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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Backlash escalates over proposed tax code revision
The political backlash against the government proposal for tax rises escalated over the weekend, forcing the ruling Saenuri Party to explore ways to moderate it and defuse taxpayers’ anxiety.The main opposition Democratic Party said it would launch a signature-collecting campaign Monday to thwart the proposal, reiterating that it was a “tax bomb” on middle-class workers.“We would never accept the proposal in which the middle class and average people would have to pay more taxes,” DP Chairman Kim
Aug. 11, 2013
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Itaewon murder suspect loses extradition appeal
A U.S. citizen accused of murdering a local college student in 1997 has lost a legal battle to appeal a court order approving his extradition to South Korea, the government said Sunday.The U.S. federal court in California ruled against Arthur Patterson who applied for habeas corpus legal action in December 2012 aimed at preventing Seoul from extraditing him to face charges of homicide, the Ministry of Justice said. The 34-year-old has been suspected of stabbing the victim multiple times at a Bur
Aug. 11, 2013
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Opposition party to conduct signature drive against tax hike plan
The main opposition party said Sunday that it will start a nationwide signature drive this week in an effort to thwart a government plan to raise taxes on the middle class.In meeting with reporters, Democratic Party chairman Kim Han-gil said the campaign will kick off on Monday to foil the latest tax reform that calls for collecting more from ordinary, middle income earners, which cannot be tolerated. "There is a definite need to stop the government plan to change the tax code that strives to pu
Aug. 11, 2013
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Opposition warns of all-out war over tax proposal
The main opposition Democratic Party said Friday that it would engage the Park Geun-hye administration in an “all-out war” if necessary to block the proposed tax code revision which would increase the tax burden on salaried people. In a press briefing, DP spokesman Park Yong-jin declared that the DP would defend the middle class even though “President Park Geun-hye broke her promise and Cheong Wa Dae has abandoned the common people.” Under the proposed revision, about 4.3 million people will see
Aug. 9, 2013
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New evidence of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement emerges
New evidence was unveiled Thursday that Japan’s imperialist army directly managed Asian women for sexual slavery, dealing a fresh blow to Tokyo’s denials of responsibility.Korea University’s Center for Korean History disclosed a diary that a Korean manager of Japanese brothels wrote while staying in Myanmar and Singapore between August 1942 and December 1944.The diary shows that the Japanese army received revenue-related reports from military brothels, examined the bodies of sex slaves and regul
Aug. 8, 2013
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Tension mounts over high-level talks, parliamentary probe of NIS
Political tension was mounting Thursday despite the normalization of a parliamentary probe into the National Intelligence Service, as the opposition stepped up an outdoor rally and Cheong Wa Dae faced pressure to accept three-way talks. The opposition Democratic Party ordered its members to take part in a mass candlelight vigil against the NIS’ purported political interference to be held nationwide on Saturday. The DP upped pressure on President Park Geun-hye to agree to a smaller format for tal
Aug. 8, 2013
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DP repeats demand for one-on-one talks
The main opposition Democratic Party on Wednesday batted away President Park Geun-hye’s proposal on talks to resolve the standoff over the National Intelligence Service. The party turned down Cheong Wa Dae’s counteroffer for an expanded five-person meeting, reiterating its call for one-on-one talks between Park and DP leader Kim Han-gil. An immediate compromise appeared distant as the presidential office remained equally resolute that Park was only willing to discuss administration-related affai
Aug. 7, 2013
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[Newsmaker] DP chairman under pressure on two fronts
Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil is facing his biggest challenge since his appointment in May, squeezed between the Saenuri Party and hard-liners in his own ranks in an escalating political row over the National Intelligence Service. Since he took office in May, the main opposition changed its name and its constitution has taken a more moderate direction.The revised version includes clauses regarding national security and North Korean human rights, which have been thorny issues for the
Aug. 7, 2013
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DP reiterates demand to meet Park one-on-one
The main opposition Democratic Party on Wednesday batted away President Park Geun-hye’s proposal on talks to resolve the standoff over the National Intelligence Service. The party turned down Cheong Wa Dae’s counteroffer for an expanded five-person meeting, reiterating its call for one-on-one talks between Park and DP leader Kim Han-gil. An immediate compromise appeared distant as the presidential office remained equally resolute that Park was only willing to discuss administration-related affai
Aug. 7, 2013
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Park’s freewheeling appointments draw fire
President Park Geun-hye’s unexpected appointment of Kim Ki-choon, a long-time mentor with a contentious political history, as the new presidential chief of staff is drawing fire as an aggravated case of her bullheaded personnel appointment style.The designation of Park Joon-woo, a career diplomat with no political experience, as a senior political affairs secretary also left many wondering Park’s intention, with some suggesting the president may be challenging the opposition by changing the trad
Aug. 6, 2013
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[Photo News] [Photo News] At loggerheads
Aug. 6, 2013
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Park counters with offer of five-way talks with parties
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday suggested expanded talks with the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties, in effect agreeing to Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea’s suggestion made Monday. (The president) suggests five-person talks, including the ruling and opposition floor leaders as there are many issues within the parliament,” new presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon said. Kim Ki-choon also said that Park suggested meeting the parties’ leaders on several occasions, an
Aug. 6, 2013
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Number of civil servants to top 1m this year
The number of public officials in South Korea is likely to exceed the 1 million mark this year due to the government's pledge to increase police officers to guarantee public safety and security, data showed Tuesday. According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, the number of civil servants under the central and local governments amounted to 991,481 as of the end of June, up 1,058 from the end of 2012.Of all civil servants, some 61.7 percent work under the
Aug. 6, 2013
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Roh's NLL remarks viewed as NLL abandonment: NIS chief
The nation's intelligence chief reportedly said on Monday that he believes the late Former President Roh Moo-hyun made remarks to the effect of giving up the western sea border during the 2007 summit with late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a ruling party lawmaker said. Nam Jae-joon, the chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), made the remarks as a witness before a parliamentary investigative committee, said Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the Sanuri Party after attending a closed-door inves
Aug. 6, 2013
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Park’s new man: ‘Mr. Law and Order’
Kim Ki-choon, 74, the newly appointed presidential chief of staff, is a prosecutor-turned-politician with close personal ties to President Park Geun-hye, and has been one of her key political mentors for years.The former justice minister is said to be well versed in Park’s state philosophy and vision, and thus considered an appropriate choice to tighten control of Cheong Wa Dae.Born in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim graduated from Kyung Nam High School and Seoul National University. He se
Aug. 5, 2013
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S. Korea cuts budget for promoting Dokdo ownership
South Korea's parliament said Monday it has earmarked for next year a reduced budget for globally promoting the country's ownership of its easternmost islets of Dokdo.According to the National Assembly, a total of 3.47 billion won ($3.1 million) has been allocated to the foreign ministry's 2014 budget to finance archival and legal efforts to back up the country's claim to sovereignty over the easternmost islets that lie about halfway between the two rival nations. The 2014 budget marks an 18 per
Aug. 5, 2013
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Saenuri leader calls for 3-way meeting with Park, DP chief
Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea on Monday suggested holding a three-way meeting among President Park Geun-hye, Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil and himself, raising hopes for an end to bipartisan deadlock over the parliamentary probe into the National Intelligence Service. “As the chairman of the ruling party, I suggest a trilateral meeting where the chief of the ruling and opposition parties meet with the president,” Hwang said at Monday’s Supreme Council meeting. “I implore
Aug. 5, 2013
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Park replaces chief of staff
President Park Geun-hye replaced her chief of staff and four senior secretaries on Monday to reinvigorate her administrative drive as she enters the second half of her first year in office.Kim Ki-choon, a former prosecutor-general, justice minister and three-term lawmaker, replaced Huh Tae-yeol in Park’s first presidential office reshuffle, carried out 162 days after her inauguration.Kim, 74, is a member of the so-called “seven-member circle,” an unofficial group comprised of veteran politicians
Aug. 5, 2013
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Rival parties reach partial agreement on ending political deadlock
The ruling and main opposition parties again failed Sunday to narrow their differences on a parliamentary probe into the spy agency's alleged involvement in last year's presidential election, only agreeing to jointly receive a report from the agency.The agreement took place at a special meeting between the leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP)."The sides agreed their leaders will continue to hold discussions on which witnesses will be summoned after re
Aug. 4, 2013
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Parties in last-ditch effort to rescue NIS scandal talks
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party on Sunday engaged in last-minute negotiations to bring the parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service back on track.Floor leaders Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan of the Saenuri Party and DP Rep. Jun Byung-hun met in an effort to resolve the deadlock on selecting witnesses for the investigation. The meeting was also attended by Saenuri Party deputy floor leader Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun and Rep. Kweon Sung-dong, DP deputy f
Aug. 4, 2013