Most Popular
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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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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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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
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S. Korea downplays roadmap for gas pipeline project with Russia
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean officials on Wednesday downplayed the significance of a roadmap it had agreed with Russia to build a massive gas pipeline linking the two countries via North Korea, saying the project still has a long way to go.On Tuesday, a senior Russian of
Nov. 2, 2011
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GNP starts action on FTA bill
(Yonhap)The 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, but abadoned the meeting after opposition lawmakers physically opposed it. Rep. Nam Kyung-pil, chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs
Nov. 2, 2011
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Unification minister heads to U.S. to coordinate N.K. policy
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik headed to the United States Wednesday to meet U.S. officials and members of Congress over the allies' joint stance on North Korea and other issues.During his six-day visit to Washington and New York, Yu plans to exchange views on
Nov. 2, 2011
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Ruling party rules out using speaker's authority for FTA vote
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) Wednesday opposed using the Assembly speaker's authority to pass the long-pending free trade deal with the United States on the floor, saying a unilateral passage would cause distrust in party politics.Since the U.S.
Nov. 2, 2011
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GNP moves for floor vote on U.S. FTA
DP demands Lee’s promise to renegotiate ISD clause with ObamaThe Grand National Party on Tuesday was moving to have a floor vote on whether to ratify a free trade agreement with the U.S., as a parliamentary subcommittee was unable to deliberate the bill due to physical obstruction from the opposition. According to reports, GNP leaders were discussing ways to have the FTA bill by-pass the foreign affairs and trade committee. The committee delayed handling of the bill to Wednesday, after oppositio
Nov. 1, 2011
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Probe targets agricultural co-ops
Investigators seek to stamp out corruption to protect small-sum depositorsProsecutors are investigating possible corruption at regional agricultural cooperatives, turning their focus away from local savings banks amid concerns that co-op irregularities could impact the livelihoods of citizens.Investigators recently discovered that a cooperative in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province raked in tidy sums after it illicitly raised its interest rates without consent from borrowers, sources at the Supreme Pro
Nov. 1, 2011
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Gas pipeline, N.K. on Lee-Medvedev agenda
S. Korean leader to speak on cooperation at St. Petersburg State UniversityPresident Lee Myung-bak arrived in St. Petersburg on Tuesday for summit talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during which the two are expected to discuss a natural gas pipeline project and North Korea.Lee has since September expressed a strong intent to bring about a preliminary deal signed between the Korea Gas Corp. and Russia’s Gazprom in 2008 to pipe Siberian natural gas from Vladivostok to South Korea via the
Nov. 1, 2011
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Ex-lawmaker tapped as vice Seoul mayor for political affairs
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Tuesday tapped former lawmaker Kim Hyeong-joo as vice mayor for political affairs, finalizing his choices for the three vice mayor positions.Park also named his election campaign’s chief secretary Ki Dong-min as a head of the metropolitan government’s political coordination division. Ki formerly served as the DP’s vice spokesperson. Kim Hyeong-joo was also a key campaigner for Park in last month’s by-election. He served as a lawmaker of the then Uri Party, a predeces
Nov. 1, 2011
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Park picks jobs as welfare policy keyword
Leading presidential hopeful expected to play active role for party to regain public trustAmid the Grand National Party’s efforts to refurbish its image after the Seoul mayoral by-election defeat, former chairwoman Rep. Park Geun-hye outlined her welfare policy, gearing up for next year’s presidential race.“The fundamental solution to pending welfare problems is to turn the current vicious cycle into a virtuous one,” said Park at a party seminar Tuesday.She also suggested employment as the keywo
Nov. 1, 2011
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GNP moves to push FTA ratification bill
DP demands Lee’s word on ISD deletion The Grand National Party on Tuesday was moving to have a floor vote on whether to ratify a free trade agreement with the U.S., as a parliamentary subcommittee was unable to deliberate the bill due to strong opposition objections. According to reports, GNP leaders were discussing ways to have the FTA bill by-pass the foreign affairs and trade committee. The committee delayed handling of the FTA ratification bill to Wednesday, after opposition members physical
Nov. 1, 2011