Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Presidential office to penalize Japan's Kyodo News agency over
South Korea's presidential office plans to penalize Japan's Kyodo News agency for carrying a report on President Lee Myung-bak's visit to the eastern islets of Dokdo earlier than allowed last week, the presidential spokesman said Thursday.News media accredited to the presidential office are banned from publishing specific reports on the president's schedule outside of the presidential compound in
Aug. 16, 2012
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Ruling party expels scandal-ridden member
The ruling Saenuri Party said Thursday that it has expelled its former lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan for being allegedly implicated in a money-for-nomination scandal ahead of April's parliamentary election.The decision reached by the party's nine-member Supreme Council comes after the central ethics committee rejected an appeal request made by Hyun on Tuesday. The move is also aimed at reducing the fallou
Aug. 16, 2012
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Pressure mounts on Park to take responsibility for scandal
Underdogs strike out at frontrunner over cash-for-candidacyThe ruling Saenuri Party’s frontrunner Park Geun-hye faced mounting pressure from her straggling rivals to take responsibility for the burgeoning cash-for-nomination scandal that has seemed to damage one of her flagship presidential campaign slogans to achieve political reform.In a television debate late Tuesday night, the four underdogs attacked Park in unison, saying that as former chairwoman, she should accept responsibility for the s
Aug. 15, 2012
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Lee steps up criticism of sex slavery
President calls for change in Pyongyang and compliance with denuclearization pactsPresident Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday condemned Japan’s wartime sexual slavery as a “violation of universal human rights and historic justice.”In an address marking the 67th Liberation Day, Lee repeated his call for Japan to sincerely address its atrocities as tensions continued to escalate between the two neighbors following his visit to Dokdo last week.“The issue involving the mobilization of ‘comfort women’ by t
Aug. 15, 2012
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Labor union’s exit to hasten UPP breakup
A powerful labor group’s announcement Tuesday that it would withdraw its support for the Unified Progressive Party is expected to bolster reformists’ move to dissolve their scandal-ridden party and create a new political group.After a heated 11-hour discussion, The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions approved a proposal to sever ties with the UPP, citing its failure to overhaul the scandal-hit party. The labor umbrella group is the biggest backer for the leftist party. Out of 39 steering commit
Aug. 14, 2012
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Apologies before Japanese emperor’s Korea visit: Lee
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday demanded that Japanese Emperor Akihito apologize for his country’s colonial atrocities should he want to visit South Korea, amid a rekindled diplomatic spat over Dokdo.“If (the Japanese emperor) wants to visit Korea, he should visit the deceased independence fighters here and sincerely apologize to them,” Lee said during a meeting with local teachers in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.“If he would come here with (vague) words of regret, there is no need for him to co
Aug. 14, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Embattled human rights chief clings onto post
It appears that nobody wants him back except President Lee Myung-bak and his advisers. Lee’s reappointment of National Human Rights Commission chief Hyun Byung-chul for another term Monday was met with excoriation from all walks of life. Civic groups staged a protest Tuesday at the commission office in downtown Seoul to stop the infamous commissioner accused of ethical lapses from coming to work. Other activists denounced the reappointment as reversing the nation’s human rights development.The m
Aug. 14, 2012
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Saenuri rejects request to reconsider expulsion
The ruling Saenuri Party’s ethics committee on Tuesday rejected the request by former lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan, implicated in a cash-for-nomination scandal, to reconsider his expulsion, as prosecutors stepped up their probe with the arrest of a suspected middle man.“The decision by the ethics committee (last week) was made lawfully and the applicant’s request for reconsideration did not qualify,” said committee chairman Rep. Kyung Dae-soo.Hyun’s expulsion will be finalized at the Supreme Council on
Aug. 14, 2012
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Ruling party to expel scandal-ridden member
The ruling Saenuri Party said Tuesday it has rejected an appeal request by a member allegedly implicated in a money-for-nomination scandal ahead of April's parliamentary election.The party's central ethics committee said it has carefully examined the request made by Hyun Ki-hwan, and decided arguments raised did not warrant a reconsideration of its earlier decision to expel the former lawmaker.The
Aug. 14, 2012
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Leading labor group withdraws support for progressive party
South Korea's progressive umbrella union on Tuesday announced it will withdraw support for the minor Unified Progressive Party (UPP), citing failure of the party to push forward meaningful reforms.The decision by the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) made in an 11 hour-long marathon discussion session, comes after the UPP failed last month to pass a motion expelling Reps. Lee Seok-ki and
Aug. 14, 2012
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Feud between Park Geun-hye, Kim Moon-soo intensifies
Deepening row stimulates otherwise dull primaryThe feud between the ruling Saenuri Party presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye and runner-up Kim Moon-soo is heating up, adding spice to the otherwise dull primary race in its final week. Gyeonggi Gov. Kim has been escalating his negative campaign against former chairwoman Park recently, which observers view may be an attempt to solidify his No. 2 place in the party. The Saenuri Party is set to elect its final presidential candidate at a national
Aug. 13, 2012
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Lee blasts Japan for not admitting its past atrocities
President calls for bipartisan support over Dokdo issuePresident Lee Myung-bak lashed out at Japan for failing to sincerely acknowledge its wartime atrocities and apologize in a speech during his landmark visit to Dokdo on Friday, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday.“(The issue of wartime sex slaves) will not be settled forever as they die with the passing of time,” Lee was quoted as saying by the official who declined to be named.“It has yet to make a sincere apology for its aggression
Aug. 13, 2012
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Lee presses ahead with appointment of rights chief
President Lee Myung-bak approved the appointment of the current chief of the National Human Rights Commission for another term despite opposition allegations of a series of ethical lapses against him, the presidential spokesman said Monday.In June, Lee named Hyun Byung-chul for another three-year term at the helm of the commission, but the nomination has since been dogged by opposition accusations that he is unfit for the job as his ethical standards are questionable.The opposition raised allega
Aug. 13, 2012
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Election body set to ban Ahn charity
Activity by potential presidential candidate’s foundation may break law, NEC saysSouth Korea’s election watchdog is expected to ban the charity activities by a foundation being set up by Ahn Cheol-soo, a software entrepreneur-turned-professor, as he is considered a potential presidential candidate, officials said Monday.“After looking into possible election law violations by the foundation, we have concluded that monetary contributions or donations made under the name of the Ahn Cheol-soo Founda
Aug. 13, 2012
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Ahn Cheol-soo foundation under probe for election law violation
South Korea's election watchdog said Monday it is looking into possible election law violations by a foundation that is being set up by Ahn Cheol-soo, a software entrepreneur-turned-professor who may have presidential ambitions.A source at the National Election Commission (NEC) said that there is a need to see if the public foundation that Ahn said he will create conflicts with an existing electio
Aug. 13, 2012
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Seoul rebuffs Japan’s legal action on Dokdo
Tokyo plans to set up body dedicated to handle territorial disputes: reportSouth Korea will not respond to Japan’s move to take the issue of Dokdo to an international court, a senior Seoul official said Saturday, amid fresh tension following President Lee Myung-bak’s unprecedented visit to the islets.Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told reporters on the day that Tokyo would consider measures to settle the issue, including referring the case to the International Court of Justice.“Japan’s
Aug. 12, 2012
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The battle for Jeju’s naval base
‘Base crucial to nation’s strategic interest’When former Navy Chief of Staff Kim Sung-chan was chosen as the Saenuri Party’s candidate in the April parliamentary elections, it was viewed to represent the ruling party’s determination to go ahead with the planned Jeju naval base construction.After leading the effort to persuade and deal with the opponents, Kim said he was confident about carrying on the fight at the National Assembly if he had to.“The naval base in Jeju is something that is utterl
Aug. 12, 2012
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Controversial project emerges as campaign issue
Assembly Voice looks into critical issues and controversial bills through a series of interviews with rival lawmakers who lead the debate at the National Assembly ― Ed. The Supreme Court last month gave the green light to the Navy’s plan to construct a new base on Jeju Island. But the ruling is seen unlikely to end the long-standing dispute as opposition parties, civic activists and village residents remain defiant and gear themselves up to use the presidential election in December to bolster th
Aug. 12, 2012
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DUP official accused of groping reporter
The ruling Saenuri Party accused the main opposition party of trying to conceal an incident involving the molestation of a female reporter by one of its officials.In a briefing Rep. Shin Yee-jin, a Saenuri spokeswoman, said a Democratic United Party staff director molested a reporter in a taxi cab early last month.She said that the female reporter complained to both her company and the DUP but both tried to keep the incident from becoming public.“The DUP should take steps to tackle its culture o
Aug. 12, 2012
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Saenuri committee to grill duo over cash for nominations
The ruling Saenuri Party’s investigation committee for the cash-for-nomination scandal will question Rep. Hyun Young-hee and former lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan early this week.The committee was formed as the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office accelerated its investigation by seeking the detention of Jo Gi-moon, a former PR official of the Saenuri’s Busan branch who allegedly delivered bribes from Rep. Hyun Young-hee to former lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan in March. It is alleged that Rep. Hyun Young-hee offer
Aug. 12, 2012