Category: Park Geun-hye

Ousted South Korean president prepares to return home

In this Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, file photo, a South Korean national flag with a picture of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye is seen during a rally opposing her impeachment in Seoul, South Korea. Hundreds of police officers, reporters and supporters of the ousted president have gathered near her Seoul home in anticipation of her return from the presidential palace.

S.Koreans celebrate Park’s removal, but ousted leader silent

A day after a court removed her from power over a corruption scandal, ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye maintained her silence on Saturday as her opponents and supporters divided the capital’s streets with massive rallies that showed a nation deeply split over its future. Park has been unseen and unheard from since the Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday, which ended a power struggle that had consumed the nation for months.

The Latest: Police say 2 dead in S. Korean protests

The Latest on South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s removal from office Friday by the Constitutional Court : South Korea’s defense minister has ordered the military to be on alert for possible North Korean provocations attempting to exploit “unstable situations at home and abroad.” In a video conference on Friday with military commanders, Defense Minister Han Min Koo said North Korea can make “strategic or operational” provocations at any time.

South Korea’s president formally ousted by court

Court formally removed impeached President Park Geun-hye from office over a corruption scandal that has plunged the country into political turmoil and worsened an already-serious national divide. It capped a stunning fall for Park, the country’s first female leader who rode a wave of lingering conservative nostalgia for her late dictator father to victory in 2012, only to see her presidency crumble as millions of furious protesters filled the nation’s streets.

Lawyers deny all charges against Samsung heir

Samsung lawyers denied on Thursday all charges brought against Lee Jae-yong, the billionaire heir to Samsung, and questioned the legitimacy of the indictment in a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the country’s president. Lee’s lawyers told a preliminary hearing that prosecutors are unfairly trying to create an impression Lee is guilty by mentioning a past conviction of his father and by depicting Lee as having absolute control over a strategy office that allegedly engaged in bribery.

Prosecutor accuses Samsung chief of conspiring to hide…

He denies any knowledge of alleged bribery payments from Samsung to entities controlled by a friend of the impeached South Korean president The billionaire was put in a 71-square-foot detention cell with a toilet in the corner when he was arrested SEOUL – A special prosecutor accused Samsung chief Jay Y. Lee of plotting to make fake documents to disguise millions of dollars in bribes. South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye colluded with her friend Choi Soon-sil to receive the bribes from Samsung Group, the prosecutor said in a statement on Monday.

Samsung Group to abolish all groupwide tasks

Seoul, Feb 27 – South Korean electronics giant Samsung is planning to abolish its groupwide tasks and let affiliates independently make business decisions, an official said on Monday. The plan is in line with Samsung’s move to abolish the group’s key future strategy office, which has been responsible for coordinating key affairs among affiliates, Yonhap news agency reported.

Was it brother? Lover? Or crime gang? Rumors abound in North Korea

As Malaysian police continue their inquiry into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the outcast half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, there’s plenty of speculation surrounding what seems as one of the stranger killings the world has recently seen. North Korea killed Kim Jong Nam because he planned to create an exile government around defectors, says one rumor.

Hotel Shilla shares shine amid rumors of Samsung heiress’ rise

Shares of a luxury hotel led by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s younger sister were on the rise amid rumors that she might fill the group’s leadership vacuum. Shares in Hotel Shilla, led by Lee Boo-jin, the eldest daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, soared Friday as market watchers speculated the 46-year-old female tycoon may succeed her brother in managing South Korea’s most powerful conglomerate.

Samsung Chief Jay Y. Lee Arrested Over Alleged Role In Corruption Scandal

Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee was arrested early on Friday over his alleged role in a corruption scandal rocking the highest levels of power in South Korea, dealing a fresh blow to the world’s biggest maker of smartphones and memory chips. The 48-year-old Lee, scion of the country’s richest family, was taken into custody at the Seoul Detention Centre after waiting there overnight for the decision.

South Korean court approves arrest of Samsung heir

A South Korean court approved on Friday the arrest of a billionaire heir to Samsung accused of bribery and other charges in connection to a massive corruption scandal. The Seoul Central District Court’s decision to issue a warrant to arrest Lee Jae-yong, 48, a vice chairman at Samsung Electronics and the only son of Samsung chair Lee Kun-hee, makes him the first leader in Samsung’s history to be arrested on criminal charges.

10 Things to Know for Thursday

In this Jan. 21, 2017, file photo, protesters stage a candlelight vigil calling for impeached President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea. The Pyeongchang Olympics have been drawn into the country’s biggest political scandal in decades.

Hyundai Motor’s donations spark doubt over transparency

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s top automaker, didn’t report cash donations to two controversial foundations to its board two years ago, sources said Wednesday, sparking questions over managerial transparency. In October and December 2015, Hyundai Motor donated a combined 6.88 billion won to the foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye’s friend at the center of a massive influence-peddling and corruption scandal that has led to Park’s impeachment.

South Korea president’s office block prosecutors’ searches1 hour ago

South Korean officials today turned away prosecutors trying to search the president’s mountainside compound, a confrontation that highlights the tensions of an investigation into a scandal that knocked President Park Geun-hye from power. Prosecutors want to question Park and search her presidential Blue House for more information about events that led to her impeachment in December.

US Defense Secretary Mattis: Only North Korea need fear missile defense

There’s only one reason the US will deploy the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday as he arrived in the country on his first overseas trip as Pentagon chief. “THAAD is for defense of our allies’ people, of our troops who are committed to their defense and were it not for the provocative behavior of North Korea we would have no need for THAAD out here,” Mattis said, referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system.

Ban Ki-moon abandons S. Korea presidency bid

Former United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon announces an end to his attempt to seek South Korea’s presidency at the National Assembly in Seoul on February 1, 2017. Photo: AFP Former United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon abruptly ended his attempt to seek South Korea’s presidency Wednesday, dropping a lifetime of diplomacy to denounce his country’s political establishment.

South Korean ministry apologizes for ‘blacklist’ of artists

South Korea’s culture ministry apologized on Monday for a blacklist of artists which excluded them from government support, admitting there was a systematic effort to sideline critics of scandal-plagued President Park Geun-hye. The apology was the clearest admission yet of the blacklist of cultural and media figures critical of the impeached leader that has led to the arrests of her former chief of staff and the culture minister at the weekend for abuse of power.

Seoul court considers arrest of Samsung de facto head

A South Korean court is considering whether to approve the arrest of Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, one of the country’s wealthiest business leaders, on charges of bribery and other offences. Lee, the only son of Samsung’s chairman, did not speak to a crowd of reporters when he arrived and left the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday.

[From the scene] Lee Jae-yong’s grueling day

Samsung Group’s de facto leader Lee Jae-yong is possibly at the lowest point of his life as he nervously waits for a court’s decision on his arrest warrant. The heir apparent of the nation’s largest conglomerate has been placed behind bars until the court decides on Lee and his company’s fate, most likely by early Thursday morning.

Presidential hopeful Moon publishes book on policy pledges

Moon Jae-in, a leading presidential candidate from the opposition bloc, on Tuesday published a book on his campaign pledges, taking further steps to generate support ahead of this year’s election. The publisher said the book, titled “The Republic of Korea asks,” is about the blueprint of Moon’s vision for South Korea, providing ways to tackle various challenges facing the country.

South Korean prosecutors seek to arrest Samsung heir

DECEMBER 06: Lee Jae-Yong, vice chairman of Samsung leaves to adjourn for lunch during a parliamentary hearing over the Choi Soon-sil gate probe at the National Assembly on December 6, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea started the parliament hearing with leaders of nine South Korean conglomerates including Samsung, Hyundai and Lotte over the tens of millions of dollars given to foundations controlled by Ms Park’s friend Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of the scandal.

South Korea prosecutors accuse Samsung chief of bribery, seek arrest

South Korea’s special prosecutor’s office said on Monday it was seeking a warrant to arrest the head of Samsung Group , the country’s largest conglomerate, accusing him of paying multi-million dollar bribes to a friend of President Park Geun-hye. Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee arrives to attend a hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 6, 2016.

Samsung leader quizzed for over 22 hours in South Korea corruption scandal

A protester sweeps an effigy of Jay Y. Lee, co-vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., outside Samsung’s Seocho office building in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017. Prosecutors questioned Samsung vice-chairman and heir apparent Jay Y. Lee for about 22 hours in an influence-peddling probe that has reached the highest levels of government and business in South Korea.

Ban Reiterates Presidential Ambitions, Calls For National Integration

By Song Sang-ho INCHEON, Jan 13 — Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday reiterated his presidential ambitions, calling for joint efforts to bring together a nation suffering from a slew of economic, security and political challenges, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. During the speech he gave after his arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Ban fell short of declaring his presidential bid, but he stressed his resolve to work “for a change of politics, not for a change of government.”

Samsung executives grilled over influence-peddling scandal

Two senior executives of South Korea’s largest business group Samsung were questioned by investigators Monday as they accelerated the probe into allegations surrounding the influence-peddling scandal that has led to President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. Choi Gee-sung, a vice chairman, and Chang Choong-ki, a president at the conglomerate, appeared in the office of the independent counsel team.

SKorean president refuses to testify in impeachment trial

A lawyer for South Korean President Park Geun-hye prays before the first hearing arguments for Park’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan 3, 2017. less A lawyer for South Korean President Park Geun-hye prays before the first hearing arguments for Park’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan 3, 2017.

South Korea’s Park Says She Was Set Up, Charges False

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday rejected allegations of wrongdoing in the political scandal that threatens her presidency, saying she was “set up” and the allegations were “fabrication and falsehood,” said South Korean media. Park said Choi Soon-sil, her long-time friend, was “merely an acquaintance” and denied Choi was allowed to wield undue and wide-reaching influence over state affairs, Yonhap news agency and YTN television reported.