Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Seoul mulls extending atomic energy pact
Seoul is considering extending its atomic energy cooperation pact with Washington as they still remain poles apart over its revision, a senior government official said Sunday.Some experts have called for the extension of the 1974 pact that expires next March, noting any conflict in their negotiations could distract them and impede their efforts to cope with escalating North Korean threats. “It is difficult to yield fruitful results in one or two months and any rush (over the negotiations) should
March 10, 2013
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Broadcasts’ neutrality becomes sore spot
President Park Geun-hye’s government went without a full Cabinet for the 15th day since her inauguration as the two main political parties failed to reach an agreement over the proposed revision of the Government Organization Act.What began with a debate over whether the new government plan could hurt the integrity of broadcasters spread into a political blame game soon after, further bogging down the half-baked operation of state affairs.Although significant progress has been made in the talks
March 10, 2013
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Park to hold first Cabinet meeting Monday
President Park Geun-hye plans to hold her first Cabinet meeting on Monday as soon as the minimum number of ministers needed for such a meeting is met following their parliamentary confirmation process, her spokeswoman said. Park has been unable to hold a Cabinet meeting since being inaugurated on Feb. 25 due to a delay in the parliamentary confirmation process for her minister nominees. The first meeting has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, and will b
March 10, 2013
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Discord spreads within main opposition party over gov't reorganization bill
Discord began to spread within the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) Friday as it faced growing pressure to pass a controversial bill seen as blocking the new government's launch.The bill, which calls for a reorganization of the government's structural layout, has been stuck in parliament since the end of January due to disagreement between the DUP and the ruling Saenuri Party.The deadlock has led new President Park Geun-hye to hold off on formally appointing chiefs of ministries tha
March 8, 2013
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Defense nominee grilled over lobbying, ethics
President Park Geun-hye’s nominee to head the Ministry of National Defense faced tough questioning over his past record during a parliamentary confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on Friday.Since being tapped as the defense chief last month, Kim Byung-kwan, a retired four-star Army general, has been under mounting pressure from the public and the media for his controversial past activities and allegations of various ethical lapses. The most troubling allegation focused on Kim’s pr
March 8, 2013
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S. Korea to hold senior security officials' meeting amid
South Korea will hold a meeting of senior security officials Friday to discuss rising tensions with North Korea amid war threats from the communist nation, a presidential official said.Senior presidential security secretary Ju Chul-ki will preside over the meeting that is also expected to draw deputy chiefs of the defense ministry, the foreign ministry, the unification ministry and the National Intelligence Service, the official said.The session will be the first of its kind since the inaugurati
March 8, 2013
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DUP blasts Saenuri plan for Assembly vote on reform bill
The war of nerves between the rival parties over President Park Geun-hye’s government reorganization plan persisted Thursday as the opposition Democratic United Party shot down the Saenuri Party’s suggestion to put the bill up for a vote.As concerns and criticism surged over the drawn-out void in state affairs, Saenuri Party floor leader Lee Hahn-koo proposed having the National Assembly speaker put the contentious bill to a vote “fair and square.” “Let’s give each lawmaker a chance to cast thei
March 7, 2013
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Park to appoint 7 ministers next week
Newly inaugurated President Park Geun-hye will formally appoint seven Cabinet ministers next week, her spokeswoman said Thursday, amid ongoing conflicts with the main opposition party over how to reorganize her administration. Park was sworn in as South Korea's first female president on Feb. 25, but she has yet to form her 17-member Cabinet after opposition politicians questioned her intentions to control the broadcasting industry. The absence of a Cabinet has raised worries that it is causing
March 7, 2013
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Park rejects opposition offer
President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday rejected the opposition’s conditions for approving her government reorganization plan that has run a cropper at the National Assembly. Earlier in the day, the main opposition Democratic United Party unveiled a three-point compromise deal that included raising the bar for prospective executives at public broadcasters, holding a parliamentary hearing on the controversial managements at those companies, and an investigation and resignation of Kim Jae-chul, the p
March 6, 2013
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Hearings focus on policy of Park government
The National Assembly on Wednesday held parliamentary confirmation hearings for four of President Park Geun-hye’s minister nominees, whose views and policy pledges provided further insight into the governing philosophy of the new leader.Ryoo Kihl-jae, who was tapped to head the Ministry of Unification, reiterated Park’s campaign pledge to build trust with North Korea.“The goal (of North Korea policy) is to build trust and ensure sustainable peace,” said Ryoo, 54, who was previously a professor a
March 6, 2013
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Main opposition party urges Park to accept trade-off
The main opposition Democratic United Party urged President Park Geun-hye Wednesday to accept a deal to end the impasse over her government reorganization bill that has created a deadlock in the running of state affairs.DUP floor leader Park Ki-choon held an emergency news conference to make the appeal, offering to accept a key controversial part of the bill if the president makes three concessions in return.The bill calls for a reorganization of the government's structural layout that would inc
March 6, 2013
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Presidential office aims to minimize impact from Cabinet vacuum
Senior secretaries to President Park Geun-hye will meet every morning to tackle pressing issues in an effort to minimize any negative impact the absence of a new Cabinet could have on state affairs, the presidential spokesman said Wednesday.Presidential chief of staff Huh Tae-yeol will preside over the session to check the day-to-day operations of the government, presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung said. Senior secretaries reached the decision in a meeting Wednesday, viewing the Cabinet's abs
March 6, 2013
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Failed talks extend government vacuum
The paralysis of President Park Geun-hye’s state affairs was prolonged as talks broke down Monday night between the two main parties over her government reorganization plan.Cheong Wa Dae spent another day without an official schedule Tuesday, while the Cabinet meeting was once again canceled as ministries entered emergency mode still without new chiefs on the ninth day into Park’s inauguration.The vacuum is likely to bring major setbacks to Park’s high-profile platform to implement welfare polic
March 5, 2013
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Allies face tough negotiations on burden sharing
The negotiations with Washington this year over Seoul’s financial support for the U.S. troops here are expected to be tougher than ever amid America’s budgetary woes and escalating North Korean threats.The allies are to start their talks over Seoul’s so-called burden-sharing cost for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea as the current Special Measures Agreement governing it expires at the end of this year.Experts said the allies should seek a “win-win” solution to ensure the robust
March 5, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Ahn’s return challenges progressives
Former professor and presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is once again creating a stir in the political arena with plans to run in the April 24 by-election and create a new party. Unlike Ahn’s presidential bid last year that dealt a heavy blow to President Park Geun-hye’s campaign, the former venture entrepreneur’s latest political ambition will likely spell trouble for the opposition. On Sunday, Ahn’s former campaign aid Rep. Song Ho-chang announced that Ahn would be returning to Korea on Marc
March 5, 2013
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Park suffers further setback
President Park Geun-hye’s science minister-designate Kim Jeong-hoon withdrew his name from the nomination Monday, further clogging the drawn-out Cabinet formation His departure came just before Park delivered her first public statement as president urging the opposition to end the partisan standoff and pass her government reorganization plan. Park expressed deep regret over Kim’s withdrawal for which she blamed the opposition’s refusal to approve the realignment of government ministries. “It is
March 4, 2013
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Hearings on Park’s nominees focus on wealth, policy views
The National Assembly held on Monday parliamentary hearings over President Park Geun-hye’s nominees for the gender equality and labor ministers, focusing on wealth accumulation and policy viewpoints.Cho Yoon-sun, who has been tapped to lead the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, conceded that she failed to report some of her assets when questioned by Rep. In Jae-guen of the main opposition Democratic United Party.“I should have more carefully checked the reporting of my wealth but there wer
March 4, 2013
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Park reasserts firm stance on gov't reorganization bill
President Park Geun-hye on Monday reasserted the need to transfer broadcasting policies to a new science ministry in what appeared to be a move to pressure the opposition party into accepting the proposal and the broader government restructuring bill it comes under.She also refuted the main opposition Democratic United Party's claim that the move is an attempt to control the broadcasting sector, saying she has no intentions to do so and the law would not permit it."There is no other purpose than
March 4, 2013
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Science Minister nominee quits amid bipartisan clash
Minister of Future Planning and Science nominee Kim Jeong-hoon withdrew his nomination on Monday saying he was unable to “maintain the will to sacrifice” himself for his country.“Looking at the opposition party that refuses to meet with the president and the chaos in the political arena, I was unable to maintain the will to sacrifice (myself) for my country,” Kim said in a press conference at the National Assembly. On Sunday, after floor leaders’ talks on the government reorganization plans fell
March 4, 2013
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Park fails to break deadlock
The floor leaders of ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party once again failed to find common ground regarding the government reorganization plans on Sunday. As the three-way meeting between the parties’ leaders and President Park Geun-hye also failed to occur, the president will address the nation on Monday, Cheong Wa Dae said.“The president will make a public address tomorrow at 10 a.m., apologize for the glitches and reveal details of state affairs,” said Lee Nam-
March 3, 2013