Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
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Lee signs bills to implement KORUS FTA
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday signed a package of bills needed to implement the Korea-U.S. free trade pact, finalizing the ratification procedures and bringing the deal closer to effectuation early next year.During a Cabinet meeting he presided over, Lee put his signatures on 14 related bills concerning copyrights, patents, customs, trade secret protection and other domestic rules to ensure the smooth implementation of the pact.The signing came a week after the National Assembly passed the
Nov. 29, 2011
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GNP’s Hong hints at resignation
The ruling Grand National Party, seeking renewal ahead of general and presidential elections next year, faced a possible shift in leadership from the current chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo to presidential potential Rep. Park Geun-hye.If the power shift takes place, the ruling party is expected to undergo a fundamental restructuring, which may also affect next year’s big political races.“I am ready to step down from the chairman post, should it be the will of the party members,” said the party leade
Nov. 29, 2011
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A monk with political pull
A Buddhist monk has recently been at the center of political discourse, with his words eagerly listened to by politicians and journalists.Ven. Beopryun is known to have led entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo to make lectures around the country to give comfort and encouragement to young people anxious about their future.The program, called “Youth Concert,” ran for several months starting in May and drew a large audience. It helped build a broad support base for Ahn, who has been touted a
Nov. 29, 2011
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Political realignment back in season
Regrouping attempts more diversified than ever ahead of two key elections in 2012In a recent meeting with reporters, former presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang was active in addressing a range of issues that have recently gripped political circles.Lee said Ahn Cheol-soo, an entrepreneur-turned-professor rising as a potential presidential runner, should show more of his hand, and that a Buddhist monk considered one of Ahn’s mentors should stop talking about politics and return to the sanctuary
Nov. 29, 2011
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Medical PR expert to speak for LFP
The conservative minority Liberty Forward Party on Tuesday appointed a rehabilitation medicine professor and former medical communication expert as its new spokesperson.Moon Jeong-lim, rehabilitation medicine professor in the Catholic University of Korea, offered her resignation to the school before taking her new post, officials said.Moon currently chairs the Korean Society of Pediatric Rehabilitation and Development Medicine and holds directorial-level posts in the Korean Academy of Medical Sc
Nov. 29, 2011
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Lee signs off on bills for U.S. FTA implementation
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday signed off on a package of bills needed to implement South Korea's free trade agreement with the United States, moving a step closer to putting the landmark pact into effect.The signing came a week after the trade pact and 14 related bills passed through parliament
Nov. 29, 2011
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Korea agrees to help Ethiopia’s textile, leather industries
President Lee Myung-bak agreed Monday to help Ethiopia develop its textile and leather industry through sharing South Korea’s development experience and know-how, the presidential office said.The agreement came at a summit with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who arrived in Seoul earlier in the day. The four-day trip also includes his attendance at a major international conference on official development assistance in the southern port city of Busan.The two sides also signed a memorandum o
Nov. 28, 2011
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P.M. gains presence with communication and moderation
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik’s presence in the political arena is expanding as he gains public attention.For the public, Kim’s image improved significantly during the memorial service for the two marines who died in last year’s shelling of Yeonpyeongdo, held at the Daejeon National Cemetery on Nov. 23. With such events having only upgraded to a national ceremony in 2008, the presence of a prime minister at a memorial was a rare enough occurrence, but his demeanor and actions during the event put
Nov. 28, 2011
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Sohn, Park agree to two-step DP convention
The Democratic Party’s internal strife over left-wing consolidation was temporarily settled as leading figures reached a last-minute compromise to split the national party convention into two stages. The party will hold a national convention on achieving unity first and select the new leadership in a separate process.The party’s chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu met former floor leader and aspiring chairman Rep. Park Jie-won late Sunday in a bid to narrow their differences on the creation of a unified
Nov. 28, 2011
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GNP requests increased budget for ordinary citizens, heavier taxes for rich
Ruling Grand National Party leader Rep. Hong Joon-pyo has requested that President Lee Myung-bak consider increasing the welfare budget for ordinary citizens and levying heavier taxes for those in the top income brackets.Hong made the request on Sunday as his party has been striving to come up with measures to support mid- and low-income citizens in efforts to win back their support and shake off its “wealthy, elitist image.”The government, ruling party and presidential office are expected to ho
Nov. 28, 2011
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Nonhyeon-dong still most likely site for Lee’s retirement
President Lee Myung-bak’s private residence in Nonhyeong-dong, southern Seoul, is still the most likely site for his retirement home, but he could move to a different place should the plan fail, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.As an alternative option, the presidential office is considering a site in northern Seoul or Gyeonggi Province as the plan to move back to the Nonhyeon-dong residence in the affluent Seoul district of Gangnam faces problems including the high cost of establishing security facili
Nov. 28, 2011
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Controversy flares up over assault on police officer
Conservatives slam illegal protests; liberals say incident no justification for crackdown Controversy has flared over an assault of a ranking police officer by angry protesters during a weekend street rally against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement attended by opposition party leaders.While the conservative ruling camp on Monday vowed stern enforcement of the law on illegal protests, denouncing the incident as a threat to the law enforcement authority, some raised questions that the police off
Nov. 28, 2011
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Parties move from FTA to election warm-up
The National Assembly is still dealing with the aftermath of last week’s Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement passage, but parties have begun diverting their attention to the general election coming up in April.The ruling Grand National Party added momentum to its internal reforms, both in policies and human resources. The main opposition Democratic Party, on the other hand, faces feuds over the left-wing consolidation project and the new leader selection processes.In an unprecedented move, the conse
Nov. 27, 2011
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GNP workshop to set reform path
Aims to chart policy direction next week, reformists suggest heavier tax for ultra-richThe ruling Grand National Party seeks to chart a clear direction for reforms during a workshop on Tuesday in efforts to regain public support ahead of general and presidential elections next year.The workshop will be a crucial venue for the party to discuss how to make a sweeping, fundamental makeover of its policies and personnel, officials said. It will be held at a convention hall in Gimpo International Air
Nov. 25, 2011
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S. Korea executes 27 percent of FTA support budget for farmers
South Korea has already spent about 27 percent of its budget assigned to help farmers whose business might suffer due to the influx of cheaper produce from the U.S.under the recently approved free trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations, the finance ministry said Friday.The ruling Grand Nation
Nov. 25, 2011
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Nam quits foreign affairs committee
The chairman of the National Assembly’s committee on foreign affairs stepped down Thursday, two days after the Grand National Party railroaded through the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.Rep. Nam Kyung-pil had come under attack as the vote ended in chaos, despite his efforts to achieve a bipartisan compromise.“Now that the long-pending FTA has been ratified, I shall step down from the committee chairmanship and focus on my post as the party’s Supreme Council member,” Nam said.“I dreamt of turnin
Nov. 24, 2011
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FTA passage leaves parliament in paralysis
The passing of the disputed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement has left the National Assembly in paralysis, with the main opposition Democratic Party boycotting most of the scheduled meetings on Thursday.Rep. Jeong Gab-yoon, chairman of the parliamentary budget committee, summoned a subcommittee meeting on Thursday morning to revise the government’s budget bill but had to adjourn as none of the DP members showed up.“The National Assembly should not neglect its duties just because minority oppositio
Nov. 24, 2011
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Lee ponders time, scope of reshuffle
President does not plan press conference or national address on FTA ratificationPresident Lee Myung-bak is pondering when and how to conduct another personnel and organizational reshuffle at Cheong Wa Dae, seeking to shore up public support and make the last year of his five-year term fruitful.Speculation had abounded that he would carry out the reshuffle early next month in a display of his resolve for reforms after his Grand National Party’s defeat in last month’s Seoul mayoral by-election. Le
Nov. 24, 2011
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Harsh words, but no action on tear gas MP
The opposition lawmaker who set off a tear gas canister during a parliamentary vote Tuesday on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement faced harsh criticism Thursday, but no action was taken to hold him legally responsible. The National Assembly Secretariat said that it was “considering” legal action against Rep. Kim Sun-dong, a member of the far-left Democratic Labor Party. But a high-ranking official there said that without political consensus it would not be easy to take such an action against th
Nov. 24, 2011
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Parliament may take legal action against tear gas-spraying lawmaker
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary secretariat said Wednesday it may take legal action against an opposition lawmaker who set off a tear gas canister in the chamber to block the ratification of a free trade deal with the United States.South Korea's ruling party lawmakers on Tuesd
Nov. 24, 2011