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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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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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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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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Acting prosecutor general orders audit into NIS probe controversy
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday launched an audit into alleged irregularities in the probe into the National Intelligence Service.According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Acting Prosecutor General Kil Tae-ki ordered an audit, saying the NIS probe would be conducted without political considerations regardless of the audit’s results. “The truth behind the problem that arose will be revealed through a stringent audit,” Supreme Prosecutors’ office spokesman Koo Bon-seon said. He adde
Oct. 22, 2013
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U.S. visa delay disrupts lawmaker’s travel plans
An opposition lawmaker failed to attend a parliamentary audit of Korean diplomats in the U.S. after he failed to get a U.S. visa for undisclosed reasons, his aides said Tuesday. Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae of the main opposition Democratic Party was set to visit New York last Thursday with five colleagues on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee as a part of the ongoing parliamentary audits.But his application was still pending, his aide said. “Mr. Jeong had applied for his
Oct. 22, 2013
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Cyber command headquarters raided over alleged smear campaign
The defense ministry said Tuesday it has launched a raid on the cyber warfare command's headquarters and senior commanders to look into whether the military was involved in an alleged smear campaign during last year's presidential election.Four officials at the ministry's Cyber Warfare Command have been under an internal investigation for a similar online smear campaign by the state spy agency against the main opposition Democratic Party's candidate, Moon Jae-in, ahead of the election last Decem
Oct. 22, 2013
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Opposition chief demands Park apologize over allegations of outside pressure
The main opposition party's leader demanded Tuesday that President Park Geun-hye apologize over allegations of outside pressure in a prosecution investigation into suspicions the state intelligence agency meddled in last year's presidential election.Democratic Party leader Kim Han-gil issued the demand a day after a senior prosecutor leading the investigation into the scandal testified during a parliamentary meeting that his team has been under constant pressure not to aggressively pursue the pr
Oct. 22, 2013
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Former NIS probe chief alleges political pressure
Two ranking prosecutors involved in the probe over the National Intelligence Service’s alleged intervention in last year’s presidential election clashed on Monday, with local prosecutors’ office head Yoon Seok-yeol alleging interference from high ranking officials and Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office chief Cho Young-gon claiming insubordination on Yoon’s part. Yoon, chief of the local prosecutor’s office in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, had headed the investigation into the case until he w
Oct. 21, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Juncker, Europe’s longest-serving PM
Luxembourg’s embattled prime minister would likely not appreciate the comparison, but Jean-Claude Juncker shares something in common with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a man derided in the West as “Europe’s last dictator.” It might be unfair to describe the enduring Luxembourger as authoritarian, but now he certainly vies with the Belarusian strongman for Europe’s longest-lasting leader in power today. Though the party of Luxembourg’s prime minister emerged somewhat diminished from
Oct. 21, 2013
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Park’s autobiography published in Mongolian
Former Mongolian President Natsagiin Bagabandi presented President Park Geun-hye with the Mongolian version of her autobiography “Despair Trains Me and Hope Moves Me,” Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.The two met last Friday on the sidelines of the Global Cooperation in the Era of Eurasia conference during which Bagabandi presented Park with the book.Inside, Bagabandi wrote in Korean, “Dear President Park, It is hoped that all your promises to the people are implemented.” Bagabandi served as president
Oct. 21, 2013
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Bipartisan row escalates over spy agency scandal
Rival political parties stepped up their attacks on each other Monday amid fresh claims about the state intelligence agency's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election.Last week, Rep. Kim Kwang-jin of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) claimed that members of the defense ministry's cyber warfare command conducted an online smear campaign against then opposition presidential candidate Moon Jae-in in a bid to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling party ahead of the December
Oct. 21, 2013
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Tension up over alleged meddling in NIS probe
Collision between rival parties took to new heights over the weekend as the opposition railed against the government’s alleged meddling in the prosecution’s probe into the spy agency and the military’s purported smear campaign against the progressives.The main opposition Democratic Party returned to its outdoor rally on Saturday, slamming the ruling camp for attempting to sway the prosecution’s investigation into the National Intelligence Service by demoting a key prosecutor who has been spearhe
Oct. 20, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Ousted prosecutor adds fuel to NIS row
Yoon Seok-yeol, a senior prosecutor who was leading an investigation into the spy agency’s alleged election interference last year, is in the political limelight after being ousted from the special probe team last week.His dismissal has sparked a backlash from the main opposition Democratic Party, which claims the government attempted to meddle in the high-profile probe.The probe team has looked into the allegations that former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon directed his operat
Oct. 20, 2013
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Rural development key to advanced nation
Without tangible development in rural areas, no country can become an advanced nation no matter how great the economic growth is, said Lee Won-jong, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Regional Development.“When you take a look at the farming or fishing communities in advanced nations such as the U.S., Britain, Japan or Switzerland, their living infrastructure is well managed, and the residents’ economic base is sturdy,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald last Wednesday that co
Oct. 20, 2013
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Government to survey companies on regulations
The government will conduct an inspection on companies operating in the country twice each year to survey their difficulties derived from diverse regulations as part of its measures to promote small and mid-sized businesses.Set up under the Office for Government Policy Coordination of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the team to improve regulations said the inspection will take place every January and July.Around 2,300 associations representing different business types will be subject to the in
Oct. 20, 2013
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Park seeks ‘Eurasia Initiative’ to build energy, logistics links
President Park Geun-hye on Friday proposed a “Eurasia Initiative” that calls for linking energy and logistics infrastructure across the continent. “A new era must be opened by once again connecting Eurasia as a single continent. The severed logistics network needs to be linked to overcome the physical barriers that prevent exchange,” Park said at the Global Cooperation in the Era of Eurasia conference in Seoul. As part of related measures, Park suggested establishing a “Silk Road Express” that w
Oct. 18, 2013
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Prime minister to visit Denmark, Finland
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won will leave for Denmark and Finland later this week as part of efforts to strengthen ties with the two Nordic countries in developing strategies for environment friendly growth, his office said Friday.Chung is scheduled to depart Saturday for the Danish capital Copenhagen to attend the opening of the Global Green Growth Forum on Monday, the office said. The forum is expected to draw ranking green growth leaders from governments, international organizations and the co
Oct. 18, 2013
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Park discusses politics with US filmmaker Katzenberg
U.S. filmmaker Jeffrey Katzenberg brought up an unusual topic -- the U.S. political mess that led to the government shutdown -- when he met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday, leading her to say "politics is causing many problems in all countries." Park gave the response after Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation that produced such high-grossing films as "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda," asked her what she thought of the political chaos in Washington at the end of their meeting
Oct. 18, 2013
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Korea, Philippines step up economic cooperation
President Park Geun-hye held summit talks with visiting President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines on Thursday, with the two agreeing on wide-ranging cooperation on defense and economy as part of her expedited “sales diplomacy” toward Southeast Asia.After the summit meeting, the presidents oversaw the signing of a contract for the provision of development aid as well as memorandums of understanding on defense and sports. Park expressed gratitude for the Philippines’ selection of Korea’s
Oct. 17, 2013
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Discovery of more faulty parts sparks concern over nuclear safety
Fresh concerns have arisen over the safety of nuclear power and the likelihood of further power shortages after authorities found more faulty parts at two reactors under construction.The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corporation said Wednesday that disputed control cables at Ulsan’s Shin-Kori reactors 3 and 4 failed a reevaluation.The replacement of the 920-kilometer-long cables is to cause a delay in the completion of the reactors of at least six month to a year. The delay is likely to cause fu
Oct. 17, 2013
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Korean citizen jailed in Iran to be released ‘very soon’
A South Korean citizen sentenced in September to a seven-year prison term in Iran on charges of espionage will be released on appeal “after proper judicial proceedings take place,” an official at the Iranian Embassy in Seoul told The Korea Herald on Thursday.The Korean man, now 43, was caught in Iran in October 2012 taking photos of sensitive security facilities, including police stations, foreign embassies and border areas.“We have been working on this case for two or three months,” said the Ir
Oct. 17, 2013
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Differing court rulings on voting scandal cause stir
The ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday expressed concerns about the inconsistency in judicial judgment on politically sensitive cases after local courts disagreed on whether minority opposition party members were guilty of violating fundamental voting principles.The Gwangju District Court on Wednesday found a United Progressive Party official, only identified by his surname Joo, guilty of voting in place of four other party members during last year’s in-party proportional representation elections.
Oct. 17, 2013
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Finance minister draws fire for growth projection, state finances
The Finance Ministry came under fire at the National Assembly on Wednesday over concerns about the country’s fiscal status and Minister Hyun Oh-seok’s alleged lack of leadership as the “economic control tower.”Lawmakers from both the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party raised concerns about a sharp increase in state debt. “Government debt has reached 443 trillion won ($415 billion) when household debt is already at 980 trillion won, (Korea) has become a debt-republic th
Oct. 16, 2013