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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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Saenuri vows cooperation; DP remains reluctant
Commotion among the political parties surged Friday as the probe into leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki picked up pace, leaving them with the looming task of deciding on whether to approve his detainment on suspicion of plotting a revolt.The parties are expected to vote on the prosecution-filed motion to detain Lee for his arrest in their regular session sometime next month depending on the progress of the investigation.To arrest or detain an incumbent lawmaker, the court must ask the Ministry of Jus
Aug. 30, 2013
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Court approves Lee’s detention
The Suwon District Court on Friday gave a green light to prosecutors to detain leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki by asking them to bring written parliamentary approval in the burgeoning probe on him and his associates charged with plotting an armed revolt. The prosecutors will be seeking parliamentary consent to detain Lee of the Unified Progressive Party through the Justice Ministry, which will first seek approval from the Cabinet meeting and President Park Geun-hye in the next week.Observers said t
Aug. 30, 2013
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Former President Roh released from hospital
Former President Roh Tae-woo, 81, was released from the hospital on Thursday after being admitted on Monday for high blood pressure.“His blood pressure has stabilized and he was released at around 4:30 p.m.,” said an official at Seoul National University Hospital on condition of anonymity.Roh, who served as president between 1988 and 1993, has been repeatedly taken to the hospital for asthma and other illnesses over the last decade. He underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2002. In April 2011
Aug. 30, 2013
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Court issues warrant to detain Lee in revolt plot probe
The Suwon District Court on Friday issued the warrant to detain leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki in the burgeoning probe on him and his associates charged with plotting an armed revolt. Following the court’s decision, the prosecutors will be seeking for parliamentary consent to detain Lee of the Unified Progressive Party through the Justice Ministry, which will first seek approval from the Cabinet meeting and President Park Geun-hye in the next several days.Observers said the process will take aroun
Aug. 30, 2013
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Spy agency seeks arrest warrant against leftist lawmaker
The National Intelligence Service on Thursday requested a preliminary arrest warrant for leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki on charges of plotting an armed rebellion and breaking the National Security Law. The agency also sought warrants to arrest three other members of his Unified Progressive Party on the same charges. The accomplices have been in custody since Wednesday. The suspects denied all charges and accused the spy agency of fabricating the case to “oppress democracy.”On Wednesday, the NIS ra
Aug. 29, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Leftist's allegations put UPP in jeopardy
The spy agency’s ongoing investigation into leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki on charges of plotting a rebellion threatens to engulf the far left of Korean politics and push his Unified Progressive Party over the edge.The UPP, which represents the more extreme end of progressive politics in Korea, was founded in November 2011 when the Democratic Labor Party merged with other progressive factions. Although its formation was aimed at representing a united front in last year’s general and presidential e
Aug. 29, 2013
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UPP probe escalates ideological divide
The probe into the leftist Unified Progressive Party members has wreaked political havoc, further complicating the partisan wrangling over the spy agency’s alleged interference in last year’s presidential election. As the investigation of an alleged plot of rebellion continues, the ruling party is focusing on the potential threat to national security, while the main opposition party is scrambling to a work out its stance in the ideological fray.With lingering questions over the intent and timi
Aug. 29, 2013
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Creative economy will aid middle class: Park
President Park Geun-hye said Thursday she believes her “creative economy” growth strategy is key to bolstering the dwindling middle class as the vision calls for providing more decent jobs through creative business ideas.Park made the remark during a meeting of the National Economic Advisory Council, saying increasing employment translates directly into propping up the middle class, one of Park‘s key presidential campaign promises, along with raising the employment rate to 70 percent.The creativ
Aug. 29, 2013
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NTS officials banned from dining out, playing golf with executives of large businesses
South Korea's tax agency said Thursday that it will ban its high-ranking officials from dining out or playing golf with executives of large businesses as part of efforts to enhance fairness in enforcing its tax-related polices.The National Tax Service (NTS) also said that it plans to launch a team tasked with investigating corruption cases involving high-ranking public servants and intensify reviews of tax audits in order to enhance overall transparency.Those moves are part of measures put forth
Aug. 29, 2013
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Opposition lawmaker denies allegations of plotting rebellion
A minor opposition lawmaker suspected by the state intelligence agency of plotting a rebellion against the state claimed Thursday that the allegations had been fabricated in an effort to suppress democratic forces.The National Intelligence Service raided the homes and offices of Rep. Lee Seok-ki and nine other members of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP) on Wednesday for allegedly plotting a rebellion involving blowing up infrastructure in the country and helping North Korea i
Aug. 29, 2013
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Leftist lawmaker under probe over alleged armed revolt plot
The National Intelligence Service on Wednesday raided the office and home of the Unified Progressive Party’s Rep. Lee Seok-ki, and detained three of his associates on charges of laying out a preliminary plot for a revolt. The arrested individuals are Hong Soon-seok, Han Dong-geun and Lee Sang-ho. Hong is the deputy chief of the UPP’s Gyeonggi Province branch while Han had served as the chief of the party’s Suwon office. Lee Sang-ho is an adviser at a progressive group based in Gyeonggi Province.
Aug. 28, 2013
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Park urges conglomerates’ aggressive investment
President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday urged the country’s top conglomerate owners to pursue aggressive investment and expand employment to rev up the country’s slumping economy.In return, Park said the “economic democratization” regulations will not aim to damage the businesses with excessive control, and that the government will “carefully review” the controversial Commercial Law revision that the businesses claim will impair their managerial right.“Now more than ever is the time for each busine
Aug. 28, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Lee no stranger to legal run-ins
The minor Unified Progressive Party’s Rep. Lee Seok-ki has never been free from controversy having been accused of election fraud, illegal funding and leftist ideology.But the investigation of the progressive lawmaker unveiled Wednesday was stunning to the public: He faces the first charge of revolt in 30 years. The first-term lawmaker has been at the center of one of the largest scandals to engulf the left-wing party in the past year. Lee gained his parliamentary seat as a proportional represen
Aug. 28, 2013
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Park implores top chaebol chiefs to increase investment, hiring
President Park Geun-hye implored top conglomerates Wednesday to increase investment and hiring so as to help spur South Korea's slumping economy, promising to address business concerns about her push for "economic democratization" and other issues.Park made the remark during a lunch with the chiefs of the country's 10 largest conglomerates, the first of its kind since she took office in February. The meeting was seen as an effort to reach out to key economic players who have been wary of Park's
Aug. 28, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Disgraced Bo turns China’s show trial into show stopper
China’s sensational trial of disgraced politician Bo Xilai wound down Monday with the former Communist Party bigwig giving a performance reminiscent of Jack Nicholson’s Col. Nathan R. Jessup in “A Few Good Men,” railing against his accusers in self-righteous indignation. Bo hurled invective at the testimonies of major witnesses for the prosecution, calling one “insane” and another “a vile liar.” The 64-year-old could have played it cool and sought leniency, but chose instead to go out full of so
Aug. 27, 2013
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Saenuri proposes revision to rein in portals’ advertising
The ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday proposed new regulations that will force portal sites to differentiate between advertisements and search results.Under the proposed revision to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection Etc., portal operators will be required to introduce technical measures to distinguish search results that appear due to advertisement deals from non-commercial results. “Through the revision, advertisements will be gi
Aug. 27, 2013
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President-DP discord deepens
The discord between the main opposition Democratic Party and the presidential office and the ruling Saenuri Party continues to deepen, with no compromises coming from either side. On Monday, President Park Geun-hye said that she was open to meeting with DP and Saenuri Party leaders to discuss issues regarding the public’s daily lives. However, she ruled out discussing the National Intelligence Service’s alleged election interference, effectively rejecting the DP’s call for a one-on-one meeting b
Aug. 27, 2013
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US envoy calls for NK's release of American
The U.S. human rights envoy for North Korea on Monday pressed for the release of a Korean-American detainee who has been held prisoner in the communist country for the last nine months.Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen based in China, was traveling in North Korea in November when he was arrested by authorities on charges of trying to overthrow the communist regime. In April, he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor."We've requested the North release Mr. Bae on humanitarian grounds. His health is suf
Aug. 26, 2013
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Yang says top audit agency under political pressure
Board of Audit and Inspection chief Yang Kun’s resignation speech has sparked off a fresh round of attacks against the government from the main Democratic Party.Saying that he believed that performing the duties of the BAI chief regardless of administration changes was his duty, Yang said that he no longer saw much value in continuing in his post.“I have come to place little meaning in continuing to perform the duties of the BAI chairman. This is a personal decision,” Yang said in his resignatio
Aug. 26, 2013
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Preparation for cultural integration of two Koreas crucial
It is never too soon to start preparing for cultural integration of the two Koreas post-reunification, which is likely to entail heavy social conflict, according to President Park Geun-hye’s top cultural adviser.“In the last 60 years that the two Koreas have been in confrontation, we have witnessed not only our language but also our customs and culture changing drastically from one another. Such sense of difference can aggravate the conflict if the two Koreas unexpectedly reunify,” Kim Dong-ho,
Aug. 26, 2013