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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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Naver will consider company benefits in deciding on selling Line shares: CEO
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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President approves plan to beef up security office
President Park Geun-hye on Friday approved a plan to institute the standing committee and secretariat of the National Security Council as part of efforts to better handle growing uncertainties in North Korea and the region.The NSC standing committee to be chaired by the National Security Office chief will convene once a week to coordinate foreign affairs and security policies and make policy recommendations to the president, Cheong Wa Dae said.The secretariat is to be led by the first deputy chi
Dec. 20, 2013
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Park's approval rating dips under 50 pct
President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has dipped under 50 percent for the first time since April, a new Gallup Korea poll showed Friday.The poll showed that 48 percent of South Koreans approved of the job the president was doing, while 41 percent disapproved and 11 percent did not express an opinion.Park's all-time low approval rating was 41 percent between late March and early April. Her all-time high job approval was 67 percent in September.The latest dip came amid a controversy over the g
Dec. 20, 2013
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Ex-President Lee's aide denies boss' alleged role in election smear campaign
Former President Lee Myung-bak did not play any role in the alleged Internet smear campaign by state agencies during last year's presidential election, his ex-press secretary said Friday, rejecting long-standing accusations made against the previous head of state.The denial comes after state bodies like the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the military's cyber warfare unit were found to have conducted extensive online smear campaigns against the main opposition candidate ahead of the Dece
Dec. 20, 2013
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Seoul's district declares nation's first animal welfare act
A district in eastern Seoul has established an animal welfare act for the first time in the nation to better protect their lives and to promote the culture of respect for life, officials said Thursday.The ordinance, promulgated by the Gangdong District Office on Wednesday, stipulates a wide range of regulations on how to protect the lives of animals and promote their well-being, including duties of the government and residents to guarantee their safety, and the establishment of relevant faciliti
Dec. 19, 2013
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11 cyber warfare agents face indictment
The Defense Ministry on Thursday sent 11 cyber warfare officials to the military prosecution, recommending indictment on charges of posting political comments online from 2010 to October, including during last year’s presidential election.Announcing an interim result of its two-month probe, the ministry’s investigation unit dismissed the allegation that the cyber warfare command interfered in last year’s election on an organizational level, despite their breach of military rules on political neu
Dec. 19, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Governor seeks to inherit Roh’s legacy
Ahn Hee-jung, South Chungcheong Province governor and late President Roh Moo-hyun’s right-hand man, entered the fray in the power-struggle within the opposition Democratic Party on Tuesday. The 49-year-old liberal-minded politician was one of Roh’s closest aides, from 1994 onward. In the years leading up to Roh’s election in 2002, Ahn played the role of top strategist, earning himself the moniker “Little Roh Moo-hyun.” However, Ahn remained on the fringes of power during the Roh administration a
Dec. 18, 2013
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Park marks one year since election victory in subdued mood
President Park Geun-hye marks the first anniversary of her election victory this week amid concerns about potential instability in North Korea, a standoff with striking rail workers and persisting allegations of state tampering in last year”s election race.This Thursday is one year after Park won the dead-heat contest against her opposition rival, Moon Jae-in, a victory that made her South Korea’s first-ever female president and the first child of a former president, Park Chung-hee, to assume th
Dec. 18, 2013
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Ruling party lawmakers voice concerns over possible N.K. provocations
Ranking lawmakers of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party expressed concerns Wednesday that North Korea could carry out its fourth nuclear test and other provocations in the wake of the execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle.The remarks echoed growing concerns among South Korean government officials that North Korea may launch a provocation to divert domestic attention away from Jang Song-thaek's execution to external issues.Rep. Won Yoo-chul, who chairs the ruling party's special committee for s
Dec. 18, 2013
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Seoul summons Japanese envoy over renewed claims to Dokdo
South Korea summoned the vice chief of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul Wednesday to lodge a complaint against Tokyo's renewed territorial claims to Seoul's easternmost islets of Dokdo.Takashi Kurai, the deputy chief of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, was called in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Park Joon-yong, the director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Northeast Asian department, according to the Seoul ministry.The summons came a day after Japan cited the diplomatic resolution of the D
Dec. 18, 2013
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Park to meet ruling party officials on election anniversary
President Park Geun-hye plans tovmeet with officials of her party later this week to mark the firstvanniversary of her election, a party official said Tuesday.The meeting will take place over dinner at the presidentialvoffice Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday, which marks exactly one year since Park's election."It will likely be an occasion to encourage the party leadership and staff who worked hard during last year's presidential election," the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone, asking that he
Dec. 17, 2013
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[Graphic News] Park in the polls
More than half of the public considers the Park Geun-hye administration to have done a good job this year, a poll showed. According to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea ahead of the first anniversary of her election on Dec. 19, 54 percent of the 1,204 people surveyed positively assessed Park’s administration, while 35 percent said the opposite. The survey showed that diplomacy and international relations were the most commonly chosen factor for the positive assessments, while lack of communicat
Dec. 17, 2013
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[Photo News] Court calling
Dec. 17, 2013
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Park calls on conglomerates to increase investment, hiring
President Park Geun-hye called on leading conglomerates Tuesday to increase investment and hiring to help keep the recovery trend in South Korea’s economy going.“Though the global economy is in a difficult situation, the recovery trend in our economy is becoming visible little by little,” Park said during a visit to the Federation of Korean Industries, the country’s largest business lobby representing conglomerates.“If the current recovery trend is going to take root as a sustainable trend, more
Dec. 17, 2013
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20 cyber warfare officials to be indicted over online smear campaign
Military investigators are considering indicting about 20 of the cyber warfare command's officials on charges of engaging in an alleged smear campaign against the opposition candidate during last year's presidential election, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The ministry has been looking into the cyber command the past two months after some members of its psychological warfare unit were caught posting political messages against the opposition camp ahead of the December election.Som
Dec. 17, 2013
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Ahead of local elections, lawmakers bent on pork-barrel projects
Lawmakers are proposing increases of trillions of won in next year’s government spending as they strive to win over voters ahead of local elections in June. The National Assembly began to review the government’s 364.7 trillion won ($346 billion) budget proposal late last month.Of 15 standing committees, 12 have concluded their budget reviews, requesting a combined 4.76 trillion won boost to the administration’s budget plan.The Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee led the way by asking for
Dec. 15, 2013
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Six more ministries set to relocate to Sejong City
The second stage of the relocation of government ministries to Sejong City will begin on Friday. According to the plans announced by the Prime Minister’s Office, six ministries and 10 subsidiary organizations will be relocated to Sejong City between Dec. 13 and Dec. 29, taking nearly 4,900 civil servants with them. The move will kick off on Friday with the Ministry of Health and Welfare; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which plan to com
Dec. 12, 2013
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NIS chief proposes laundry list of reforms
The National Intelligence Service on Thursday reported to the National Assembly its reform plans including banning its agents’ activities inside the parliament, parties and media outlets and obligating them to sign an oath pledging not to participate in political campaigns. The pledges however failed to satisfy the main opposition party which calls for more drastic reforms including a prohibition of domestic surveillance activities which it suspects of being disguised political maneuvering. NIS
Dec. 12, 2013
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Parliament hikes budget for Dokdo promotion
The nation's parliament sharply hiked next year's budget for promoting South Korea's ownership of the easternmost islands of Dokdo to counter Japan's growing attempts to lay claim to the territory, the foreign ministry said Thursday.The Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, which oversees the foreign and unification ministries, adopted a 6.84 billion won ($6.5 million) budget bill for the foreign ministry's activities in 2014 to globally promote the country's ownership over the set of small
Dec. 12, 2013
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Saenuri lawmaker loses seat for buying nomination
The ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Kim Young-joo lost his parliamentary seat after the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 10-month prison term for violating the Public Official Election Act. Under related regulations, receiving prison terms or being fined more than 1 million won ($950) for violating the Public Official Election Act or the Political Fund Act results in an automatic annulment of election results. Kim, a first term proportional representative, was indicted in September for allegedly p
Dec. 12, 2013
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NIS chief to report reform plan to Assembly committee
The National Intelligence Service will report its own reform plans to a special parliamentary committee Thursday amid controversy over its interference in domestic politics, lawmakers said.The National Assembly committee on NIS reform plans to resume work after a tit-for-tat series of boycotts between the two main political parties left the work group’s operations hanging.The bipartisan panel was launched Monday after allegations that prominent government institutions including the NIS had illeg
Dec. 11, 2013