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Choo Mi-ae easily elected Minjoo Party chairwoman

Veteran lawmaker Choo Mi-ae was elected chairwoman of the Minjoo Party on Saturday, becoming the first woman from the Gyeongsang region to lead the party in its 60 years of history. With Choo’s election to lead the country’s largest opposition party with 121 lawmakers, the leadership landscape tilted considerably in favor of Moon Jae-in, the former presidential candidate for the opposition bloc in the 2012 race.

At the national convention on Saturday, Choo won 54.03 percent of the vote, defeating rivals Rep. Lee Jong-kul and former Gyeonggi education office chief Kim Sang-gon. Lee and Kim each won 23.89 and 22.08 percent of the vote, a distant second and third. Lee, Minjoo’s former floor leader, ran on a platform that he would keep the pro-Moon faction in check, claiming Moon’s nomination as a party candidate without challenge would guarantee his defeat again to the Saenuri runner next year.

“I will count every vote you have cast for me as your order to me that I must rid us of intraparty division in seeking unity, and that I must remake the Minjoo as a powerful opposition party through such unity,” Choo said in an acceptance speech before thousands of party delegates and members. “I will arrange a fair party nomination process to elect a candidate who will win the power on December 20, 2017,” said Choo, referring to the date of the upcoming presidential election. 

Reflecting on long-running factional strife among lawmakers, Choo said accomplishing party unity would be the first thing she would tackle as the party leader. Regarding the all-important election next year, the five-term lawmaker said the party platform would be centered on improving people’s livelihoods.

Choo’s election on Saturday ended the interim leadership of Kim Chong-in, a former economist who worked for the Park Geun-hye campaign in 2012. Under Kim’s seven-month leadership, the Minjoo scored an upset in the April general election, winning 123 seats, one more than the ruling party won. Kim credited himself for his role in the Minjoo on Saturday, saying that under his watch, the approval rating for the party rose to 26 percent from 11 percent when he took control in January. 

Along with Choo, eight members were elected to the party’s supreme council. The nine elected Saturday are all pro-Moon, who is certain to run again for the presidency. He was defeated by incumbent President Park Geun-hye in 2012 by a margin of 3.6 percent. 

Choo is also considered a member of the pro-Moon group since she was named a party supreme council member by then-chairman Moon in February last year after Moon’s election at the party convention. Of the eight supreme council members elected Saturday is Yang Hyang-ja, a former Samsung Electronics executive who was handpicked by Moon to run in the general election in April for a Gwangju district. Rep. Kim Byoung-gwan, among the eight elected, was also handpicked by the former human rights lawyer. 

Choo entered politics in 1995 when she was recruited by former president Kim Dae-jung and was elected a lawmaker the following year. Born in Daegu, Choo passed the bar exam in 1982 and worked as a judge prior to jumping into politics. 

The 58-year-old Choo indicated that Minjoo under her leadership would take tougher ideological positions to keep the ruling Saenuri and the Park government in check. On the issue of deployment of the U.S-operated missile defense system in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang, Choo made clear the party would officially oppose it, a stance that comes in contrast to that of Minjoo’s former interim leader Kim Chong-in, who called for a so-called strategic ambivalence by neither supporting nor objecting it. 

Choo said that, following her victory, she would replace the party’s ambivalent position with opposition to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system. “I am opposing it for the sake of national interest and peace [on the peninsula]. I will strongly demand the government reconsider its decision,” the new party leader said. 

BY KANG JIN-KYU [kang.jinkyu@joongang.co.kr]

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Venezuela, Iran seeking consensus to stabilise oil markets

Venezuela and Iran continue to seek consensus on ways to stabilise oil markets and strengthen OPEC, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday, following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"We continue to build common ground and a new consensus on stabilizing oil markets, strengthening industries, strengthening OPEC," Maduro said in a ceremony broadcast on state television.

He said Venezuela's oil minister and foreign minister would make announcements in the coming weeks, but did not provide details on concrete actions.

Zarif arrived in Venezuela after visiting other Latin American nations including Bolivia and Ecuador.

Venezuela since the collapse of oil prices in 2014 has sought to rally support among OPEC and non-OPEC nations to boost crude prices by limiting production.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, however, has remained more focussed on retaining market share, with heavyweight Saudi Arabia showing little interest in backing output cuts.

(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Yeonjung of I.O.I joins Cosmic Girls

    Starship Entertainment's Korean-Chinese girl group WJSN performs during a press showcase at YES24 Live     Hall in Gwangjin, eastern Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap

Yeonjung, one of the singers picked for CJ E&M's blockbuster project girl group I.O.I, returned to her original agency Starship Entertainment to join Korean-Chinese girl group WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, which released its second mini-album "The Secret," at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjin, eastern Seoul, Wednesday.

Now the group consists of 13 members, three of which are Chinese. Riding on the popularity of Yeonjung, Starship seeks to successfully promote WJSN like MBK Entertainment did with singer Chaeyeon in its girl group DIA and Jellyfish Entertainment with Sejung in the recently debuted Gugudan.

Yeonjung has been highly praised for her vocal skills during the 2016 reality show "Produce 101" on Mnet that auditioned 101 trainees from 46 entertainment companies. Yeonjung is one of the top 11 members who made it to debut as I.O.I, or Ideal of Idol, in May. The group project runs until next January and Yeonjung will be active in both groups until then.

"After Yeonjung joined the group we became more energetic," said WJSN leader Exy during the press conference. "I've known Yeonjung since we were trainees and she has always been bright. Also our fans' expectations for the band rose higher as Yeonjung joined us, which motivates us to work even harder."

Another member Dawon, who has been the main vocalist of the group, said Yeonjung's joining would not affect her position as they have different voice colors.

"Chaeyeon and Sejung have debuted in DIA and Gugudan, respectively, and achieved good results in their agency groups. I get motivation from them and for me, joining WJSN makes synergy in that both the group and I get to perform a variety of music as well as performances," said Yeonjung to a press question asking whether other I.O.I members' debut in their original agencies would have affected her own in WJSN.

WJSN appeared in the K-pop industry with their first mini-album "Would You Like?" this February. However, it failed to receive much recognition amid many returning popular girl groups like Ace of Angels (AOA) sub-unit AOA Cream, Rainbow and Mamamoo.

Yeonjung's popularity proved its power as the agency revealed the girl group's new lead single "Secret" ranked third on Olleh Music chart, as well as entering the top 10 in major online music charts like Mnet as of Wednesday at midnight.

The new album consists of seven tracks including a Chinese version of the title track, "Secret." Hit-song makers E.ONE and Shinsadong Tiger produced the medium-tempo dance title based on a shuffle rhythm, which sings of a girl's shyness and her desire to hide her heart for her crush. The song's intro begins with an orgel sound and mixes with slap bass and a synthetic electronic guitar in the verse part. Other songs include "BeBe," "Would You Kiss Me?," "Prince," "ROBOT," and "Good Night."

"Our title song is about a girl's crush on a boy and her wish to hide her feeling. The story is quite sad but since we are a girl group, we decided to adopt a bright concept and sing it as it is our own experience in school. We tried to dress up lively and sing brightly since it is summer and added fantasy elements in our music video as well," said Exy.

Korean athletes capture spirit of the Olympics

The Ancient Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece, were indeed a special time. During this quadrennial athletic festival, delegations from Greek city-states took part in various sporting events and any hostilities among the city-states were temporarily ceased in what was known as “Olympic peace.” Today, that spirit of the Olympics lives on, as we saw at this year’s Games when athletes from South and North Korea, two nations essentially still at war, enjoyed a friendly encounter and transcended the animosity and tension that has lingered on the peninsula for over a half a century.

It happened when South Korean gymnast Lee Eun-ju spotted Hong Un-jong of North Korea at the Rio Olympic Arena during a training session before their individual qualifiers. The 17-year-old couldn’t help but make her way over to meet the bronze medalist from the 2008 Beijing Games, and the photo of the two gymnasts taking a selfie with Lee’s smartphone quickly went viral online. Many called the moment an example of true Olympic spirit. The International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach lauded the two athletes, while the Washington Post chose it as one of the “biggest political moments at the Rio Games.”

This rare moment of concord, however, did not end with the selfie. On August 10, when South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh found himself at the top of the podium after winning gold in the men’s 50-meter pistol event, he was congratulated by Kim Song-guk, a North Korean shooter who took bronze in the same event. The two were spotted shaking hands during the award ceremony.

“If we [the two Koreas] become one, these medals will bear more significance,” Kim said during a press conference after the event. “If we unite in the future, the gold and the bronze will belong to one Korea.”

Then there was Chang Hye-jin, a South Korean female archer who took two gold medals at this year’s Games in the women’s team and individual events, and her North Korean counterpart Kang Un-ju. The two archers met in the round of 16 in the individual event, in which Chang came out with a win to advance to the quarters.

“I had a brief conversation with Un-ju the other day,” Chang said, “she asked how I shoot so fast, and also about my gears.”

“[The selfie] was a powerful moment, politically, and exactly the type of moment that I used to be sent to these events to write about,” said Jean H. Lee, a Seoul-based Global Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. and a lecturer in North Korean studies at Yonsei University who also worked as the Associated Press correspondent at the news agency’s Pyongyang bureau in 2012. “[It] shows how the international sporting stage can be a platform for a powerful political message. In this case, one about peace and camaraderie.”

Lee added that the selfie is meaningful in a number of ways. Not only does it show the political import of athletics, but it shows the “the lighter side of North Koreans,” as well as their maturity.

When asked how North Korea might react, she said, “I don’t think Hong Un-jong will be in any trouble for having taken a selfie. Regardless of her performance in Rio in the gymnastics competition, she is one of their most celebrated athletes - a People’s Hero award winner.”

Lee added, “And despite the tensions between North and South, we should keep in mind that North Korea champions the idea of reunification. Also, the regime sees international sporting events as a promising vehicle for sports diplomacy.”

While tension between the two Koreas is higher than ever, such moments of respect between athletes of South and North Korea may be a small crack in the ice, but then again every thaw begins with a crack.

BY CHOI HYUNG-JO [choi.hyungjo@joongang.co.kr]

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FNC Entertainment unveils first boy dance group

Talent management agency FNC Entertainment announced its first male dance group Sensational First 9, or SF9, on its official social media channels on Monday at midnight. 

The nine members are Young-bin, In-seong, Jae-yoon, Da-won, Ro-woon, Zu-ho, Tae-yang, Hwi-young and Cha-ni. They all made their first public appearance earlier this year as the Neoz dance team on Mnet’s survival reality show “d.o.b : Dance or Band,” which features participants competing for a chance to join FNC Entertainment. 

Some of the group’s members have also pursued acting careers. Cha-ni appeared on tvN’s popular crime series “Signal,” while Ro-woon, Zu-ho, Da-won and Cha-ni starred in a short online drama series “Click Your Heart” in March.

Having just completed FNC’s rookie training program Neoz School, the group is scheduled to hold a performance titled “Special Festival Tour 9” and a fan meeting soon. 

By Kim Yu-young (ivykim@heraldcorp.com) 

He takes much delight in dancing.

He takes much delight in dancing.
Dancing dog




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