Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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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 to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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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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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
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Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
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Government to help create 16,500 part-time jobs in public sector
The government plans to encourage the creation of about 16,500 part-time jobs in the public sector by 2017 as part of efforts to attain its goal of a 70 percent employment rate, Employment and Labor Minister Phang Ha-nam said at an economic ministerial meeting Wednesday.To further stimulate the job market, the government will encourage the private sector to increase job opportunities through flexible employment by offering tax incentives, wage subsidies of up to 800,000 won ($745) and full socia
Nov. 13, 2013
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Park, Putin agree to restore trans-Siberian vision
Presidents Park Geun-hye of South Korea and Vladimir Putin of Russia held summit talks on Wednesday in Seoul and agreed to broaden economic cooperation including a Russian-led project to develop a North Korean border port that will set the basis for an envisioned railway link from Korea to Siberia.In a joint statement, the two leaders agreed to seek wider cooperation on short and long-term projects in such fields as shipbuilding, financial infrastructure, logistics, energy, science, space and kn
Nov. 13, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Bigwig summoned as summit probe nears end
The prosecution on Wednesday questioned ruling party heavyweight Rep. Kim Moo-sung as its probe into the alleged illegal leaking of the 2007 inter-Korean summit records entered the final stretch. In the run up to the Dec. 19 presidential election, Kim, campaign chief and close aide to President Park Geun-hye, attacked the Democratic Party’s Rep. Moon Jae-in with claims that late President Roh Moo-hyun conceded the Northern Limit Line to Pyongyang with wording very close to that of the transcript
Nov. 13, 2013
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Ruling party lawmaker to be summoned over alleged transcript leak
A ruling-party lawmaker will be summoned by prosecutors Wednesday over suspicions that he illegally obtained and leaked a classified transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit, prosecutors said. Rep. Kim Moo-sung of the Saenuri Party has been accused by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) of illegally gaining access to a copy of the transcript kept at the state intelligence agency and using it as part of a smear campaign against the opposition party ahead of last year's presidential electi
Nov. 13, 2013
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[Photo News] Opposition alliance
Nov. 12, 2013
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Leftist lawmaker denies rebellion charges at court hearing
A leftist lawmaker, on trial for rebellion charges, flatly denied Tuesday that he had plotted to overthrow the South Korean government in the event of an inter-Korean war.Rep. Lee Seok-ki of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP) has been indicted on charges of conspiring and inciting a rebellion, as well as sympathizing with North Korea, in violation of the South's anti-communist National Security Law, prosecutors said."(I) have never intended to conspire to stage a rebellion," Le
Nov. 12, 2013
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[Photo News] Defense forum
Nov. 12, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Parties clash over game addiction act
A widening dispute over a proposal to toughen regulations on online games has emerged as a hot political issue dragging party leaders into a harsh war of words. The ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Shin Yee-jin in April proposed a new law that would define Internet gaming and digital media content as one of the four major sources of addictions, along with alcohol, drugs and gambling, subject to tougher government controls. The bill sparked angry reactions from the industry, game lovers and liberal-mi
Nov. 12, 2013
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Prosecution fazed by NIS fiasco
The prosecution is in disarray as key members of its leadership embroiled in political controversy drop one after another, leaving it struggling to regain credibility in a number of politically-sensitive or high-profile investigations.Following the resignation of former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook over rumors of an extramarital affair in September, which the opposition called the result of government pressure, Cho Young-kon, chief of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, offered to q
Nov. 12, 2013
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Rival parties raise stakes in NIS row
Political tensions escalated Tuesday as opposition parties allied in seeking a special probe into alleged election interference by state agencies, while the ruling party struck back by pushing for a law revision to curb minority obstructionism. The ruling Saenuri Party is reportedly moving to revise the National Assembly act to allow certain bills to be exempted from the rule that requires at least 60 percent of the relevant standing committee members’ approval for passage.The move came as the o
Nov. 12, 2013
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Park’s retro language arouses more than nostalgia
In the eyes of President Park Geun-hye, the utopian state of South Korea is where the people are destined to live in an “era of happiness” through the “second Miracle of the Han River” by evolving the legacy of the country’s rapid industrial growth in the 1970s.Having riveted a majority of the voters with what pundits call her “politics of authenticity” in last year’s presidential election through a compassionate pledge of economic democratization, Park has now effectively moved onto a “revival
Nov. 11, 2013
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Park to push ‘Eurasia Initiative,’ discuss North Korea with Putin
President Park Geun-hye will hold summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday during which they will share extensive views on regional security and lay out the basis for the “Eurasia Initiative.”Putin is set to arrive in Seoul early Wednesday for a one-day stop after his trip to Vietnam. This will be his second meeting with Park after their bilateral talks in St. Petersburg in September on the sidelines of the G20 summit.Among the agenda items are fortifying economic cooperat
Nov. 11, 2013
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Hearings proceed despite DP’s Assembly boycott
The National Assembly hit yet another reef on Monday with the Democratic Party boycotting all procedures other than the confirmation hearings of three minister-level nominees as a means to add weight to its calls for a special counsel investigation. Since last week, the DP has been calling for a special counsel investigation into the alleged election meddling by the National Intelligence Service. “I hope the president will clarify her position on the DP’s suggestion of leaving all election-relat
Nov. 11, 2013
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Kyrgyz president to visit Korea next week
President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambaev will arrive in Seoul for a three-day visit to discuss progress in substantial economic and international cooperation, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.The first visit by a Kyrgyz president in 16 years will provide an opportunity to further the bilateral ties with the central Asian country that were forged in 1992, the presidential office said.President Park Geun-hye and Atambaev will hold summit talks on Nov. 19, to be followed by a luncheon.(jhl@heradcorp.com)
Nov. 11, 2013
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Regulator to keep close watch on Hanjin, Dongbu
The financial regulator will keep a close watch on two major South Korean conglomerates with weak balance sheets to avert a sudden fallout from possible liquidity shortages, its officials said Monday.The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) plans to have creditor banks of Hanjin Group and Dongbu Group clinch a fresh financial agreement with the two groups, by which Hanjin and Dongbu will be obliged to improve their finances and keep cash flows under control, according to FSS officials.Hanjin is t
Nov. 11, 2013
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Roh ordered revision of inter-Korean summit transcript: prosecution sources
State prosecutors have obtained a document verifying that late President Roh Moon-hyun ordered partial revision of the original transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit, prosecution sources said Monday.The minutes, which transcribe the summit talks between Roh and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2007, raised political controversy after the ruling Saenuri Party claimed that Roh had made remarks to the effect of surrendering to North Korea the western maritime border, called the Northern
Nov. 11, 2013
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Opposition party boycotts standing committees amid political strife
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Monday it will boycott all parliamentary standing committees over the next three days in protest of the prosecution's disciplinary action against a whistleblower.The boycott comes amid an ongoing political dispute between the ruling and opposition parties over a string of controversies, including state agencies' alleged meddling in last year's presidential election.On Friday, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) reportedly decided to recommend a th
Nov. 11, 2013
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Party discord clouds Assembly
The ruling-opposition party discord is escalating to a new high, threatening to once again bring the National Assembly to a halt.Disgruntled by the developments surrounding the alleged election interference by government agencies, the main opposition Democratic Party is calling for an investigation by an independent counsel.“The only solution left is a special counsel, the political neutrality and fairness of which is guaranteed,” DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil said at a rally on Saturday. “Specia
Nov. 10, 2013
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Groundwork for Ahn’s party takes shape
Independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s think-tank Policy Network Tomorrow on Sunday named 466 people to its regional committees as Ahn seeks to establish a nationwide supporter base. The newest members will work in committees for 12 regions including Seoul, Busan-South Gyeongsang Province and the Chungcheong provinces. With these additions, the think-tank now has 534 regional committee members. The latest list includes individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, from former judges and civil servants
Nov. 10, 2013
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Prosecutors seek suspension of ex-chief investigator
State prosecutors are seeking to suspend a senior prosecutor who led an investigation team probing a high-profile election-meddling scandal involving the state spy agency, prosecution sources said on Saturday. They said the inspection committee at the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office will ask the Ministry of Justice on Monday to suspend Yoon Seok-youl for three months. Yoon was dismissed last month from a prosecution investigation team looking into allegations that the National Intellige
Nov. 9, 2013