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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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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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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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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China emerges as S. Korea's No. 2 investment destination
China became South Korea's second-largest investment destination last year, relegating the European Union to the third spot, central bank data showed Thursday.South Korea's external investment, which includes stocks and bonds, reached $716.6 billion at the end of last year, up $95.5 billion from the previous year, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea.South Korean investment in the U.S. reached $173.6 billion at the end of last year, the largest among other regions with a 24.2 perc
InternationalMay 7, 2015
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Gov't announces plans to develop marine leisure industry
South Korea on Thursday announced a set of measures aimed at developing the country's marine leisure industry that include allowing the use of casinos on cruise ships by local residents.The move comes only about four months after the National Assembly enacted a law allowing the establishment and operation of casinos on cruise ships carrying the South Korean flag, a move aimed at encouraging new private investment in the currently non-existent industry.However, the latest revision failed to allow
PoliticsMay 7, 2015
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New English book features Korea's real faces
A French professor who has been living in South Korea for more than 20 years has published an English-language book introducing Korean culture seen from the perspective of foreigners, not Koreans.Written by Benjamin Joinau, a professor of French Language & Literature at Seoul's Hongik University and a cultural anthropologist specialized in Korean Studies, "Sketches of Korea: an illustrated guide to Korean culture" provides a comprehensive guide to everyday life in Korea.Joinau introduces readers
Social AffairsMay 7, 2015
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N. Korean official calls ties with China 'precious treasure'
A top North Korean official has touted his country's traditional alliance with China as a "precious treasure" amid concerns over chilling ties due to the North's nuclear ambition.Yang Hyong-sop, vice president of North Korea's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, made the remarks at a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Pyongyang Li Jinjun on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy. "The traditional friendship between North Korea and China, created by the older ge
North KoreaMay 7, 2015
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NK leader inspects machine-making factory
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered field guidance to a machine-producing factory, stressing the need to produce modern machinery at full scale, the North's media said Thursday.Kim looked around the February 11 Plant at the Ryongsong Machine Complex in the northeastern city of Hamheung where he emphasized the need for the factory to start full-fledged production of modern machines as early as possible, according to the Korean Central News Agency.As usual, it did not specify the date of his v
North KoreaMay 7, 2015
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S. Korea launches new attack submarine
South Korea unveiled its sixth 1,800-ton-class attack submarine Thursday aimed at boosting its underwater warfare capabilities against North Korea.The launching ceremony for the 214-class submarine, manufactured by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. and named after revered independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun (1902-1920), will take place in the southern coastal city of Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, according to the Navy.The Navy plans to commission the submarine in November 2016, it
DefenseMay 7, 2015
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Activist arrested for praising N. Korea
A 28-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly praising North Korea online in violation of an anti-North Korea law, police said Thursday.The man, identified only by his surname Nam, was apprehended near a university in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, Wednesday night, according to a spokesman for the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency.He allegedly posted dozens of articles sympathetic to the Pyongyang regime between December 2011 and April 2013.Nam is a member of Corean Alliance, a civic gr
Social AffairsMay 7, 2015
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Steelmaker head nabbed over alleged embezzlement
The head of South Korea's third-largest steelmaker was arrested Thursday over allegations he gambled abroad with embezzlement money.Chang Sae-joo, the chairman of Dongkuk Steel Mill Co., is suspected of misappropriating about 20 billion won ($18 million) from Dongkuk Steel Mill by inflating the prices of raw materials the company purchased from abroad from 2005 to March this year.Prosecutors suspect the 62-year-old used the slush fund to gamble in Las Vegas, Nevada, and made billions of won, acc
Social AffairsMay 7, 2015
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'Exploratory talks' with N.K. depend on U.S. flexibility: expert
The prospect of holding "exploratory" nuclear talks with North Korea depends on how much the United States lowers its bar for resuming formal denuclearization negotiations, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.The possibility of "exploratory talks" with Pyongyang resurfaced this week as South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Hwang Joon-kook, said after a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Amb. Sung Kim, that the five parties in the six-party nuclear talks would seek such talks without preconditions.The term
North KoreaMay 7, 2015
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Rival parties fail to pass pension reform bill
Rival parties on Wednesday failed to pass a pension reform bill for civil servants aimed at reducing chronic deficits in funds. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) couldn't get the bill through the National Assembly during the plenary session. The proposal calls for raising the contribution rate from the current 7 percent to 9 percent over the next five years, with the entitlement rate to be reduced from 1.9 to 1.7 percent in stages over
PoliticsMay 6, 2015
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Assembly approves Justice nominee
Saenuri Party lawmakers unilaterally approve the nomination of Park Sang-ok to the Supreme Court on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The governing party unilaterally approved the appointment of a controversial Supreme Court Justice nominee on Wednesday using its majority, ending a weekslong partisan fight over the nomination.The National Assembly voted 151 to 6 in favor of the appointment of Park Sang-ok to the Supreme Court. One vote was counted as invalid. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democ
PoliticsMay 6, 2015
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[News Focus] Calls grow to improve N.K. ties
Calls are growing for Seoul to improve inter-Korean ties to secure diplomatic leverage amid rising concerns over its diplomacy being challenged by a stronger U.S.-Japan alliance and escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.Enhanced cross-border relations would allow Seoul to help ease military tensions on the peninsula and beyond, forge a mood of reconciliation and cooperation in the region and subsequently bolster its diplomatic profile, analysts said.“The Korean Peninsula is exactly where tensions between
North KoreaMay 6, 2015
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Korea to stage military drill to defend Dokdo
South Korea plans to stage a military drill to better defend its easternmost islets of Dokdo this month as Japan ratchets up its sovereignty claims, officials said Wednesday. The exercise is designed to stave off any illegal approaches and will be conducted jointly by the military and coast guard for two days late this month on and around the windswept outcrops in the East Sea, they said. Among the scheduled plans is a landing training exercise by the Navy’s Underwater Demolition and Sea, Air an
DefenseMay 6, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutor-turned-politician at nadir over graft scandal
South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo’s stellar legal and political career is facing uncertainty as he faces a prosecutorial summons Friday as a key suspect in a burgeoning graft scandal.The prosecution said Wednesday that it would summon Hong on Friday morning at 10 a.m. to question him over allegations that he received 100 million won ($93,000) from late Keangnam chairman Sung Woan-jong in 2011. Hong is the the first of the eight political heavyweights involved in the high-profile bribe
PoliticsMay 6, 2015
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Fukuyama stands by Western liberal democracy
In 1989, witnessing the fall of the Iron Curtain, U.S. political scientist Francis Fukuyama declared that history had ended, with Western liberal democracy representing the final form of government and mankind’s ideological evolution. The next 25 years proved to be more complicated than he anticipated: a plethora of regimes and ideologies have swept across the globe toward authoritarianism, away from his optimistic outlook. The pioneering thinker at Stanford University said he still resolutely s
Foreign AffairsMay 6, 2015
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Moon’s NPAD leadership hangs in the balance
Main opposition party chief Rep. Moon Jae-in’s leadership is being put to the test with mounting pressure to reorient the opposition’s political alignment and policy disposition following last week’s electoral defeat.The beleaguered leader’s approval rating has been declining. Realmeter survey said Wednesday that his ratings stand at 24.8 percent, down by 1.9 percentage points from last week, while his rival, Rep. Kim-Moo sung, enjoyed 19.2 percent, 5.7 percentage points higher. On Wednesday las
PoliticsMay 6, 2015
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Drug firm questioned in rebate crackdown
An investigation is underway into a pharmaceutical company suspected of providing rebates worth billions of won to local doctors, police said Wednesday. Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency booked the local drug firm, whose name was not revealed, and its CEO without detention on charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Police also booked 10 doctors without detention on charges of breaching the Medical Law in a case that allegedly involves hundreds of other medical professionals. The dru
Social AffairsMay 6, 2015
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Cabinet passes ordinance for Sewol probe
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance to investigate last year’s sinking of the Sewol ferry, touching off protests from the opposition party and family members of the victims, citing its lack of independence.The ordinance gave legal grounds for the special investigative committee tasked with uncovering the causes behind the sinking of the 6,825-ton vessel that left more than 300 people dead. It also specifies the setup of the committee, such as its subcommittees and their respective rol
Social AffairsMay 6, 2015
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Seoul City to tear down colonial building
Seoul City will tear down a building built during Japan’s colonial period as part of its project to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation in August, officials said Wednesday.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would demolish the annex of the former National Tax Service building near Deoksugung Palace in central Seoul. The annex, situated between the palace and the Seoul Metropolitan Council building, was built by Japan in 1937 in an alleged attempt to conceal the palace, experts said
Social AffairsMay 6, 2015
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[Lee Joo-hee] Let’s not sugarcoat the truth
It was sad to see U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe in Washington last week sashaying into a banquet wearing tuxedoes, alongside gracefully dressed first ladies. It was almost like a kid watching his best friend enter a party with the school bully.As melodramatic as it sounds, the resentment that prevailed South Korea during the eight-day-long Abe visit to the U.S. was very real.It was not about feeling left out. It was more about feeling let down, but not because the U
Foreign AffairsMay 6, 2015