Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Korea enters full election mode
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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[Kim Seong-kon] The April 2024 election will decide our future
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Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
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Voters defy chilly weather to be part of democracy
Freezing temperatures, negative tactics and voter disenchantment with the familiar left-right divide did little to deter Koreans voting in vast numbers in one of the closest presidential elections in history. Koreans, young and old, braved the frosty weather to make their ballot count, pushing the turnout much higher than in many previous elections. Before dawn, voters started to trickle into 13,542 polling stations across the country to elect the 18th president of Korea. Just 20 minutes after p
Dec. 19, 2012
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Tight race boosts voter turnout
Voter turnout for the 18th presidential election exceeded 70 percent on Wednesday as the dead-heat race pushed people to the polling stations to tip the scale in favor of candidates they support despite freezing weather.As of 7:30 p.m., voter turnout was 75.8 percent.Voter participation has been on constant decline since 1987 when the direct presidential election system was reinstated after a pro-democracy uprising that year. “(In this election) there was a single candidate from both liberal and
Dec. 19, 2012
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Former ruling party chief elected South Gyeongsang Province governor: exit poll
Hong Joon-pyo, the former chief of the conservative ruling party, made a comeback to the political scene by winning a by-election for the governor of South Gyeongsang Province, an exit poll showed Wednesday. Hong of the ruling Saenuri Party became the sure winner by garnering 60.9 percent, far exceeding Kwon Young-gil, a liberal-leaning candidate with no party affiliation, with 39.1 percent, according to the exit poll by the nation's three major broadcasters released shortly after the voting end
Dec. 19, 2012
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Ex-education minister elected Seoul education chief: exit poll
The former conservative-leaning education minister was elected Seoul city education superintendent in a by-election on Wednesday, an exit poll showed, filling the post vacated by his disgraced predecessor who was convicted of bribery. Moon Yong-lin garnered 52.6 percent of the vote followed by the left-leaning Lee Su-ho with 39.4 percent, according to an exit poll by the nation's three major broadcasters released shortly after the polls closed at 6 p.m.The gap far exceeds the poll's margin of er
Dec. 19, 2012
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Korea gets first female president
Conservative Park Geun-hye clinched a climactic election victory Wednesday to become South Korea’s first female president on the back of pledges for political reform and measured economic democratization. The 60-year-old candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party won the race by a larger margin than those predicted by the most recent opinion surveys and exit polls. She beat progressive rival Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party, who campaigned for more drastic reform in local conglomerates and
Dec. 19, 2012
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Huge crowds vote in S. Korean presidential election
Huge crowds turned out Wednesday to vote in a tight presidential race pitting the son of North Korean refugees against the conservative daughter of a late dictator who both favor greater engagement with rival North Korea.Despite bitter cold, turnout was higher than past elections, which political analysts said might provide a slight boost to liberal Moon Jae-in over conservative Park Geun-hye in their contest to lead Asia's fourth-largest economy at a time of high tension with rival North Korea.
Dec. 19, 2012
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S. Koreans vote to pick new president
South Koreans voted Wednesday to elect a new president, with the two contenders running a tight race to succeed outgoing conservative President Lee Myung-bak.The election will decide whether the nation, with more than 40 million eligible voters, will see the return of liberals after five years of Lee's conservative government or hand power to a woman president for the first time.The two candidates are the ruling Saenuri Party's Park Geun-hye, 60, daughter of former President Gen. Park Chung-nee,
Dec. 19, 2012
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S. Koreans go to vote as Park-Moon race hinges on turnout
By Sangwon YoonSouth Koreans go to the polls today to choose either a dictator’s daughter or a one-time dissident as president, both of whom pledge to reverse slowing growth, a widening income gap and deteriorating North Korea ties.Ruling New Frontier Party candidate Park Geun Hye holds a 0.5 percentage point lead, within the margin of error, over former human rights lawyer Moon Jae In, according to the most recent opinion poll. A victory for Park, the daughter of the country’s longest-serving m
Dec. 19, 2012
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A look at South Korea's presidential election
A brief look at South Korea's presidential election: ___WHAT'S AT STAKE: A single five-year presidential term starting Feb. 25 to replace conservative incumbent President Lee Myung-bak and lead Asia's fourth-largest economy. ___WHO'S RUNNING: Park Geun-hye, the daughter of late dictator Park Chung-hee and a five-term lawmaker of the ruling conservative party, is running against Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer who served as a close aide to former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. Ahn
Dec. 19, 2012
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Election watchdog asks for prosecution probe into illegal campaign messages
South Korea's state election agency said Wednesday it has asked the prosecution to investigate allegations that illegal campaign text messages had been sent to voters after official campaigning came to an end.The ruling Saenuri Party had earlier claimed that the messages, which urged people to vote for the main opposition Democratic United Party's candidate, Moon Jae-in, were sent in large numbers after official campaigning closed at midnight Tuesday.The DUP later acknowledged that the party sen
Dec. 19, 2012
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Both S. Korean presidential hopefuls promise change
South Koreans wrapped in mufflers and parkas braved frigid weather Wednesday to vote in a presidential election heading for a close finish between the two top candidates _ the liberal son of North Korean refugees and the conservative daughter of a late dictator.For all their differences, the candidates hold similar views on the need to engage with Pyongyang and other issues.One big reason: Many voters are dissatisfied with current President Lee Myung-bak, including with his hard-line stance on t
Dec. 19, 2012
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S. Koreans vote in presidential election
South Koreans cast their votes Wednesday in a tight and potentially historic presidential election that could result in Asia's fourth-largest economy selecting its first female leader.The ballot is a straight fight between Park Geun-Hye, the conservative daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-Hee, and her liberal rival Moon Jae-In, the son of North Korean refugees.Opinion polls indicate the result could go either way.The eventual occupant of the presidential Blue House will have to deal wi
Dec. 19, 2012
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Presidential election turnout at 70.1 percent as of 5 p.m.
Voter turnout in Wednesday's presidential election was 70.1 percent as of 5 p.m., with still two hours before the polls close, reflecting the high interest South Koreans have in the close race, according to the state election watchdog.About 28.4 million out of a total 40.5 million eligible voters have cast their ballots since voting began at 6 a.m. at 13,542 polling stations nationwide, the National Election Commission (NEC) said.The polls are scheduled to close at 6 p.m.No voter turnout numbers
Dec. 19, 2012
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S. Koreans go to the polls to pick next president
Voting began for South Korea's presidential election early Wednesday, with the outcome of the race between ruling Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye and main opposition rival Moon Jae-in expected to be decided by the slimmest of margins.Before the blackout on all nationwide polls last week, Park, the 60-year-old daughter of late former President Park Chung-hee, was slightly ahead of Moon with her lead within the margin of error in most surveys taken.Because of the slim lead, the Democratic Un
Dec. 19, 2012
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Winner likely to become clear around 11 p.m.: NEC
From 6 a.m. Wednesday, voters will go to the polls to elect a new president. The winner of the race, seen one of the closest in history, should become clear as early as 11 p.m., election officials said Tuesday. Polling will take place at 13,542 polling locations across the country over 12 hours till 6 p.m, the National Election Commission said. Nearly 40.5 million Koreans are eligible to vote. Two candidates ― Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democ
Dec. 18, 2012
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Park, Moon make final appeals
Candidates made their final pitches on the eve of the election Tuesday, wrapping up their grueling campaigns to the next presidency. A total of 40.52 million voters will troop to polling stations across the country to make a choice between conservative Park Geun-hye and liberal Moon Jae-in. Polls last week indicated Park maintained a slight lead but cannot take victory for granted as Moon is fast catching up after restoring ties with popular ally Ahn Cheol-soo and making an impressive showing in
Dec. 18, 2012
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A nation under arms
Attention has once again turned to the United States’ entrenched gun culture in the wake of Friday’s shooting rampage in Newton, Connecticut, which left 28 people dead, including 20 elementary students.Taking advantage of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment that defines the right to bear arms, Americans own some 310 million guns. The figure is almost equivalent to one gun for every man, woman and child in the country.The biggest portion of these weapons is made up of handguns, with some 114
Dec. 18, 2012
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Parties use SNS as major campaign tool
Once the playground of young Internet users in their 20s, social networking services are increasingly being utilized by political parties as effective tools for political campaigning. A slew of social network pages and postings popped up during this election campaign, spicing up the tense race with satire, jokes and feverish appeals for political participation. The SNS strategy of the Saenuri Party is characterized by the acronym PARK, which stands for “Patriotism-Accept-Rule-Kindly.” “Our strat
Dec. 18, 2012
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Korea urges Abe to rebuild trust with neighbors
Japan’s incoming leader Shinzo Abe needs to rebuild trust with its neighboring countries, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, noting that keeping cooperative ties between South Korea and Japan are in both nations’ interests. “Japan is in a position where it can jointly work with us for this region and the international community,” foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young told reporters, commenting on Abe’s victory in Japan’s parliamentary election. “To implement this role, I think that the mo
Dec. 18, 2012
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Smear campaigns intensify
With only two days remaining until the presidential election, negative campaigning reached fever pitch Monday over a disputed police investigation into alleged illicit electioneering by a state agency employee and the opposition candidate’s stance on the maritime border with North Korea. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party made their last-minute appeals in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces in the neck-and-neck race. Park sharp
Dec. 17, 2012