Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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S. Korea, China agree to high-level military dialogue, bolster security cooperation
Defense chiefs of South Korea and China on Friday agreed to establish an annual “strategic defense dialogue,” paving the way for enhanced cooperation in tackling peninsular and regional security issues, officials said.During their talks in Beijing, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Chinese counterpart Gen. Liang Guanglie also expressed their opposition to “any acts that undermine peace and sta
July 15, 2011
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Hong says main aim is private investment
GNP leader says will ensure smooth nomination of presidential candidateThe Grand National Party Chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo pledged to act as a “windbreak” for other frontrunners in the race for presidential candidacy next year.“I have no intention to enter candidacy, nor am I entitled to do so, according to our party constitution,” said the ruling party leader.“My role is to act as a connecting b
July 14, 2011
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‘Lee may nominate new justice minister by Friday’
President Lee Myung-bak is expected to nominate a new justice minister and new prosecutor-general as early as Friday, an official said Thursday, as Lee faces opposition from within his own party against naming one of his secretaries for the minister’s post.The nominations will be announced after consultations with the ruling Grand National Party and background checks on candidates to see if they a
July 14, 2011
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Korea regrets Japan’s boycott of Korean Air in Dokdo spat
Korea regrets Japan’s boycott of Korean Air in Dokdo spatThe Korean government expressed its regret on Thursday after Japan reportedly instructed diplomats not to use Korean Air planes in protest over its showcase flight over the disputed Dokdo islets.The Korean Foreign Ministry urged Tokyo lift the order immediately and pledged stern responses against any Japanese moves encroaching Korea’s sovere
July 14, 2011
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Lee awards highest national security order to U.S. commanders
President Lee Myung-bak awarded South Korea's highest order of national security merit to the outgoing chief of U.S. forces in Korea and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff at a ceremony Wednesday, participants said. Gen. Walter Sharp and Adm. Michael Mullen were given the Tong-Il Medal of the Order of National Security Merit for their contributions to the defense of South Korea, part
July 13, 2011
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Bugging scandal hits politics, journalism
State broadcaster KBS denies bugging allegations, calls probe threat to press freedomAllegations of bugging involving the state-run broadcaster KBS have sparked criticism over “unethical journalism,” with others denouncing the ongoing investigation into the claims as an infringement on press freedom.The suspicion is that on June 23, a 33-year-old KBS reporter, surnamed Jang, bugged a closed-door m
July 13, 2011
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Seoul mayor marks 1st year of 2nd term, decries spending
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pledged to fight “welfare populism” in a city council bill to offer free school meals at all schools in the capital.“If we don’t overcome ‘welfare populism,’ the democracy of our nation cannot move forward,” he noted at the press conference marking the first year of his second term Wednesday.“Seoul citizens have made a wise move to put the free school lunch on referendum and
July 13, 2011
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Lee says will consult GNP on appointments
President Lee Myung-bak told the newly-elected leadership of the ruling Grand National Party over lunch on Wednesday that he will discuss with them before nominating the new justice minister and the prosecutor-general amid backlash from both ruling and opposition lawmakers against the president’s top candidate.During his first official meeting with the new GNP leader Hong Joon-pyo and other member
July 13, 2011
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GNP leader picks close aide as new secretary-general
A close aide to the newly-elected chairman of the Grand National Party Hong Joon-pyo was appointed secretary-general on Tuesday, despite backlash from pro-Lee Myung-bak and pro-Park Geun-hye groups.Floor leader Hwang Woo-yea and policy chairman Lee Ju-young, together with council members Reps. Nam Kyung-pil and Na Kyung-won, supported the chairman’s selection and approved Rep. Kim Chung-kwon as ne
July 12, 2011
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Parties target tough constituencies
DP lawmakers eye GNP home turf; ruling party mulls replacing veteransParties are seeking to turn the table in next year’s general elections with a bold lineup of possible candidates as some veteran lawmakers gave up their candidacy or pledged to run in strategically important areas other than their home-turf constituencies.Rep. Kim Hyo-seuk, a third-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic
July 12, 2011
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Korea crippled by chronic corruption
President Lee in uphill battle to keep his ‘fair society’ campaign afloatA workplace inspector suspected of taking bribes from companies called on a police investigator and tried to bribe him with an envelope of cash only to be caught red-handed early this year.When police later raided the Seoul branch office of the Employment and Labor Ministry, where the inspector surnamed Park worked, they foun
July 12, 2011
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GNP chiefs to cancel tax cuts, reduce tuition
The ruling Grand National Party, led by newly elected chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, has announced a reformative, “people-friendly” stance.In the party workshop at the National Assembly on Sunday, the Supreme Council and the policy committee agreed almost unanimously to slash university tuition fees and reinforce regulations over conglomerates.The plan also included overturning additional corporate
July 11, 2011
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Lee to name new top prosecutor, justice chief
President Lee Myung-bak, who returned from his African tour Monday, is expected to replace the justice minister, prosecutor-general and senior presidential secretary for civil affairs later this month.In protest over a bill which state prosecutors believe restricts their investigative rights, Prosecutor General Kim Joon-kyu offered to resign last week while Lee was in South Africa. Lee is likely t
July 11, 2011
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Cho pushes for easier overseas voting
Rep. Cho Jin-hyeong of the Grand National Party talks in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. (Yang Dong-chul/The Korea Herald)Lawmaker proposes postal votes, transport for Korean voters in remote areasPending bills must be passed to ensure the 7 million Korean citizens overseas can exercise their political rights, a ruling party lawmaker has said.“We don’t have much time left until this Nove
July 11, 2011
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Minnesota politician sends himself fake bomb
An American politician who allegedly posted himself an imitation grenade has been accused of making false police report.Leroy Schaffer, a city councilman from Minnesota, told authorities that somebody had sent him a bomb. It turned out to be a ploy to buy sympathy from people.On July 1st, the accused had called police concerning a suspicious package he had received from Chicago. He told officers t
July 11, 2011
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Georgian journalist says he spied for Russia
TBILISI (AP) -- The personal photographer to the Georgian president was shown on television Saturday confessing to supplying a colleague with secret information that was then sent to a Russian secret service.Irakli Gedenidze confessed to giving another photographer, Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency, details of the president's itinerary, motorcade route and offices for unspecifie
July 11, 2011
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Lee offers to aid Ethiopia development
President, first lady join volunteer work; thank nation for Korean War helpPresident Lee Myung-bak continued volunteer work in Ethiopia on Sunday, working on construction sites for public restrooms and a village hall in a rural area, before his weeklong tour of Africa.Lee and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok helped repair wells and fences during their visit to a rural village, joined medics’ examinations of
July 10, 2011
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Lee sprays disinfectant at alleys, toilets as part of volunteer work in Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, July 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sprayed disinfectant at alleys and toilets in Ethiopia on Saturday as he engaged in volunteer work at a poverty-stricken village in a symbolic gesture of returning the African nation's help during the Korean War.Lee's visit to Kebena Village, one of four major poverty areas in this Ethiopian capital, was one of a series of activi
July 10, 2011
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Ruling party chief agrees to block more tax cuts for big companies
The head of South Korea's ruling party said Saturday that he agreed to ditch a plan to further cut taxes for big companies, as the conservative party looks to regain votes from the poor ahead of next year's elections. "It is inconsistent for the government to continue to cut taxes for big companies, which are said to put some 100 trillion won(US$94.6 billion) in banks and block the money from
July 9, 2011
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Lee pledges active support for Ethiopia's economic development
ADDIS ABABA -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed Friday to provide active support for Ethiopia's economic development, pledging to significantly boost relations with the African nation that helped save the South from North Korea's invasion 60 years ago. In summit talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Lee expressed gratitude for Ethiopia's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, a
July 9, 2011