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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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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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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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Savings bank scandal becomes hot political issue
Ruling party hints at parliamentary probeState prosecutors found that President Lee Myung-bak’s confidant and former state auditor Eun Jin-soo violated the law to take part in auditing savings banks last year as they investigated Eun’s alleged involvement in a snowballing savings bank corruption scandal.Eun stepped down as commissioner of the Board of Audit and Inspection Thursday after the prosec
May 27, 2011
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N. Korean leader calls for early resumption of six-party talks: Xinhua
SEOUL/BEIJING (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il called for an early resumption of the long-stalled six-party nuclear disarmament talks when he met with Chinese President Hu Jintao during his latest trip to the neighboring ally, Beijing's Xinhua News agency said Thursday.But Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) gavea toned-down account, saying that Kim and Hu recognize
May 26, 2011
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President may pay state visit to Japan this fall
Seoul and Tokyo are discussing whether President Lee Myung-bak should accept his Japanese counterpart’s invitation for a state visit this fall, Lee’s spokesperson said Thursday.Prime Minister Nato Kan extended the invitation during his summit talks with Lee held Sunday in Tokyo on the sidelines of the annual Korea-Japan-China summit.“President Lee said Seoul’s foreign ministry will hold working-le
May 26, 2011
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U.S. to use radar in chemicals probe
Device to examine soil at U.S. base; officials discussing joint investigationThe U.S. military will mobilize ground-penetrating radar devices as early as next week to inspect the soil at one of its bases here where a large amount of Agent Orange was allegedly buried some three decades ago, the Eighth Army commander said Thursday.Public anxiety here has been deepening over a series of allegations b
May 26, 2011
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N. Korea defectors slam remittance approval plan
North Korean defectors here are strongly opposing a government plan to require them to gain approval before making remittances to relatives in the cash-strapped state.They say that the approval process could put them and their loved ones in the North in dangerous situations and make brokers demand more money for delivering funds.They also say that since their remittances are made through “complica
May 26, 2011
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Assembly needs innovation, too
Kwon successfully organizes G20 parliamentary forum, hopes to retake Assembly seatThe National Assembly secretary-general is gearing up to retake a lawmaker seat for the fourth time after serving the parliament as head of its administrative affairs.“I believe that one becomes a true politician only after serving several terms as lawmaker and as administrator as well,” Kwon Oh-eul, secretary-genera
May 25, 2011
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GNP conflict deepens on tuition, N.K.
Floor leader meets education minister; reformist calls for easing Pyongyang stanceConflict among ruling Grand National Party legislators over policy directions intensified Wednesday, as the party’s new leaders pushed forward a plan to reduce college tuition fees despite resistance from the old guard. Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, floor leader and acting chairman of the conservative ruling bloc, met Wednesda
May 25, 2011
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U.S. rights envoy arrives in Pyongyang
A team of U.S. officials arrived in North Korea on Tuesday, the communist state's official media said, a trip intended for consultation on "humanitarian issues" between the two longtime foes.The delegation, led by Robert King, special American ambassador on North Korean human rights, had departed from Beijing hours earlier to arrive in North Korea where it seeks to clarify doubts about Pyongyang's
May 24, 2011
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[News Focus] GNP embroiled in identity crisis, feud
Conflicts over free school meals, college tuition fee cut escalateAn identity crisis is deepening at the Grand National Party, after reformists who emphasize greater welfare for the working class took control of the ruling conservative bloc. On one side, the party’s two new chiefs ― floor leader Rep. Hwang Woo-yea and top policymaker Rep. Lee Ju-young ― are championing a plan to slash college tuit
May 24, 2011
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‘Chemicals dumped in Bucheon’
Ex-soldier claims indiscriminate dumping at U.S. baseAnother former U.S. soldier claimed seven years ago that his unit in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, dumped “every imaginable chemical” there in the 1960s, a U.S.-based Korean journalist said Monday.The comment further escalated public anxiety over toxic chemical contamination by U.S. troops here, who are alleged to have buried a considerable amount
May 24, 2011
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Expert calls for pragmatic N.K. policy
U.S. analyst expects herald interview N.K. ‘apology,’ easing of Seoul’s sanctions in near futureNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s seventh official visit to China is once again drawing attention to whether the reclusive state will forge a major economic partnership with its main ally and provider of aid.In addition to revisiting China’s underdeveloped northeastern provinces last week, Kim traveled
May 24, 2011
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Lee meets envoy from the Vatican
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday met with a senior Vatican official in charge of promoting dialogue with other religions and expressed his respect for such efforts, the presidential office said.French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican, arrived in Seoul on Monday for a five-day trip that includes a visit to the headquarters
May 24, 2011
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Revision calls mount for U.S. forces rules
Lawmakers and civic groups are calling for the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S. to toughen regulations after possible environmental contamination here.They argue that with the “abstract, vaguely-worded terms” in the pact, the Seoul government cannot demand that the U.S. engage in environmental surveys or offer compensation for its troops’ environmental damage here.The two a
May 24, 2011
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Generational change remains political slogan
Grand National Party leadership race heats up as July convention approachesIn November 1969, Kim Young-sam, then an opposition lawmaker, announced his intention to run in his party’s presidential nomination race, using the slogan “40-something standard bearer.”The announcement by the then 43-year-old Kim took aback the New Democratic Party’s aged leadership, which had posed no serious challenge to
May 24, 2011
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Korea-Japan-China secretariat headed by Shin
The cooperative secretariat of South Korea, Japan and China will help strengthen the partnership between the three neighboring countries and thereby wield a strong influence over the Northeast Asian economy, Seoul’s secretary-general of the institution said. Shin Bong-kil, appointed as the first chief of the institution on May 21, will serve for two years after which the post will be passed to ano
May 24, 2011
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N.K. leader visits industrial complex in China
BEIJING/YANGZHOU (Yonhap News) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited an economic development zone and a discount store in the eastern city of Yangzhou on Monday in a trip apparently designed to study China's economic reform, a source said.After his two separate outings, Kim appeared to have dinner with former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, the source said."I understand there was a dinner comb
May 23, 2011
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Five minister nominees face tough grilling
While opposition parties pledge to call off the government reshuffle results, the five minister nominees face their parliamentary hearing this week, where they are to be grilled over varying charges and suspicions.“We aim at dismissing all five nominees through the hearings,” said Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party.His ruling Grand National Party counterpart Hwa
May 23, 2011
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Seoul tightens rules on cash flow to North Korea
South Koreans who wish to send money to their families in North Korea will be required to get government approval in advance under a revised law, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Monday.All remittances between the South and North, including investments or aid to the North from an overseas corporation set up by a South Korean citizen, will require government approval, according to the revised law
May 23, 2011
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GNP vows to slash tuition, doubts remain
Opposition parties accuse ruling party of copying their fee-cut policyThe ruling Grand National Party has come under fire for its new plan to drastically cut college tuition fees for low-income families. “We aim at lowering the college tuition fees at least by half for all low-income families,” said Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, the GNP floor leader, on Sunday.“Though we expect difficulties in securing the
May 23, 2011
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S. Korea, U.S. launch Agent Orange probe
South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to a joint investigation into the alleged burial three decades ago of Agent Orange at a U.S. military base in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province, a senior government official said Sunday.“Recognizing the urgency and importance of the matter, the U.S. has actively engaged in consultations with us. For a prompt, transparent resolution of the issue, the two sides
May 22, 2011