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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FM Yun expresses regret over Abe speech
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se expressed regret Friday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe failed to acknowledge Japan's wartime wrongdoing in his congressional speech earlier this week.Abe, in his speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, acknowledged the suffering his country brought to other Asian nations during World War II but offered no apology for its wartime crimes.South Korea and other members of the international community had demanded an apology, especially o
Foreign AffairsMay 1, 2015
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NPAD in crisis after election rout
Korea’s main opposition party is expected to face a severe internal power struggle between two factions consisting of loyalists to two former liberal presidents, while the governing party readies to push ahead with its reform drive after its unexpected victory in the parliamentary by-election Wednesday.Moon Jae-in, leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, apologized Thursday for the party’s crushing defeats in the by-election and laid the blame on himself. Moon, however, did not elabor
PoliticsApril 30, 2015
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[News Focus] Abe dims prospects for Korea-Japan ties
South Korea on Thursday expressed deep regrets over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s refusal to apologize for his country’s wartime atrocities, including the sexual enslavement of Asian women, during his speech at a joint session of U.S. Congress on Wednesday.Much to the chagrin of Seoul and Beijing that have demanded Tokyo’s sincere contrition, Abe did not include any apology in the unprecedented speech. He expressed “feelings of deep remorse” over the war, saying Japan’s actions brought “s
Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2015
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N.K. leader cancels Russia visit: Kremlin
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has canceled his planned visit to Moscow to attend Russia’s World War II anniversary celebrations on May 9, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said Thursday.“He will not come. This is related to internal North Korean issues,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He added the message had been received “through diplomatic channels.”The visit would have been Kim’s first overseas trip since he took power in 2011 after the death of his father.Speculation had been ri
North KoreaApril 30, 2015
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[Newsmaker] NPAD defector pushes new opposition bloc
The election win of Chun Jung-bae in Gwangju indicated that South Korea’s biggest opposition party is losing support in its main stronghold, and heralded the rise of a new political faction in the already-troubled liberal camp.Chun, formerly of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, won a landslide victory over NPAD candidate Cho Young-taek in Wednesday’s by-election. The following morning, he vowed to rally politicians in Gwangju and Jeolla Province that can rival the NPAD in
PoliticsApril 30, 2015
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Korea, China, Japan step up pollution fight
SHANGHAI ― Environment ministers from South Korea, China and Japan agreed Thursday to work together to better respond to yellow dust pollution form the Gobi Desert, which poses an increasing health threat in the region.The agreement drew attention as the Northeast Asian powers were teaming up to deal with environmental challenges, despite their thorny relations over historical and territorial disputes. They vowed to forecast the yellow dust route together, based on their own yellow dust predicti
Social AffairsApril 30, 2015
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Gas leak kills three at SK hynix
Three workers at SK hynix were killed in a gas leak Thursday.The accident occurred in the M14 plant under construction at the company’s complex in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.A company official said that the workers were test-running a newly installed scrubber air filtration system when it filled with nitrogen gas. The official was unable to confirm further details, saying the company was following up on the developments. The M14 plant is a major new production line into which the company injected
Social AffairsApril 30, 2015
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Assembly passes bill requiring day care CCTV installation
The National Assembly passed a bill on Thursday obligating all child care centers to install CCTV.Of 190 lawmakers in attendance, 184 lawmakers voted in favor while six abstained at the plenary session held nearly a month after the bill was rejected in February. The law goes into effect starting September. The parliamentary approval ends months-long debates over child safety and teachers’ privacy and human rights.“It was a shame the bill was rejected in February,” said Rep. Shin Yee-jin of the r
PoliticsApril 30, 2015
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Illegal herb found in health products
Korean biotech firm Natural Endotech’s health products were found to contain an illegal substance, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday. The company, known for its signature health goods made of Chinese traditional medicine Cynanchum wilfordii, used a cheaper toxic ingredient, Cynanchum auriculatum Royal, to make its products, the ministry said. Cynanchum wilfordii and Cynanchum auriculatum Royal are hardly different in their appearance, but the latter is strictly banned from use f
Social AffairsApril 30, 2015
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Seoul's entry to AIIB not to impact Korea-U.S. ties: U.S. envoy
South Korea's participation in a China-led regional bank will not affect the strong alliance between Seoul and Washington, the top U.S. envoy here said Thursday. South Korea joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member with 56 other economies. The regional bank is seen as a potential counterbalance to U.S.-led multilateral lenders such as the ADB and the World Bank. "In terms of the AIIB, will it affect the relationship with the Republic of Korea? The answer is no," Mar
InternationalApril 30, 2015
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S. Korea, China to launch joint research in Yellow Sea
South Korea and China have agreed to conduct a joint environment research in the Yellow Sea as part of efforts to help develop and protect marine resources in the waters shared by the countries, the Seoul government said Thursday.The research will mark a resumption of joint efforts to better understand the environment of waters between the two countries that had lasted for 12 years since 1997, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."Through the joint research that will be resumed this
Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2015
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S. Korea to create arms acquisition academy
South Korea said Thursday it is preparing to launch a special academy to train civilian experts in the defense acquisition field as part of efforts to weed out corruption by relevant military officers. The move is one of the key measures Seoul's arms procurement agency put forth in the wake of corruptive cases involving its personnel mainly caused by cozy ties between businesses and former and current service personnel. "We are drawing up concrete plans, including funding schemes, to establi
DefenseApril 30, 2015
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POSTECH loses its title as best young university
South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology has lost its crown as the world’s top young university, according to the Times Higher Education’s annual ranking published Wednesday. The university, which had topped the list since its inception in 2012, slid to second place, with Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne snatching the No. 1 spot. The fourth annual ranking by Times Higher Education ranked the top 100 universities that were founded less than 50 years ago, u
Social AffairsApril 30, 2015
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Abe offers condolences for WWII dead in U.S. speech
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Declaring ``history is harsh,'' Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan offered solemn condolences Wednesday for the Americans who died in World War II as he became the first Japanese leader to address a joint meeting of Congress.``My dear friends, on behalf of Japan and the Japanese people, I offer with profound respect my eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II,'' said Abe.But as he did at a news conference Tuesday with President
Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2015
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N.K. executes 15 top officials this year: NIS
North Korea has executed at least 15 senior officials this year alone including a vice forestry minister and four high-flying artists as leader Kim Jong-un continues his reign of terror apparently to cement his power, according to Seoul’s National Intelligence Service on Wednesday. N.K. leader Kim Jong-un gives a speech in Pyongyang. YonhapThe vice minister was killed after complaining about the current reforestation policy, as was the deputy chief of a national planning panel who opposed the y
North KoreaApril 29, 2015
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Ruling party regains political momentum with election win
The ruling Saenuri Party emerged unscathed in Wednesday’s parliamentary by-elections which would restore the momentum for its reform drive and strengthen the mandate of chairman Kim Moo-sung.The party took three of four seats up for grabs despite a high-profile corruption scandal involving top government and party officials. Saenuri leader Kim Moo-sung (center) and floor leader Yoo Seung-min (second from left) applaud at the party`s head office in Seoul on Wednesday. YonhapThe opposition New Pol
PoliticsApril 29, 2015
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‘U.S.-Japan cooperation takes aim at China’s assertiveness’
The U.S.’ and Japan’s stepped-up moves to keep an assertive China in check are expected to pose fresh regional tensions and delicate diplomatic tasks among the neighboring countries, analysts said Wednesday.
김종훈 의원, 미 의사당 앞서 아베 규탄 (워싱턴=연합뉴스) 심인성 특파원 = 새누리당 국제위원장인 김종훈 의원이 28일(현지시간) 워싱턴 정신대대책위원회 주관으로 미 의사당 앞에서 열린 시위에 참석, 아베 신조 총리의 과거사 왜곡을 규탄하고 있다. 김 의원은 이날 아베 총리가 2013년 5월 일본의 생체실험 부대인 731부대를 연상케 하는 731 편명의 전투기 조종석에 앉아 엄지손가락을 치켜들며 찍은 기념사진이 담긴 플래카드를 들어보이며 아베 총리의 그릇된 역사관을 비판했다. 20 Foreign AffairsApril 29, 2015
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More Koreans donate, volunteer, survey shows
By Claire LeeMore South Koreans are choosing to donate funds to charities and participate in volunteer work, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Welfare Ministry, Koreans donated 12.49 trillion won ($11.9 billion) in 2013, which is 1.5 times the donations in 2006 ― 8.14 trillion won. Total donations in 2013 accounted for 0.87 percent of gross domestic product. The ministry said while Koreans are donating more funds, the amount remains low compared to average donations in other cou
Social AffairsApril 29, 2015
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Painful lives of wartime sex slaves onstage
Four young Korean women, Ok-dong, Sun-hee, Keum-soon and Bo-bae, find themselves in a military barracks far from home in the midst of the Pacific War, also known as World War II. They are the main characters in the stage production “Flower Petals,” recently played at Byeol Orum theater in the Korea National Theater Complex in Seoul. Directed by Lee Kang-seon, the show is scheduled to go on stage in Hanam Cultural Art Center in May, and in Guro Art Valley Theater in August. A scene from “Flower
Social AffairsApril 29, 2015
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Graft investigation struggles to stay neutral
Prosecutors on Wednesday called in aides of two ruling party heavyweights for questioning in search of a breakthrough in a graft probe whose neutrality is being criticized.They called in the secretaries of former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo to gather information on their whereabouts when deceased businessman Sung Woan-jong claimed to have given money to them.Lee, who resigned upon mounting pressure last week, and Hong are two of the eight politicia
PoliticsApril 29, 2015