Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
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[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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S. Korea develops chemical warfare vehicle
South Korea has developed a new reconnaissance vehicle for use in chemical, biological and radiological warfare, the Defense Ministry announced Monday."Today, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration succeeded in developing a new-type CBR reconnaissance vehicle with domestic technology," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said.The state arms procurement agency launched a related project, worth some 22 billion won ($20.1 million), in December 2011 in cooperation with Doosan DST Co., a local de
DefenseMay 11, 2015
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N. Korean missile test 'very serious, worrying': Seoul
South Korea expressed concerns Monday over North Korea's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, urging the communist North to stop its development.On Saturday, North Korea said it test-fired a ballistic missile underwater, renewing tensions on the Korean Peninsula."We judge North Korea's test-firing of a ballistic missile underwater last week to be very serious and worrying," Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said during a regular press briefing."We urge North Korea to imme
North KoreaMay 11, 2015
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S. Korea vows merciless retaliation against N.K. provocations
South Korea will mercilessly counterattack any North Korean provocations, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Monday following North Korea's underwater ballistic missile test-firing last week.On Saturday, North Korea claimed it successfully carried out an underwater test-fire of a submarine-launched ballistic missile in what is believed to be the country's first test-fire of a ballistic missile from a submarine.Intelligence officials said it would pose a fresh threat to the security of the Korean
North KoreaMay 11, 2015
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N. Korean general thought to be behind 2010 attacks on South dies
A top North Korean military official, thought to be behind the communist nation's deadly attacks on South Korea in 2010, died over the weekend, Pyongyang's media said Monday.Gen. Kim Kyok-sik died Sunday of respiratory failure at the age of 77 after suffering from an unidentified cancer, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the communist party's official newspaper.South Korean officials said he is believed to have led the North's torpedo attack on a South Korean warship in March 2010 and the shelling
North KoreaMay 11, 2015
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Court rejects evidence against S. Korean accused of illegal exports to Iran
A U.S. district court has struck down evidence used in the indictment of a South Korean businessman accused of illegally selling banned items to Iran, saying the evidence was seized in violation of his right to privacy.Kim Jae-shik, head of Karham Eng. Corp. in Seoul, was indicted in March 2013 on charges that he conspired to export U.S. aircraft parts without the required export licenses to intermediaries in China and Korea and ultimately customers in Iran.The aircraft parts, known as "accelera
Foreign AffairsMay 11, 2015
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[News Focus] N.K. missile test escalates tension
Tension between the Koreas flared over the weekend as North Korea test-fired submarine and ship-to-ship missiles and threatened attacks on South Korean vessels it accused of encroaching its waters. The underwater testing of the KN-11, or “Bukkeuksong” (North Star) missile, stoked concerns over the communist state’s possible acquirement of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, a technology that could make way for a survivable second-strike capability and thus bring its nuclear threat to a new l
North KoreaMay 10, 2015
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Stalled pension bill likely to dominate May extra session
Prospects for the May extraordinary session of the National Assembly remain bleak as rival parties lock horns over the stalled bill on civil servants’ pension reform, even as the presidential office is adding pressure on both to swiftly pass it.Lawmakers are to hold a 30-day extra session starting Monday to pass a package of pending bills awaiting their approval. But the partisan standoff over the pension reform bill is likely to be a stumbling block as the rival parties continued to wrangle ove
PoliticsMay 10, 2015
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Park’s special envoy meets with N. Korean ceremonial leader
President Park Geun-hye’s special envoy has met North Korea’s ceremonial head of state at a ceremony in Russia marking the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, Seoul officials said Sunday. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling Saenuri Party had a “brief encounter” with Kim Yong-nam, president of the North’s Supreme People’s Assembly as they laid a wreath on the graves of unknown soldiers alongside other world leaders and top officials on Saturday. “The encounter took place naturally durin
North KoreaMay 10, 2015
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Visa-free entry for travelers to Jeju via Gimpo
The Korean government said Sunday it would waive visas for foreign travelers planning to visit the southern resort island of Jejudo via Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, as part of its efforts to boost tourism.According to officials at the Justice Ministry, foreigners bound for Jejudo Island will be allowed to stay for five days without a tourist visa starting next month if they make a transfer at Gimpo in western Seoul. It is the seventh Korean airport designated as a visa-waiver airport fo
Social AffairsMay 10, 2015
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Prosecution presses Hong over alleged bribery
The prosecution said Sunday that it had secured evidence to prove that South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo met a former aide of deceased businessman Sung Woan-jong that counters the politician’s denial that the meeting took place.Sung’s aide, surnamed Yoon, has claimed to have delivered illicit money from the businessman to Hong in 2011 when he was running for chairmanship of the Grand National Party, the precursor to the ruling Saenuri Party.An official at the special investigative tea
PoliticsMay 10, 2015
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Violent crime rate surges among seniors
Violent crimes committed by people aged 65 or more soared nearly 40 percent over the past two years, with poverty, illness and loneliness cited as the major reasons, data showed Sunday. Seniors have increasingly committed more crimes in recent years than before, with the total number of cases reaching 77,260 in 2013, up 12.2 percent from 2011, according to data by the Korean National Police Agency. In particular, the increase in the number of violent crimes including murder, robbery, rape and ar
Social AffairsMay 10, 2015
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EU goes to school to court Korea’s youth
The European Union Embassy kicked off its “EU Goes to Schools 2015” program, designed to promote awareness of Europe among Korean high school students, with the first lecture at the Kyungbok Business High School in western Seoul on Friday. EU Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski and 20 other ambassadors from EU member states will visit 42 schools this year, and present European history, politics, economy and culture, as well as their career. The program started last year in collaboration with the Seoul E
Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2015
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Indonesia introduces new streamlined FDI process
The Indonesia Investment Board, in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy, held a reception last week to woo Korean investors in infrastructure, manufacturing, maritime industries and tourism, while explaining the country’s latest regulatory changes. Franky Sibarani, the chairman of the board, gave a presentation on simplified investment license processing and new opportunities at the gala dinner “New Government and New Hope: Investment Plan 2015-19” at Conrad Hotel in Seoul last Thursday.Ind
Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2015
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New Canadian ambassador takes over with eye on trade ties
Canadian Ambassador Eric Walsh had prior postings likely coming into his new position as Canada’s top envoy to Korea. Before being appointed in February, Walsh was the director of East and North Asia relations in the Canadian government in Ottawa, and had been posted in Berlin, Bucharest and Geneva.As relations between Canada and Korea become increasingly intertwined through free trade, immigration and education, Walsh said he had reason to be optimistic about the future. “Things are going well
Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2015
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Kazakhstan celebrates unity within diversity
Kazakhstan’s national holiday ― the Day of Unity of Kazakh People ― celebrates diverse nationalities and ethnicities that peacefully coexist in Kazakhstan. The country has more than 130 ethnic groups and nationalities ― Kazakh, Russian, Uzbek, Ukrainian, Tatar, Uyghur, German, Azeri and Belarusian ― including some 100,000 third- and fourth-generation ethnic Koreans who were deported to Central Asia from Soviet Union in the 1930s. They did not relocate based on their own will, but were driven by
Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2015
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Presidential office urges swift passage of pension reform bill
The presidential office called Sunday for the swift passage of a controversial bill to reform the public employee pension system as the National Assembly is set to open an extra session this week.The bill to restructure the debt-ridden pension plan for government employees has been at the center of the Park Geun-hye government's recent reform drive. The much-awaited passage of the bill, however, fell apart in parliament on the last day of the preceding extra parliamentary session last week as ri
PoliticsMay 10, 2015
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S. Korean special envoy meets N.K.'s No. 2 man in Moscow
A South Korean special envoy has met with a top North Korean official in Moscow during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, diplomatic sources here said Sunday. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling Saenuri Party encountered Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's ceremonial head of state, during the Saturday ceremony in Moscow's Red Square, they said. Kim attended the ceremony on behalf of leader Kim Jong-un. Yoon and Kim exchanged just pleasantri
North KoreaMay 10, 2015
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N. Korea boosts cyber operations capabilities
North Korea has significantly beefed up its human resources to boost its cyber warfare capabilities, the South Korean military said Sunday."A total of 6,800 hackers -- some 1,700 experts and 5,100 supportive members -- have been assigned to hacking and other cyber provocations," a senior military officer told reporters, requesting anonymity. The latest figure is 900 more than what Seoul's Military Cyber Command reported to the National Assembly in October."North Korea appears to have been concen
North KoreaMay 10, 2015
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U.S. says N. Korea's alleged launch of submarine missile violates U.N. resolutions
The United States said Saturday it is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions for North Korea to launch ballistic missiles after the communist nation claimed it successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine. "We closely monitor North Korean activities and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, especially North Korean military activities," a State Department spokesperson said. "Launches using ballistic missile technology are a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Co
Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2015
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US says 'It's receptive to nuclear talks with North Korea'
After three years of diplomatic deadlock, the Obama administration says it is open to holding preliminary talks with North Korea to probe its intentions and assess the prospects of ridding the country of nuclear weapons.A senior South Korean envoy traveled to Washington and Beijing this past week as nations involved in long-stalled aid-for-disarmament negotiations consider their diplomatic options. Tensions have eased a little on the Korean Peninsula following the completion of annual U.S.-South
Foreign AffairsMay 9, 2015