Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
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'The Roundup: Punishment' becomes fastest 2024 film to top 2 mln admissions
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Ruling party rules out using speaker's authority for FTA vote
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) Wednesday opposed using the Assembly speaker's authority to pass the long-pending free trade deal with the United States on the floor, saying a unilateral passage would cause distrust in party politics.Since the U.S.
PoliticsNov. 2, 2011
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N. Korea's heir apparent fathered daughter last year: source
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- The youngest son and heir apparent of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il appears to have fathered a daughter last year with his reported wife, an informed source here said Wednesday.Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, has cemented his status as leader-in-waiting sin
North KoreaNov. 2, 2011
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GNP moves for floor vote on U.S. FTA
DP demands Lee’s promise to renegotiate ISD clause with ObamaThe Grand National Party on Tuesday was moving to have a floor vote on whether to ratify a free trade agreement with the U.S., as a parliamentary subcommittee was unable to deliberate the bill due to physical obstruction from the opposition. According to reports, GNP leaders were discussing ways to have the FTA bill by-pass the foreign affairs and trade committee. The committee delayed handling of the bill to Wednesday, after oppositio
PoliticsNov. 1, 2011
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S. Korea plans $50b fund for reunification
South Korea will set up a fund as early as this year to begin raising up to 55 trillion won ($50 billion) to pay for its eventual reunification with North Korea. Individual Koreans at home and abroad will be able to make donations to the fund and the government in Seoul may earmark money including budget surpluses, Unification Minister Yu Woo Ik said in his first interview since being sworn in on Sept. 19. While foreigners will also be allowed to donate, there is no plan to ask overseas governme
North KoreaNov. 1, 2011
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Government to reinforce welfare for ailing veterans, patriots
The government will provide free respite care service to the aged and ailing veterans and patriots under a bill that the Cabinet approved Tuesday to improve the welfare of those people, officials said.Under the program, caregivers will visit homes of veterans and patriots who are aged 65 or older, living alone or suffering from senile diseases to help them eat meals and do house chores and other daily activities, they said.The bill, which now awaits approval from the parliament, also allows regi
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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Military saves maintenance costs by hiring civilians
The military has saved costs and improved its productivity in equipment maintenance by hiring civilian workers, the defense ministry said Tuesday.The ministry said that as part of the military’s plan to increase efficiency in defense management, the Army hired 37 civilian technicians to handle maintenance of 27 armored vehicles this year.The ministry said the military could save up to 11.7 billion won ($10.5 million) in defense budget this year, and 46.8 billion won until 2014.The ministry said
DefenseNov. 1, 2011
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S. Korea prepares steps to follow IAEA report on Iran: sources
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korean officials are reviewing “realistic options” in case they face pressure to impose fresh sanctions on Iran, diplomatic sources here said Monday, as the U.N. nuclear watchdog is preparing to release a major report on Iran’s uranium enrichment program.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to link Iran’s UEP with weapons development in the new assessment to be issued before the agency’s board of governors meeting in Vienna in mid-November, a
Foreign AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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Constitutional Court chief gets doctorate
Korea’s chief of the Constitutional Court received an honorary doctorate from one of Russia’s leading universities on Monday, the court said.Lee Kang-kook held a celebratory lecture for the students of Russia’s Saint Petersburg State University after receiving the doctorate from the school. The former Supreme Court justice lectured the Russian students on his experiences over the past 23 years he has worked within the Korean justice system, including its social effects and future direction.The 6
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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U.S. soldier gets 10 years for rape
A provincial district court has sentenced a U.S. soldier stationed here to a 10-year prison term for the rape of a young Korean woman.The Uijeongbu District Court sentenced the 21-year-old U.S. Army private of the 2nd Infantry Division, with the heaviest sentence since 1992 when another U.S. private was jailed for 15 years in a high-profile rape and murder case. The court ordered that the soldier, whose name has not been released, fulfill 80 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and that
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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TV host Kim Mi-hwa plans to open online news outlet
Comedienne-turned-TV and radio host Kim Mi-hwa is planning to open an online media outlet.According to local media, Kim reported her plan to establish Soonakjil News to the Gyeonggi Metropolitan Government on Monday. By law a person wanting to open an online news outlet has only to report the plan to the authorities and does not need government authorization. Unless critical faults are found, Kim may well open the site within a week, officials said.Kim, perhaps best known for her comic character
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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Probe targets agricultural co-ops
Investigators seek to stamp out corruption to protect small-sum depositorsProsecutors are investigating possible corruption at regional agricultural cooperatives, turning their focus away from local savings banks amid concerns that co-op irregularities could impact the livelihoods of citizens.Investigators recently discovered that a cooperative in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province raked in tidy sums after it illicitly raised its interest rates without consent from borrowers, sources at the Supreme Pro
PoliticsNov. 1, 2011
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18 killed by humidifier sterilizer: civic group
A civic group on Tuesday alleged that 18 people have died from a mysterious f pulmonary disease caused by a humidifier sterilizer, a death toll far higher than the government estimated.The activists disclosed 50 additional reports and urged the administration to ban the sales of the sterilizers. According to the Asian Citizens’ Center for Environment and Health, a total of 18 people, one of whom was pregnant, likely to have died of the pulmonary infection caused by the sterilizers. “The governme
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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Pohang suffers FMD scare
A cow at a farm in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, was confirmed negative for foot-and-mouth-disease, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Tuesday.Authorities lifted the precautionary measures around the area including a ban on the movement of cows, vehicles and people.The Pohang municipal government received a report on Monday about one of the 14 cows raised in a farm in Shingwangmyeon behaving strangely. FMD swept the nation earlier this year with tens of thousand
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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Ex-S. Korean envoys demand China stop repatriating N.K. defectors
More than 120 diplomats who formerly served as South Korean ambassadors released a statement calling on China to stop sending North Koreans back against their will, a civic group here said Tuesday. A total of 127 ex-ambassadors accused the Chinese government of violating international law by sending back the refugees.“It is the international society’s unchangeable custom to protect and shelter refugees,” the diplomats said in the statement released during a press conference here. The statement c
North KoreaNov. 1, 2011
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Gas pipeline, N.K. on Lee-Medvedev agenda
S. Korean leader to speak on cooperation at St. Petersburg State UniversityPresident Lee Myung-bak arrived in St. Petersburg on Tuesday for summit talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during which the two are expected to discuss a natural gas pipeline project and North Korea.Lee has since September expressed a strong intent to bring about a preliminary deal signed between the Korea Gas Corp. and Russia’s Gazprom in 2008 to pipe Siberian natural gas from Vladivostok to South Korea via the
PoliticsNov. 1, 2011
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Ex-lawmaker tapped as vice Seoul mayor for political affairs
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Tuesday tapped former lawmaker Kim Hyeong-joo as vice mayor for political affairs, finalizing his choices for the three vice mayor positions.Park also named his election campaign’s chief secretary Ki Dong-min as a head of the metropolitan government’s political coordination division. Ki formerly served as the DP’s vice spokesperson. Kim Hyeong-joo was also a key campaigner for Park in last month’s by-election. He served as a lawmaker of the then Uri Party, a predeces
PoliticsNov. 1, 2011
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‘Livable’ Korean cities internationally recognized
Multiple Korean cities were internationally recognized for their management of the local environment at the closing ceremony of the International Awards for Livable Communities held in Seoul on Monday. Tongyeong City, South Gyeongsang Province, received first prize as the most “livable” city with a population of 75,001-150,000, in recognition of its efforts in developing a sustainable island resort for tourists, among other projects.Namwon City, North Jeolla Province, took third place for its hi
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2011
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Park picks jobs as welfare policy keyword
Leading presidential hopeful expected to play active role for party to regain public trustAmid the Grand National Party’s efforts to refurbish its image after the Seoul mayoral by-election defeat, former chairwoman Rep. Park Geun-hye outlined her welfare policy, gearing up for next year’s presidential race.“The fundamental solution to pending welfare problems is to turn the current vicious cycle into a virtuous one,” said Park at a party seminar Tuesday.She also suggested employment as the keywo
PoliticsNov. 1, 2011
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GNP moves to push FTA ratification bill
DP demands Lee’s word on ISD deletion The Grand National Party on Tuesday was moving to have a floor vote on whether to ratify a free trade agreement with the U.S., as a parliamentary subcommittee was unable to deliberate the bill due to strong opposition objections. According to reports, GNP leaders were discussing ways to have the FTA bill by-pass the foreign affairs and trade committee. The committee delayed handling of the FTA ratification bill to Wednesday, after opposition members physical
PoliticsNov. 1, 2011
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S. Korean Protestant church leaders to visit N. Korea
A group of South Korean Protestant church leaders will make a rare visit this week to North Korea, a local council of churches said Tuesday, in another sign of thawing tensions between the two Koreas.The group is scheduled to visit Pyongyang from Wednesday to Saturday where they will hold a joint pr
North KoreaNov. 1, 2011