Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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GNP rejects mourning delegation
Seoul government allows civilians to send condolence messages to PyongyangRuling Grand National Party’s interim leader Rep. Park Geun-hye on Wednesday rejected the liberal opposition’s proposal to send a parliamentary delegation to the funeral of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.Her objection came a day after the Seoul government said it would not send its delegation to the North, but would allow the bereaved families of former President Kim Dae-jung and former Hyundai Asan chairman Chung Mong-hu
Dec. 21, 2011
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Parties resume budget deliberations
DUP pushes for welfare projects; GNP wants to boost military funds amid N. Korea crisisThe National Assembly has resumed its long-stalled deliberation on next year’s budget but rival parties remained at odds over the detailed allocation.The new main opposition Democratic Unified Party set out to cut back on the defense budget, especially on the Jeju Gangjeong naval base which involved several government-resident conflicts earlier this year. It claimed that the corresponding amount should be conv
Dec. 21, 2011
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Intelligence chief casts doubts over time, place of Kim death
The head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Tuesday expressed cautious doubts over the time and location of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death, parliamentary officials said, raising questions over whether the communist North tried to beautify Kim's death. NIS chief Won
Dec. 20, 2011
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Seoul not to send delegation for Kim’s funeral
By Song Sang-hoSouth Korea on Tuesday decided not to send its government mourning delegation to the funeral of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il slated for Dec. 28, while conveying “consolation” to the people in the communist state, Seoul’s unification minister said.But it will allow the bereaved families of former President Kim Dae-jung and Chung Mong-hun, former chairman of Hyundai Asan, to attend it, in return for the visits by the North to their funerals here in August 2009 and in August 2003
Dec. 20, 2011
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Controversy flares over condolences decision
Unification minister says Seoul will make ‘careful decision’Whether South Korea should express its condolences to North Korea over the death of its leader Kim Jong-il and send a delegation to his funeral has emerged as a hot-button issue with people sharply divided along ideological lines.The government, which has taken a conservative policy toward the North, is apparently agonizing over how to best handle it while minimizing political ramifications ahead of major elections next year.Observers a
Dec. 20, 2011
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Parties agree to vote on budget by Dec. 30
Rival parties move fast to normalize parliament on N.K. leader’s sudden deathFacing the political follow-up to the sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, rival political parties on Tuesday agreed to handle next year’s state budget plan next week. The floor leaders of the ruling Grand National Party and the new main opposition Democratic Unified Party agreed Tuesday afternoon to hold a provisional session on Wednesday and pass next year’s budget bill by next Friday.The two also met on M
Dec. 20, 2011
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Seoul officials rapped for intelligence failure on death of Kim Jong-il
South Korean lawmakers rapped their defense and spy agency chiefs Tuesday for a “serious intelligence failure” regarding the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Officials in Seoul were completely blindsided by the news of Kim’s death until it was announced by Pyongyang’s state media at noon Monday, some 52 hours after his sudden demise. Won Sei-hoon, chief of the South’s National Intelligence Service, admitted to parliamentarians that his agency failed to pick up any clue on the momentous
Dec. 20, 2011
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Opposition to get back to parliament
A new center-left party comprised of liberal forces said Tuesday that it has decided to get back to work ending the boycott of parliament.The National Assembly has been stalled since late November as the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and other liberal forces have stayed away from parliament
Dec. 20, 2011
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Government rapped for intelligence failure on Kim death
South Korean lawmakers rapped their defense and spy agency chiefs Tuesday for a “serious intelligence failure” regarding the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Officials in Seoul were completely blindsided by the news of Kim’s death until it was announced by Pyongyang’s state media at noon Mo
Dec. 20, 2011
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S. Korea says no hasty decision on condolences on death of Kim Jong-il
South Korea has yet to decide whether to offer condolences over the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a senior official said Tuesday amid concern the conciliatory gesture could bring a backlash from conservatives ahead of next year's general elections.North Korea women cry after learni
Dec. 20, 2011
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Parties disagree on condolence call for Kim
Left-wing urges for government-level delegation; Right-wing keeps silence, stresses security issuesAmid the aftermath of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death, political responses varied on whether to pay a government-level condolence call to the communist state.North Korea’s state funeral committee said Monday, shortly after Kim’s death was made public, that it would not receive any foreign delegations.The gesture is, however, largely seen as a mere formality, as the country ended up acceptin
Dec. 19, 2011
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Parliament to hold emergency sessions over Kim’s death
Alarmed South Korean lawmakers quickly agreed Monday to hold emergency meetings of various committees at the National Assembly to discuss the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and create measures to cope with the aftermath. The North’s state media reported earlier in the day that the 69-year-old Kim died of a heart attack on Saturday. South Korea’s military has been placed on emergency alert and its foreign ministry also placed its overseas diplomatic missions on emergency standby. Floor
Dec. 19, 2011
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S. Korean officials kept in dark on N. Korean leader's death
South Korean officials are under public and media fire Monday for their apparent failure to collect credible intelligence on the sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.South Korean intelligence apparently had no information about Kim's death two days ago until North Korea announced it. Acco
Dec. 19, 2011
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N.K. leader’s death stirs political circles
Parties try to gauge possible political fallout of heightened N.K. uncertaintyPolitical parties in South Korea were Monday trying to gauge the possible political fallout of the sudden demise of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, ahead of next year’s general and presidential elections.The ruling Grand National Party and the newly-formed main opposition Democratic Unified Party had been preoccupied with their respective political agenda when the news was announced at noon through the communist state
Dec. 19, 2011
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N.K. leader dies of heart attack
Funeral set for Dec. 28; Jong-un hailed as heir; Lee talks with ObamaNorth Korea’s iron-fisted ruler Kim Jong-il, who had long drawn international attention for his unceasing nuclear ambitions, died of a heart attack on a train ride on Saturday, the communist state’s state media reported on Monday. He was 69.The demise of the enigmatic leader sent shockwaves across South Korea, putting the government in emergency mode. Kim, who was tapped as heir in 1974, took the helm of the communist state upo
Dec. 19, 2011
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Park vows to regain voter trust
Rep. Park Geun-hye, upon taking office Monday as chief of the Grand National Party, apologized to the public for “disappointments” from the ruling party and vowed all out efforts to regain their trust. “The GNP, despite being the governing party, has failed to look after the livelihood of the people and see their pain. I sincerely apologize for that,” Park said shortly after she was appointed as the party’s interim chief.About 450 GNP representatives endorsed the appointment of Park in a unanimo
Dec. 19, 2011
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Stress, risk factors may have caused death
The official Korean Central News Agency announced Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died Saturday of a heart attack. He was also reported to have suffered from several mental and physical problems. The deceased “Dear Leader” is believed to have suffered from various diseases throughout his life, while speculation about his ill health and even possible death have lingered for more than five years. In 2007, he was absent from public view for more than 100 days. Sources claimed that he ha
Dec. 19, 2011
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Experts differ over prospect of power succession
Some raise possibilities of power struggles among elitesExperts are divided on whether the third-generation power succession in North Korea will be smoothly carried out following the death of its leader Kim Jong-il.Opinions differed over whether the hereditary transfer of power to his third son Jong-un would face any obstacles in the communist state, which Kim had ruled with an iron fist since his father and national founder Kim Il-sung died in 1994.Some argued that the process will proceed as p
Dec. 19, 2011
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South Korea on high alert after Kim death
South Korean government branches and the military have been put on high alert following the announcement of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death on Monday.President Lee Myung-bak called a National Security Council meeting immediately after he was informed of Kim’s death, and held an emergency Cab
Dec. 19, 2011
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One year countdown to presidential vote
Park to officially take helm of GNPWith exactly one year left before the presidential election, Rep. Park Geun-hye is poised to return to the helm of the Grand National Party on Monday, tasked with lifting the ruling conservatives from a crisis and winning back the confidence of voters. In a nationa
Dec. 18, 2011