Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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Seoul mayor joins main opposition
Move comes day after son was cleared of draft-dodging allegationSeoul Mayor Park Won-soon joined the main opposition Democratic United Party Thursday, a move expected to boost the party’s position before the April general elections.It came a day after his son was cleared of draft dodging suspicions and his accuser, Rep. Kang Yong-seok, offered to resign.“Our goal for 2012 is not too different from what we meant to achieve through last year’s mayoral by-election,” Park said.“The people shall chan
Feb. 23, 2012
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Seoul considers citizenship for N.K. defectors in China
Saenuri seeks to send delegation to China over repatriation issueThe government and ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday decided to consider issuing a certificate of South Korean citizenship to North Korean defectors as part of efforts to stop China from forcibly repatriating them.The move comes as some defectors here have claimed that with such a certificate, chances are high that those caught by Chinese security police can be released considering that they are first regarded as “stateless” there.
Feb. 23, 2012
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Forum to bolster peninsular security, Seoul’s standing
The Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul next month could send North Korea a clear message against its nuclear activities, and help boost Seoul’s diplomatic credentials, experts here said Thursday.Although Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions are not on the main agenda, the premier security forum attracting the leaders of 53 countries and four international organizations will bring global attention to the peninsular security threatened by the North, they said.President Lee Myung-bak also has high expectati
Feb. 23, 2012
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Korea-U.S. FTA opponents vow to fight on
Controversy likely to roil parliamentary, presidential electionsLiberal opposition parties reiterated Wednesday their vow to revise or annul the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, asking voters to deliver their verdict on the controversial deal in upcoming elections. “It is regrettable that (the deal’s implementation schedule) was announced without sufficient consideration of the controversy here,” the main opposition Democratic United Party said in a statement after the Seoul and Washington gover
Feb. 22, 2012
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President Lee presses China over North Korean defectors
Lee apologizes for scandals involving his associates, relativesPresident Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday said China should handle the issue of North Korean defectors in accordance with international humanitarian norms, raising pressure on Beijing not to repatriate them.His remarks during a press conference held to mark the fourth anniversary of his inauguration came as Seoul has decided to appeal to the international community to address the issue, given its bilateral talks with Beijing have not been
Feb. 22, 2012
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DUP selects first group of runners
Nominates pro-Roh figures in Busan, ex-democracy fighter’s widow in SeoulThe main opposition Democratic United Party selected its April election candidates for some constituencies in the southeast, where fierce battles are expected against the rival Saenuri Party.The party also nominated In Jae-geun, widow of former party adviser Kim Geun-tae, in a northern Seoul constituency.The party’s nomination screening committee Wednesday announced the list of 40 candidates who passed the initial evaluatio
Feb. 22, 2012
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Independent lawmaker resigns over false rumors about Seoul mayor's son
Independent lawmaker resigns over false rumors about Seoul mayor's sonIndependent lawmaker Kang Yong-seok on Wednesday offered to resign from his parliamentary seat to take responsibility for raising groundless draft-dodging rumors about Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's son.Kang, who was expelled from th
Feb. 22, 2012
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Seoul mayor’s son clears draft-dodging suspicion with MRI test
Medics of Severance Hospital on Wednesday confirmed that son of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has a herniated disc syndrome, which justifies his being exempt from military service. The announcement cleared 27-year-old Park Ju-sin of month-long allegations that he had fabricated medical records to dodge
Feb. 22, 2012
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Seoul to raise N.K. defector issue at U.N.
South Korea plans to raise the issue of North Korean defectors who face repatriation after being caught in China, at a U.N. panel on human rights next week, its Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. While engaging in bilateral talks with Beijing on the issue, it is also seeking international support to protect the defectors, who could allegedly face harsh punishment such as torture and execution should they be sent back to the North.As it has recently been reported that scores of defectors face repatri
Feb. 21, 2012
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Speaker, former Lee aide indicted for vote-buying
National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae and former presidential aide Kim Hyo-jae have been indicted without detention over allegations of vote-buying in the ruling party’s leadership election in 2008.This is the first time a serving National Assembly speaker has been indicted. Although Park announced on Feb. 13 that he would step down, his resignation has not been processed by the assembly. In addition, Park’s chief secretary for policies Cho Jeong-man, who was in charge of the finances of Park’s
Feb. 21, 2012
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NEC wades into parties’ constituency disputes
The state election watchdog has suggested a temporary increase in the National Assembly quota in order to embrace the newly established Sejong City.Both the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party were skeptical of the proposal, but vowed to hold last-minute negotiations by Wednesday.Lee Jong-woo, secretary-general of the National Election Commission, met with party floor leaders on Tuesday and offered to allow an exception for this year’s election and to increase th
Feb. 21, 2012
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[News Focus] Parties fire back at accusations of ‘populism’
Finance Ministry launches task force to scrutinize welfare policy proposalsPolitical parties were in unison Tuesday in assailing the government a day after it said it would examine the feasibility of “populist welfare pledges” made by politicians ahead of major elections this year. Kim Jong-in, a senior member of the ruling Saenuri Party’s leadership council, called the government’s move a blatant attempt to constrain a political party from making election pledges. “It is unprecedented that the
Feb. 21, 2012
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Lee to reiterate position on KORUS FTA, naval base plan
President Lee Myung-bak is expected to reiterate his vow to push ahead with his administration’s major projects during a press conference on Wednesday amid the opposition’s moves to reverse them.During the hour-long press conference to mark the final year of his five-year term, Lee is also likely to express his concerns about a slew of welfare pledges the ruling and opposition parties alike have churned out ahead of April 11 general elections.The news conference that will begin at 10 a.m. will b
Feb. 21, 2012
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Parties snub conservative values in election year
Political pendulum swings to left as parties churn out populist pledgesA progressive political leader recently expressed embarrassment at the intensifying competition between the two major parties to shift to the left.Rhyu Si-min, co-leader of the splinter United Progressive Party, said in a radio program that the ruling Saenuri Party as well as the main opposition Democratic United Party have tilted too much toward progressivism by putting forward welfare and labor policies they had been previo
Feb. 21, 2012
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Gray voters at a loss
Aged voters now find themselves being elbowed out of electoral politics as the major parties have focused on younger people in their swing to the left.They are alienated from the process of forging political discourse through social network services, which are dominated by tech-savvy youth. Gray voters, who form a main conservative voting bloc, also feel frustrated by the ruling party’s dumping of their traditional values to compete with liberal and progressive groups in churning out populist pl
Feb. 21, 2012
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Saenuri seeks popular figures for Busan race
Potential candidates include former captain of pirated ship, IOC member MoonThe ruling Saenuri Party is still seeking new figures for the upcoming April general elections, especially in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province.The list of candidates include Seok Hae-kyun, former captain of the 11,500-ton merchant ship Samho Jewelry, which was abducted by Somali pirates last year, as well as IOC member Moon Dae-sung.Sohn Su-jo, a 27-year-old woman, is also rumored to be considered in the Busan area.Th
Feb. 20, 2012
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Park sharpens tongue in FTA dispute
Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s interim chief, on Monday sharpened criticisms of the main liberal party, seizing on their “flip-flop” on a controversial trade deal with the United States. “I don’t think the current opposition party is eligible to pass any judgment (on the current administration),” the prominent politician said during a nationally-televised forum. “On the contrary, they should be judged for continuously changing words on a policy that they had pushed for in the previous
Feb. 20, 2012
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Park Geun-hye bashes opposition's flip-flopping before elections
Ruling party leader Park Geun-hye launched a strongly-worded salvo against the main opposition party Monday, accusing the rival camp of making a brazen about-face on the free trade agreement with the United States and other major policies. (Yonhap News)Her remark was aimed at the opposition Democrat
Feb. 20, 2012
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[News Focus] Parties rely more on star figures than policies
With the April general elections drawing near, one of the top tasks for political parties is to select the appropriate candidates and recruit influential public figures.The main opposition Democratic United Party is to welcome Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon into its fold this week and the ruling Saenuri Party will round off its election candidate nomination by early next month.Attention is also paid on whether professor Ahn Cheol-soo will join the left-wing camp before the upcoming elections.Observer
Feb. 20, 2012
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Lee calls on S. Koreans to seize job, business opportunities in Middle East
President Lee Myung-bak reiterated Monday that the Middle East offers a number of lucrative business and job opportunities despite the global economic downturn, and South Korea should seize them to spur its slowing economy.After a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates earlier this month, Lee has repeatedly said he saw good business opportunities in the region with large amounts of oil money. Referring to a construction boom in the region in the 1970s, Lee has said there will b
Feb. 20, 2012