At the center of the mountain range Baekdudaegan, southeast of the North Gyeongsang province, lies the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum in an area of 5,179 hectares. (Photographed by Park Hyun-koo)The arboretum that has facilities for scientific research, such as Seed Vault and gardens for tourists, has long been dedicated to preserving and researching the forest ecology, home to about 33 percent of endemic and rare plants in South Korea in the largest and longest mountain range. (Photographed by

Travel June 15, 2018

Former National Intelligence Service chiefs were sentenced to prison terms of three to 3 1/2 years Friday for regularly making secret money transfers to former President Park Geun-hye’s aides when she was in office. The Seoul Central District Court found the three former spy chiefs -- Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-kee and Lee Byong-ho -- guilty of sending 3.5 billion won ($3.24 million) from the agency’s “special activities” budget, which had been suspected by investigators to be an illicit channel fo

Social Affairs June 15, 2018

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea will soon set up a task force to carry out the election campaign promises made by the party‘s candidates, its floor leader Hong Young-pyo said Thursday.  Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Hong Young-pyo (right) and the party chairwoman Choo Mi-ae. Yonhap“From next week, we are expecting to start negotiations (with opposition parties) to organize the National Assembly and normalize it,” Hong said at a general meeting of the ruling party. Hong’s remarks ca

Social Affairs June 14, 2018

The June 13 local elections ended with a sweeping victory by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and now the focus is on how it may benefit the next potential presidential candidates. Newly elected Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon won his third consecutive term in the June 13 local elections. YonhapThe ruling progressive party, whose members includes President Moon Jae-in, grabbed 14 of the 17 metropolitan mayor and governor posts, plus 11 of the 12 National Assembly seats in the by-elections that wa

Politics June 14, 2018

The June 13 local elections determined 17 new education chiefs across the country where education is a big focus, along with other administrative and legislative posts. Seoul’s superintendent hopeful Cho Hee-yeon celebrates Wednesday after exit polls showed his victory in local elections after vote closed at 6:00 p.m. YonhapAmong the 59 candidates was Cho Hee-yeon, an incumbent education superintendent in Seoul, whose liberal education policies and ideas often invited criticism from conservative

Politics June 13, 2018

In a queue at a polling center in Yongsan District, northern Seoul, Park Jung-sook, 54, was finally nearing the voting booth, sure of which candidate she would cast her ballot for. For the long-time supporter of a conservative party who works as a freelancer, the quadrennial local elections used to be all about left and right in South Korea’s highly divided politics. But it all feels new this time around, she said. “I think there is no right or left when it comes to building a lasting peace with

Social Affairs June 13, 2018

South Korea’s quadrennial local elections will kick off Wednesday at 6 a.m. across 14,134 polling centers nationwide, one day after the historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. Officials from the Dobong District Office set up one of the polling centers in the northern side of Seoul ahead of the local elections. YonhapIn the elections, 4,016 local administrative, legislative and educational posts are up for grabs, including the posts of 17 provincial

Politics June 12, 2018

With two days to go before South Korea’s local elections, controversies started heating up Monday, surrounding political scandals.  Former spokesman for the major conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party Chung Tae-ok. YonhapCandidates from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Gyeonggi Province residents said Monday that they are set to sue Chung Tae-ok, a former spokesman for the major conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party, for defaming the province’s regions. On Thursday, Chung sai

Politics June 11, 2018

South Korea’s quadrennial local elections this year come at an extraordinary time: The historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump takes place Tuesday, just a day earlier.  South Korean President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting on Monday with his senior secretaries at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, a day before the Kim-Trump summit in Singapore. YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds an advantage at the June 13 local elections on th

Politics June 11, 2018

Seoul’s carbon emissions are the worst in the world, according to researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology who surveyed the carbon footprints of global cities. Namsan Seoul Tower in central Seoul is surrounded by thick air pollution. (Yonhap)In carbon emissions data that Daniel Moran’s research group gathered from 13,000 cities worldwide, Seoul and the population of the surrounding metropolitan area, where about half of South Korea’s 52 million population resides, had

Social Affairs June 10, 2018

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday filed a complaint with the prosecution against the main conservative opposition party over allegations that it had engaged in online opinion rigging campaign since 2006, including during the 2007 presidential election and 2014 local elections.  Back Hye-ryun, ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s spokeswoman (left), and Kang Byung-won, the party’s floor spokesman, appears at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Thursday. YonhapThursday’s

Social Affairs June 7, 2018

Early voting for the June 13 local elections and parliamentary by-elections begins on Friday and runs until Saturday, according to the National Election Commission. During the two-day advance voting, eligible voters will cast ballots at 3,512 polling stations nationwide. The publication of new public opinion polls is banned as of Thursday, the watchdog said.  South Gyeongsang Province election committee has created baked goods to encourage voter turnout. (South Gyeongsang Province)To boost early

Politics June 7, 2018

DAEGU -- Just a week before South Korea’s upcoming local elections, Daegu mayor hopeful Kwon Young-jin of the major conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party running for re-election was campaigning at a local marketplace in Hyeonpung-myeon, Daegu. Kwon is competing in a three-way mayoral race slated for June 13, which includes Lim Dae-yun of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea.  Daegu mayor hopeful Kwon Young-jin of the major conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party. YonhapIn the t

Politics June 6, 2018

A series of attacks on politicians have taken place in South Korea, heightening concerns about a rise in hate crimes as local elections close in. Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the Liberty Korea Party falls down after being pushed by a protestor during a political campaign Thursday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. YonhapDaegu Metropolitan City mayor Kwon Young-jin of the main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party who is running again for mayor was attacked on Thursday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province

Politics June 5, 2018

The next Seoul Metropolitan Government should pay closer attention to the “fourth industrial revolution” as part of measures to create more jobs, Seoul mayoral candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said Monday at a meeting with Seoul-based foreign journalists. Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition Bareumirae Party speaks Monday at a meeting with Seoul-based foreign journalists in Seoul. YonhapAhn of the minor center-right opposition Bareunmirae Party who has been outspoken in denouncing the liberal Seoul mayo

Social Affairs June 4, 2018