Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Controversy over ‘polifessors’ reemerges
Proponents value expertise, while opponents note negligence of teaching and researchLast month’s Seoul mayoral by-election has reignited the long-standing controversy over whether it is desirable for professors to engage in politics. As they exerted sizable influence on the high-profile election using their popularity among relatively young voters, professors have straddled the thin line between politicians and scholars.Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo has been at the center of
Nov. 6, 2011
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N. Korea's mineral exports to China tripled from last year: study
North Korea's mineral exports to China have tripled this year compared to a year ago, a study showed Sunday.A joint study of Chinese data by Yonhap News Agency and Seoul-based IBK Economic Research Institute showed that China imported 8.42 million tons of minerals from North Korea from January to Se
Nov. 6, 2011
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GNP renewal plan to tackle pro-rich image
Rep. Kim Song-sik (center) addresses a news conference Sunday. (Yonhap News)The ruling Grand National Party is pushing to introduce a so-called “Buffett Tax” on the wealthy, party officials said Sunday.It is the latest populist gesture to appeal to young voters, who election experts say have turned
Nov. 6, 2011
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Lee arrives home after trip to Russia, France
President Lee Myung-bak returned home Saturday from a trip to Russia and France that included talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on a gas pipeline project and a G-20 summit aimed at tackling the eurozone debt problems. In a two-day visit to Russia's second-largest city of Saint
Nov. 5, 2011
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GNP divided over Park taking the lead
Calls for an early party convention to drag the Grand National Party out of the gloom are increasing a week after its defeat in the Seoul mayoral by-election, as Park Geun-hye’s stature rises in the party. Park, who typically maintains a discreet, low profile, broke her silence on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, following up on her campaigning for the GNP in last week’s by-elections. She told reporters Thursday that the FTA should be passed immediately, as further delays would harm national
Nov. 4, 2011
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Lee bashes Greek leader for referendum on bailout deal
CANNES, France (Yonhap News) ― South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sharply criticized Greece’s prime minister for putting a bailout plan to a referendum, saying he was shocked the Greek leader made the decision without agreement with other European leaders, officials said Friday.Lee issued the unusually strong rebuke during the first day of discussions at the G20 summit in the southern French city of Cannes on Thursday, which was overshadowed by the eurozone debt crisis, according to presidenti
Nov. 4, 2011
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Parliament remains deadlocked over FTA bill
The chief of the Korean parliamentary trade committee on Friday hinted at the possibility of the ruling party going ahead with a vote on the free trade pact with the U.S.The National Assembly was deadlocked for its third consecutive day Friday, as members of the main opposition Democratic Party staged a sit-in protest to stop the Grand National Party from railroading the agreement through. The bill awaits a trade committee vote before heading to the final vote in the 299-member unicameral house
Nov. 4, 2011
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U.S. FTA ratification faces delay
The parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is unlikely for another week at least, after rival parties on Thursday failed to move the bill forward for a floor vote. A plenary session, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, was called off by the National Assembly speaker, amid a tense standoff between ruling and opposition lawmakers. “The FTA issue is too tangled up (to be handled today). Other than that, there are just a few agenda for today’s session,” explained an official
Nov. 3, 2011
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Views differ on the role of civic groups
Some regard Park’s election as threat to civic activism, while others as evolutionThe election of activist Park Won-soon as Seoul mayor has brought civic groups into the political arena, raising both expectations and concerns at the same time.Park, Seoul’s first mayor elected as an independent, is considered a leading figure the history of civil activism in Korea.One of the founding members of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a leading liberal watchdog, he also set up and led
Nov. 3, 2011
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Views differ on the rise of civic groups
Some regard Park’s mayoral election as threat to civil activism, while others an evolutionUpon the election of liberal activist Park Won-soon as Seoul mayor, civic groups stepped forward into the political arena out of their conventional role as watchdogs, raising both expectations and concerns at the same time.The Seoul mayor, the first elected as an independent and also as an activist, is dubbed the living witness to the history of civil activism in Korea.One of the founding members of the Pe
Nov. 3, 2011
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DP moves to unite left in single party
Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, invited liberal opposition parties and groups on Thursday to form a united party by the end of this year.“Integration is no longer an option but a mission for all those in the liberal camp,” said Sohn in a press conference.“On Oct. 26, we won in the Seoul mayoral by-election but faced defeat in most other constituencies where we failed to cooperate and work as one”He thus suggested a joint meeting of the leaders of the left-win
Nov. 3, 2011
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FTA ratification faces further delay
Parties fail to send bill for plenary session The parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is unlikely for another week at least, after rival parties on Thursday failed to move the bill forward for a floor vote. A plenary session, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, was called off by the National Assembly speaker, amid a tense standoff between ruling and opposition lawmakers. “The FTA issue is so tangled up (to be handled today). Other than that, there are just a few agend
Nov. 3, 2011
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S. Korea to open 1,300 'thrift gas stations' by 2015
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will set up 1,300 gas stations selling cheaper gasoline and diesel by 2015 as part of an ongoing effort to control inflationary pressure, the government said Thursday.The "thrift gas stations" will receive their fuel from state-run Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC
Nov. 3, 2011
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Seoul seeks to halve city university tuition with budget support
Newly elected Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s ambitious dream to halve college tuition is about to take off as the Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering subsidizing the University of Seoul from next year in tuition terms. According to the municipal government, it has recently received a request f
Nov. 3, 2011
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Former Lee aide gets prison term for bribery in savings bank scandal
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- A former legal affairs aide for President Lee Myung-bak was sentenced to one and a half years in prison on Thursday for receiving bribes in return for using his influence to gain favor for a scandal-ridden savings bank. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the priso
Nov. 3, 2011
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Lee, Medvedev vow to cooperate on gas pipeline venture
President Lee Myung-bak and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on a project to pipe Siberian natural gas to South Korea via North Korea during their summit Wednesday in St. Petersburg.“The two leaders agreed that if carried out successfully, the project to import Russian natural gas will bring economic benefits to all three countries,” Lee’s office said in a press release.Noting that there are concerns over the stability of the pipeline running through Nor
Nov. 2, 2011
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GNP starts action on FTA bill
Bill tabled to Assembly panel, but opposition blocks voteThe ruling Grand National Party moved to ratify a free trade agreement with the U.S. on its own Wednesday, submitting the bill for a committee-level vote, despite strong resistance from opposition lawmakers. Rep. Nam Kyung-pil, chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs and trade committee and GNP lawmaker, used his authority to put the bill to the table, as opposition members physically occupied the committee’s main conference room to prev
Nov. 2, 2011
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FTA submitted to committee
Ruling, opposition parties heading for showdownThe ruling Grand National Party on Wednesday moved to ratify a free trade agreement with the U.S. on its own, submitting the bill for a committee-level vote, despite strong resistance from opposition members. Rep. Nam Kyung-pil, chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs and trade committee and GNP lawmaker, used his authority to put the bill to the table, as opposition members physically obstructed the committee’s session to prevent the deal’s ratif
Nov. 2, 2011
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Ruling party faces lowest approval rate ever
The public’s approval rate for the ruling Grand National Party has fallen steadily over the past four years, recently hitting its lowest level ever, according to some local public polls.The rate as of Monday was 27.3 percent, a crash from the record high 57.4 percent scored in December 2008, showed a recent survey conducted by Munhwa Ilbo.The rates first took a downturn in the first half of 2008, after the party’s sweeping victory in the general election, and fell visibly, affected by the global
Nov. 2, 2011
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Lee, Medvedev vow to cooperate for gas pipeline venture
President Lee Myung-bak and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed during their summit talks Wednesday in St. Petersburg to closely cooperate to pipe Siberian natural gas to South Korea via North Korea. “The two leaders agreed that if carried out successfully, the project to import Russian natural gas will bring economic benefits for all three countries,” Lee’s office said in a press release.Korea and Russia reached a tentative agreement to start building a pipeline through North Korea in 2013
Nov. 2, 2011