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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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
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Hong named new Saenuri spokesman
Second-term lawmaker Hong Il-pyo was named the new spokesperson for the ruling Saenuri Party Monday, taking the place of Rep. Kim Young-woo, who stepped down over the weekend.Kim resigned as calls for leadership to take responsibility for the cash-for-nomination allegation grew. A Saenuri Party lawmaker is currently under investigation for allegedly paying a former key member for parliamentary nomination in April.Hong, a former judge at the Incheon District Court, has been known to be reform-for
Aug. 6, 2012
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P.M.’s Office to move to Sejong in Sept.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Monday it will begin moving into the newly built administrative hub in central South Korea in September. Sejong City, some 150 kilometers south of Seoul, came officially into being as a “special autonomous city” last month to be home to 16 central government offices and 20 subsidiary organizations in or near Seoul by 2014. The project, first put forward by former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2002, aims to promote balanced regional development and lessen overpopulati
Aug. 6, 2012
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DUP pushes for higher taxes for conglomerates
The main opposition Democratic United Party said Monday it will seek to raise tax rates for high-income earners and conglomerates to use the proceeds to bolster welfare programs for the working class and the underprivileged.The move came as the party tries to woo voters ahead of December’s presidential election. The proposed changes are designed mainly to roll back tax cuts and benefits that the government of President Lee Myung-bak pursued under his business-friendly policies. The party said it
Aug. 6, 2012
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UPP reformists hint at party exodus
Leader Kang stresses need to put forward alternative to shore up public supportReformists of the Unified Progressive Party on Monday suggested they would create a new party to restore progressive politics and public support sapped by a vote-rigging scandal.In a news conference, UPP leader Kang Ki-kab said the party needs a “developmental dismantlement” and break with undemocratic far-leftist forces. “We cannot restore public support and confidence just by changing the party name or our platforms
Aug. 6, 2012
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Ruling party's presidential contenders withdraw primary boycott
The ruling party's minor presidential contenders will return to their primary race for the December presidential election, withdrawing their boycott launched in reaction to a money-for-nomination scandal engulfing the party, officials said Sunday.The race to select a presidential candidate on the Saenuri Party's ticket has been stymied after three minor contenders -- Yim Tae-hee, Kim Moon-soo and
Aug. 5, 2012
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Park GH sorry for scandal
The ruling Saenuri Party on Sunday struggled to contain the fallout from a cash-for-nomination scandal, which observers say could deliver a major blow to its top presidential hopeful Rep. Park Geun-hye.Park expressed regret over the scandal. “Though the truth is yet to be clarified, I am sorry that such allegations had to be raised,” she said on Sunday, during an open policy forum with students. The burgeoning scandal has apparently undermined her efforts to shed the party’s corrupt image, which
Aug. 5, 2012
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A mixed 20 years for South Korea-China ties
Economic cooperation increased dramatically; obstacles in diplomatic, political realms remainThis is the first in a series of articles to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and China. ― Ed.South Korea and China have made considerable progress in economic, social and cultural ties since they opened diplomatic relations two decades ago. But on diplomatic and political fronts, their relationship has been beset by problems such as differences over North Korea and linge
Aug. 5, 2012
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Party scandals take heat off Ahn
The ruling Saenuri Party’s cash-for-nomination scandal is giving breathing room to professor Ahn Cheol-soo amid a barrage of political attacks on his past remarks and actions.The left-wing’s leading presidential hopeful upped his polls last month by publishing his book and appearing on a popular television talk show, though he still refrained from officially confirming his bid.Ahn, however, soon faced the ruling camp’s counterattacks for signing a petition back in 2003 to reduce the jail sentenc
Aug. 5, 2012
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Ruling party spokesman offers to quit over nomination scandal
The spokesman of the ruling Saenuri Party offered to resign Saturday, holding himself responsible for recent chaos over an alleged money-for-nomination scandal.The party has been engulfed in a potentially explosive scandal where Rep. Hyun Young-hee allegedly became a lawmaker on a proportional representation ticket after giving 300 million won($265,000) to Hyun Ki-hwan, then a member of the party'
Aug. 4, 2012
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Ex-lawmaker quizzed in funding scandal
Leadership panel decides to recommend that accused duo leave party: Park rivals demand chairman’s resignationTurmoil deepened at the ruling Saenuri Party over the burgeoning cash-for-candidacy scandal, with the presidential runners demanding that the party leader resign while the main opposition party stepped up attacks on frontrunner Park Geun-hye.The Busan District Prosecutors‘ Office on Friday began its investigation into the allegation that Saenuri Rep. Hyun Young-hee paid 300 million won ($
Aug. 3, 2012
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Ruling party asks scandal-ridden members to leave
The ruling Saenuri Party decided Friday to ask two members to leave the party over an alleged money-for-nomination scandal, an attempt to create a firebreak to stop the scandal from hurting its chances in December's presidential election.The scandal centers on suspicions that Rep. Hyun Young-hee became a lawmaker on a proportional representation ticket after giving 300 million won ($265,000) to Hy
Aug. 3, 2012
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Saenuri blasts Ahn’s ‘double standards’
Ruling lawmakers question potential candidate’s pastThe ruling Saenuri Party has started to fire salvos at Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo, as the budding presidential hopeful makes further moves into politics.“Ahn Cheol-soo, the dean of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, should apologize to the citizens for not walking the walk,” Saenuri Party Rep. Cho Won-jin said in a radio interview on Thursday.The former software mogul has co
Aug. 2, 2012
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Saenuri faces probe into cash for candidacy
The prosecution on Thursday launched an investigation into an allegation that a then-candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party paid for her parliamentary nomination ahead of the April 11 general elections.The probe is likely to cause a stir in the political circle ahead of the December presidential election, for which political reform and eradication of corruption have become the key campaign words.The National Election Commission said that on July 30 it requested prosecutors to investigate the alle
Aug. 2, 2012
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Lee formally appoints three top justices
President Lee Myung-bak formally appointed three Supreme Court justices Thursday after the National Assembly endorsed their nominations the previous day, the presidential office said.Lee, who has been on summer vacation since Monday, signed off on the appointment of Ko Young-han, Kim Shin and Kim Chang-suk to the top court through an electronic sanction system, the office said. Parliament approved their nominations Wednesday.The three were nominated in early June, along with a fourth candidate,
Aug. 2, 2012
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Parties quarrel over provisional session
While the July parliamentary provisional session is slated to end on Friday, the leading parties remain at odds on whether to kick off another session immediately.The main opposition Democratic United Party claimed that an immediate session was needed to deal with pending issues, while the ruling Saenuri Party denounced it as a scheme to deter the arrest of DUP floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won, who faces bribery allegations.Parliamentary speaker Kang Chang-hee on Wednesday called for a session to
Aug. 2, 2012
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Lawmakers’ immunity pledge fails under weight of party politics
In the less than two months since the opening of the new National Assembly, the major parties have gone from pledging to give up their privileges, such as immunity from detention, to scratching their heads and saying, “wait a minute.”Their deflated enthusiasm has been largely spurred by the prosecution’s fast-paced bribery investigation that resulted in an arrest motion for two prominent lawmakers of both the ruling and opposition parties last month.Faced with the reality of possible arrest, law
Aug. 1, 2012
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Park’s move catches prosecution off guard
Prosecutors and politicians were caught off guard on Tuesday when Park Jie-won, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party, announced that he would present himself for questioning in a bribery probe.Park’s sudden change of mind, on the heels of ignoring three previous summons, is a meticulously choreographed maneuver of the kind that has enabled him to survive the vicissitudes of political life for decades, observers said. The seasoned politician underwent a 10-hour interrogatio
Aug. 1, 2012
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Opposition floor leader denies bribery allegations in prosecution questioning
The floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party denied allegations of bribery suspicions after being questioned by prosecutors until early Wednesday morning.Emerging from the Supreme Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul around 1 a.m., Rep. Park Jie-won told reporters he had sincerely responded to "absurd allegations" and was honest about everything as the allegations against him ar
Aug. 1, 2012
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DUP floor leader appears for questioning
Main opposition Democratic United Party floor leader Park Jie-won voluntarily appeared before the prosecution on Tuesday afternoon in a surprise twist in the investigation of his alleged bribery, averting an anticipated parliamentary clash over his arrest.Park’s appearance at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office came after the prosecution’s three consecutive summons and eventually a motion to detain him for questioning. The motion was just passed to the National Assembly by the Justice Ministry on Tu
July 31, 2012
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DUP warms up for presidential primary
The main opposition Democratic United Party braced itself for its presidential primary after five finalists were selected Monday through a week-long preliminary race. The five finalists are Sohn Hak-kyu, Moon Jae-in, Park Joon-yung, Kim Doo-kwan and Chung Sye-kyun with underdogs Cho Kyoung-tae, Kim Young-hwan and Kim Jung-kil dropping out.The party did not specify their respective scores, claiming that the figures may affect the upcoming races, but it was broadly assumed that former presidential
July 31, 2012