Most Popular
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
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North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
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Samsung, SK hynix investors dump shares on Nvidia crash
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Cheong Wa Dae, public offices hit by cyber attack
The websites of South Korea’s presidential office, the ruling party and major media companies were attacked by hackers Tuesday morning. The hackers claimed to be from the international hacktivist group Anonymous.The homepage of Cheong Wa Dae and the Office of Government Policy Coordination were shut down for repair and security reasons immediately after the attacks at around 9:30 a.m., officials said.The government launched a joint response team and raised the cyber security level right after th
June 25, 2013
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Seoul mayor urges thorough probe into spy agency's campaign against him
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon called Tuesday for a swift and thorough prosecution investigation into the intelligence agency's alleged illegal campaign against him and urged public institutions to stop intervening in politics.Last month, allegations surfaced that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) wrote documents in 2011 instructing its employees to suppress Park's political influence. The civic activist-turned-mayor is affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party. The report, titled "t
June 25, 2013
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Ecuador safe haven for whistle-blowers
Following Julian Assange 12 months ago, intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden has appealed to the tiny South American country of Ecuador for political asylum.Snowden appears well on his way from hiding in Hong Kong to the Ecuadorian capital city of Quito by way of Russia and Cuba.His stealthy departure from Hong Kong caught American officials flat-footed and will undoubtedly aggravate already prickly diplomatic relations between China and the U.S.Snowden faces charges in the U.S. for reveal
June 24, 2013
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Parties clash over release of minutes
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party once again butted heads over former President Roh Moo-hyun’s remarks during the 2007 inter-Korean summit, after the National Intelligence Service delivered the full records to lawmakers on Monday. The contents of his remarks on the Northern Limit Line have been a hot political issue here following the ruling Saenuri Party’s accusations that Roh denied the validity of the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea during the meeting with
June 24, 2013
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Park cuts off calls to intervene in NIS probe
President Park Geun-hye on Monday commented for the first time on the National Intelligence Service’s alleged election interference, denying any involvement or knowledge of related developments. Responding to a letter from Democratic Party chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil, in which he called on her to aid the launch of the parliamentary investigation into the NIS, Park said that she had no part in related issues. “During the presidential campaign, I received no help from the NIS, nor did the NIS provid
June 24, 2013
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‘I share the chairman’s perception’: Roh’s words in 2007 summit
The state intelligence agency on Monday disclosed the transcript of a 2007 inter-Korean summit amid intensified political bickering over former President Roh Moo-hyun’s remarks over the Northern Limit Line, a de facto sea border.During his summit with late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Roh said the NLL should be shifted and encompassed by a “map of peace and economy,” according to the transcript released by the National Intelligence Service. The script also showed that Roh sharply criticized
June 24, 2013
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Park’s plan on giving a Chinese speech calls attention in China
President Park Geun-hye’s plan to give a speech in Chinese during her state visit later this week is drawing attention from the public, a state-run media outlet said Monday.“Park’s proficiency in Chinese is reportedly beyond beginner level, and she is capable of handling a full speech in Chinese,” the Chinese newspaper wrote.It also reported that Park made the decision in order to “show sincerity” toward the people of China and is “currently striving to work on her Chinese without fixing any off
June 24, 2013
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NIS discloses 2007 summit minutes to lawmakers
The National Intelligence Service on Monday disclosed to lawmakers the records of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s remarks during the 2007 inter-Korean summit, bringing a new twist to the bipartisan wrangling over the NIS and its interference in politics.The contents of his remarks on the Northern Limit Line has been a hot political issue here following the ruling Saenuri Party’s accusations that Roh denied the validity of the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea during the meeting with late North
June 24, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Clinton hints at first U.S. woman presidency
American media is gushing at the possibility that Hillary Rodham Clinton is gearing up for another run to become the first woman president of the United States in 2016.The former U.S. secretary of state said last week she hoped to see a woman president in her life, though did not name herself specifically.“Hypothetically speaking, I really do hope that we have a woman president in my lifetime,” the Democrat said at a private women’s lecture series in Toronto on Friday, before being interrupted b
June 23, 2013
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Many S. Koreans do not know year of Korean War
A large number of South Koreans do not know when the Korean War (1950-53) broke out, reflecting the overall lack of interest about a conflict that defines inter-Korean relations to this day, a nationwide survey carried out by the government showed Sunday.The poll conducted by Research & Research at the request of the Ministry of Security and Public Administration showed 36.5 percent of adults and 52.7 percent of youths in middle and high schools did not know the year the war broke out.The local
June 23, 2013
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Partisan fight puts bills on back burner
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are bogged down by the intensifying fight over the parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service and the dispute over a past government’s stance on the Northern Limit Line.Ahead of the June session, the two main parties agreed to give priority to economic democratization and other regulations designed to alleviate the difficulties faced by the general public.However, the promise appears to have been all but fo
June 23, 2013
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Political parties clash over NLL, spy agency scandal
Ruling and opposition parties have locked horns over allegations that late President Roh Moo-hyun may have disavowed South Korea's sea border with North Korea and suspicions that the country's spy agency interfered in last year's presidential race, which have cast shadows over the National Assembly's stated goal of looking after the welfare of the people and pushing for reforms, political observers said Sunday. Originally the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) h
June 23, 2013
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Record 70 business leaders to accompany Park on China visit
A record 70 South Korean business leaders are expected to accompany President Park Geun-hye on her visit to China set to begin on June 27, business and political sources said Sunday.Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee has reportedly decided not to travel to China, but most other business leaders, including Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo and LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, will be included in the delegation, said the sources. "The list of the business delegation to China is close
June 23, 2013
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N. Korea's vice foreign minister returns home after visit to China
North Korea's vice foreign minister returned home Saturday, the North's state media reported, following a trip to China that raised hopes for a possible resumption of six-party talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear programs. Kim Kye-gwan, the first vice-minister of foreign affairs, and his party returned home after visiting China, the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a brief report, monitored in Seoul. The report gave no further details except to say that he met in Beijing with
June 23, 2013
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Lee gov't misused budget for Korean food promotion
The previous Lee Myung-bak government misused the budget earmarked for its signature project led by the then-first lady to promote Korean food internationally and poorly managed related plans, the state auditor said Friday.First lady Kim Yoon-ok pushed for diverse plans to promote Korean food overseas, spending some 87.2 billion won (US$75.59 million) from 2009 to 2012. But it has been criticized for poor management and failing to draw any tangible results.According to the special audit by the B
June 21, 2013
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Not forgotten: Former POW recounts his ordeal in the North
After nearly 50 years of harsh labor in North Korea, Yu Young-bok, a former prisoner of war, returned to Seoul in 2000. The city looked like a utopia with posh cars, skyscrapers and life free from hunger and oppression. Yu was fortunate to reunite with his father, then 94, just six months before he died. But the euphoria faded quickly as he began to feel guilty for those whom he had left behind. His children would face the harsher oppression that North Korea inflicted on “traitors.” His fellow P
June 21, 2013
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Exact number of POWs still unknown
Six decades after the end of the Korean War, the exact number of South Korean prisoners of war in North Korea is still unknown, as Pyongyang refuses to offer any information about the captives. Its repeated argument is that there are no POWs living there against their will.Based on statements from North Korean defectors and POWs who returned to their homeland, the Seoul government estimates that some 500 POWs are still alive in the North. Their average age is around 80.In 1994, Army 2nd Lieut. C
June 21, 2013
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POWs, unfinished business of Korean War
On July 27, 1953, the commanders of the U.N. forces., North Korea and China signed an armistice to end the three-year brutal conflict on the peninsula. But the Korean War never ended for hundreds of South Korean prisoners of war believed to be living in the North. For their families still unsure of their fate and frustrated with government failures to bring them back, it is also unfinished business.Time is running out for the veterans who would be in their 80s and 90s. But hope for their return
June 21, 2013
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Parties bicker over Roh’s NLL remarks
The two main parties are at loggerheads again over allegations that former President Roh Moo-hyun conceded to North Korea on the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border between the two Koreas.A group of lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday confirmed the claim after they viewed the minutes of the 2007 inter-Korean summit provided by the National Intelligence Service. The opposition Democratic Party claimed they were distorting the facts in an attempt to avoid the brunt of c
June 21, 2013
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Presidential office denies role in decision to disclose summit dialogue transcript
Cheong Wa Dae denied any role Friday in the National Intelligence Service's decision to show some lawmakers a 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript that reportedly confirms allegations that late former President Roh Moo-hyun made remarks seriously undermining the legitimacy of the sea border with North Korea.On Thursday, the NIS showed the confidential document to members of the parliamentary intelligence committee. After seeing the records, ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers claimed that Roh did make
June 21, 2013