Most Popular
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
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[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
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Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
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South Korea willing to accept Indonesian proposal for cutting KF-21 payments
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NEC braces for overseas voting for president
As overseas Koreans will participate in the nation’s presidential election for the first time in 40 years this December, the National Election Commission is determined to make it free of violations.From the 180-day mark until the Dec. 19 election day, which is June 22, eligible Korean voters residing anywhere in the world are banned from forming private organizations to campaign for a certain candidate.If a private group ― be it a forum, fan club, or even an alpine club ― already supports a cert
June 28, 2012
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Kim Chong-in to co-lead Park GH’s campaign team
Kim Chong-in, an economist-turned-politician and member of the ruling Saenuri Party’s emergency committee for the April general elections, has reportedly been tapped to head the campaign for presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye.Kim will be appointed co-chairman of the campaign committee alongside former lawmaker and key pro-Park member Hong Sa-duck, local news reports said.Kim is the drafter of the “economic democratization” provision of the Constitution in 1987. Economic democratization has b
June 28, 2012
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UPP online voting system breaks down
Ballots may be annulled as database for leadership election damagedThe leadership election of the minority Unified Progressive Party was halted Wednesday after online voting system broke down.The party’s online voting system started to fail sporadically late Tuesday night and the interim decision-making body decided at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to temporarily halt the vote, according to party officials.The election database was irreparably damaged. Some 17,000 ballots or 30 percent of the total eligib
June 27, 2012
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Divided progressive party's leadership election marred by server error
The ongoing leadership election of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) has been suspended due to errors in its server for online voting, party officials said Wednesday, amplifying uncertainties for the left-wing party beleaguered by an escalating factional conflict over alleged primary rigging earlier this year.The minor party with 13 seats in the 300-member National Assembly is set to elect its n
June 27, 2012
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Underdogs line up for presidential race
Overheated match may drown out policy debate, prompt negative campaigningA myriad of fringe candidates are joining the race toward the December presidential election in the hope of reshaping politics despite being overshadowed by high profile figures and having minimal public support.The peripheral candidates may be overestimating their chances, laying the groundwork for a distant bid, or even simply trying to spruce up their political resume, observers said.“Whatever their intention may be, an
June 26, 2012
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Seoul to launch shopping event for tourists
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that it will kick off its biggest shopping event of the year for foreign tourists here this week to help them feel more satisfied with their trip and to boost tourism. The 2012 Seoul Summer Sale, the fifth in a series, will be held for one month from June 29-July 29, where 4,228 department stores, duty free shops, cosmetic shops and restaurants in the capital city offer discount and tax-free shopping opportunities, the city government said. Under th
June 26, 2012
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Korean given U.S. medal for military diplomacy
A South Korean Army officer has received a U.S. military medal for his contribution to improving military diplomacy between the allies, the defense ministry here said Tuesday.Col. Cha Soon-young was the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, awarded by the U.S. Defense Department, on Monday.As a former military attache at the South Korean embassy in Washington, Cha was recognized for maintaining close partnership with the U.S. Defense Department and its Joint Chiefs of Staff, the ministry s
June 26, 2012
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5-term lawmaker Chung launches presidential bid
A five-term lawmaker and former opposition leader announced Tuesday his bid to run for president in December, pledging to focus on the economy, jobs for ordinary people and small and medium firms in a country that relies heavily on exports.Rep. Chung Sye-kyun of the main opposition Democratic United Party is the fourth candidate who has officially announced a presidential bid in the liberal party, following Moon Jae-in, a longtime aide to late former President Roh Moo-hyun, former party chairman
June 26, 2012
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UPP scraps over second vote-rigging probe
Faction suspected of corruption accuses panel of disregarding crucial reportFactional fighting in the minority Unified Progressive Party is escalating over a new in-house investigation into vote-rigging allegations.Kim Dong-han, chief of the inquiry committee, abruptly resigned Tuesday just two hours before the panel reported the results to the national steering committee.“Judged by my conscience as a jurist, I cannot but admit that the investigation failed to guarantee objectivity and fairness
June 26, 2012
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2 Koreans arrested for rape of Japanese women
HANOI (Yonhap News) ― Two South Koreans have been arrested on charges of raping two Japanese women in the Philippine province of Cebu, a news report said Tuesday. Prosecutors in Lapu-Lapu city of Cebu filed rape charges against the two Koreans, whose names were not identified, on Monday, ABS-CBN news of the Philippines reported on its Web site. According to the report, the rape suspects met the two Japanese women at a resort in Lapu-Lapu city last Saturday and went out to have drinks. When the w
June 26, 2012
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Women-led households likely to increase due to delayed marriage
The ratio of women-led households in South Korea will likely increase over the next few decades as many women are delaying marriage and population-aging continues to accelerate, a report showed Tuesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the number of households led by female breadwinners stood at 4.81 million as of April of this year, or 26.8 percent of the total 17.95 million households.The ratio is up from 25.7 percent in 2010 and 18.5 percent tallied in 2000, the report showed.The s
June 26, 2012
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Korean leaders call for easier overseas voting
Leaders of overseas Korean communities on Tuesday called for improvements in the absentee voting process to boost their participation in the December presidential election. They stressed the need for the government to devise new voting methods that are easier yet secure, such as post, proxy or electronic systems. “Many overseas Koreans demand improvements in the system because they have a hard time making two trips to cast their vote between the diplomatic missions and their homes far away,” sai
June 26, 2012
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Korea, Colombia conclude free trade negotiations
South Korea and Colombia on Monday concluded a bilateral free trade agreement, which calls for elimination of tariffs on major trading goods within 10 years. The trade ministers of the two countries signed the deal in Bogota on the sidelines of the discussions between President Lee Myung-bak and his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos. If the agreement is ratified, Colombia would become the third free trade partner in Latin America. Korea’s FTAs with Chile and Peru took effect in 2004 and 2
June 26, 2012
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Park, Ahn neck and neck six months ahead of presidential vote: poll
Park Geun-hye, daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, was slightly ahead of Ahn Cheol-soo, software magnate and popular professor, in a new opinion poll of potential candidates for the December presidential vote, the poll showed Monday.Park, a former head of the ruling Saenuri Party, received 45.8 percent of support, compared with 43.8 percent for Ahn, in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up
June 25, 2012
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Saenuri strife escalates as party pushes ahead with primary schedule
Internal strife reached new heights at the ruling Saenuri Party on Monday as the sidelined presidential hopefuls protested the leadership’s intention to stick to the original primary schedule.The move opened up the possibility of the primary becoming a half-full race, as underdogs vowed to ditch the competition unless the primary rules were altered.The broadly pro-Park leadership held a Supreme Council meeting in the morning and afternoon to discuss the original primary schedule as suggested by
June 25, 2012
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Ruling party calls for Assembly session
Saenuri says will convene session on its own if opposition rejects proposalThe ruling Saenuri Party proposed holding a one-day National Assembly session to elect a new speaker and vice speakers amid mounting criticism of a prolonged parliamentary impasse. The party signaled that it would convene the session unilaterally if the main opposition Democratic United Party rejects the proposal.Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the party’s vice floor leader, urged the main opposition party to hold a special session in
June 25, 2012
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For Moon, image as Roh loyalist a double-edged sword
Prudent, soft-spoken and unwavering in his commitment to political liberalism, Rep. Moon Jae-in is the flag bearer of an opposition group faithful to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.Moon, 59, declared his presidential bid on June 17 pledging to revive principles of fairness, peace and public welfare ― Roh’s core values which he said were severely undermined by the present conservatives in power.The last chief of staff for Roh was among a few who remained faithful throughout his turbulent
June 25, 2012
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Ruling party mulls one-day Assembly session over urgent issues
The ruling Saenuri Party is considering pushing to convene a one-day plenary meeting of the National Assembly to elect a new parliamentary speaker and two vice speakers, officials familiar with the issue said Monday.The Saenuri Party also said it could hold the plenary parliamentary session by itself if the main opposition Democratic United Party and other opposition parties refuse to cooperate, t
June 25, 2012
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Opposition party undeterred by court ruling in favor of large retailers
Three lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic United Party said Sunday they will continue to push the policy of restricting the business of large retailers to protect mom-and-pop stores.The move came two days after the Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of five large retailers over new ordinances by two ward offices in Seoul that prohibit them from doing business on the second and fourt
June 24, 2012
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Park Geun-hye stubborn despite tougher offensives
Saenuri set to push ahead with original primary scheduleShunning calls to break her silence on open primaries, the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye appeared adamant on keeping the current rules, as the leadership geared up to finalize the primary schedule this week.Tension is expected to escalate as the broadly pro-Park Supreme Council is reportedly set to finalize the primary schedule in accordance with the existing arty constitution and regulations.Under the party
June 24, 2012