Defiant leftist lawmaker faces bribery probe
Prosecutors raided the office of a public relations company founded by United Progressive Party (UPP) lawmaker Lee Seok-ki, Thursday, on suspicion that the firm received kickbacks from a liberal educator. Lee has been under pressure to resign for his alleged support for North Korea. Prosecutors said they have secured computer hard discs and documents through […]
Seoul won’t buy F-35s without discount
DAPA expects Lockheed deal to overshoot FX budget The state-run arms procurement agency announced Wednesday that it will not purchase Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightening II Joint Striker Fighters, if the Pentagon cannot come up with an enticing price-tag. “If the negotiation price exceeds our target price, it will be difficult for us to carry out […]
Questions linger over Lee’s involvement
Key questions remained answered Wednesday, even after the prosecution concluded its investigation into illegal surveillance operations by indicting five figures, including former presidential aides for their involvement, among them, former vice knowledge economy minister Park Young-joon. Was President Lee Myung-bak aware of the illicit activities of his aides before prosecutors brought them to justice? Did […]
‘We can turn China into blessing’
China is a blessing to Korea rather than a curse, a China expert said Wednesday. “I think it is a blessing to have a country like this next to us,” said Seok Tong-youn, 58, secretary-general of the state-run Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF). “China is turning from being the world’s factory to becoming the world’s […]
North Korea’s meddling faces constraints
North Korea’s ability to interfere in the South’s elections could be waning despite a recent media blitz targeting conservative lawmakers, analysts said Tuesday. In its latest attempt, Pyongyang threatened Monday to expose remarks made by Reps. Park Geun-hye and Chung Mong-joon and Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo during respective visits to the Stalinist state, saying […]
President Hu pins hope on innovations
BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Hu Jintao said Monday that innovations were key to the country’s development, at a conference attended by more than 1,200 esteemed scientists and engineers. They attended the biennial conference of the country’s two top think tanks with research capacities, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese […]
Lee Hae-chan elected new chairman of main opposition party
Former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan was elected new chairman of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) in its national convention on Saturday. In the DUP leadership election held at the KINTEX convention center in Goyang, north of Seoul, Lee defeated his archrival Rep. Kim Han-gil and six other contenders. The 60-year-old Lee, a seven-term […]
Ruling party to stick to current presidential primary process
Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party will stick to its current presidential candidate selection process, but will check to see if there are shortcomings that can be addressed, the party’s chairman said Saturday. At the end of a workshop event for lawmakers, Hwang Woo-yea said meeting the primary election timetable set by the party’s constitution will be […]
Japan claims statue in front of Seoul embassy violates int’l convention
The Japanese government has officially claimed that the “peace statue” in front of its embassy in Seoul violates international convention on diplomatic relations, a report submitted to the Diet showed Saturday. According to the daily Sankei Shimbun, the report compiled in response to questions raised by lawmakers said the bronze statue set up to mark […]
Japan’s Noda urges nation to go nuclear
TOKYO, June 9 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has made a nationwide appeal to the people of Japan to understand that two idled nuclear reactors in western Japan must be restarted to protect people’s livelihoods and the economy in general. The No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in […]
![[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯](http://www.theasian.asia/wp-content/themes/city-desk/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theasian.asia%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2FAshraf-2novel-news_9601.jpg&q=90&w=300&h=0&zc=1 "[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯")
