Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Parties ready for stormy Assembly regular session
The 19th National Assembly is opening its first regular session Monday for what is expected to be 100 days of heavy political wrangling over reform bills, special audits and attacks on presidential candidates.On the surface, both parties vow to devote their legislative activities to improving public livelihood.But observers warn the parties will take advantage of the session, held just months ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election, to slam opposing presidential candidates and hinder each oth
Sept. 2, 2012
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Korea mourns passing of Ethiopian P.M. Meles
The following is the contribution by President Lee Myung-bak on the passing of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. ― Ed. On Aug. 20, I was greatly shocked by the unexpected news that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had passed away, and I was deeply saddened by the news. My mind was only focused on Typhoon Bolaven heading toward the Korean Peninsula at that time, but I could think back on how the Prime Minister and I had forged our friendship. I vividly remember him as a warm-hearted and passionat
Sept. 2, 2012
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Moon wins primary for sixth straight time in Incheon
Rep. Moon Jae-in, a lawyer-turned-politician, won his sixth straight victory in a regional primary of the Democratic United Party (DUP) on Sunday, coming closer to securing the party's ticket for the Dec. 19 presidential polls.Moon, formerly chief of staff to the late President Roh Moo-hyun, garnered 5,928 votes, or 50.1 percent, of the 11,834 cast in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, the party'
Sept. 2, 2012
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Lee meets with presidential candidate Park
President Lee Myung-bak met with ruling-party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye Sunday in a rare meeting watched closely for signs of a development in their strained relations ahead of December's presidential election.The one-on-one lunch meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae came at the request of Park, a five-term lawmaker and eldest daughter of late President Park Chung-hee, who w
Sept. 2, 2012
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Moon wins crucial primary in North Jeolla Province
Rep. Moon Jae-in, a lawyer-turned-politician, won his fifth straight victory in the ongoing regional primary contest of the Democratic United Party(DUP) on Saturday, coming closer to securing the main opposition party's presidential candidacy ahead of the Dec. 19 polls.Moon, formerly chief of staff to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, garnered 16,350 votes, or 37.54 percent, of the 43,553 ca
Sept. 2, 2012
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Lee to meet with presidential hopeful Park on Sept. 2
President Lee Myung-bak is set to meet with ruling party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye on Sept. 2 following her primary win earlier this month, a source said Friday.“The meeting was organized after Park requested a meeting with the president following her recent election at the Saenuri Party primary,” a ranking official at the presidential office told Yonhap by phone.Lee will also meet with the opposition party candidate if the elected candidate requests a meeting, the official added.Park
Aug. 31, 2012
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‘Ahn reaches critical point to announce presidential bid’
Software guru-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo has reached a “critical point” to decide whether to run in the December presidential election, a politician close to him said Friday.The remarks by Kim Hyo-seok, former third-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic United Party, came as the public grows weary of Ahn’s vague, indecisive position.“He himself has been agonizing over (the timing), but it is not a matter he can delay for too long. (He) may declare his bid in the near future, I gues
Aug. 31, 2012
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Domestic instability behind Japan’s foreign policy
Instability in domestic politics appears to be leading Japanese politicians to toughen their stance in territorial and historical spats with Korea and China.As parliamentary elections draw near, politicians from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party alike are apparently seeking to ride on the nationalist sentiment that has grown amid long-running economic malaise and repercussions from devastating natural and nuclear disasters in 2011.They have bee
Aug. 31, 2012
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Fatigue grows over indecisive Ahn
Public fatigue is showing over the delayed decision of Professor Ahn Cheol-soo who has yet to clarify his presidential ambition.Although his aides continued to hint at his imminent announcement with reports of closed-door meetings with key political and social figures, Ahn remained under about his political plans.“I do not know (when my decision will be made). I will give you an overall answer when it is decided,” Ahn told reporters Wednesday at the graduation ceremony of the Seoul National Univ
Aug. 30, 2012
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Seoul officially rebuffs Tokyo’s Dokdo proposal
Japan expected to take litigation step on its ownSeoul on Thursday sent Tokyo a diplomatic document rebuffing Japan’s proposal to bring the spat over the Dokdo islets to the International Court of Justice.Calling the rejection “very disappointing,” Japan’s Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said that his government will seek proper measures including referring the case to the court on its own, according to Kyodo News.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry gave the document to an official from the Japanese Embass
Aug. 30, 2012
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Moon adds N. Chungcheong to his primary victories
Rep. Moon Jae-in took the fourth consecutive win in the main opposition Democratic United Party’s presidential primary for North Chungcheong Province on Thursday, further solidifying his frontrunner status.The former presidential chief-of-staff won 8,132 ballots or 46.11 percent of the valid votes, according to officials.He was followed by former party chief Sohn Hak-kyu and former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Doo-kwan, who respectively won 40.3 and 10.9 percent. Rep. Chung Sye-kyun came last w
Aug. 30, 2012
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Lee to visit Russia, Greenland, Norway, Kazakhstan
President Lee Myung-bak will embark on an eight-day trip next Friday to Russia, Greenland, Norway and Kazakhstan, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.Lee will first attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting to be held in Vladivostok, Russia, from Sept. 8-9. Under the theme of “Integrate to grow, Innovation to prosper,” participating leaders will discuss a wide range of regional and global issues, Lee’s office said.Lee will visit Greenland on the invitation of Denmark’s Prime Minister Thorning
Aug. 30, 2012
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Park JW in hot water over probe
DUP lambastes prosecution for ‘political oppression’The main opposition Democratic United Party floor leader Park Jie-won is being pushed further into a corner by an ongoing bribery investigation, with reports of new leads implicating him in the nomination scandal.It is the second major scandal that Park has been embroiled in since the beginning of the new National Assembly, following his controversial summons earlier this month over suspected bribes from ailing savings banks.The Supreme Prosec
Aug. 30, 2012
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Seoul sends Tokyo note rebuffing legal proposal over Dokdo
Tokyo expected to take litigation step on its ownSeoul on Thursday sent Tokyo a diplomatic note rebuffing Japan’s proposal to bring the spat over the Dokdo islets to the International Court of Justice as diplomatic tension has surged over the archipelago state’s denial of its colonial past.Calling the rejection “very disappointing,” Japan’s Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said that his government will seek proper measures including referring the case to the court on its own, according to Kyodo N
Aug. 30, 2012
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Lawmakers’ assets display large gap
The lawmakers of the current National Assembly hold on average assets of 1.8 billion won ($1.6 million), excluding the top four extremely rich members.According to the parliamentary public servant ethics committee on Wednesday, the average assets of 299 lawmakers topped 9.6 billion won.Rep. Hyun Young-hee, who was recently expelled from the Saenuri camp over bribery allegations, came fifth on the list.The Saenuri’s presidential candidate and former chief Rep. Park Geun-hye was within the upper b
Aug. 29, 2012
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Japan, North Korea hold first official talks in 4 years
BEIJING (AP) ― Officials from Japan and North Korea held their first government-to-government talks in four years Wednesday, amid hopes that new leader Kim Jong Un will adopt a less confrontational approach to relations between his isolated, impoverished communist state and the outside world.The talks are being held in China, the North’s closest ally and biggest aid source. They are being described as preliminary discussions to pave the way for full-fledged talks in the future covering a broader
Aug. 29, 2012
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Minor party lawmaker, mayor to defect to ruling party
A lawmaker and a mayor of the minor conservative Advancement and Unification Party said Wednesday they will soon defect to the ruling Saenuri Party, prompting speculation about their impact ahead of December’s presidential election.The defections by Rep. Lee Myoung-soo and Sejong City Mayor Yu Han-sik are expected to reduce the AUP’s seats in the National Assembly to four and weaken the party’s stronghold in the central Chungcheong provinces. Lee is a two-term lawmaker in Asan, South Chungcheong
Aug. 29, 2012
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Tension over Dokdo surges to new high
Japanese upper house adopts resolution to demand Seoul stop occupation of isletsDiplomatic tension between Korea and Japan was further aggravated on Wednesday as Japanese lawmakers called on Seoul to stop its occupation of the Dokdo islets and their government moves to utilize the Internet to assert its sovereignty over them.The upper house of Japan’s bicameral legislature decided to adopt a resolution requesting that Korea should withdraw the occupation, calling it “illegal.”Referring to the so
Aug. 29, 2012
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Parties brace for showdown on economy
Bracing for the battle of welfare and economic pledges in the approaching presidential election, parties are making headways in their policy-planning while working to seize the upper hand on economic democratization plans.Former economist Kim Chong-in, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party’s Special Committee to Pursue People’s Happiness, held a press conference Wednesday and shared a general vision of the party’s policies.The committee was formed earlier this week as one of the new brainstorming
Aug. 29, 2012
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DUP turns eye to unified candidacy
As Rep. Moon Jae-in continued to take a steady lead in the main opposition Democratic United Party’s presidential primary, political focus is switching to a possible deal between him and Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo.To stand a chance of beating Rep. Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s mighty presidential candidate, the two unite, Moon and most other liberal politicians believe, though they differ on how. “We need to make preparations for the possible primary against Ah
Aug. 29, 2012