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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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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[Newsmaker] John Kerry tapped as America’s top diplomat
U.S. President Barack Obama tapped John Kerry, a Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate, to be the new secretary of state on Friday.For the entirety of his career on Capitol Hill since 1985, Kerry, 69, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and son of a foreign-service officer, has specialized in foreign affairs. Since 2009, he has chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.Serving as Obama’s unofficial envoy, he has played a central role in defusing diplomatic tension, particul
Dec. 23, 2012
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‘No ransom paid’ for Hyundai workers
The four Korean workers who were kidnapped in the southern oil-rich area of Nigeria were “freely released” to Korean officials after days of “persistent persuasion,” according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, Saturday.The four Korean workers of Hyundai Heavy Industries and a Nigerian colleague were kidnapped on Dec. 17 when still unidentified gunmen stormed a construction site on the Atlantic coast of Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, where the company was preparing to build fac
Dec. 23, 2012
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Park to revive science, maritime ministries
The new government to be led by Park Geun-hye is likely to be bigger with a renewed focus on science and technology, reflecting the president-elect’s vision for a creativity and innovation-driven economy. “The soon-to-be formed presidential transition team will get down to the business of reorganizing the central government structure,” Rep. Lee Hahn-koo, the floor leader of Park’s Saenuri Party, said Friday. “I expect a blueprint to be out in January, for it to be able to pass through the parlia
Dec. 21, 2012
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DUP floor leader resigns over election defeat
Democratic United Party floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won resigned on Friday in a show of responsibility as the main opposition party reels from its presidential election defeat on Dec. 19.The party’s chief policymaker Rep. Lee Yong-sup followed suit and stepped down from the post as the in-party factional divide magnified upon former presidential candidate Moon Jae-in’s failed bid.“We were defeated even though the lawmakers did their best in all parts of the nation to open a new era,” Park said at
Dec. 21, 2012
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Park, Obama discuss North Korea, FTA
President-elect Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday agreed to meet soon as they discussed South Korea-U.S. ties and cooperation in dealing with the tension in Northeast Asia following the recent launch of a long-range rocket by North Korea.The two leaders talked over the phone when Obama made a congratulatory phone call to Park, who picked it up from her party headquarters in Yeouido in Seoul.“Thank you President Obama for issuing a congratulatory statement after my election
Dec. 21, 2012
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Park to launch transition team next week
President-elect Park Geun-hye’s transition committee comprised of members with wide-spanning backgrounds is expected to take shape next week after Christmas, party officials said Friday.“(Details) will be announced after Christmas and before the end of the year,” Saenuri Party’s supreme council member Rep. Chung Woo-taik said on a local radio show. Chung, however, said that plans for the committee are not being openly devised. The president-elect, who has yet to make any official comments regard
Dec. 21, 2012
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Park, Obama agree to cooperate to defuse Northeast Asian security crisis
South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama held phone talks on Friday and agreed to take cooperative steps to deal with the Northeast Asian security crisis triggered by North Korea's rocket launch.The two discussed the matter when Obama made a congratulatory call to Park on her recent election as South Korea's president, said an official at Park's ruling Saenuri Party. Park won the tightly contested presidential election on Wednesday against a liberal opposition c
Dec. 21, 2012
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Opposition floor leader resigns over election defeat
The floor leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic United Party stepped down Friday over his party's defeat in this week's presidential election, leaving the party leadership in a vacuum following the resignation of other senior party officials. Rep. Park Jie-won told a meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly that he is resigning to take responsibility for DUP presidential candidate Moon Jae-in's defeat in Wednesday's election. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Part
Dec. 21, 2012
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Record-setting results carry ‘Queen of Elections’ to victory
President-elect Park Geun-hye took Wednesday’s election by a small storm. The conservative politician beat Rep. Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party by more than 3 percentage points, a margin much larger than expected by observers and pollsters, or projected by exit polls that put her 1.2 percentage points ahead. Having gained 51.6 percent of the votes, she is the first to take more than half of the votes. She is also the first female politician to take the top post not only in Korea but i
Dec. 20, 2012
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Park vows reconciliation, unity
President-elect Park Geun-hye pledged Thursday to create national reconciliation and grand social unity on the path to sharing the fruits of economic growth and ushering in a new era for the Korean peninsula through diplomacy of confidence, or what she calls “trustpolitik.”Park, who clinched a majority win in the Wednesday election to become Korea’s first woman president, vowed to utilize fairness to sever the chain of extreme division and conflict that has lasted for the past half century.“It i
Dec. 20, 2012
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Obama, Ban and other leaders congratulate Park
U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders congratulated Park Geun-hye on her election as the next president on Wednesday.“I look forward to working closely with the Park administration to further enhance our extensive cooperation with the Republic of Korea on a wide range of important bilateral, regional and global issues,” recently reelected U.S. leader said in a statement. “The U.S.-ROK alliance serves as a lynchpin of peace and security in the Asia Pacific, and our two nations share
Dec. 20, 2012
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Park’s task on N.K. conundrum
Following is the first in a series of articles on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s key policies ― Ed.One of the most daunting tasks awaiting President-elect Park Geun-hye is enhancing strained ties with North Korea through a national strategy for peninsular peace and reunification that can gain both domestic and international support.Experts say Park should first strive to address national division over how to handle the communist state and forge national consensus over it while seeking to streng
Dec. 20, 2012
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Election law violations decrease
The number of election-related offenses in the run-up to the Dec. 19 presidential polls fell considerably from five years ago, law enforcement agencies said Thursday.Park Geun-hye, the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, defeated liberal opposition candidate Moon Jae-in to become the country’s first woman president. The country’s election law stipulates 22 days of official campaigning, which ended midnight Tuesday.According to the data compiled by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the nu
Dec. 20, 2012
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Ex-ruling party chief takes over governor’s seat
CHANGWON (Yonhap) ― The former chief of the conservative ruling party made a comeback to the political scene by clinching a landslide victory in a by-election for the governor of South Gyeongsang Province, the state election watchdog said Thursday.Hong Joon-pyo of the ruling Saenuri Party received 62.9 percent, or 1.1 million votes, followed by Kwon Young-gil, a liberal-leaning candidate with no party affiliation, with 26.8 percent, the National Election Commission said after the vote counting e
Dec. 20, 2012
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President-elect to get top security service
For a smooth power takeover, President-elect Park Geun-hye is entitled to a set of administrative rights, as well as a security detail matching that of the incumbent state leader.Based on a special law, Park of the ruling Saenuri Party is to be recognized as the incoming president and may “practice all rights which are necessary for the transition of the presidential post” until her inauguration.For this purpose, she may name the Cabinet, secretaries and spokespeople in advance, so that the nomi
Dec. 20, 2012
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Transition panel to shape next government
The administration and the ruling Saenuri Party launched the power transition process Thursday, the day after former party leader Park Geun-hye was elected the next president. President Lee Myung-bak instructed his aides to ensure a seamless handover of authority to his successor, who will be inaugurated on Feb. 25. “The president ordered the government to actively cooperate to ensure the next government’s success by providing accurate information, especially in economy and security,” presidenti
Dec. 20, 2012
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Ahn Cheol-soo goes on hiatus in U.S. after vote
Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday, saying he will spend time thinking about his next political step after his once conservative rival was elected South Korea‘s first female president.Shortly after casting his ballot in Seoul for Wednesday’s vote, Ahn left South Korea along with his family, leaving a congratulatory message for the president-elect without knowing the result of the tight race.The 50-year-old founder of South Korea‘s largest anti-virus
Dec. 20, 2012
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S. Korea's 1st woman leader vows new N. Korea effort
Park Geun-hye, daughter of a divisive military strongman from South Korea's authoritarian era, has been elected the country's first female president, a landmark win that could mean a new drive to start talks with rival North Korea.After five years of high tension under unpopular incumbent Lee Myung-bak (Lee Myuhng Bahk), Park has vowed to pursue engagement and step up aid to North Korea, despite the latter's widely condemned long-range rocket launch last week.On Thursday, Park mentioned the Nort
Dec. 20, 2012
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Moon's defeat raises questions about opposition's future
A key figure in the reform process is likely to be former independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, who dropped out of the race last month after negotiations to merge candidacies with Moon fell through.Ahn, the 50-year-old founder of South Korea's largest anti-virus software firm, AhnLab, had advocated political reform and a break away from the old-style party-centered politics that had lost the confidence of many South Korean voters.He resisted the DUP's calls to join the party and instead ran as an
Dec. 20, 2012
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U.N. chief seeks Park role in U.N. agenda
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope Wednesday that South Korea's incoming Park Geun-hye administration will take a role in the U.N.'s initiative to address global challenges."The Republic of Korea is a highly valued and steadfast partner of the United Nations in the work for international peace and security, development and human rights," Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, using South Korea's formal name.Ban, formerly South Korea's foreign minister, said he hopes f
Dec. 20, 2012