Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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[Herald Interview] Son Suk-ku chooses to be swayed by others in navigating life
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DUP reform push claims first scalp
Rep. Kim Han-gil of the Democratic United Party resigned as supreme councilor Thursday, calling on other leaders to follow suit to clear the deck for its presidential candidate Moon Jae-in’s drive for party renewal. His departure came as its political reform team was set to propose the resignation of the entire leadership of the party dogged by factional strife. Reform at the party is a key precondition of independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo to agree to ally with Moon. “As presidential candidate
Nov. 1, 2012
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Lee’s older brother questioned
Another family member of President Lee Myung-bak underwent questioning Thursday as part of a probe into his retirement residence plan.Lee Sang-eun, the president’s eldest brother, arrived at 9:50 a.m. at the lobby of the independent counsel team’s office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, where his nephew and the president’s son, Si-hyung, had been grilled as a criminal suspect for 14 hours last week. “I will tell everything inside,” the 79-year-old chairman of auto parts maker DAS said upon his ar
Nov. 1, 2012
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Defense acquisition agency faces contraction
The Defense Ministry is seeking to take over some of the core functions of the state military acquisition agency, sparking concerns that the move could undermine efforts to enhance transparency and efficiency in carrying out defense projects.The ministry said Wednesday that the Cabinet passed a revision bill on delegating authority to test and evaluate military development projects to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The bill also delegates the authority to set five-year defense acquisition plans to t
Oct. 31, 2012
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Moon lays out welfare plans
Democratic United Party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in pledged Wednesday to increase state benefits and halve the costs of child care, education, medical services and those associated with old age.“For me, Moon Jae-in, (establishing a) welfare state is the philosophy of conducting state affairs and the future strategy for Korea,” Moon told reporters.“A welfare state is the only way for democracy and market economy to exist and advance together.” Welfare has emerged as a key campaign issue as
Oct. 31, 2012
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Ahn draws sword against prosecution
He created one of the world’s first anti-virus computer software programs in 1988. Now, he is aiming to remove the most powerful organ in the prosecution, the Central Investigation Department, a task that every reform-minded administration previously failed at. Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo announced on Wednesday a 10-point action plan to reform the judicial arm of the government. “There have been attempts at reform in the past. But they faced conflict and resistance in variou
Oct. 31, 2012
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Fitness a must for candidates on campaign trail
With fewer than seven weeks to the 19th presidential election, it has become crucial for candidates to maintain their health and fitness to keep up with their grueling campaign schedules.Rep. Park Geun-hye, the flag bearer of the ruling Saenuri Party, is a woman of petite physique but has often proved her stamina by spearheading most of the party’s past key campaigns.Park is a longtime devotee of “danjeon,” or hypogastric breathing, an oriental method of regaining energy and peace of mind, accor
Oct. 31, 2012
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Red, olive, blue: the politics of color
Color used to be a clear-cut indicator of ideological views in Korean politics, with blue symbolizing conservatism and red embodying socialism.For decades successive authoritarian regimes often called progressive intellectuals and activists “ppalgaengi,” a Korean word originally denoting a red fish but which has come to be a Korean equivalent of “commie.” So when the conservative presidential candidate Park Geun-hye changed its representative color to red early this year while renaming her party
Oct. 31, 2012
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Styling the presidential candidates
It is said a person’s style reflects his or her character. In that case, all three of Korea’s major presidential candidates must be modest, neutral and even a little dull.As if by unanimous agreement, all three ― Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri Party, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party, and independent Ahn Cheol-soo ― appear to prefer achromatic tones as opposed to statement pieces when dressing themselves.To advisers’ recommendation that they consider sprucing up their style, their univoca
Oct. 31, 2012
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Moon ups alliance pressure on Ahn
The Democratic United Party’s presidential campaign team on Tuesday made its most forceful appeal yet of independent Ahn Cheol-soo to start discussing the merging of his candidacy with its candidate Moon Jae-in.“The discussion on single candidacy cannot be delayed anymore,” said Moon’s chief communication man Rep. Woo Sang-ho at a press briefing.“We formally ask Ahn’s side how much longer they wish to delay the discussion,” Woo said, adding that they should start talking next week at the latest
Oct. 30, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Lawmaker in hot seat for sexual remarks
Kim Kwang-jin, 30, stepped into the limelight when the activist from the remote southern city of Suncheon became the 19th National Assembly’s youngest member in April. The baby-faced rookie legislator was also a boon to the main opposition Democratic United Party badly in need of an image makeover. Within less than a week, the party’s best asset turned into its biggest nuisance for retweeting curses against President Lee Myung-bak and hints at kinky sexual preferences. The controversy forced par
Oct. 30, 2012
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Saenuri's new face is rich, liberal and flamboyant
She walks into a room full of conservative power elites donning an Arabic scarf around her neck and red Converse sneakers. She describes progressive presidential candidates Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo as “great figures who should take up key government posts and do important things,” and calls herself a billionaire liberal but says that people should not rely on government to create jobs. Kim Sung-joo, the chairwoman and CEO of Sungjoo Group and MCM Holdings AG, who was recently tapped to co-c
Oct. 30, 2012
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DUP to file charges in NLL dispute
The Democratic United Party is set to file another complaint with the prosecutors’ office over the issues surrounding the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea just as law enforcement authorities prepare to look into charges brought earlier.On Tuesday, DUP lawmakers Reps. Park Beom-kye and Jung Cheong-rae announced that they would file a complaint against senior presidential security secretary Chun Young-woo over his claim to have read the minutes of the 2007 inter-Korean summit between late Presi
Oct. 30, 2012
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Summons of Lee's brother delayed to Thursday
Special prosecutors said Tuesday they have delayed this week's questioning of President Lee Myung-bak's eldest brother over his role in the president's now-scrapped retirement home project by one day at his request.Lee Sang-eun, the 79-year-old chairman of automotive seat maker DAS, is suspected of having played a role in the alleged irregularities by loaning some 600 million won ($542,000) in cash to his nephew and President Lee's only son, Si-hyung, for the land deal in which critics argue tax
Oct. 30, 2012
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S. Korea's spy agency confirms existence of 2007 NLL transcripts: lawmaker
South Korea's spy agency confirmed the existence of a transcript that can shed light on allegations that late President Roh Moo-hyun disavowed the de facto sea border between the two Koreas, a ruling party lawmaker said Monday.Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the parliament's Intelligence Committee for the Saenuri Party, told Yonhap News Agency that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) has the documents.This is the first time that the intelligence service has acknowledged it has the transcrip
Oct. 29, 2012
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After scandals, calls grow for overhaul of nation’s foreign service
This is the fourth and last in the series of articles evaluating the Lee Myung-bak administration’s foreign policy. ― Ed. From a sex scandal to a stock-rigging allegation, corruption and indiscipline among some diplomats have tainted the nation’s foreign service despite the Lee Myung-bak administration’s repeated pledges to clean up officialdom. Experts said that the next president should pay more attention to stamping out irregularities in government bodies and shoring up public trust, based on
Oct. 29, 2012
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Candidates neck and neck with 50 days remaining
With 50 days remaining before the presidential election, the three major candidates are fighting a knife-edge race while their negative campaigns and clashes over an alliance put off debate on policies.Support ratings have changed little for over a month, with Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri Party retaining a slim lead against Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party and independent Ahn Cheol-soo. In two-way mock races, all three continue to run neck-and-neck in their respective match-ups.The thr
Oct. 29, 2012
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Saenuri slams DUP lawmaker for controversial remarks
The ruling party submitted a petition to the National Assembly on Monday, demanding disciplinary measures against a young opposition lawmaker who recently made insulting remarks against a renowned war veteran.“Rep. Kim Kwang-jin defamed the Korean War veterans,” said the ruling Saenuri Party’s vice floor leader Rep. Kim Myung-yeon, in a joint statement with 21 fellow lawmakers. Kim, a first-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic United Party, triggered the dispute earlier this month dur
Oct. 29, 2012
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Candidates look to raise taxes
The three main presidential candidates’ tax policies are taking the center stage as they seek ways to improve the government budget and meet growing welfare demand.The three rivals have pledged wider state-funded welfare though they have until recently been mostly silent on how to fund it. Businesses and conservative commentators have criticized them for populist pledges that would hurt growth and investors’ confidence.While the three share the view that the government’s tax revenue needs to be
Oct. 29, 2012
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Lee's brother to be grilled Wednesday over 'retirement home scandal'
President Lee Myung-bak's eldest brother will be summoned this week for questioning in connection with a suspicious land deal for his brother's now-scrapped retirement home project, a special counsel investigating the case said Monday.Lee Sang-eun is suspected of having played a role in the alleged irregularities by loaning some 600 million won ($542,000) in cash to his nephew and President Lee's only son, Lee Si-hyung, for the purchase of the land in which critics argue taxpayer money was used.
Oct. 29, 2012
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Protestant churches make policy proposal ahead of election
A group representing South Korea's progressive Protestant churches on Monday unveiled its proposal of tax, welfare and other policies for adoption by candidates in the December presidential election based on its own analysis of the government's budget spending.The proposal, which focused on taxation justice and broader welfare benefits, will soon be sent to each presidential candidate as well as legislators and civic and social organizations, said the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK)
Oct. 29, 2012