Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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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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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Top court nominee apologizes for high salary from law firm
Constitutional Court presidential candidate Park Han-chul apologized for failing to remain “clean and humble” after serving as a top prosecutor at his parliamentary confirmation hearing on Monday.At the first day of the two-day hearing, the main opposition Democratic United Party honed in on the high salary he received from the law firm Kim & Chang in 2010. After serving as the chief of the Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul in 2010, Park worked for the law firm Kim & Chang where he r
April 8, 2013
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Park pushes reform of intelligence agency
President Park Geun-hye is expected to press for a major reform of the nation’s top intelligence agency following appointments of new deputy directors to be made this week.Overhauling the National Intelligence Service by focusing on enhancing its security-related intelligence operations and maintaining political neutrality has been a top item on Park’s agenda since her election last year, according to sources from Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Saenuri Party. Park named former four-star general Na
April 8, 2013
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Assembly to wrangle over real estate, budget plans
The National Assembly opens its extraordinary session Monday that is anticipated to be a heated battleground between the rival parties over the government’s plans to stimulate the real estate market and introduce a supplementary budget.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party entered into the session that will last through the end of this month with more pressure to display compatibility as the country is faced with looming and heightened economic and security thr
April 7, 2013
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U.S. Embassy plays down security threats to its citizens here
With North Korea warning it could not guarantee the safety of diplomatic personnel in Pyongyang in the event of hostilities on the peninsula, foreign embassies in Seoul took time to turn down the temperature over the weekend.North Korea further ratcheted up tensions by warning diplomats there it could not guarantee their safety. Under the Vienna Convention that governs diplomatic missions, host governments are required to assist in the evacuation of embassy staff from the country in the event of
April 7, 2013
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‘Korea was crucial for African democracy’
The use of United Nations authority during a post-election crisis in West Africa was described by media reports at the time as “bold” and “unprecedented.” But an Ivorian government official who was actually there characterized the role that the Korean diplomat leading that U.N. Operation in Cote d’Ivoire played in safeguarding democracy there as “instrumental” and “indispensable.” “The international community gave massive support to the democratic transition in Cote d’Ivoire, and two diplomats i
April 7, 2013
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S. Korea to create 'safety map' to tackle crimes, disasters
South Korea will set up an integrated system to create a map with information about crimes, accidents and natural disasters in each region as part of efforts to guarantee safe living circumstances for the people, the home affairs ministry said Friday.The government will also come up with detailed reduction targets for the country's major social ills, while launching a regular meeting on the issue, the ministry said in a briefing on its 2013 policy plan to President Park Geun-hye. According to th
April 5, 2013
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S. Korea 'strongly protests' Japan's renewed claim to Dokdo
South Korea lodged a formal protest on Friday shortly after Japan approved an annual foreign policy report that renewed a territorial claim to Seoul's easternmost islets of Dokdo.Escalating diplomatic tensions with South Korea, Japan formally issued the Diplomatic Blue Book 2013 that reiterated its claims that Dokdo is Japanese territory historically and under international law."The Korean government strongly protests against the Japanese government's endorsement of the Diplomatic Blue Book that
April 5, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Park’s ‘pearl in sand’ loses her luster
President Park Geun-hye’s pick for minister of oceans and fisheries has become a new thorn in an ongoing nomination row after a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday revealed her lack of vision and knowledge of key issues.Both ruling and opposition lawmakers questioned nominee Yoon Jin-sook’s qualifications for the job. The main opposition Democratic United Party on Thursday called for her withdrawal.“(The minister of oceans and fisheries) is not a post that should be taken by someone with no philoso
April 4, 2013
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Cheong Wa Dae extends hand to Saenuri
Cheong Wa Dae is moving to mend the fences with ruling party members disgruntled over the presidential office’s incommunicativeness blamed for a series of controversies over government reorganization plans and personnel appointments. But the lawmakers’ initial response appears lackluster as some of them raised questions over President Park Geun-hye’s lingering control over the party and the sincerity of the reconciliatory move.On Wednesday, senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee
April 4, 2013
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Lawmakers call for support for newspapers
Two lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic United Party are proposing measures to boost support for the troubled print newspaper industry.Rep. Yun Kwan-seok announced Thursday that he will propose a revision to the Income Tax Act to making newspaper subscription fees of up to 200,000 won ($177) each year tax exempt. According to Yun’s plans, subscription fees for national and provincial dailies, economic and weekly publications will be subject to tax exemption. Yun said that the revision
April 4, 2013
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Park administration advices word spacing for its name
Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday announced the “proper word spacing” for President Park’s administration.“BakgeunhyeJeongbu (Park Geun-hye Government) should be spelled out as one word, not Bakgeunhye (Park Geun-hye), space and then Jeongbu(Government),” presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing told a group of reporters Thursday. The Park Geun-hye government is the official title of Park administration. She explained that the National Institute of the Korean Language confirmed that BakgeunhyeJeongbu is a pro
April 4, 2013
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Call center to open for victims of GI crimes
The Foreign Ministry will open a call center this month to help victims of crimes committed by U.S. military personnel here by providing legal information and counseling services, an official said Wednesday.The ministry has been preparing to set up the 24-hour call center in the wake of two rape cases of South Korean teenagers by U.S. service members in 2011 that sparked nationwide protests against U.S. forces stationed in the South. The center is expected to “reduce inconveniences for victims b
April 3, 2013
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FTC head nominee suspected of evading taxes
The nominee for South Korea’s top antitrust regulator is suspected of evading taxes by not reporting his income accurately, sources said.Noh Dae-lae, a former senior finance ministry official and chief of the country’s arms procurement agency, was nominated to lead the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) on Saturday.He is the second nominee for the post following Han Man-soo, who stepped down earlier last week amid allegations that he has been holding secret overseas bank accounts to evade taxes. Noh aw
April 3, 2013
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Government, parties divided over size of extra budget
Despite agreement on the need for a supplementary budget, the government and main political parties remain divided as to how large it should be and how it should be funded, officials said Wednesday.The government expects a revenue shortfall of about 12 trillion won ($10.7 billion) this year amid a slowdown in the country’s economic growth. While the government hopes to fill that deficit entirely with the supplementary budget, the ruling Saenuri Party has proposed a smaller extra budget of betwee
April 3, 2013
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Parties to expand dual nationality rules
The ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic United Party agreed Tuesday to cooperate on easing the requirements for obtaining dual citizenship as part of measures to enhance the rights of overseas Koreans. “Recognizing that overseas Koreans are valuable human resources, eligibility for dual nationality will be expanded to enable talented individuals to contribute to the advancement of the country,” Saenuri Party Rep. Won Yoo-chul and DUP Rep. Kim Sung-gon said in a joint statement. W
April 2, 2013
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Iraqi diplomat nabbed for harassing woman
An Iraqi official working for his country’s embassy in Seoul was caught by police for sexually harassing a South Korean woman, investigators here said Tuesday.According to Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station, the Iraqi diplomat, identified only by the initial M of his surname, is suspected of forcibly kissing a 52-year-old South Korean woman and making her grope his body inside an elevator of their apartment building on Monday.The official expressed his willingness to come under the police investigat
April 2, 2013
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DUP demands withdrawal of science minister nominee
The main opposition Democratic United Party on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of the science minister nominee over his alleged lack of understanding of the job and a series of ethical lapses.Choi Mun-kee, a professor at top science university KAIST, was nominated by President Park Geun-hye last month to head the new Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, after an earlier nominee quit amid controversy over his U.S. citizenship.During a parliamentary confirmation hearing Monday, the 61-yea
April 2, 2013
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Ahn’s lead spells uncertainty for progressives
Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is leading the race for the Nowon C constituency in the April 24 by-elections, but his victory would spell uncertainty for the progressive bloc. With the main opposition Democratic United Party opting not to field a candidate for the Seoul constituency, Ahn is up against former police chief Huh Joon-young of the Saenuri Party, and candidates from the minor opposition Progressive Justice Party and the Unified Progressive Party.The PJP’s candidate is Kim
April 2, 2013
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Park orders strong deterrence against N. Korean provocation
President Park Geun-hye ordered the foreign affairs and security-related ministries on Tuesday to build up diplomatic and military deterrences to leave no room for North Korea to consider any provocation.“While it is a must to strongly retaliate against any provocation by the North, what is more important is to leave no room for North Korea to consider any provocation through robust diplomatic and military deterrence,” Park said.The meeting presided over by the president and attended by National
April 2, 2013
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Park vows swift reprisal to provocation
President Park Geun-hye on Monday ordered the military to set aside political considerations and strongly and swiftly respond to any provocation by North Korea.Her instructions came as Pyongyang continued unprecedentedly strong military threats against the South and the U.S. in defiance of the U.N. sanctions against its Feb. 12 nuclear test and joint military drills by Seoul and Washington.“I view the threats by North Korea at present very seriously,” Park told the members of the Defense Ministr
April 1, 2013