Most Popular
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
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North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
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Samsung, SK hynix investors dump shares on Nvidia crash
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[Editorial] Local finances in peril
The deepening financial trouble of local governments came to the fore again when the Incheon metropolis, finding its coffers nearly empty, delayed paying monthly perks to its 6,000 employees last week. Such a delay was unprecedented not just in Incheon but throughout the nation.True, payments were made three days later. But some other metropolises and municipalities are already mentioned as potential candidates for failing to disburse monthly salaries on time. The central government is planning
April 6, 2012
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[Editorial] Single-issue voting?
Election campaigns are regrettably being held hostage by the illegal surveillance of civilians by President Lee Myung-bak’s administration when there are so many sensitive issues that merit keen attention from the electorate. They range from security against North Korean provocations to taxation and policy on chaebol, or family-controlled business conglomerates.True, assigning government officials, including police officers as alleged, to keep a close watch on civilians was so serious a breach o
April 6, 2012
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[Editorial] Weed out corrupt police
In its long-running dispute with the police over how to share investigation powers, the prosecution has adamantly opposed police officers being allowed to investigate crimes on their own. One reason is prosecutors’ concern about police officers’ susceptibility to corruption. An unfolding corruption case has proved that this concern is not unfounded.On Sunday, prosecutors arrested four police officers on charges of having taken 200 million won in bribes from Lee Gyeong-baek, a hostess bar owner o
April 5, 2012
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[Editorial] Sugar-coated pledges
The Ministry of Strategy and Finance has issued another warning against welfare populism pursued by political parties, saying their welfare-related campaign pledges are simply beyond the reach of state finances.According to the ministry, the recently finalized welfare platforms of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party offer a total of 266 programs, excluding overlapping ones. If these programs are implemented in their entirety, the ministry said, it would cost
April 5, 2012
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[Editorial] New allegations
The scandal over the alleged illegal surveillance of civilians by President Lee Myung-bak’s administration is escalating as new allegations are made, this time about activist entertainers put under police surveillance. News reports say that the police kept a watch on them under order from the presidential office.Upon being called on to verify the allegations, the presidential office says it is in the process of confirming them. But suspicions were raised about the Lee administration having put h
April 4, 2012
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[Editorial] Overpriced ballots
The National Election Commission spent nearly 30 billion won on allowing Koreans overseas to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. But the dismal turnout raised the cost per ballot to an exorbitant level.During the March 28-April 3 period, 56,000 Koreans living overseas cast ballots at 158 Korean diplomatic and consular missions in 107 countries. They accounted for 45.7 percent of the overseas Korean residents that had registered for the vote, the electoral watchdog says. But the actual
April 4, 2012
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[Editorial] Sexual aberration
“No sitting together for a boy and a girl after 7 years old.” (Namnyeo chilse budongseok.) From ancient times, this rule of sexual segregation in social life was strictly observed as one of the main tenets of Confucian ethics. From about the middle of the last century, society relaxed the restriction as it accepted the influx of foreign culture after the wars. Co-education from the primary level was a clearest change. In the following decades, men and women shared space and opportunities at work
April 3, 2012
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[Editorial] Greenpeace deportation
It was unnecessary and excessive for the immigration authorities to bar the entry of three Greenpeace staff at Incheon International Airport on Monday and send them back to Hong Kong. An Immigration Service officer said the three members of a four-man group were detained at the airport at the request of a relevant government office which cited “national interest reasons.”The Greenpeace group consisted of Kumi Naidoo, international executive director; Mario Damato, East Asia executive director; F
April 3, 2012
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[Editorial] Spring in Myanmar
If the election of Aung San Suu Kyi in parliamentary by-elections in Myanmar on Sunday marks the beginning of a new process in the democratic development in the Southeast Asian country, it indicates the choice of evolution instead of revolution by the opposition leader, who seems to have learned the art of compromise through her long confrontation with the military.Until the growth of politically conscious and economically sustainable grassroots that are able to provide viable alternatives, the
April 2, 2012
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[Editorial] ‘Red complex’
Most South Koreans believe the North Korean regime is evil, and their antagonism toward the North grew further when Pyongyang announced a purported satellite launch plan, which the world condemned as cover for its long-range missile project. Therefore, whichever political groups or individuals determined to be sympathetic with the North Korean communists are sure to lose votes even if they could expect support from a small pocket in the extreme left.Thus, in the final week of the National Assemb
April 2, 2012
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[Editorial] Military adventurism
The window of diplomacy toward North Korea is closing as the date for its long-range missile launch is fast approaching. Defying international pressure against its plan, the communist state is proceeding with preparations for what it claims to be a satellite launch, scheduled for any time between April 12 and 16. What will follow is nothing but international sanctions. The United States, which vows to overhaul its approach toward North Korea if it pushes ahead with its plan, has already taken pu
April 1, 2012
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[Editorial] Massive surveillance
A businessman who put a video clip lampooning President Lee Myung-bak in his blog was not the only civilian placed under illegal surveillance. Instead, President Lee Myung-bak’s administration is found to have conducted surveillance on numerous civilians with no authorization from the court. The prime minister’s office has a section authorized to monitor high-level officials ― either in government departments or firms and organizations funded or invested in by the government ― if they are suspec
April 1, 2012
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[Editorial] Election fever
Election fever is gripping the nation, as official campaigning for the April 11 parliamentary election has started. Some 920 candidates will campaign boisterously in 246 electoral districts across the nation for 13 days from Thursday to the eve of polling.The temperature of the election fever is unusually high. One indication is the expected high voter turnout. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Election Commission, 56.9 percent of the respondents said they would “definitely”
March 30, 2012
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[Editorial] Nuclear deal with Vietnam
Korea is one step closer to participating in Vietnam’s nuclear power construction project. According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Korea has concluded an agreement with Vietnam to conduct a preliminary feasibility study on building a Korean-developed nuclear power plant in the Southeast Asian country. The deal was agreed between President Lee Myung-bak and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Wednesday following the Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul. According to the ministry
March 30, 2012
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[Editorial] Post-election prices
A brewery raised the prices of its five beer brands by an average of 7.48 percent in December only to revert them to the previous prices in three days. In the same month, a food company announced a 7 percent increase in its tofu prices only to rescind it in the same day.Given that the two companies were among many others that made unsuccessful attempts at price increases, it is easy to assume that a not-so-hidden hand was behind the price rollbacks. Indeed, the administration had repeatedly prom
March 29, 2012
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[Editorial] A sobering reminder
The ruling Saenuri Party’s ill-prepared commitment to child care is backfiring ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. But the main opposition Democratic United Party finds itself in no position to feel schadenfreude. Its election pledges for welfare are a target of public criticism as well.The ruling party’s predicament dates back to August, when it promised to provide subsidies for child care. It did so without seriously considering the administration’s budget constraints and the shaky
March 29, 2012
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[Editorial] Related-party deals
The Fair Trade Commission has toughened its regulation on related-party transactions among subsidiaries of chaebol groups in a bid to expand business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.Under the new rule, which is to apply starting April 1, a company belonging to a business group with aggregate assets exceeding 5 trillion won is required to obtain prior approval from the board of directors when it places an order valued at 5 billion won or more with a sister affiliate. Presentl
March 28, 2012
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[Editorial] Speed up investigations
The presidential office must be on edge as it faces two high-profile investigations at the same time. One concerns the cyberattack last October on the website of the National Election Commission while the other is about illegal surveillance of a civilian.On Monday, an independent counsel started a probe into the NEC website attack that took place on Oct. 26, the day Seoul mayoral by-election was held. A massive distributed denial-of-service attack brought the election watchdog’s website down, ma
March 28, 2012
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[Editorial] Biggest nuclear threat
The leaders of 53 nations and international bodies met in Seoul for two to reconfirm their shared responsibilities to keep nuclear materials from dangerous hands, but the absence of North Korea and Iran helped the participants of the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit realize where the biggest threats are. One positive outcome for President Lee Myung-bak, host of the second nuclear summit after the first in Washington in 2010, was that he had a great opportunity to convince world leaders of the nature
March 27, 2012
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[Editorial] English-only lectures
Universities are increasing the number of English-only lectures to “go in step with the globalization trend,” but students and professors are uncomfortable with the plan. They complain that learning efficiency decreases rather than increases in classes where teachers and students are supposed to speak only English.Since the innovative Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology president Suh Nam-pyo declared “all-English” lectures at the state-run university five years ago and the decisio
March 27, 2012