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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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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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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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Newsmaker] Sohn remains key variable for progressives
Democratic Party adviser Sohn Hak-kyu continues to be a major factor for the progressive bloc despite his absence and apparent intention to “rest.” After losing the DP’s presidential primaries to Rep. Moon Jae-in last year, Sohn maintained a relatively low profile, and in January left for Germany to research welfare and labor issues. However, Sohn has been linked to Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on a number of occasions, with speculations rising that the two may be planning an alliance. Although the rumors
Aug. 26, 2013
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S. Korean P.M. visits Bahrain for talks on stronger ties
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won arrived in Bahrain on Monday (Seoul time) and plans to meet with his counterpart to explore ways to boost economic exchanges, his office said.It is the first leg of his seven-day tour of Bahrain, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Turkey from Sunday aimed at boosting South Korea's economic and cultural ties with the countries.Chung's trip to Bahrain marks the first time that a South Korean prime minister has visited the Middle Eastern country since 1976 when the two
Aug. 26, 2013
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Parties look to Park for breakthrough
As the two main parties remain muddled in their political wrangling despite the completed spy agency probe, they are looking to President Park Geun-hye in hopes that she may give them justification for a breakthrough.The main opposition Democratic Party has vowed to “fight on” outside the National Assembly at their outdoor headquarters in downtown Seoul, while the ruling Saenuri Party slammed them for “stooping” to the level of protesters.The Assembly, meanwhile, has a host of tasks to tackle, i
Aug. 25, 2013
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Dispute escalates over audit chief’s abrupt resignation
Controversy is growing over the unexpected resignation by the head of the state auditor, with the opposition accusing Cheong Wa Dae of exerting pressure on him to step down from the post.Yang Kun, the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, offered to resign late Friday night, though his constitutionally guaranteed four-year tem ends in March 2015. Reports suggested earlier that Yang himself chose to step down from the post to release the political burden from President Park Geun-hye over the
Aug. 25, 2013
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Saenuri Rep. Ko dies at 64
The ruling Saenuri Party’s two-term lawmaker Ko Hee-sun, 64, passed away on Sunday after a battle with lung cancer.Ko represented Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and served as the chairman of the party’s Gyeonggi chapter. He was a member of the National Assembly’s Security and Public Administration Committee.Well known for his accumulated wealth, Ko was head of Nongwoo Bio, the country’s No. 1 seed and nursery company.An Assembly funeral will be held for the incumbent lawmaker.By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@h
Aug. 25, 2013
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Park to host lunch for top 10 chaebol chiefs next week
President Park Geun-hye plans to host a lunch for the chiefs of the country‘s top 10 business conglomerates next week to hear their views on how to revitalize investment and create jobs, her spokeswoman said Friday.The lunch, slated for Wednesday, would mark the first time Park has invited the top 10 chaebol heads to Cheong Wa Dae, though she held breakfast meetings with accompanying business leaders during her trips to the United States and China earlier this year.Park plans to use the meeting
Aug. 23, 2013
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Park‘s office bristles at opposition’s mention of 1960 election rigging
The office of President Park Geun-hye bristled Friday at the main opposition party likening an election meddling scandal involving the state intelligence agency to the 1960 presidential election rigging that forced the resignation of then-President Rhee Syng-man.Earlier this week, members of the main opposition Democratic Party issued an open letter urging Park to learn a lesson from the case in which the Rhee government employed a series of illicit means to help him win re-election in the March
Aug. 23, 2013
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U.N. chief praises Park‘s ’trustpolitik‘
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her “trustpolitik”toward North Korea on Friday, saying the policy and her principled approach to Pyongyang contributed to reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.Ban, who arrived in his native South Korea on Thursday for a home leave, made the remark during a meeting with Park, saying he came home light-hearted after Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to reopen a joint industrial complex and hold talks on setting up re
Aug. 23, 2013
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Foreign policies boost Park’s ratings
Six months in office, President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings have reached a new high buoyed by her North Korea and security policies. Park’s approval ratings have gradually climbed since taking office in February and she now enjoys the highest approval ratings recorded by democratically elected presidents after six months in office, after President Kim Young-sam’s 83 percent. At the start of her term, a Gallup Korea polls gave Park an approval rating of 42 percent, which has climbed to 59 pe
Aug. 23, 2013
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Seoul renews six-month travel restrictions on Yemen
The foreign ministry said Friday it has extended its travel restrictions on Yemen, citing security instability and terrorist threats.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided in an emigration review committee to prolong its travel ban on Yemen by six months until the end of February next year, according to a statement on its website.South Korea currently holds travel restrictions on four other Middle Eastern and African countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia.In the same committee, the min
Aug. 23, 2013
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Audit chief resigning over four-river row
Yang Kun, chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, offered to resign Friday amid controversy over the agency’s reports on the former President Lee Myung-bak’s project to refurbish four major rivers. He conveyed his intention to step down to President Park Geun-hye, Cheong Wa Dae officials said. He was appointed by Lee on March 11, 2011 for a four-year term. Yang has been under pressure from the ruling Saenuri Party for its inconsistent assessments of the river project. In 2011, the BAI said t
Aug. 23, 2013
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Parliamentary probe into spy agency scandal ends in uncertainty
A parliamentary investigation into the state intelligence agency's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election wrapped up Friday without a joint report on the outcome as the rival parties differed sharply in their views of the case.The investigation, which began on July 2, sought to uncover the truth behind allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conducted an online smear campaign to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling party ahead of December's election.The ruli
Aug. 23, 2013
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Foreign policies boost Park’s ratings
Six months in office, President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings have reached a new high buoyed by her North Korea and security policies. Park’s approval ratings have gradually climbed since taking office in February and she now enjoys the highest approval ratings recorded by democratically elected presidents after six months in office, after President Kim Young-sam’s 83 percent. At the start of her term, a Gallup Korea polls gave Park an approval rating of 42 percent, which has climbed to 59 pe
Aug. 23, 2013
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Japan steps up armament citing threats from China, North Korea
Japan is stepping up its rearmament with plans to create a marine unit and acquire longer-range rockets and other offensive weapons systems on the pretext of fending off security threats from China and North Korea.The moves have once again unnerved South Korea and China ― the two major victims of Japan’s past militarism ― and escalated concerns that they could trigger an arms race in East Asia and further destabilize the regional security landscape.Tokyo reportedly plans to launch a preparatory
Aug. 22, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Better late than never: Roh agrees to pay up
Perhaps it was seeing the prosecutors zeroing in on his predecessor Chun Doo-hwan’s hidden assets, with himself next in line.Former President Roh Tae-woo, 81, made headlines Wednesday night by agreeing to pay up the unpaid 23 billion won ($20.5 million) in fines over the next several weeks.He said the debt will be paid in two batches: 15 billion won within next week, and the remaining 8 billion won by the beginning of next month. This will settle his outstanding fines after 16 years of delay. Ro
Aug. 22, 2013
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Seoul lifts development ban on Insa-dong
The Seoul government said Thursday it is lifting a 35-year development ban on Insa-dong, a popular tourist destination and a focal point of traditional culture in the northern part of Seoul.The metropolitan government held a city planning commission meeting on Wednesday to pass a bill on redeveloping the area in increments, according to its report. Cafes, karaoke rooms and cosmetic shops are prohibited from the approval to prevent reckless development in the historical place, while antique store
Aug. 22, 2013
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Park's first months in office void of principles, trust: opposition party
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday defined President Park Geun-hye's first six months in office as lacking principles and trust, saying she failed to keep many of her campaign promises and neglected the public's wishes.Park, who took office on Feb. 25, has often cited principles and trust as the key pillars of her political philosophy."President Park Geun-hye's politics of principles and trust has turned into a politics that keeps silent in times of a democratic crisis and ove
Aug. 22, 2013
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Conglomerates to hire on flexible part-time basis
Local conglomerates, manufacturers, a hospital and a bank are adopting the so-called “flexible part-time job system,” as part of measures to realize President Park Geun-hye’s goal of 70 percent job employment by 2017. Up to 269 firms will hire 2,118 part-time workers within the next nine months with subsidies from the Labor Korea Foundation for the labor cost, the foundation’s officials said. The system is aimed at removing employment practices that could become barriers to the employment rate i
Aug. 21, 2013
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DP determined to fight on over investigation into NIS
The main opposition Democratic Party is showing no sign of letting up in its barrage of the ruling party and the government despite the parliamentary probe on the spy agency being effectively over. The investigation into allegations that the National Intelligence Service interfered with last year’s presidential election will end on Friday. The last hearing session was held on Wednesday without the attendance of the Saenuri Party members. DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil announced that his party will
Aug. 21, 2013
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Park to visit Russia, Vietnam next month
South Korean President Park Geun-hye will travel to Russia next month for a summit of the Group of 20 major economies before making a state visit to Vietnam for summit talks expected to focus on economic cooperation with the fast-growing nation, her office said Tuesday.The Sept. 4-11 trip to Russia‘s second-largest city of Saint Petersburg and the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City mark Park’s third overseas trip since taking office in early February. She earlier visited the United
Aug. 20, 2013