Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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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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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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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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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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Ahn seen building base for possible presidential bid
Software guru says ‘willing to endure’ politics, if he has toAhn Cheol-soo, a software guru supported by many young Koreans for the next president, shook politics with comments that observers said revealed he might be leaning toward a presidential bid. “I can endure politics, if only I can be a tool for the development of our society,” Ahn said during a lecture Tuesday at Seoul National University. “But if those who are already in politics do well, I don’t need to.” The 50-year-old former CEO of
March 28, 2012
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Parties brace for start of official campaign
The leaders of the country’s rival political forces on Wednesday continued their whirlwind tour of the country to solicit support as their candidates ready for the start of a 13-day official campaign Thursday. The April 11 general election is shaping up to be a tight race between the ruling Saenuri Party and the opposition alliance amid widespread public dissatisfaction with established politics. At stake are the 300 seats of the single-chamber National Assembly and some 63 public offices, inclu
March 28, 2012
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Lee, leaders agree on cooperation
Leaders discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, business, securityPresident Lee Myung-bak continued his summit diplomacy on Wednesday, seeking to expand bilateral, regional and global cooperation with world leaders who were here to attend the Nuclear Security Summit.While rallying their support to stop North Korea from going ahead with its rocket launch plan, Lee sought to deepen ties with the leaders of Vietnam, Gabon, Spain, Ukraine and Indonesia in various areas including trad
March 28, 2012
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Ahn seen leaning toward presidential bid: pundits
Software guru says “willing to endure” politics, if he has to Ahn Cheol-soo, a software guru supported by many young Koreans for next president, shook politics with comments that observers said revealed him to be leaning toward a presidential bid. Ahn Cheol-soo (Yonhap News)“I can endure
March 28, 2012
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Investigators raid NEC office in election hacking probe
Investigators from an independent counsel raided a Seoul office of the National Election Commission in its probe of a cyber attack on the website of the election watchdog last October. The special prosecution is looking into a distributed denial-of-service attack on the NEC website on Oct. 26, the d
March 28, 2012
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Park goes on offensive in election fight
Leaders exchange tough political attacks as campaign for April elections heat upRuling Saenuri Party chief Park Geun-hye went on the attack against the liberal opposition bloc Tuesday, branding it a group threatening national interests with its rigid adherence to outdated ideologies. “The opposition, sticking to outdated ideologies, is abandoning national interests and causing grave national confusion,” she said, presiding over the first meeting of campaign strategists at the party‘s headquarter
March 27, 2012
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Korea teams up with U.S. Belgium, France on HEU
South Korea is to play a key role in a four-way project with Belgium, France and the U.S. for developing an alternative to highly enriched uranium used in research reactors.In a joint statement announced Tuesday, the four countries said they would launch a project for an alternative to highly enriched uranium used in high performance research reactors. “In preventing nuclear terrorism, preventing terrorist groups from obtaining nuclear materials is of utmost importance,” Korean Prime Minister Ki
March 27, 2012
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Seoul summit brings global community step closer to nuclear free world
Communique focuses on removal of nuclear materials, nuclear safetyThe Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul has apparently brought the international community one step closer to the goal of a safer world by drawing up more concrete steps backed by stronger political momentum.The Seoul summit has yielded practical high-level agreements to enhance nuclear security whereas the inaugural summit in Washington in 2010 was part of nascent global efforts to tackle nuclear terrorism, experts said.“The differe
March 27, 2012
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Lee rallies global support against N.K. rocket
World leaders pressure Pyongyang to abide by United Nations resolutionPresident Lee Myung-bak rallied international support to pressure North Korea to nix its rocket launch plan during his bilateral talks with leaders of around 15 nations for the last four days.During their separate talks with Lee on Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard expressed their concerns over Pyongyang’s plan and concurred that the North should comply with the U.N. Securi
March 27, 2012
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Leaders share measures in ‘atmosphere of agreement’
World leaders taking part in the Nuclear Security Summit reaffirmed their agreement on the importance of nuclear security and stressed the need for international cooperation during Tuesday’s morning session.“During the morning session, 27 leaders spoke out introducing their nuclear security policies and shared the view on the importance of the issue,” South Korea’s spokesperson and Sous-Sherpa Han Choong-hee said.“The leaders also introduced the measures their countries have taken, and discussed
March 27, 2012
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FTA heavyweights panelists clash in Gangnam
This is the fifth in a series introducing the key inter-party battle fields in the upcoming April 11 general elections. -- Ed.The electoral battle in southern Seoul’s Gangnam district is heating up over the disputed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.The main opposition Democratic United Party earlier nominated senior advisor Rep. Chung Dong-young as its candidate for the Gangnam-B constituency.The third-term lawmaker, who played a leading role in the left-wing bloc’s moves against the FTA, is to c
March 27, 2012
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Saenuri struggles to fend off opposition challenge in Busan
The ruling Saenuri Party is struggling to fend off a strong opposition challenge in Busan, one of its traditional strongholds in the southeastern region. To drum up support for her party in next month’s parliamentary election, Saenuri chief Park Geun-hye travelled to the port city Tuesday, her third visit in a month’s time. “New politics that Saenuri dreams to realize is starting right here in Busan,” Park said in front of party members gathered at its local office. “I ask you to change our poli
March 27, 2012
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Ex-DP leader Sohn faces bribery investigation
Prosecutors launched an internal probe into allegations that the main opposition Democratic United Party’s senior advisor Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu bribed regional party members before last year’s Seoul mayoral by-election, officials said Tuesday.A former party member recently claimed that Sohn, who was chairman of the then-Democratic Party at the time, summoned regional committee chairpersons to party headquarters in October and handed out envelopes, each containing 1 million won ($880) in cash.The mon
March 27, 2012
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S. Korea, China, Russia show rare unity over N.K. rocket launch plan
Hu, Medvedev urge Pyongyang to improve people’s livelihoods firstIn a rare show of unity, South Korea, China and Russia on Monday urged Pyongyang to scrap its plan to launch a long-range rocket and focus instead on improving the livelihoods of its people. Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed “deep concerns” over the launch plan, saying Beijing had already called on it to give up the plan during his summit talks with President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee’s aide for external strategies K
March 26, 2012
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Saenuri is bouncing back: polls
General election shaping up to be a tight race between ruling party and opposition allianceNext month’s general election is shaping up to be a tight race between the ruling Saenuri Party and the liberal opposition alliance, polls and political experts said Tuesday. And indicative of the neck-and-neck race, the rival forces are aiming for a similar number of seats ― around 130 out of 300 at stake. “Our analysis suggests that our candidates would fare better than we expected. The mood has turned p
March 26, 2012
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Summit sends implicit yet compelling message to N.K.
Pyongyang may feel growing pressure over its nuclear programsThe ongoing Nuclear Security Summit here does not deal specifically with the proliferation issue involving North Korea, but it sends an implicit yet compelling message to Pyongyang: “Stop undermining peace with your nuclear ambitions.”Through the premier gathering south of the heavily-fortified inter-Korean border, the North may come under growing pressure to stop threatening regional stability with its controversial atomic programs, e
March 26, 2012
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Saenuri lawmaker denies brother’s alleged bribery
Rep. Huh Tae-yeol of the ruling Saenuri Party denied Monday allegations that his younger brother took bribes from a businessman seeking the party’s nomination in the general election.“My younger brother has long been out of contact and I would never have confided political issues in him,” said the third-term lawmaker.“Whatever he may have schemed, I am in no way involved.”Seoul City’s election commission earlier accused Huh’s brother of taking 500 million won ($438,000) in kickbacks from a famil
March 26, 2012
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Ex-Roh aide takes on top pro-Lee figure
This is the fourth in a series introducing the key inter-party battle fields in the upcoming April 11 general elections. ― Ed.The Eunpyeong-B constituency, located in the northwestern outskirts of Seoul, has risen to be one of the most significant election battle spots as an aide to a former liberal president is to challenge a key figure of the current government.The turnout of the match is also expected to influence the political domain of the leading parties in the presidential race slated for
March 26, 2012
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Largest-ever diplomatic event presents opportunities for Seoul
The Nuclear Security Summit here this week may boost South Korea’s diplomatic clout and further cement its alliance with the U.S. by supporting Washington’s security initiative.Above all, the premier forum focusing on anti-nuclear terrorism is another chance for Seoul to strengthen its role as a “middle power” mediating between great and smaller powers to coordinate a joint response to challenges facing the world.South Korea’s continuing efforts to foster a network of multilateral cooperation in
March 25, 2012
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Lee kicks off summit diplomacy
Lee and his counterparts discusses bilateral cooperation in security, trade, business President Lee Myung-bak began a hectic diplomatic schedule Saturday with bilateral talks with the leaders of the U.N., Thailand, New Zealand, India, Jordan and the U.S., who are here for the two-day Nuclear Security Summit.Apart from calling on North Korea to scrap its satellite launch plan, the leaders discussed an array of bilateral and global issues, hoping to deepen their cooperation in areas of security, t
March 25, 2012