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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Parties strike budget deal
Rival political parties on Friday agreed to pass a landmark budget deal next week, after lawmakers ironed out disagreements over a series of tax hikes and an education subsidy.The agreement is expected to allow the governing Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy to pass the 2015 government budget bill at next Tuesday’s plenary session. Friday’s deal sets a historical precedent, experts said, that will likely compel future lawmakers to live up to a rarely respe
Nov. 28, 2014
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Disputes intensify over influence peddling involving ex-Park aide
Cheong Wa Dae was caught up in controversy on Friday after a local report revealed a confidential document alleging that a former confidant of President Park Geun-hye was involved in influence peddling.The Segye Ilbo claimed that the presidential office conducted a probe into Park’s former adviser Chung Yoon-hoi early this year and found that he was meeting with three presidential secretaries on a regular basis to exchange classified information on Park’s state management. According to the docum
Nov. 28, 2014
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Korean, Hungarian leaders agree to boost economic cooperation
The leaders of South Korea and Hungary on Friday agreed to strengthen their partnership and promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, science and education.The agreement was made during summit talks between President Park Geun-hye and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, officials said.Orban arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a three-day visit on Park’s invitation, they added.“Thanks to Prime Minister Orban’s official trip to Korea, the partn
Nov. 28, 2014
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Budget bickering continues with 5 days to deadline
The two main parties partially resumed the budget review Thursday, but remained far off on key issues including the funding for state-run child care program. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s deputy floor leaders met and enabled the Security and Public Administration Committee to review the tobacco tax hike proposal. In addition, the two deputy leaders reaffirmed that the state will provide some support in funding the Nuri Curriculum, a free c
Nov. 27, 2014
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Korean court sides with Congolese asylum-seeker
A Seoul court on Thursday granted refugee status to a Congolese man fleeing political persecution in his home country, where he served as a mid-level opposition party official.The man was tortured by pro-government authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo for his political leanings, and sentenced to 17 years in prison before escaping to South Korea. The Korea Immigration Service initially denied him asylum, viewing his story as inconsistent.But judges at the Seoul Administrative Court sid
Nov. 27, 2014
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Ex-vice minister tapped to head Kaesong complex committee
South Korea has picked a former vice unification minister to lead a civilian committee to support the operation of an inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea, the ministry said Thursday. Kim Nam-sik, who quit his job at the ministry earlier this month, will serve as chairman of the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee starting on Dec. 3, replacing Hong Yang-ho, it announced. Hong, who was also vice unification minister, is nearing the end of his three-year tenure. The mini
Nov. 27, 2014
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Parties agree to discuss tobacco taxes amid budget row
Rival political parties agreed Thursday to immediately begin discussions on a government proposal to raise cigarette prices amid a parliamentary impasse over free child care services for young children. The agreement came during a lunch meeting between the senior deputy floor leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), one day after NPAD declared a boycott of all parliamentary proceedings in protest of stalled bipartisan negotiations
Nov. 27, 2014
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Budget row continues with 5 days to deadline
The budget standoff continued to halt proceedings in the parliament although some progress was made on Thursday.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s deputy floor leaders met and enabled the Security and Public Administration Committee to review the tobacco tax hike issue. In addition, the two deputy leaders reaffirmed that the state will provide some support in funding the Nuri Curriculum, a free child care program for children aged between three
Nov. 27, 2014
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Park goes overboard in use of ‘scary’ metaphors
South Korean President Park Geun-hye used to say that a leader should deliver messages in a classy manner. But when she talks about her regulatory reform drive, her choice of words surprises many, even journalists who write about the intentions behind her messages.At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the president said she would send all unnecessary regulations to “the guillotine.” Though it sounded awkward and creepy, Park used the word four times at the meeting, urging officials to review the feas
Nov. 27, 2014
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S. Korea, Japan resume talks on wartime sex slavery
South Korea and Japan held a fresh round of talks in Seoul on Thursday over Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The fifth round of meetings on the wartime sex slavery issue drew particular attention, as it came after leaders of the two countries agreed last month to "encourage" the director general-level talks to make progress in one of the thorniest bilateral issues. Lee Sang-deok, Seoul's director general for Northeast Asian affair
Nov. 27, 2014
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Opposition party mulls meeting with Park over budget row
The main opposition party could propose a meeting with President Park Geun-hye to seek a solution to the current parliamentary impasse over next year's government budget, a senior party official said Thursday. The New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) declared a boycott of all parliamentary proceedings Wednesday after accusing the ruling Saenuri Party of backtracking on its agreement to draw on state coffers to expand free child care services for children between the ages of three and fiv
Nov. 27, 2014
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Korea, H.K. to link up on creative economy
President Park Geun-hye and Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying discussed ways to promote cooperation on the creative economy, officials at Cheong Wa Dae said on Wednesday.“I heard that the chief executive is interested in promoting cooperation between South Korea’s (vision of a) creative economy and Hong Kong’s (drive to nurture) creative industries,” Park said at a meeting with Leung at the presidential office.“I hope you achieve a fruitful outcome by visiting related agencies during you
Nov. 26, 2014
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Unification minister urges passage of N. Korea human rights bill
South Korea's unification minister appealed to lawmakers Wednesday to pass a bill on North Korea's human rights abuse, citing the need for a legal basis for "systemic" efforts to address the problem.The legislation, if adopted, would give a ray of hope to North Korean people, said Ryoo Kihl-jae, Seoul's point man on Pyongyang."If the North Korea human rights bills are enacted through a compromise between the ruling and opposition parties, the government will draw up a basic plan to improve North
Nov. 26, 2014
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S. Korea, Hong Kong discuss cooperation in creative industry
South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with the chief executive of Hong Kong Wednesday and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the creative industry, Park's office said. The visit by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying comes as both South Korea and Hong Kong are seeking to develop their creative industries as a future growth engine for their economies. Leung's three-day stay includes visits to a Korean entertainment company and other sites related to the culture and creative indust
Nov. 26, 2014
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Opposition party boycotts parliament over budget row
The main opposition party declared a boycott of all parliamentary proceedings Wednesday as it accused the ruling party of backtracking on their agreement to fund free child care programs partly from state coffers. On Tuesday, the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) agreed to draw up next year's government budget in a way that reflects the government's responsibility to pay part of the cost of free child care services for children between the ages
Nov. 26, 2014
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Officials from Northeast Asia discuss nuclear safety
Government officials and civilian experts from Northeast Asian countries attended a forum in Seoul Wednesday to discuss ways to enhance nuclear safety in the region packed with atomic power plants. The symposium called "Top Regulators' Meeting plus" brought together around 200 government officials from countries including China, Japan and Russia as well as experts in the private sector, the foreign ministry said. The four-session forum mainly discussed how to cope with institutional and orga
Nov. 26, 2014
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S. Korea, Hong Kong agree to boost cooperation in creative industries
South Korea and Hong Kong agreed Wednesday to promote bilateral cooperation in their creative industries, Seoul's culture ministry said. Under the agreement, the two sides will push for various cooperative projects in their cultural and creative industries such as advertising, architecture, design, digital entertainment, movies, music, television, book printing and publishing. It also calls for building a cooperative system to facilitate exchanges of information, human resources, showcases, e
Nov. 26, 2014
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Gov't ordered to compensate pro-Pyongyang spy case victims
A Seoul court has ordered the government to compensate dozens of people who suffered abuse and punishment as a result of false accusations of spying for North Korea in the 1970s, officials said Wednesday. A total of 29 people, including Chung Dong-young, chief adviser of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, filed a lawsuit in 2012 seeking compensation from the government for mental suffering arising from their illegal arrest and detention. They were among some 180 peopl
Nov. 26, 2014
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UPP, Justice Ministry fire last salvos at Constitutional Court
The constitutional case surrounding the left-wing Unified Progressive Party wrapped up Tuesday, fanning speculation that the Constitutional Court will pass a ruling within the year. On Nov. 5, 2013, the Ministry of Justice filed a constitutional petition calling for the UPP to be disbanded, claiming that the party was pro-North Korea.Citing the UPP’s constitution, which it claims is heavily influenced by North Korean ideology, the Justice Ministry is arguing that the party should be disbanded. T
Nov. 25, 2014
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Bipartisan deal over education subsidies in sight
Rival political parties on Tuesday brokered a partial compromise over how to subsidize the nation’s preschools, an issue that has been hampering efforts to finish parliamentary reviews of next year’s proposed government budget by early next month.The governing Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy have been fighting over whether, and how much the central government should fund the 560 billion won ($503 million) child care program known as the Nuri Curriculum.
Nov. 25, 2014