the rate reaching 84.2 percent, a report showed Monday.Of 7,610 medical facilities nationwide, more than eight out of 10 prescribed antibiotics for children suffering from the infection, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service said. The rate, however, marked a slight annual decrease since 88.7 percent in 2012, although still high compared to other countries like the Netherlands

 President Park Geun-hye on Friday once again urged Japan to resolve the issue of its sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II through a sincere apology and compensation, emphasizing the “universal” nature of human rights of women. In a written interview with eight news wire services from around the world, she also said she is open to holding one-on-one talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as long as he abandons his nuclear ambitions and makes progress in cross-border ties. 

President Park Geun-hye will leave for Turkey on Saturday, the first stop of her trip that will also include the Philippines and Malaysia to participate in multinational summits including the G20 and other regional dialogues.Park’s first stop will be Antalya, Turkey on Nov. 15-16 to attend the G20 summit aimed at promoting inclusive growth that will also bring together U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Markel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra

While grieving for the loss of loved ones, mourners in Korea usually stay up all night in funeral halls to support the bereaved families. Drinking beer and soju, the guests console the family members during the three-day funeral period, sharing a common human bond during tough times.For politicians in Korea, this tradition often serves as not just a somber chance to pay condolences but also as an opportunity to gather, recollect forces and even strategize against political foes.Taking their armo

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday spoke up about her administration’s controversial reintroduction of state history textbooks, saying inaction threatened the “souls” of young Koreans.“One would have no soul without knowing the history of one’s country, and learning it in a wrong way would turn one’s soul into an abnormal one,” she said at a Cabinet meeting. President Park Geun-hye speaks during a Cabinet meeting, Tuesday. (Yonhap)Park urged the National Institute of Korean History in charge of

Officials of Seoul and Tokyo will resume their negotiations over Japan’s colonial-era sexual enslavement of Korean women on Wednesday, the first to be held after their leaders agreed to speed up the talks during a summit last week.Observers say that this round of talks led by directors general of each side would be a touchstone for the neighbors’ will to settle the long-festering issue within this year. They have held talks since April 2014, but no significant progress has been made.Park Ok-seon

Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson received an honorary doctorate from Kookmin University on Monday during his visit to South Korea this week.“We highly praise President Grimsson’s accomplishments as a politician and in preserving the global environment and contributing to international peace, and therefore decided to give him the honorary doctorate degree on the occasion of his first visit,” said Kookmin University President Yu Ji-soo. Grimsson also delivered a special lecture for the uni

Former National Intelligence Service director Kim Man-bok said Monday that he plans to run in an open primary to appear on the ruling Saenuri Party’s ticket to run in Gijang, Busan, his hometown, on April 13 next year.His announcement came on the heels of Home Affairs Minister Chong Jong-sup’s press conference Sunday to resign from his post, with heavy indications that he would be running in the parliamentary race. Kim Man-bok (Yonhap)The two join a host of other former Cabinet and Cheong Wa Dae

 Last Friday, Choi Mong-lyong -- the government’s choice as one of the main authors for a new set of state-issued history textbooks -- resigned after allegations surfaced that he had sexual harassed a female reporter.While denying any wrongdoing, the professor emeritus of Seoul National University said he did not want to bog down the publication process.Professor Choi Mong-lyong is surrounded by the press as he heads to his home in Yeouido, Friday. (Yonhap)The resignation of the seasoned scholar

 Seoul City Mayor Park Won-soon filed a defamation suit against former ruling party lawmaker and attorney Kang Yong-seok for spreading rumors on his son’s alleged military draft dodging, sources said Sunday.This is the first lawsuit raised by Park on behalf of his son Park Ju-sin, 29, against Kang, who has for years claimed the son fabricated medical records to dodge the mandatory military service. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (left) and lawyer Kang Yong-seok YonhapAccording to legal sources, Park

President Park Geun-hye will visit Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia starting this weekend to participate in multinational summits including the G20 and other regional dialogues, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. President Park Geun-hye YonhapPark’s first stop will be Antalya, Turkey on Nov. 15-16 to attend the G20 summit, said senior presidential secretary on foreign affairs Kim Kyou-hyun at a press briefing.She will then fly to Manila in the Philippines from Nov. 17-19 to take part in the Asian-Pa

The ASEAN-Korea Center on Thursday launched a moving tourism information center on the member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to promote the region’s culture and tourism among the Korean public.The ASEAN Roadshow will travel across the country through Saturday next week, starting from Seoul and making stops in Gwangju and Busan. Participants including ASEAN-Korea Center Secretary-General Kim Young-sun (fourth from left) attend the launch ceremony for the ASEAN Roadshow at C

Seoul Metropolitan City on Wednesday said it has requested a budget increase from the central government for its project to register the Pungnap Earthen Fortress in Songpa-gu, eastern Seoul, on the UNESCO World Heritage list.Seoul says that in order to finish relocating and offering compensation to residents at the site of the early-Baekje royal castle by the target year 2020, the annual state budget of 35 billion won ($31 million) should be increased to at least 70 billion won. Seoul City has b

Korea’s successful economic growth not only brought wealth and prosperity but also posed inevitable urban challenges, especially the waste.Bombarded with increasing amounts of trash, Seoul has striven to cut down on garbage with various recycling-oriented measures since the concept was first introduced here in 1992.Under tough green initiatives, the government has pushed for a systematic waste sorting system to boost recycling. Once individuals separate the garbage by type -- ranging from paper,

Some 154 professors and lecturers specializing in Korean history at universities around the world on Sunday released a joint statement opposing South Korea’s move to reinstate government-authored textbooks for secondary education.The statement said that history textbooks in a democratic nation must respect various views and analyses, and be based on free discussion and research of professional historians. Opposition lawmakers including New Politics Alliance for Democracy chairman Rep. Moon Jae-i