Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Gov't vows swift follow-up steps on ruling against pro-N. Korea party
The government will take swift measures to adhere with the Constitutional Court's decision to disband a pro-North Korean political party, the prime minister said Friday. The court delivered the ruling earlier in the day, saying the principles and activities of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) violated the "basic democratic order" of South Korea, which remains technically at war with North Korea. The ruling, which went into effect immediately, came 13 months after the government filed a p
Dec. 19, 2014
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Party disbandment shakes up political landscape
The Constitutional Court's landmark ruling to dissolve a minor left-leaning opposition party instantly changed South Korea's political landscape Friday, while the conservative Park Geun-hye administration sighed a breath of relief. It is widely expected to stoke a deeper rivalry between the conservative and liberal camps in the nation's political circles notorious for ideological rifts amid six decades of division on the peninsula. The ruling came more than a year after the government filed
Dec. 19, 2014
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UPP disbanded in historical Constitutional Court ruling
The minor opposition Unified Progressive Party was disbanded Friday in a first-ever decision by the Constitutional Court that a political party is unconstitutional. With the ruling taking immediate effect, the party no longer exists as a political entity, and UPP Reps. Kim Mi-hyui, Kim Jae-yeon, Lee Sang-kyu, Lee Seok-ki and Oh Byung-yun lost their status as members of the parliament. Three of the seats will be filled in the by-elections in April, while the two proportional representatives’ seat
Dec. 19, 2014
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S. Korea bans pro-N. Korean minor party
South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the dissolution of a pro-North Korean opposition party, banning a political party for the first time since the country adopted its first constitution in 1948.In a 8-1 decision, the court accepted the government's petition to dissolve the Unified Progressive Party (UPP), which holds five seats in the 300-member parliament, and ban the establishment of an equivalent party. Several UPP members, including Rep. Lee Seok-ki, were convicted of plot
Dec. 19, 2014
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Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for police officer over document leak
Prosecutors on Thursday sought a warrant to arrest a senior police officer in their expanding probe into the Cheong Wa Dae document leak. Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office asked a court to issue the warrant for Superintendent Park Gwan-chun on charges of making false accusations against a former aide to President Park Geun-hye and leaking the confidential documents from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. Park had submitted a report to Cheong Wa Dae in May, reportedly accusing other police of
Dec. 18, 2014
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[Graphic News] Who’s who in document leak case
What the opposition parties are calling “Chung Yoon-hoi gate” has engulfed the political arena from the National Assembly to the presidential office, overshadowing issues now for weeks. The prosecution has been digging for the truths in the convoluted case, but little has been determined conclusively, with those involved making more accusations and denying those raised against them as the investigation pans out. Those whom the prosecution point to as the culprits have claimed innocence ― one wit
Dec. 18, 2014
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[Newsmaker] NPAD chief mired in nepotism accusation
The chief of the country’s main opposition party has come under fire after local court papers on Tuesday revealed the veteran lawmaker allegedly engaged in influence peddling 10 years ago.Documents from the Seoul Central District Court said Rep. Moon Hee-sang, chief of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy party, had asked Korean Air Lines Co. chairman Cho Yang-ho to offer a job to his brother-in-law. Moon then belonged to a parliamentary committee overseeing the airline industry.Rep. Moon Hee
Dec. 18, 2014
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Park under pressure to replace key staff
President Park Geun-hye was widely rumored Wednesday to be considering a major reshuffle soon in the wake of a power struggle scandal between her former aide and her brother.According to reports and political sources, the president will conduct a sweeping shake-up this month as soon as the prosecution completes its investigations into Chung Yoon-hoi, who is accused of meddling in state affairs, and former presidential staff suspected of leaking documents to the media.Some suggested that the pres
Dec. 18, 2014
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Parties continue leak standoff
The National Assembly continued to lurch along Thursday with the parties’ standoff over the Chung Yoon-hoi scandal halting some procedures. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy has been calling for the House Steering Committee to convene to question presidential staff over related issues. The NPAD also called for a special counsel investigation to be launched, saying that the prosecution’s probe was tainted.Chung, a former aide of President Park Geun-hye, is rumored to have me
Dec. 18, 2014
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Park pledges support for businesses' overseas expansion
President Park Geun-hye vowed Thursday to help South Korean businesses make inroads into foreign markets, saying companies must look overseas to tide themselves over in the current economic crisis. Park made the remarks during a meeting with the leaders of South Korea's five major business lobby groups, including the Federation of Korean Industries, as she laid out plans for overseas expansion. The government "will strengthen its support for businesses' use of FTAs (free trade agreements) an
Dec. 18, 2014
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PM dismisses possibility of co-hosting 2018 PyeongChang Olympics
South Korea's prime minister on Thursday rejected an offer to co-host the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics with other countries as he urged officials to speed up the construction work for the sports event. South Korea began building six new stadiums for events, including alpine ski, figure and short-track skating, earlier this year and the work is well on its way, the prime minister's office said. "It is difficult to apply the co-hosting proposal, especially given the time left as well as the
Dec. 18, 2014
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Opposition boycotts parliament committee
South Korea’s main opposition party on Wednesday declared a partial boycott of the legislature, stoking fears that lawmaking would grind to a halt despite the thousands of draft bills awaiting review.The New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s move comes amid fierce partisan wrangling over the Chung Yoon-hoi scandal. The governing Saenuri Party has refused NPAD calls for parliamentary hearings on officials linked to the scandal, citing ongoing prosecutorial investigations.The NPAD boycott will aim
Dec. 17, 2014
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Park forges ahead with creative economy drive
President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday visited Gumi and Pohang, two industrial cities in North Gyeongsang Province, to celebrate the launch of creative economy centers. The centers for creative economy and innovation are the latest in a series of government-launched regional offices to help nurture startups and venture companies. Before her trip to Gumi and Pohang, the president had already visited three centers in Daegu, Daejeon and Jeonju over the last three months, despite her hectic schedule a
Dec. 17, 2014
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Audit agency urges action against Navy chief over procurement irregularity
The national audit agency on Wednesday asked the defense ministry to take punitive action against the Navy chief over a faulty Navy salvage ship with an out-of-date sonar system that was unable to go to the rescue when a deadly ferry accident took place earlier this year. The Board of Audit and Inspection approved the decision on Adm. Hwang Ki-chul in an audit committee and conveyed it to the defense ministry earlier in the day, the agency noted. The non-binding decision calls for punitive per
Dec. 17, 2014
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S. Korea, China, Japan unlikely to hold FM meeting within this year
The top diplomats of South Korea, China and Japan appear unlikely to meet by the year's end, South Korean officials said Wednesday, a development that could delay a possible summit among the three Asian powers. The three countries have pushed to hold foreign ministers' talks to pave the way for the resumption of a trilateral summit, which has been put on hold since May 2012. South Korean President Park Geun-hye made a surprise offer to hold a summit with the leaders of China and Japan during
Dec. 17, 2014
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Opposition factions squabble over leadership election rules
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy is again experiencing factional differences in its efforts to set the rules for electing the new chairman next year. While the party struggles to draw up the rules, the three bigwigs gunning for the post ― Reps. Chung Sye-kyun, Moon Jae-in and Park Jie-won ― are set to resign from the emergency committee on Wednesday.Although the committee for organizing the party convention on Feb. 8 has managed to establish some rules, it has stumbled ove
Dec. 16, 2014
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Park urges better disaster response
President Park Geun-hye urged officials and experts on Tuesday to enhance disaster preparedness and management through the use of science and technology.“Science (and) technology should spearhead efforts to build a safer Korea,” Park said while presiding over an advisory panel on science and technology, noting the growing number of natural and man-made disasters. In the last decade, South Korea suffered 7.3 trillion won ($9.2 billion) in financial losses due to natural disasters, and the number
Dec. 16, 2014
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S. Korea sends backup staff to help fight Ebola at Sierra Leone
A team of three South Korean officials departed for Sierra Leone Tuesday as part of the country's efforts to help fight the Ebola virus in the West African country. The officials from the country's foreign and health ministries will join the 10-person medical team South Korea dispatched last week to fight the contagious disease in Sierra Leone, the foreign ministry said. The medical team is now undergoing training at an Ebola response center near London, Britain, for their mission in the West
Dec. 16, 2014
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Park asks officials to handle disasters with science, technology
President Park Geun-hye instructed officials Tuesday to come up with plans for disaster management based on science and technology in the latest call to make South Korea a safer country. She said science and technology are critical in the process of coping with disasters, noting that the number of disasters -- both natural and man-made -- jumped dramatically in the past decades. "We should shape up disaster management and public safety based on science and technology," Park said in a meeting
Dec. 16, 2014
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PM calls on parliament to pass economic bills
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won called on the National Assembly on Tuesday to pass bills aimed at reviving the slumping economy, saying there is no time for delay. The National Assembly launched a monthlong extraordinary parliamentary session Monday with the aim of handling bills that failed to pass through the regular session that ended last week. Rival political parties, however, have wrangled over a growing scandal surrounding allegations that a former aide to President Park Geun-hye meddled
Dec. 16, 2014