Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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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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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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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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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Park Geun-hye to be sworn in as new S. Korean president Monday
Park Geun-hye will be sworn in as South Korea's first female president on Monday with her administration pledging to open a new era of people's happiness and hope for the future.Park, 61, assumes executive power just after midnight Sunday, with her inaugural speech the next day set to focus on creating more jobs, expanding welfare, and strengthening national defense.She is also expected to emphasize at her inauguration ceremony at 11 a.m. on the front lawn of the National Assembly the need to se
Feb. 24, 2013
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Rival parties locked in standoff over Park's government rearrangement proposal
The rival parties remained locked in a standoff Saturday over President-elect Park Geun-hye's government reorganization proposal amid concern the new government won't be able to operate effectively for many days with her inauguration just two days away.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party held a series of talks the previous day but failed to reach a compromise on the proposal that calls for creating new ministries and reorganizing duties among existing ministr
Feb. 23, 2013
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Japan PM won't 'tolerate' China island challenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Friday that he would not "tolerate" any challenge to control over contested islands, after China's growing incursions into the area."We simply cannot tolerate any challenge now and in the future. No nation should make any miscalculation or underestimate the firmness of our resolve," Abe said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington."No one should ever doubt the robustness of the Japan-US alliance."Speaking af
Feb. 23, 2013
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John Kerry embarks on sweeping tour of Europe, Mideast
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- America's top diplomat John Kerry will begin on his first official trip as secretary of state on Sunday, a marathon get-acquainted tour of America's closest allies in Europe and the Middle East.Kerry will visit the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar from Feb. 24 to March 6.The first stop will be London, where Kerry will meet with senior British officials, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told r
Feb. 23, 2013
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Japan PM wants 'good relationship' with S. Korea
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday he wanted a strong relationship with South Korea, which responded angrily over a rally in Japan against Seoul's control of a set of islands.The conservative Japanese leader sent an official to participate in the annual demonstration in western Shimane prefecture to exert Japan's claims over small islets known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.On a visit to Washington, Abe said that ties between the two U.S. allies "can
Feb. 23, 2013
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Minor opposition UPP elects ex-presidential candidate as new leader
The minor opposition Unified Progressive Party said Saturday it has elected its former presidential candidate Lee Jung-hee as its new leader.Lee, 44, won 91.06 percent of the vote as the lone candidate in the party election held from Feb. 18-22.Lee was the party's candidate for December's presidential election, but she dropped out of the race at the last minute in an apparent move to consolidate the opposition vote.The party plans to hold a ceremony launching the new leadership next Friday. (Yon
Feb. 23, 2013
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Glass ceiling outlasts Madam President
An hour after being elected Korea’s first female president on Dec. 19, Park Geun-hye traveled to her party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. She was greeted by party officials ― mostly men in their 60s. “Park Geun-hye! Daetongryong!” they chanted, repeatedly, yelling the Korean word for president.Next to her were Chung Mong-joon, one of the nation’s richest businessmen, and Hwang Woo-yea, Saenuri Party chairman and five-term lawmaker. She received flowers from Lee Jun-seok, 28, a male venture entr
Feb. 22, 2013
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Female leaders call for drastic reforms for women’s role
Park Geun-hye will make history on Monday when she becomes Korea’s first female president but her ascendancy masks daunting hurdles Korean women face in politics, business, and all quarters of society. “Park Geun-hye was not elected president because of improvements in women’s status in South Korea,” said Kim Jung-sook, the leader of the nation’s largest women’s rights group and a former top official in the Grand National Party, which changed its name to the Saenuri Party last year. “It was her
Feb. 22, 2013
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Park pledges to enhance U.S. alliance, deter North Korea nukes
President-elect Park Geun-hye pledged Friday to solidify South Korea’s alliance with the U.S. to deter the growing threat from North Korea, which conducted its third nuclear test last week.The incoming leader visited the headquarters of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in Yongsan, Seoul, three days before her inauguration. “A complete deterrence of North Korea shall be created through a strong Korea-U.S. alliance,” she told U.S. Forces Korea officials, including top commander Gen. James Th
Feb. 22, 2013
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Negotiations collapse over government overhaul plan
Korea’s two major parties on Friday failed again to break the gridlock over President-elect Park Geun-hye’s government overhaul plans, casting further gloom over her administration three days before its official launch. Six negotiators from the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic United Parties narrowed their differences on some points but clashed again over an envisioned relocation of broadcasting and telecommunications functions from the Korea Communications Commission to a new
Feb. 22, 2013
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Economy, welfare Park’s key goals
The presidential transition committee on Thursday announced key policy agenda for the incoming Park Geun-hye government, aiming to usher in “an era of people’s happiness” through a creative economy, wider welfare, a safe and united society, and a foundation for national reunification.The next government will integrate the operation of the national pension and basic pension from July next year to create the “People’s Happiness Fund” to provide between 40,000 won and 200,000 won in additional subs
Feb. 21, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Defense chief nominee dogged by allegations
From tax evasion to influence peddling and religious bias, not a day has gone by in the past week without new allegations emerging about Defense Minister nominee Kim Byung-kwan.Derided by critics as “the department store of corruption,” the retired general became the biggest obstacle for the launch of the Park Geun-hye government that is already behind schedule. The main opposition Democratic United Party categorized Kim as “unfit” almost immediately after his nomination on Feb. 13 and has refus
Feb. 21, 2013
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Prosecutors clear lawmaker of NLL charge
The prosecution on Thursday cleared a ruling party lawmaker of his charge of false accusations that late former President Roh Moo-hyun renounced the Northern Limit Line as the de facto sea border during a 2007 inter-Korean summit.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office decided not to indict Saenuri Party Rep. Chung Moon-hun or other party officials accused of the same charge. It said, “It is difficult to view his accusations as false.” Roh’s alleged denial of the NLL had been one of the k
Feb. 21, 2013
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Lee leaves Cheong Wa Dae with mixed scorecard
President Lee Myung-bak leaves office this Sunday with a mixed scorecard of his five-year term ― generally high on international relations and economic crisis management but low on inter-Korean ties and domestic politics.Pundits praise him for quickly plucking the country from the economic doldrums after the global financial meltdown, hoisting Korea’s standing in the international community and winning lucrative overseas deals.But he is widely criticized for soured ties with North Korea, a strin
Feb. 21, 2013
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Disputes grow over Park’s picks
Past remarks, privileged careers and close ties with the iron-fisted ruler Park Chung-hee haunt President-elect Park Geun-hye’s top nominees, raising questions about their relevance for the elevated ethical standards of today’s Korea and its new policy goals of balancing growth and welfare. Except for the prime minister-designate whose confirmation hearing began on Wednesday, all the Cabinet member nominees are to be grilled by the National Assembly after Park’s Feb. 25 inauguration. Members of
Feb. 20, 2013
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Panel passes extension of property tax cut
The National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Wednesday approved a bill to extend the real estate acquisition tax reduction by six months.The proposed revision to the Restriction of Special Local Taxation Act is part of measures to revive the fragile property market. Saenuri Party policy committee chief Rep. Chin Young had initially proposed extending the cut by one year. The committee shortened the term due to concerns that it will damage provincial governments’ financ
Feb. 20, 2013
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P.M.-nominee grilled at in hearing
Prime minister nominee Chung Hong-won faced a barrage of questions from lawmakers Wednesday, the first day of what is expected to be a series of tough confirmation hearings centered on allegations of ethical lapses, including property speculation and tax evasion.Chung, who was named as incoming President Park Geun-hye’s first prime minister earlier this month, is the first and only Cabinet nominee to undergo the National Assembly’s confirmation hearings ahead of Park’s inauguration next Monday.I
Feb. 20, 2013
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Park aide apologizes for plagiarism
President-elect Park Geun-hye’s first chief of staff apologized Wednesday following allegations that he plagiarized his doctoral thesis.Huh Tae-yeol, a former three-term lawmaker and close political ally of Park, was named earlier this week to be the presidential chief of staff to Park, who is set to take office on Monday.A local newspaper reported later that Huh’s 1999 paper on local government administration heavily copied another person’s work published three years earlier.“I offer a deep apo
Feb. 20, 2013
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Park hints at vigorous currency intervention
President-elect Park Geun-hye on Wednesday pledged to intervene in the currency market aggressively in response to a weaker yen that hurt Korean exporters. “(I am) aware that a stable foreign exchange rate is a very important issue. (The issue) will be dealt with preemptively and effectively to prevent our businesspeople sustaining damage,” Park said during a meeting with business leaders. Park made her first remark on the raging global currency dispute during her meeting with the leaders of the
Feb. 20, 2013
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Ex-police chief jailed for defaming Roh
A former police chief was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Wednesday after a lower court found him guilty of defaming late President Roh Moo-hyun with remarks alluding to the creation of an illegal fund.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho Hyun-oh, former commissioner of the National Police Agency, to 10 months in prison and ruled that he made false allegations that Roh kept a huge slush fund in secret bank accounts under the names of his aides.Roh killed himself in May 2009 by jump
Feb. 20, 2013