Most Popular
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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S. Korea, China, Japan in talks to hold trilateral summit May 26-27: official
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'Double agent' acquitted decades after being executed
A Seoul court on Monday posthumously cleared a local man of espionage charges and apologized to his bereaved family a half century after he was executed for being a "double agent" for both Koreas.Shim Moon-kyu was sent to North Korea to carry out espionage activities in 1955, two years after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce. Shim, however, was detected by the North and trained for one year and seven months to become a North Korean spy. Upon returning home, Shim immediately turned himself
Oct. 22, 2012
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Candidates run tight race in one-on-one matchups
Unpredictability prevailed in the third week of October as the presidential candidates continued to run neck-and-neck in two-way matchups while trading barbs over security, history and a possible alliance.The ruling Saenuri Party’s flag bearer Rep. Park Geun-hye held on to her lead in a mock three-way race in various polls, but suffered further setbacks in one-on-ones against Rep. Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party and independent Ahn Cheol-soo.The latest daily poll by Gallup Korea on Fr
Oct. 21, 2012
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Park seeks to shake off ties to foundation
Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye reaffirmed her position that she had no connection to the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation, and called on its management to provide the answers. “I think that Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation should provide the answers. The chairman and the board should reveal (information), answer the public and leave no trace of doubt in order to stop being used as a tool for political maneuvering.” Park said. She says that she has had no connection to the foundat
Oct. 21, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Jeongsu Foundation’s legacy too big to ignore
It was perhaps what the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye has been dreading the most. Following her successful presidential nomination in August, her aides have been bracing for the opponent’s anticipated attack against her purported ties to the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation, one of the prominent remnants of her father’s, former President Park Chung-hee, authoritarian rule.Jeongsu Foundation was initially the Buil Scholarship Foundation, which was set up by Busan-
Oct. 21, 2012
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Ahn touts presidential body to create jobs
Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said Sunday that he would launch a non-political presidential body to discuss ways to create jobs and a better work environment. “To resolve problems with job-creation, we need to launch a communication channel for key business members to share responsibilities and set a common goal. The market alone can’t improve job security,” Ahn told reporters at his camp in Seoul.“If I become a president, I will hold a non-political discussion table to build
Oct. 21, 2012
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Pro-Roh aides quit Moon’s campaign to restore balance
Democratic United Party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in’s campaign aides with ties to former President Roh Moo-hyun relinquished their roles in the campaign on Sunday in a move to put an end to criticism that pro-Roh individuals are dominating the party and the campaign.The large presence of pro-Roh individuals in Moon’s camp and the party has been a subject of contention within the party, and has led to a number of senior members leaving the progressive party. Sunday’s development was led by
Oct. 21, 2012
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Candidates jump into NLL dispute
Park pledges to stand firm over NLL; DUP denounces president’s visit to border islandPresidential candidates and party leaders are upping the ante in the dispute over former President Roh Moo-hyun’s alleged concession on the de facto inter-Korean maritime border with North Korea. Saenuri Party nominee Park Geun-hye stepped into the controversy Friday calling for no tolerance of attempts to compromise the border during a ceremony to launch the party’s regional election committee in Seoul.“There h
Oct. 19, 2012
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Seoul regains foothold for bigger role in world security
In recent years, world powers have been quick to convene emergency sessions to discuss what the U.N.'s response should be to North Korean provocations. But nowhere in the room was the most important party concerned -- South Korea.One of the world's major economies, South Korea was also left out of the discussion of other urgent global security issues such as Iran and Syria.But with its return to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea will once again be at the forefront of U.N. diplomacy. "The pr
Oct. 19, 2012
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S. Korea elected to U.N. Security Council
South Korea was elected Thursday as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, regaining ground to step up its involvement in handling the North Korea issue and other global security challenges."South Korea will be able to take leading part in the U.N.'s efforts for world peace and security and holding a seat again on the Security Council is also expected to contribute to the stable management of situations on the Korean Peninsula," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.South Ko
Oct. 19, 2012
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Partisan dispute over NLL gets ugly
President Lee visits Yeonpyeongdo to show will to defend maritime borderPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday jumped into an escalating political battle over allegations that his predecessor Roh Moo-hyun renounced the Northern Limit Line as the de facto sea border. Lee made a surprise visit to a marine artillery unit on Yeonpyeongdo near the NLL vowing to uphold the maritime border. “All marines should bear in mind that we should protect the NLL even if we should risk our lives, up until the natio
Oct. 18, 2012
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[Newsmaker] A fall from loyal aide to heaviest burden
Choi Phil-lip, the 84-year-old chairman of the board for the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation, has become seen as a public enemy.Son of a slain independence activist and former aide to late President Park Chung-hee, Choi has endured his opponents’ ceaseless calls for resignation as the foundation’s chief in succession to Park Geun-hye, the Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate, since 2005.His headstrong position that the foundation, considered a remnant of Park Chung-hee’s authoritarian rule, is
Oct. 18, 2012
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Economist Sachs backs chaebol curbs, cautions against breaking them up
Korea should tighten regulations on chaebol, or family-owned conglomerates, but refrain from breaking them up in its efforts to achieve economic democratization, U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs said Thursday.“Regulating them is what is important, not breaking them up,” Sachs said at a conference hosted by Lee Jae-young, member of a Saenuri Party focus group on economic democratization. The Columbia University professor added that if conglomerates break up, it should be because they are financially
Oct. 18, 2012
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Moon eases unity talk, stresses employment
The main opposition Democratic United Party’s presidential candidate Rep. Moon Jae-in turned his eye to stepping up his policies, seemingly easing up on the recent contest against rival Ahn Cheol-soo over their candidacy merger.The candidate especially focused on employment, one of his top priority election campaign slogans.“Employment revolution is one of my key goals as a presidential candidate,” Moon said in a forum with economically dependent workers on Thursday.“Considering that over 50 per
Oct. 18, 2012
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Park suggests paradigm shift toward ‘creative economy’
Presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye of the conservative Saenuri Party announced on Thursday a new road map to realizing her campaign pledge of creating more jobs and spurring economic growth. The plan calls for science and information technology to be the new engine for revitalizing the stagnating economy. “Our nation’s economy faces a new crisis at the moment. With the lowest birthrate in the world and a rapidly aging population, the growth engine that is the heart of our economy has stop
Oct. 18, 2012
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Lee makes surprise visit to border island near N. Korea
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to a front-line island near the tense western sea border with North Korea on Thursday, the scene of a deadly artillery attack by the communist nation two years ago.It is the first time that Lee has visited the island of Yeonpyeong near the Yellow Sea border with the North. The island was bombarded in the North's shelling attack in November
Oct. 18, 2012
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Seoul to expand assistance to Africa
South Korea on Wednesday pledged to expand its official development assistance to Africa and further enhance bilateral cooperation in the overall development of the emerging continent.Seoul made the commitment in a Seoul declaration adopted during the third Korea-Africa Forum, which kicked off its three-day run at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.“It is our duty to return to Africa and other developing countries the help we received from the world as we grew,” said Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik
Oct. 17, 2012
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DUP takes legal action over NLL claims
The Democratic United Party filed a complaint against three Saenuri Party officials over claims that former President Roh Moo-hyun dismissed the legitimacy of the northern limit line in the West Sea. Calling the claims false and a ploy to damage the presidential campaign of candidate Rep. Moon Jae-in, Roh’s former chief of staff, the DUP lodged the complaint against Saenuri Party Reps. Chung Moon-hun, Lee Cheol-woo and party public relations officer Park Seon-kyu.Under the Public Official Electi
Oct. 17, 2012
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Park says she will address Jeongsu foundation issue soon
Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye said Wednesday that she would soon announce her position on issues surrounding the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation as both parties turned up the pressure to remove her associate Choi Phil-lip as its chairman.“I will soon reveal my position,” Park said in answer to questions regarding the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation and its chairman of the board Choi Phil-lip.Park had until now maintained that she currently has no ties to the foundation and tha
Oct. 17, 2012
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Korea, Zambia agree on trade, development ties
The leaders of South Korea and Zambia agreed Wednesday to widen cooperation in trade, natural resource development and agriculture during their summit in Seoul. President Lee Myung-bak met President Michael Sata during the first state visit by a leader of the south African nation since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1990.The two leaders agreed that Korea’s advanced technology and Zambia’s rich natural resources yielded rich potential for closer cooperation in resource deve
Oct. 17, 2012
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Race too tight, murky to predict
Possibility of single opposition candidacy the No. 1 variableBarely two months remain until South Korea elects its new president, but the three challengers are running a tight race, as variables such as a single opposition candidacy hang in the air, leaving this year’s presidential race largely unpredictable.Despite the escalating war of nerves among the rivals, the voters have yet to see the complete pledges of any candidate, or witness a face-to-face showdown on their vision and policies.The l
Oct. 17, 2012