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 to start preparing for national convention
The ruling Saenuri Party will kick off preparations for the national convention this week in order to form its new leadership before mid-May, party officials said on Monday.“We will try to prevent the national convention from becoming exhaustive and overheated,” Saenuri spokesman Hwang Young-cheul told reporters after a plenary session of the emergency committee at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.A 20-member preparation committee will be set up this week to hold the convention within
April 16, 2012
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Podcast hosts probed over campaigning
The prosecution will investigate allegations that two members of a podcast critical of President Lee Myung-bak violated the election campaign law.The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office said Monday that Seoul City’s election watchdog had filed complaints to the prosecution against Kim Eo-jun and Ju Jin-woo, co-hosts of “Naneun Ggomsuda,” citing legal clauses forbidding journalists from electioneering for a candidate.Kim is the head of progressive online journal Ddanji Ilbo and Ju a journa
April 16, 2012
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DUP to form emergency leadership next month
Putting its factional dispute on hold, the main opposition Democratic United Party has agreed to continue under acting chairman Moon Sung-keun and elect a new emergency leadership next month.The DUP’s supreme council members agreed early Monday morning to elect a new floor leader by May 4, who will run the party temporarily until a new formal leadership is elected at the national convention on June 9.With the leadership selection plan decided, the rivalry among the factions for the seats of the
April 16, 2012
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Xenophobic attacks target naturalized lawmaker-elect
The internet was abuzz last week with debates over criticism of Lee Jasmine, the first naturalized Korean lawmaker-elect.She has won a seat in the next National Assembly as a proportional representative of the ruling Saenuri Party, which won 152 seats in the parliamentary elections last Wednesday.Criticism ranged from slander targeting her ethnic background to how Lee, secretary-general of non-profit organization Sharing Water Drops, was not fit to be a lawmaker.As disparaging blog and Twitter p
April 15, 2012
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Saenuri to weigh ethics against its majority
The ruling Saenuri Party faces the difficult choice of whether to expel two of its newly elected lawmakers hit by scandals during campaigns.Their expulsion would strip the party of its majority in the next Assembly.Allegations about the two lawmakers-elect threaten the public image of party leader Rep. Park Geun-hye as a potential president as she prioritized moral standards in reforming the party which she took over as chief crisis manager.The lawmakers in question are Moon Dae-sung, who won in
April 15, 2012
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DUP chief steps down over poll rout
Han Myeong-sook resigned Friday as head of the Democratic United Party, after the main opposition party suffered an unexpected defeat in Wednesday’s general election.“I am resigning today as the chairperson of the DUP, taking full responsibility for the election outcome,” she told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Yeondeungpo, Seoul. In the parliamentary elections, the DUP won 127 seats in the new 300-member National Assembly. The governing Saenuri Party took 152 seats, retaining
April 13, 2012
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Saenuri cautions against hasty optimism
As the euphoria of Wednesday’s surprise election win subsides, the Saenuri Party is trying to rein in hasty optimism among its members about its chances of winning the presidency later this year. The conservative ruling party retained its majority control of the single-chamber parliament, by winning 152 of the 300 seats up for grabs. The main opposition Democratic United Party, which was once thought to be headed for a landslide win, took just 127 seats and its smaller alliance partner Unified P
April 13, 2012
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Opposition calls for dialogue with N.K.
South Korea’s liberal opposition parties voiced concerns Friday over domestic and international moves to toughen sanctions on North Korea, which they argue have proved ineffective in taming the reclusive communist state. The largest opposition Democratic United Party, which advocates a policy of engagement and reconciliation with North Korea, urged the South government to take care not to further escalate tensions, while condemning the communist state for the rocket launch.On Friday morning, Pyo
April 13, 2012
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Opposition leader steps down over election defeat: official
Han Myeong-sook, the leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP), said Friday she will step down over her party’s defeat in this week’s general elections.“I will take responsibility for the defeat in the general elections and step down as leader of the party,” she said during a press conference at DUP headquarters in Seoul.“Although I am resigning from the leadership post, I will g
April 13, 2012
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Voters appear uncertain about DUP’s potential as alternative
Saenuri’s reform efforts seem to have gained positive responseThe Saenuri Party’s surprise victory in Wednesday’s general election indicates that voters still have doubts about whether the main opposition Democratic United Party could become a viable political alternative, analysts said Thursday.Despite the prevailing expectation that the DUP, allied with a far-left minority party, could gain a parliamentary majority while riding on anti-incumbent sentiment, it failed to turn the political tide
April 12, 2012
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Saenuri rallies around Park after upset win
Opposition begins soul-searching, some blame poor leadershipThe Saenuri Party on Thursday rallied around its chief and most likely presidential candidate Park Geun-hye after a dramatic victory in Wednesday’s general election. In a press conference, the chief of the conservative ruling party vowed to use the party’s majority status in the single-chamber parliament to deliver on its promises of new politics and a better life for the people. “(We) will be sure to put into practice all the things we
April 12, 2012
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Left-wing alliance a double-edged sword for main opposition
The alliance of the main opposition Democratic United Party and the minority Unified Progressive Party proved partially effective in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections, but its limits were revealed as well.Political pundits generally say that the alliance to unify candidates to raise the parties’ winning chances acted in favor of the UPP rather than the DUP, though it was ironically the DUP which initiated the bond in an attempt to beat the ruling majority party and become the largest party in
April 12, 2012
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Rookies join parliament as proportional representatives
The purpose of the proportional representative system is to recruit political rookies from specialist fields and minority groups.This year, parties especially focused on discovering new potentials among non-politicians to achieve renewal and win back the public’s trust prior to the year-end presidential election.The ruling Saenuri Party, amid its renewal efforts, selected a number of scientific experts and minority group figures.The main opposition Democratic United Party, on the other hand, pre
April 12, 2012
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DUP jockeying for presidential race to intensify
Party chairwoman hints at resignation over defeat in general electionsThe competition for presidential nomination is likely to intensify in the main opposition Democratic United Party as it looks to recover from an embarrassing defeat in the general election.While the DUP has several presidential hopefuls, none are deemed strong enough yet to compete against the ruling Saenuri Party’s leader Park Geun-hye, who cemented her status with Wednesday’s upset win.With only eight months remaining till t
April 12, 2012
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Effect of SNS campaigns unclear
The efficacy of social networking services as tools for election campaigns and increasing voter turnout may be more limited than thought. With the Constitutional Court ruling that voters and candidates should be able to voice their opinions on social networking services on Dec. 29, such services were used as campaign tools for the first time leading up to this year’s general elections.While social networking services are considered by experts to have a much more positive effect for left-leaning
April 12, 2012
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Minor parties suffer in bipartisan fight
Only UPP enjoys synergy from left-wing unitySaenuriPartyDemocraticThough Wednesday’s general election involved an unprecedented 20 political parties and numerous independent candidates, most minor parties and non-party figures had little to show for it.The far-left Unified Progressive Party nevertheless succeeded in becoming the third-largest party in parliament, with a better-than-expected performance in the Seoul metropolitan area and the southwestern Honam region.Though it failed to reach the
April 12, 2012
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19th National Assembly election results map
April 12, 2012
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Ruling party leader pledges new beginning after election win
Park Geun-hye, the leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, vowed Thursday to use her party's crucial win in the general elections to deliver on its promise of a better life for the people."(We) will be sure to put into practice all the things we promised to the people," she said during a press conference at her party's headquarters in Seoul. "(We) will start anew with the mindset that we will be remem
April 12, 2012
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Exit poll results miss mark
The accuracy of broadcasters’ exit polls was once again in question on Wednesday with the three broadcasters failing to put forward reasonably accurate projections.While the exit polls announced at 6 p.m. suggested that the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party would gain a similar number of seats, actual counts at 11:30 p.m. suggested otherwise.At 11:30 p.m., the figures showed the Saenuri Party ahead in 125 of the 246 constituencies, while the DUP had the upper h
April 12, 2012
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Ex-news anchor takes right-wing stronghold
Shin Kyoung-min, a rising political rookie for the main opposition Democratic United Party, looked certain to defeat Rep. Kwon Young-se, a third-term and incumbent lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party, based on exit polls.In the polls jointly conducted by major local broadcasters, Shin won 53.4 percent of the respondents’ votes, defeating his right-wing opponent by 6.8 percentage points despite lagging in support earlier.The ruling Saenuri Party was expecting an easy victory in the Yeongdeungp
April 11, 2012