Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Photo News] Local politics
Sept. 17, 2013
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Justice Ministry to begin probe into Chae next month
The Justice Ministry is expected to go ahead with a controversial investigation into chief prosecutor Chae Dong-wook next month, according to officials at the ministry and the prosecution.The planned investigation has been at the center of political debate since last week with the opposition party slamming both Cheong Wa Dae and the ministry on their alleged roles of pressuring Chae to resign.The embattled prosecutor chief offered to resign from his post last Friday shortly after Justice Ministe
Sept. 17, 2013
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Park, DP set for drawn-out bout
Parliamentary gridlock is likely to be prolonged after President Park Geun-hye and opposition leader Kim Han-gil failed Monday to narrow differences over sensitive issues involving the National Intelligence Service and the embattled prosecution chief.Park issued a strong warning on Tuesday toward the opposition party over its continued street protests and boycott of the parliament. “The opposition party will face the people’s resistance if it sticks to fighting outside the National Assembly and
Sept. 17, 2013
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Park appoints ex-lawmaker as new secretary for political affairs
President Park Geun-hye has appointed a former ruling party lawmaker as her new secretary for political affairs, an official said Tuesday.Joo Kwang-deok, 53, a former prosecutor and a member of the previous National Assembly, began his new job on Monday, the official said on condition of anonymity.Joo succeeded Kim Seon-dong, who left the post in a reshuffle of the top office late last month.His immediate boss is senior political affairs secretary Park Joon-woo, a former career diplomat who serv
Sept. 17, 2013
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Assembly moves to oust UPP members
The motion to remove Unified Progressive Party’s Reps. Kim Jae-yeon and Lee Seok-ki regained momentum on Monday, nearly six months after the Saenuri Party and the Democratic Party submitted the proposal. On Monday, the parliamentary Special Committee on Ethics approved the motion to be reviewed by the subcommittee for examination of suitability for office. Once approved by the subcommittee, the motion will be put up to a vote. It requires the approval of more than two-thirds of the 300-member As
Sept. 16, 2013
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Three-way talks fail to break deadlock
The first three-way talks between President Park Geun-hye and the leaders of the two main parties failed to break the political deadlock Monday, with the opposition condemning the president for simply repeating her initial position without movement toward reform of the spy agency.“We (the president and I) remained apart on all of our demands,” Democratic Party chairman Kim Han-gil said after the talks. “The dark night of democracy has been extended. We will be returning to the (outdoor protest)
Sept. 16, 2013
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S. Korea's welfare spending to exceed 100 tln won in 2014 budget: minister
South Korea's welfare spending will likely exceed 100 trillion won (US$92.4 billion) next year, with its ratio to the government's total budget rising to the highest level ever, the country's top economic policymaker said Monday."The scale of our investment in the welfare sector will likely exceed 100 trillion won for the first time, which would represent the largest portion of the total budget ever," Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok said during a meeting with lawmakers."We will push to spend more
Sept. 16, 2013
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Park to hold high-stakes talks with opposition to break
President Park Geun-hye was to visit the National Assembly on Monday for talks with the opposition party chief about how to break a parliamentary gridlock that worsened after the prosecutor general offered to resign over allegations of an illegitimate child.The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) believes that Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook has been forced to quit for aggressively pursuing an investigation into allegations that the state intelligence agency attempted to influence December's
Sept. 16, 2013
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Opposition chief warns of tough three-way talks with president
The main opposition Democratic Party vowed to bring up the controversy surrounding Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook’s resignation in the talks with President Park Geun-hye and the Saenuri Party leader on Monday, signaling a tough political standoff ahead.On Sunday, DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil warned that he will take up the issue with the president, saying that he will attend the talks being held at the National Assembly despite concerns that Chae’s resignation has rendered the meeting meaning
Sept. 15, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Prosecution in disarray over Chae’s resignation
Resistance among prosecutors is rising upon the resignation of prosecutor general Chae Dong-wook last week over a personal rumor, as speculation prevailed that it was the result of pressure from Cheong Wa Dae.A day after Chae offered to step down Friday, Kim Yoon-sang, director of the first inspection division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, offered to resign, criticizing the ministry’s “unjust” pressure.Chae said he was unable to carry on his duties after Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-an order
Sept. 15, 2013
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Debate brews over spy agency’s anticommunist probe role
Debate persists over how to reform the politically contested and controversy-ridden National Intelligence Service, with rival parties poles apart on the direction and their differences amplified by a recent case involving allegedly pro-North Korea politicians. At the center of the dispute is the NIS’ political role and its powers to conduct anticommunist investigations, which have been the flash point in any discussion of the agency’s reform.The main opposition Democratic Party is close to final
Sept. 15, 2013
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Park yet to accept resignation of prosecutor general
President Park Geun-hye has not yet accepted the resignation of Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook, a senior official said Sunday, stressing that truth about his alleged illegitimate child should be revealed first.Chae offered to quit on Friday, a week after allegations surfaced that he fathered a son through an extramarital affair in 2002. He denied the allegations, but said they still made it difficult for him to carry out his duties as chief prosecutor."The resignation has not been accepted,"
Sept. 15, 2013
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Opposition party calls for investigation into resignation of prosecutor-chief
The No. 1 opposition Democratic Party called Saturday for a thorough investigation into allegations that the nation's chief prosecutor was forced to resign under pressure from the presidential office over a personal matter.On Friday, Prosecutor-General Chae Dong-wook stepped down amid allegations that he has a son born from an extramarital affair. Chae strongly denied the allegations raised by a local newspaper but resigned hours after Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn ordered an internal investig
Sept. 15, 2013
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Spy agency sends leftist lawmaker to prosecution for probe
The state spy agency on Friday referred an opposition lawmaker imprisoned on charges of plotting to overthrow the government to the prosecution for further questioning, officials said.Rep. Lee Seok-ki of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party was arrested by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) last week after the parliament voted in an overwhelming majority to allow his detainment.He is accused of leading a secret organization called Revolutionary Organization with suspected close ti
Sept. 13, 2013
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U.S. soldier gets jail term in BB gun shooting case
A Seoul court on Friday sentenced a U.S. soldier who shot pedestrians with a BB gun in downtown Seoul to three years in prison.The 26-year-old staff sergeant, surnamed Lopez, was indicted on charges of shooting the BB gun at pedestrians and leading police on a high-speed car chase in the crowded multicultural Itaewon district of Seoul in March, leaving one South Korean police officer injured."It is hard to believe Lopez is reflecting on his wrongdoing as he denies important facts related to the
Sept. 13, 2013
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Former opposition party leader posthumously acquitted
A former pro-democracy activist and opposition politician was posthumously acquitted in a retrial Friday, 37 years after he was imprisoned for campaigning against the military-backed regime led by then President Park Chung-hee.The Seoul High Court found Kim Cheol, the late head of the opposition Reunification Socialist Party, not guilty of violating a now-defunct emergency decree enforced by the late Park to suppress the pro-democracy movement and an anti-Communist law.The court also apologized
Sept. 13, 2013
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Chief prosecutor offers to resign, insists love child claim ‘groundless’
Top prosecutor Chae Dong-wook offered to resign Friday over allegations that he secretly had a son through an extramarital affair. The prosecutor general continued to deny the claim by a conservative newspaper, but said he might not be able to carry out his duties amid the scandal. The main opposition Democratic Party suspects that Cheong Wa Dae and the National Intelligence Service may be pulling the strings behind the scenes. Since he took office in April, Chae has spearheaded an investigation
Sept. 13, 2013
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Opposition accepts Park’s 3-way talks proposal
The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday accepted President Park Geun-hye’s offer of dialogue but demanded an apology for the “democratic crisis” caused by the National Intelligence Agency’s alleged interference in last year’s presidential election. Park on Thursday offered to meet ruling and opposition leaders on Monday to break the prolonged political impasse and normalize matters at the National Assembly. “We will accept Cheong Wa Dae’s proposal for three-way talks,” DP chairman Kim Han
Sept. 13, 2013
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Two more UPP lawmakers come under NIS scrutiny
The National Intelligence Service is expanding its investigation into the Unified Progressive Party, looking into possible connections two of its lawmakers may have to an underground organization suspected of plotting a pro-North Korea rebellion.The NIS arrested Rep. Lee Seok-ki and other leading members of the left-wing party last week. The agency has launched an inquiry into UPP Reps. Kim Mi-hyui and Kim Jae-yeon and others believed to be members of the Revolutionary Organization allegedly led
Sept. 12, 2013
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Government, ruling party agree on extra holidays
The government and the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday agreed to expand the scope of the substitute holiday system scheduled to begin next year. The system provides an extra day off to workers for a public holiday that falls on a weekend. The two sides have reached an agreement to include Children’s Day in the change.The system implemented as part of the Park Geun-hye government’s welfare program has so far only included Chuseok and Lunar New Year holidays. Workers are expected to enjoy 1.1 ext
Sept. 12, 2013