Most Popular
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No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM
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Ador CEO's dismissal to be decided on last day of May
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[Graphic News] Beer the most favored alcoholic drink by Koreans
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Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver
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Haeundae Beach to become sand art museum in late May
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Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors
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Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse
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Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man
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Lee Sun-kyun's posthumuous film to hit theaters in August
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State-led adoption system to be established to ensure adoptees' well-being, minimize overseas adoption
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Korean-American U.S. envoy stresses special partnership
Sung Kim arrives in Seoul to take up postSung Kim, Washington’s newly appointed chief diplomat to Seoul, arrived here to officially take office on Thursday, pledging to make the utmost effort for a stronger bilateral alliance. Kim, a Korean-American former State Department official, was named the new ambassador to South Korea based on his expertise on North Korea and the peninsula. He was sworn in last week in Washington, becoming the first U.S. ambassador to Seoul of Korean heritage since the t
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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Hanjin Heavy union endorses agreement
A prolonged labor dispute at Hanjin Heavy shipyard finally came to an end on Thursday, after workers approved a deal reached a day earlier between union leaders and the management. In a unanimous decision, unionized workers of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. approved the compromise deal, which calls for the company to rehire 94 laid-off workers within a year. Following the endorsement, labor activist and former Hanjin worker Kim Jin-suk came down from a giant tower crane at the compan
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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More than 690,000 students take college entrance exam
More than 690,000 high school students and graduates took the state-administered annual college entrance exam on Thursday, a crucial test seen as a deciding factor in an applicant’s choice of college and subsequent career.The number of test takers dropped 2.6 percent from last year to 693,634, of which about three-quarters were high school students and 22 percent were graduates, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said. The test were administered at 1,207 centers nationwide.The sta
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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N. Korea’s flag carrier cancels its air route with Kuwait
North Korea’s flag carrier has canceled an air route to Kuwait, Airline Route blog says, in what could be Pyongyang’s latest attempt to prevent the news of popular uprisings in the Arab world from reaching the isolated country.The move came less than six months after Air Koryo started a weekly direct flight service between Pyongyang and Kuwait City, Airline Route said Monday on its Web site, citing the carrier’s planned winter operation.In late May, Air Koryo announced the service on its Faceboo
North KoreaNov. 10, 2011
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U.S. military intelligence chief visits South Korea
The top U.S. military intelligence official has been in Seoul for annual consultations with his South Korean counterpart and other officials on North Korea, a Defense Ministry official said Thursday.Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess, Jr., director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, visited the Defense Intelligence Command where he received a briefing on the situation in North Korea on Wednesday, the ministry official said.He also met with the commander of the Defense Security Command and the top Defen
DefenseNov. 10, 2011
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Obama to discuss N. Korea with Chinese, Russian, Japanese leaders
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- When U.S. President Barack Obama holds bilateral summits with his Russian, Chinese and Japanese counterparts in Hawaii later this week, North Korea will be high on agenda, White House officials said Wednesday.Obama is scheduled to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.“We‘ll, of course, address with the Russians a
North KoreaNov. 10, 2011
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Seoul dismisses Japan’s request to call off Dokdo concert
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday dismissed Japan’s recent request to cancel a scheduled concert on South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, saying it was “needless” to even consider the request.The Japanese request came as a group of South Korean lawmakers are planning to stage a concert Friday on Dokdo, a source of frequent tension between Seoul and Tokyo as the latter continues to lay claim to the islets.“It’s true a complaint has been filed by Japan over the planned concert on Dokdo,” a fo
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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S. Korea names honorary envoys for nuclear summit
South Korea on Thursday named singer Park Jung-hyun and actor Jang Geun-seok honorary ambassadors for a nuclear security summit in Seoul next year, the Foreign Ministry said. Park and Jang, along with children’s TV entertainers Jin Ji-hee and Wang Seok-hyun, will be making “a big contribution to promoting” the two-day summit that will open on March 26 next year, the ministry said in a statement. Leaders from some 50 countries, including the U.S., China, Britain, Japan and Russia, will be attendi
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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New U.S. ambassador to S. Korea arrives for duty
Sung Kim, Washington’s newly appointed chief diplomat to Seoul, arrived here to officially start his duty on Thursday. Kim, a Korean-American former State Department official, was named as the new ambassador to South Korea based on his expertise on North Korea and the peninsula. He was sworn in last week in Washington, becoming the first U.S. ambassador to Seoul of Korean heritage since the two sides established diplomatic ties 129 years ago. The appointment of the 51-year-old career diplomat is
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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Test takers undergo stressful rite of passage
College entrance exam weighs on students, parents, even exam writersPark Jae-heung, a senior at Shinjang High School in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis three days before she took the state-administered college entrance exam on Thursday. Though she suffered from pain and a high fever after surgery, she made up her mind to take the exam which could play a decisive role in what university she attends and career she pursues.This year, over 690,000 students took the
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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Dozens of sex offenders found working illegally at youth facilities
Police have uncovered dozens of convicted sex offenders working at schools and other educational facilities for minors in violation of a law banning their employment at such places, officials said Thursday.Under the law, those convicted of sex crimes and sentenced to a minimum punishment of a fine a
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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Sohn and Moon move to form united left-wing party
Main opposition Democratic Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu and the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Moon Jae-in reached consensus on creating an integrated liberal party on Wednesday.They agreed to hold a national convention to consolidate liberal parties and select a new leader, but the idea was slammed by DP lawmakers who had their eye on the party’s leadership.In the Wednesday meeting, Sohn suggested a consolidated national convention be held on Dec. 17 to embrace the entire liberal bloc.The date i
PoliticsNov. 10, 2011
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Park pushes envelope in management style
Civic activist-turned-mayor touts ‘change’ to meet expectations of his supportersMicro-blogging and an unconventional approach have been the epitome of civic activist-turned-Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s first two weeks in office.Having gained fame by successfully nudging businesses and individuals to donate to his charity venture, Park vowed to raise 300 billion won ($265 million) in social investment funds over the next three years to create more jobs and support young venture entrepreneurs. Hal
PoliticsNov. 10, 2011
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Lee travels to Hawaii for APEC summit
President Lee Myung-bak will travel to Hawaii this weekend to discuss ways to spur the global economy, create jobs and reform regulations with other leaders of major Pacific Rim economies, the presidential office announced Thursday,The summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, set for Sunday, comes as the world economy struggles to stave off the negative impact of the eurozone debt crisis that has battered Greece and shows signs of spreading.Lee, who will leave for Hawaii
PoliticsNov. 10, 2011
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Lee revs up push for FTA ratification
President meets minor opposition leader as parliament plenary session called off againPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday stepped up efforts to secure parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, as rival parties struggle to find common ground on a key sticking point in the deal. At the National Assembly, a plenary session was called off with the consent of the Grand National Party and the largest opposition Democratic Party. The two parties have been locked in a standoff o
PoliticsNov. 10, 2011
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GNP agrees with Park’s policy reform
A group of Grand National Party lawmakers demanding drastic change in the party and the government toned down its complaints to stand in line with former chairwoman Park Geun-hye. “Policy reforms should come first,” they said during a luncheon on Wednesday. They thus expressed support for Park, who gave positive assessment on Tuesday to the group’s reform efforts.“Reform should above all be about getting in touch with the people,” she told reporters. “The reformative members’ claim is worth list
PoliticsNov. 10, 2011
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Ruling party seeks to expand child care subsidies for all families
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is considering expanding state child care subsidies to all households with children under 2 years old to encourage more couples to have children and boost the country's low birthrate, a senior policymaker said Thursday.The proposal cal
PoliticsNov. 10, 2011
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New U.S. ambassador to South Korea set to take up post
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea was set to arrive in Seoul on Thursday to take up his post, a U.S. embassy official said. Sung Kim, a career diplomat with expertise on the North Korean nuclear issue, was sworn in last week as Washington's top envoy to Seoul, becomin
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2011
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S. Korea in 'identity crisis' over alliance with U.S.: scholar
South Korea is going through an "identify crisis" again over its security dependence on the United States, especially following North Korea's two deadly attacks in 2010, an alliance politics expert said Wednesday."I think it's fair to say there is an identify crisis in South Korea," William Tow, pro
DefenseNov. 10, 2011
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Walk for disaster awareness
A walk to help people put themselves in disaster victims’ shoes is to be held in a Seoul park this Saturday. The 10 kilometer walk at Seoul Land Park has been organized as part of Mannam’s Global Awareness Campaign. “Although we cannot do a lot in terms of funding due to the nature of our organization, Mannam members want to provide moral support and raise awareness,” a Mannam spokesperson said. “We aim to encourage Korea to wake up and reach out, across borders and cultural constraints, to aid
Nov. 9, 2011