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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Saenuri underdogs gear up for race
May work together in bid to challenge Park Geun-hye in party primaryThe ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential nomination process is looking like a multi-horse race, with several underdogs striving for an upset win against frontrunner Park Geun-hye. While Park, the party’s chief since December, is to step back from frontline politics, her potential challengers are expected to take steps to position themselves as presidential candidates. Among them, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo became the fir
April 22, 2012
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Former news anchor vows to focus on news media policy
This is the second article in a series introducing significant lawmakers-elect of the upcoming 19th National Assembly. ― Ed.The main opposition Democratic United Party was disappointed by the results of the recent parliamentary elections but succeeded in winning some key battles in the capital.One of the party’s electoral heroes is political rookie Shin Kyoung-min, who defeated Rep. Kwon Young-se, third-term lawmaker and secretary-general of the ruling Saenuri Party in the Youngdeungpo-B constit
April 22, 2012
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Kim becomes first to announce presidential run
Kim Moon-soo, governor of Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday declared his candidacy for the presidency, becoming the first to throw his hat into the ring for the December vote. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo (Yonhap News)“I am here to tell you about my decision to run for the 19th president of Korea,” Kim told a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul. The two-term governor said he
April 22, 2012
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Gyeonggi governor to run in presidential race
Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo has apparently made up his mind to run in the Dec. 19 presidential election on the ruling Saenuri Party’s ticket, and is weighing whether and when to resign from the gubernatorial post, according to news reports. Following his official announcement for his Blue House bid, other ruling party hopefuls such as Rep. Chung Mong-joon are expected to declare their participa
April 21, 2012
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South Korea to contribute $15 billion for IMF resourcing
South Korea announced a plan Friday to provide US$15 billion to the International Monetary Fund, which seeks to expand its lending capacity.The move comes as spring meetings of the IMF and G-20 are under way here. South Korea's finance minister, Bahk Jae-wan, and the Bank of Korea chief, Kim Choong-soo, are attending the sessions.In a joint statement with Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdo
April 21, 2012
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Moon leaves party after university’s plagiarism ruling
Lawmaker-elect Moon Dae-sung left the ruling Saenuri Party on Friday as Kookmin University announced that his doctoral thesis appears to have plagiarized from another paper based on their preliminary investigation.Moon’s defection has left the ruling party with 150 seats, one seat short of a majority, in the 300-member 19th National Assembly that will convene May 30. “The research ethics committee held a meeting Friday morning and reached the tentative conclusion that a large portion of Moon’s t
April 20, 2012
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Saenuri potentials try to catch Rep. Park
DUP seeks matching adversaries to ruling party leaderAs the immediate aftermath of the general elections abates, presidential potentials are gearing up for the bigger race at the end of the year.In the ruling Saenuri Party, candidates are seeking to take attention away from Rep. Park Geun-hye and to win its presidential nomination race slated for August.The main opposition Democratic United Party is looking for competitive adversaries to Rep. Park, including non-party options such as professor A
April 20, 2012
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Doubts about bill on Assembly violence
Filibuster, strict rule on majority may stall legislation process, lawmakers sayQuestions are being raised over the effectiveness of a revision bill to prevent violence in the legislation process, which is set to pass the outgoing 18th National Assembly next Tuesday.While the bill allows a filibuster in a bid to prevent scuffles between rival party lawmakers over controversial bills, stricter regulations on the majority party may stall the passage of other bills as well, some lawmakers claimed.“
April 20, 2012
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Saenuri tosses Moon to ethics panel
Some members suggest IOC member give up his parliamentary seatThe ruling Saenuri Party will hold an ethics committee meeting next Monday to discuss the alleged plagiarism by its lawmaker-elect Moon Dae-sung, party officials said Thursday.The committee will likely deliberate on whether to expel Moon, who reportedly backed out of renouncing his party membership at the last minute on Wednesday.Moon, a former Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo and current athlete member of the International Olympic
April 19, 2012
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Ex-FTA chief to promote growth with law
This is the first of a series introducing significant lawmakers-elect of the upcoming 19th National Assembly. ― Ed.Among the 300 candidates who won parliamentary seats in last week’s general elections, 148 are newcomers to the National Assembly. Many of these, though, are political heavyweights with plenty of administrative experience.Kim Jong-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party, former chief negotiator for the disputed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement is one example. Having passed the Foreign Servi
April 19, 2012
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Kim setting out on Dec. presidential run?
Kim Doo-kwan, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, has drawn keen attention in media and political circles with moves that many see aimed at positioning himself as a presidential candidate. Local newspapers reported Thursday that Kim was planning a series of book-launching ceremonies in Seoul and other cities, giving specific dates. The reports said the events will likely mark the start of the liberal-minded administrator’s quest for the presidency. Kim, who served as home affairs minister und
April 19, 2012
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Parliamentary panel to vote on defense reform
Ministry makes last-ditch appeal for streamlined command structure, jointnessA parliamentary defense committee is poised to vote on Friday on five bills aimed at improving the military’s command structure and cooperation among its three armed branches after nearly a year of political bickering.Committee chairman Rep. Won Yoo-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party has notified its members from the main opposition Democratic United Party of the plan to vote on the bills when the committee convenes its l
April 19, 2012
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Kim quits party over scandal; Moon defiant
IOC member says he will stay despite plagiarism allegationLawmaker-elect Kim Hyung-tae quit the Saenuri Party on Wednesday over a growing sexual assault scandal, leaving the ruling party with a majority of just one-seat in the incoming National Assembly.Kim’s defection came just a week after Saenuri’s majority win in the April 11 general election, and as the party prepares to launch a campaign committee for presidential candidate frontrunner Park Geun-hye next month.“I leave the party as I no l
April 18, 2012
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Time has come for my decision: Moon
Moon Jae-in, a senior advisor to the main opposition Democratic United Party, said Wednesday that he will decide as quickly as possible whether to make a bid for the presidency. “The time has come for me to decide what I should do to help realize a regime change,” he said on a radio program. A former chief of staff to late President Roh Moo-hyun, Moon is considered one of the most viable candidates of the liberal opposition for the next presidency. The election to pick the successor to conservat
April 18, 2012
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Opposition to elect new leader on June 9
The main opposition Democratic United Party will hold its national convention on June 9 to elect its new leadership to serve through the year-end presidential election.“The provisional in-party election will be held June 9 at KINTEX, Ilsan,” said spokesperson Park Yong-jin Wednesday.The event is to select the successor to Rep. Han Myeong-sook, who stepped down last Friday, taking responsibility for the party’s disappointing general election results.The list of probable candidates so far includes
April 18, 2012
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Lawmaker-elect leaves ruling party over sexual assault allegations
A lawmaker-elect quit the ruling Saenuri Party Wednesday over allegations that he attempted to rape the wife of his late brother 10 years ago, saying he will return to the party after clearing "misunderstandings" about him.Kim Hyung-tae, 60, who was elected in a district in the southeastern city of Pohang in last week's general elections, said in a statement he decided to leave the party in order
April 18, 2012
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Parties strive to appeal to the ideological center
Upon the results of last week’s general elections, parties have set out to embrace moderate members of their faction ahead of December’s presidential election.Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party started her under-the-table communications with center-right political rookies, according to party officials Monday.She will not, however, immediately ally with conventional right-wing parties such as the Liberty Forward Party or the Korea Vision Party. The latter was disbanded after the elect
April 17, 2012
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Parties to hold last session on pending bills
The major parties agreed to hold a provisional session for the last time before the next parliamentary term starts, in order to handle some of the currently pending bills.“I have reached an agreement with my opposition counterpart Rep. Kim Jin-pyo to hold a session next Tuesday,” said Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday.“We expect to wrap up urgent issues such as a bill to prevent violence in the National Assembly.”Ruling party lawmakers have often come under
April 17, 2012
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Ahn urged to decide his future course
Moon Seung-keun, acting chair of the main opposition Democratic United Party, on Tuesday offered Ahn Cheol-soo admittance into the liberal bloc’s presidential nomination process, calling the IT guru a comrade.Speaking on a radio program, he said there were ways for him to win the party’s backing in the December presidential election without actually joining the party. “In a broad sense, we are comrades and we should join hands (for the presidential race),” the politician said, citing Ahn’s past
April 17, 2012
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Talk of Ahn’s presidential bid jolts politics
Reports that Ahn Cheol-soo has decided to run for the presidency jolted rival political groups Monday, as they shift focus to preparations for a December vote after last week’s parliamentary elections.A software guru and now dean of Seoul National University’s graduate school, Ahn has been vague about his political ambitions despite being more popular than most politicians considered potential presidential candidates. The JoongAng Ilbo reported Monday that the 50-year-old made up his mind to run
April 16, 2012