[Profile] Seoul-born, SNU law graduate, former judge and No.2 female figure in GNP GNP candidate for Seoul mayor Na Kyung-won, 48, is one of the most well-known female figures not only in the conservative bloc but in politics generally. Born in Seoul in 1963 as the daughter of an affluent school board chairman, Na has smooth sailed through her academic and political career. Having entered Seo...

[Profile] Legend in civil society has yet to prove mettle in established politics Park Won-soon won a key battle in his quest to become Seoul mayor, securing the unified candidacy of all liberal opposition forces on Monday. The independent candidate is leading in polls against Rep. Na Kyung-won, the flag bearer of the conservative ruling Grand National Party. “Poll results demonstrate citizen...

Ruling party candidate says she will repay W4tr of city debts by 2014 While the liberal bloc gathered to select a unified mayoral candidate on Monday, the Grand National Party’s Na Kyung-won focused on promoting policy, especially in districts where the ruling party’s support runs low. She pledged to bridge the economic and cultural gap between the poor northern and wealthy southern districts i...

President Lee Myung-bak on Monday urged Koreans to have confidence in the country’s economy, pointing to reassuring data such as foreign reserves of over $300 billion, a relatively low state deficit and this year’s estimated trade volume of $1 trillion. “I can assure you that the Korean economy is strong enough for our people to have confidence,” Lee said in a biweekly radio and Internet address...

By Bae Hyun-jung While the liberal bloc gathered to select a unified mayoral candidate on Monday, Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling Grand National Party focused on communicating directly with voters and promoting her policy blueprints. She pledged efforts to bridge the economic and cultural gap between the poor northern and posh southern districts, especially in terms of housing environment. “I ...

The government and the ruling party are reviewing the introduction of a charitable gift annuity program in which donors transfer cash or property to a charity in return for tax deductions and pension contributions. The Grand National Party’s policy committee is looking into both charitable gift annuity and donor-advised funds in a bid to encourage charitable donations, a member of the committee ...

President Lee Myung-bak called Saturday for defense reform to build a stronger military amid lingering tensions with North Korea over its two deadly attacks on the South last year. The North’s attacks made it clear that “defense reform is an urgent task that cannot be delayed any longer,” Lee said in a live televised speech marking the 63rd Armed Forces Day at the military headquarters near Daej...

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul education chief arrested for bribing his rival candidate to win an election has requested that a local court release him on bail, the court said Sunday. Kwak No-hyun, the elected superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, was detained on Sept. 10 on charges of giving 200 million won (US$173,761) to Park Myoung-gee, a rival candidate from the...

President Lee Myung-bak called Saturday for cultural exchange with Japan as a way to forge a forward-looking partnership between the two neighbors. South Korea and Japan are key trading partners, though their relations have often been strained by historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Lee made the comment in a message to a joint South Korean and...

President Lee Myung-bak called Saturday for defense reform to build a stronger military amid lingering tensions with North Korea over its two deadly attacks on the South last year. The North's attacks made it clear that "defense reform is an urgent task that cannot be delayed any longer," Lee said in a live televised speech marking the 63rd Armed Forces Day at the military headquarters near Daej...

Rep. Park Young-sun of the main opposition Democratic Party and civil activist Park Won-soon, who are to compete Monday for the liberal bloc’s unified candidacy for Seoul mayor, took part in heated debates on Friday. Both Parks attended the official televised open forum, following Professor Sohn Seok-hee’s radio debate show in the morning. The left-wing camp’s unified candidacy is to be decided...