Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Public backlash against division of Gyeonggi Province under 'corny' name
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids go gold in US with ‘Maniac’
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President launches panel for unification
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday launched a new presidential panel for Korean unification, seeking to build momentum for her initiatives unveiled earlier this year.The 50-member committee will be chaired by Park herself and will also have former ambassador to China Chung Chong-wook and Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae as the two vice chairs.The panel includes 30 civilian members to make it a transparent organization that discusses ways to achieve peaceful unification of the two Koreas and al
July 15, 2014
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Park replaces education nominee
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday withdrew her nomination of embattled Education Minister-designate Kim Myung-soo and named Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, former chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, as his replacement.“President Park has withdrawn her nomination of Kim Myung-soo as education minister. The president appointed Rep. Hwang Woo-yea of the Saenuri Party as the new education minister,” presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said.The president also appointed Lee Sung-ho, former president of Korea
July 15, 2014
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New Saenuri leadership may weaken Park
The election of a nonmainstream lawmaker as the ruling Saenuri Party’s chairman is likely to end the dominance of the mainstream pro-Park Geun-hye faction in the governing party, balancing relations between the ruling party and the president.Critics had charged that the pro-Park faction functioned as President Park Geun-hye’s political pond within the parliament. Pro-Park members increased partisan bickering by attempting to forcibly bulldoze key legislation that the president favored, they said
July 15, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Expectations run high for new ‘boss’
Rep. Kim Moo-sung, who was elected as the chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party at a national convention on Tuesday, is in for a raft of challenges, to say the least. Both sides of the political spectrum have high expectations for his tenure, in the long term, and his role in the July 30 by-elections, in the short term. Kim’s actions are expected to vary greatly from those of his predecessor Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, who was criticized for trying to please President Park Geun-hye while being too indeci
July 15, 2014
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Police whistleblower faces probe over malicious perjury allegations
The prosecution plans to launch an investigation into police officer-turned-politician Kwon Eun-hee over alleged perjury during former Seoul police chief Kim Yong-pan’s trial, casting doubt on her parliamentary campaign. On Monday, right-wing nongovernmental organization Young’s Liberty Union lodged a complaint against Kwon accusing her of perjury, including a legally different category known as “malicious perjury.” According to reports, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is now cons
July 15, 2014
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S. Korea to finalize stance on rice market opening next week: lawmaker
South Korea will decide its final position on the rice market opening later next week amid strong opposition from farmers and others who were worried that it may hurt the country's rice industry, a lawmaker said Tuesday. The decision will be made in a meeting of policymakers aimed at discussing the country's trade and other economic issues. It would come after the government earlier delayed its decision on the issue, which was supposed to be made by the end of June. "The government will decide i
July 15, 2014
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Park taps ex-Saenuri leader as new education minister
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday withdrew her nomination of embattled Education Minister-designate Kim Myung-soo and named Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, former chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, as his replacement. (Yonhap) “President Park has withdrawn her nomination of Kim Myung-soo as education minister. The president appointed Rep. Hwang Woo-yea of the Saenuri Party as new education minister,” presidential spo
July 15, 2014
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South Korea to launch committee on unification with North Korea
South Korea was to announce 50 members of a presidential committee aimed at making preparations for unification with North Korea, an official said Tuesday, amid tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula over Pyongyang's missile launches.President Park Geun-hye ordered the formation of the preparatory committee in January, saying the country should be prepared for inter-Korean unification which she said would be a "bonanza" for both Koreas as well as a blessing for neighboring countries.Still, the
July 15, 2014
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Park to host summit with Southeast Asian leaders in Dec.
President Park Geun-hye will hold summit talks with leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in South Korea's second-largest city of Busan late this year, her office said Tuesday.South Korea plans to further boost a strategic partnership with ASEAN through the special summit set for Dec. 11-12, the presidential office said.The planned summit is designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue between South Korea and ASEAN, said presiden
July 15, 2014
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Centrist takes Saenuri helm
The ruling Saenuri Party on Monday selected Rep. Kim Moo-sung as its new chairman at the party convention in Seoul. The five-term lawmaker secured a comfortable win over pro-Park Geun-hye heavyweight Rep. Suh Chung-won.Kim Moo-sung won the election with more than 52,700 votes over Suh’s 38,293 votes. Suh will now take a seat on the party’s supreme council along with Reps. Kim Tae-ho, Rhee In-je and Kim Eul-dong. Rep. Kim Eul-dong, the only female lawmaker to run, takes a seat on the council due
July 14, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Families protest partisan split over bill to probe ferry disaster
Political parties remain deadlocked over the legislation of a special bill aimed at addressing issues resulting from the ferry disaster in April, prompting victims’ families to stage a hunger strike on Monday to urge the immediate formation of a probe team.The families have been conducting a sit-in at the National Assembly since Saturday to criticize lawmakers tasked with writing the “special Sewol bill,” named after the ferry sinking that left more than 300 dead or missing. They are demanding t
July 14, 2014
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Park to form unification panel
President Park Geun-hye said Monday that she would launch a presidential preparation committee for the unification of two Koreas on Tuesday, gearing up her unification drive that lost steam due to the Sewol disaster and continued threats from North Korea.“We will make an announcement tomorrow and start working actively,” Park said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae. “With the launch of the unification preparatory committee, (the government) will raise the people’s attentio
July 14, 2014
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Park to launch new Cabinet this week
President Park Geun-hye said Monday that she would launch a new Cabinet this week, stressing that the government had no time to spare to reinvigorate the nation’s sluggish economy in the second half of the year. “The second Cabinet is to be launched this week,” Park said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae.“Now (we have entered) a very important phase and we don’t have (enough) time. Once the new Cabinet is established, we have to make efforts to revitalize the economy,” sh
July 14, 2014
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Saenuri Party elects Rep. Kim Moo-sung as new chairman
The ruling Saenuri Party elected political heavyweight Rep. Kim Moo-sung as its new chairman at a national convention on Monday. Rep. Kim Moo-sung responds to cheers from supporters after being elected as chairman at a national convention on Monday. (Yonhap)Rep. Kim from Busan defeated his rival candidate Rep. Suh Chung-won, a close aide to President Park Geun-hye, in a vote. He replaced Rep. Hwang Woo-yea. Kim will lead the conservative party for the next two years, while four runners up -- Suh
July 14, 2014
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Saenuri Party chairmanship race goes to the vote
The ruling Saenuri Party’s chairmanship race is to be put to a vote Monday with heavyweights Reps. Kim Moo-sung and Suh Chung-won in the lead. The winner will lead the conservative party for the next two years, while four runners up will take places on the party’s supreme council. At the convention, President Park Geun-hye called for harmony within the party, emphasizing the ruling party’s role in realizing her plans. “The new leadership is tasked with the important role of working with the gove
July 14, 2014
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Lee faces tough task
Lee Byung-kee has been cleared to take the helm of the National Intelligence Service, but he faces a difficult road ahead. On Wednesday, the National Assembly gave Lee half-hearted approval, with opposition lawmakers adding that he was unfit to lead the spy agency as he is accused of incompetence and has been involved in political scandals. After what critics describe as the NIS’ worst years since the end of the Cold War, the agency suffers from public distrust and low morale.Intelligence office
July 13, 2014
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Culture minister nominee a sticking point in reshuffle
Culture Minister nominee Chung Sung-keun remains a sticking point in President Park Geun-hye’s Cabinet reshuffle as allegations pile up against him.The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, whose floor leader Rep. Park Young-sun asked the president to withdraw Chung’s nomination, continued its attack Sunday citing the growing allegations against him. Far from putting the allegations to rest, the confirmation hearing process has only strengthened the opposition’s attack against Chu
July 13, 2014
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Frontrunners confident before Saenuri chairmanship vote
The ruling Saenuri Party’s new chairman will be elected Monday with the frontrunners Reps. Kim Moo-sung and Suh Chung-won both promising landslide victories. For the ruling party, Monday’s election will bring long-lasting consequences. Kim is considered to be more independent of President Park Geun-hye’s influence and more capable in terms of communicating and cooperating with the opposition bloc. As for Suh, the seven-term lawmaker is regarded as one of the senior-most member of the ruling part
July 13, 2014
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Reprocessing plant to give Japan enough plutonium for 2,000 bombs a year: US expert
Japan would be able to produce enough plutonium to make about 2,000 atomic bombs a year if a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the country's northeast goes into operation, a U.S. nuclear nonproliferation expert has warned.Henry Sokolski, executive director at the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, made the remark during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Thursday, warning the opening of the Japanese reprocessing plant could prompt South Korea and China to take action in response.S
July 12, 2014
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Three nominees unlikely to win parliamentary endorsement
President Park Geun-hye’s nominations of three ministers for education, culture and public administration appeared unlikely to get parliamentary endorsement on Friday, as the opposition party refused to adopt reports on their confirmation hearings.A sub-parliamentary committee on education, culture, sports and tourism was scheduled to decide whether to approve Park’s appointments of two ministers. But the meeting was canceled after the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy boycotte
July 11, 2014