Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Big-name opposition politician retires from politics
A former opposition leader often mentioned as a potential presidential candidate announced his retirement from politics Thursday after suffering a humiliating defeat in parliamentary by-elections a day earlier.Sohn Hak-kyu, a former four-term lawmaker and ex-leader of what is now the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), lost to Kim Yong-nam, a political novice of the ruling Saenuri Party, in Wednesday's by-elections seen as a midterm referendum on President Park Geun-hye's
July 31, 2014
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Opposition leaders quit over election defeat
The two leaders of the main opposition party quit Thursday over a crushing defeat in parliamentary by-elections seen as a midterm referendum on President Park Geun-hye's conservative administration.The move by Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo came a day after New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) gained only four out of the 15 seats at stake."I humbly accept the people's will. We lost the elections that we should have won. I am sorry for it," Kim said in a news conference at the parliament.Ahn
July 31, 2014
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NPAD leaders resign over election defeat
The two leaders of the main opposition party offered to resign Thursday, taking responsibility for its crushing defeat in the parliamentary by-elections. Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Han-gil, co-chairmen of New Politics Alliance for Democracy, said they would step down from the top posts after the ruling Saenuri party staged a landslide victory by snatching 11 seats in the 15 constituencies up for grabs on Wednesday.“I humbly accept the people’s will. We lost in an election we needed to have won.
July 31, 2014
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Saenuri takes by-elections in sweeping victory
The ruling Saenuri Party swept Wednesday’s parliamentary by-elections, taking 11 of the 15 constituencies to raise its head count in the 300-seat National Assembly to 158.The landslide victory is expected to consolidate Saenuri Party chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung’s hold on the ruling party. The leaders of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, in contrast, are expected to step down to take responsibility for the massive loss. NPAD cochairmen Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Han-gil are
July 31, 2014
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Early results boost Saenuri
Early results of the largest-ever parliamentary by-elections Wednesday indicated an overall win for the ruling Saenuri Party. With 15 seats up for grabs, the elections are considered a mid-term referendum on the Park Geun-hye administration and critical for political parties to gain the upper hand for the rest of the 19th National Assembly. Despite the parties’ attempt to sell the by-elections dubbed the “miniature general elections” as a make-or-break opportunity for the country, voter particip
July 30, 2014
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Voters take to polling stations for by-elections
Voters took to polling stations on Wednesday in the largest-ever parliamentary by-elections, critical for political parties to gain the upper hand for the rest of the 19th National Assembly. As of 6 p.m., 28.8 percent of the voters, including those who took part in the July 25-26 early voting, had cast their ballots. The two-day early voting period saw a record-breaking 7.98 percent of voters cast their ballots. The figures for strategically important Dongjak-B of Seoul and South Jeolla Provinc
July 30, 2014
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Voters to cast ballots in largest-ever by-elections
Voters will take to polling stations in 15 constituencies across the country Wednesday for the largest-ever parliamentary by-elections, viewed by the parties as a pivotal opportunity to gain the upper hand. In its final appeal to voters on Tuesday, the last day of campaigning, the ruling Saenuri Party accused the opposition parties of political collusion, while highlighting its drive for economic revival. Civic group members wage a campaign calling for participation in voting for Wednesday’s par
July 29, 2014
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(Photo News) Final preparations
An election official installs voting booths at a polling station in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Voters in 15 constituencies across the country take to polling stations on Wednesday in the largest-ever parliamentary by-elections. (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)
July 29, 2014
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Five bigwigs attempt to make history
Five heavyweight contenders are hoping to make history in Wednesday’s by-elections, dubbed “miniature general elections.” The ruling and opposition parties are fielding some of the biggest names in their arsenal in constituencies that hold strategic implications for the political arena. From the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, Sohn Hak-kyu and Kim Du-kwan stand out in terms of experience, with both having served as provincial governors. Meanwhile the minor opposition Justice
July 29, 2014
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Sewol investigation debate blocks 7,000 other bills
The partisan deadlock over legislation addressing the Sewol ferry disaster is stalling the passage of other bills, including those aiming to strengthen safety standards in the wake of multiple safety accidents this year.As of Tuesday, more than 7,000 bills awaited parliamentary review.But with parties locking horns over the so-called special Sewol bill, a full parliamentary session to convene lawmakers for a vote is still far off.“Nope, no session seems near,” a Saenuri Party official said earli
July 29, 2014
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Parties step up attacks in final leg of by-election campaigns
The ruling and opposition parties engaged in all-out efforts on Monday to garner support in the by-elections with each side calling on voters to pass judgment on the other. The ruling Saenuri Party concentrated on constituencies in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, where opposition candidates have formed alliances for Wednesday’s by-elections. The ruling party opened the day by holding its supreme council meeting in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where its candidate Yoo Eui-dong is in a tight race wi
July 28, 2014
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[Newsmaker] 'Real cause' of ferry disaster still elusive
Almost 15 weeks since the Sewol ferry sank in the West Sea, South Koreans still disagree as to what caused the disaster, with earlier prosecutorial and parliamentary investigations failing to produce conclusive explanations about the accident.Lawmakers, scholars and victims’ families are saying an inquiry panel should be created to unearth the “real causes” of the disaster. On July 12, lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties began to write a special bill to set up the panel. Lawmakers also
July 28, 2014
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Final stretch for by-elections
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy are making last-minute efforts to whip up support for their candidates in the crucial by-elections slated for Wednesday.Referred to as “miniature general elections,” the upcoming elections will seat 15 new members of the National Assembly. For the ruling party, the elections provide a chance to regain a majority in the 300-seat parliament. While the NPAD has no chance of taking a majority in the parliament, a cl
July 27, 2014
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Park replaces senior officials
President Park Geun-hye on Friday named Choo Kyung-ho, first vice finance minister, as policy coordination minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and replaced 12 vice ministers as part of efforts to strengthen her new Cabinet, Cheong Wa Dae said.Choo, 54, replaces Kim Dong-yeon, who offered to resign on Wednesday citing personal reasons.The list of new vice ministers included three presidential secretaries for finance, trade and welfare. Joo Hyung-hwan, presidential secretary for economy and fi
July 25, 2014
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Early voting for by-elections begins
Early voting for the July 30 parliamentary by-elections kicked off Friday for a two-day run amid expectations the vote will serve as a referendum on President Park Geun-hye's conservative administration.The polls carry extra weight this year because a total of 15 parliamentary seats are up for grabs, the largest-ever number for a by-election. They also come less than two months after the June 4 local elections in which neither the ruling nor the main opposition party claimed a clear-cut victory.
July 25, 2014
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NPAD candidate won’t run in Dongjak
The main opposition candidate for Seoul’s Dongjak-B constituency in the July by-elections pulled out of the running Thursday, uniting the opposition’s top two candidates in the strategically important electorate. “I have decided to forfeit my candidacy,” Ki Dong-min of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy said. “I will put down everything.”With Ki’s announcement, three opposition candidates will face ruling Saenuri Party candidate Na Kyung-won in the strategically important Se
July 24, 2014
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First foot-and-mouth case since 2011 confirmed
The quarantine authorities began slaughtering some 600 pigs in North Gyeongsang Province on Thursday in the first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Korea since April 2011. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Thursday confirmed FMD as the cause of the symptoms reported at a pig farm in Uiseong Country, North Gyeongsang Province.An official sprays disinfectant at a checkpoint in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, where the first case of foot-and-mouth disease since the April 2
July 24, 2014
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[Graphic News] Korean firms less eager to spend on shareholders
South Korean listed firms’ rewards for shareholders are extremely low compared to rivals in the United States, Canada and Japan, according to data compiled by Samsung Securities released on Thursday. U.S. companies in the S&P 500 index spent an average of 55 percent of their net profit on stock buybacks from 2008-2013, and their dividend payout ratio - the percentage of earnings a company gives to shareholders in the form of dividends - stood at an average of 40 percent.The data indicate that th
July 24, 2014
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[Reporter's Column] Summertime blues for Park
In recent weeks, not only officials but also journalists at Cheong Wa Dae have all been asking the same question: When will President Park Geun-hye leave for summer vacation?It may seem like an easy question to answer. But Cheong Wa Dae has been hesitating to talk about her vacation plans this year, due to the unresolved Sewol crisis.“We have two subjects under consideration in regard to the president’s vacation plans,” said presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook on Wednesday.“I understand that s
July 24, 2014
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Prosecutor quits over failed manhunt
A senior prosecutor who led a massive investigation into the alleged corruption involving businessman Yoo Byung-eun offered to resign Thursday, taking responsibility for the failed manhunt for the de facto owner of the Sewol ferry.Choi Jae-kyung, chief of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, submitted a letter of resignation to the top prosecution office, ending his 26-year career as a public prosecutor.The announcement came two days after the authorities confirmed the death of Yoo on Tuesd
July 24, 2014