Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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Seoul to promote luxurious side of the city
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Police probe liberal podcast hosts
Police are investigating four panelists of an Internet podcast over allegations they spread false information about Na Kyung-won, the Grand National Party’s unsuccessful candidate in Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral by-election. According to the National Police Agency, the investigation was launched after Na’s election camp filed a complaint against the four ― political commentator Kim Yong-min; former Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Bong-ju; magazine reporter Ju Jin-woo; and Kim Eo-jun, head of online
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Opposition parties again vow to block U.S. FTA bill
Five opposition parties on Friday reiterated their vehement disapproval of the free trade pact with the U.S., saying they would mobilize “all possible means” to block its parliamentary passage.The main opposition Democratic Party also said that the removal of the clauses concerning the Investor-State Dispute Settlement is the “only condition” for its ratification.Calling some of their worries “unfounded,” the ruling Grand National Party urged them to cooperate in ratifying the pact, which has be
PoliticsOct. 28, 2011
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Conservatives mull ways to grab young minds
GNP, Cheong Wa Dae plan targeted pitch for voters under 50The conservative ruling Grand National Party, stung by a sharp fall in support among younger voters, continued agonizing Friday over how to reform itself. The party’s leaders, including chairman Hong Joon-pyo, looked set to stay on and lead the reform measures. “We should take the initiative and push for a complete overhaul of the party,” Rep. Hong told members of the party’s top decision-making Supreme Council on Thursday evening. Some
PoliticsOct. 28, 2011
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Former S. Korean diplomat in Russia under probe over embezzlement
A former senior South Korean diplomat in Russia has been under a probe by prosecutors on suspicion of embezzling tens of millions of won of the government's budget, the Seoul prosecution and the culture ministry said on Friday.Ryu Min, 53, is suspected of pocketing about US$51,714 between 2008 and M
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Full text of joint communique of ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- The following is the full text of the joint communique issued after the 43rd South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul Friday.1. The 43rd Republic of Korea-United States Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) was held in Seoul on October 28, 2011. ROK Minister o
DefenseOct. 28, 2011
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S. Korea, U.S. agree to prepare joint operational plan against N. Korea
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- Defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. on Friday agreed to pursue a joint operational plan to counter potential provocations by North Korea at their annual bilateral security meeting in Seoul.After the 43rd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), South Korean Defense Mini
DefenseOct. 28, 2011
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Lee names KOTRA head as economy minister
Former police chief to head Presidential Security ServicePresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday named the president of a state-funded trade promotion agency as the new knowledge economy minister and a former police chief as head of the presidential security service.Hong Suk-woo, who took the helm of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency in June, was tapped to lead the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Lee’s spokesman Park Jeong-ha said. Hong will succeed Choi Joong-kyung who offered to resign la
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Park’s win heralds political shift
Parties gauge impact of local by-elections, seek remedies to their problemsThe triumph of civic activist Park Won-soon in the Seoul mayoral by-election heralds a major shift in the country’s political landscape as the rival parties strive to revamp to regain public trust.Political experts say the outcome of Wednesday’s showdown clearly reflected widespread public disenchantment with established politicians for following their own interests rather than those of citizens.Each political party is no
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Election commission slams stars for tweeting on election
Social networking services emerged as the new trend in raising turnout during the Oct. 26 by-elections, as SNS users sent short messages encouraging one another to cast their ballots and pick the best candidate.They posted self-portrait shots photographed at polling stations while celebrities joked they would urge their fans and others to cast votes. No doubt, social network services led by Twitter have secured a place as one of the strongest campaign tools among the younger generation, who cann
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Gap remains with N.K.: U.S. official
The United States and North Korea have a long way to go until they find a breakthrough in the standoff over the multilateral nuclear disarmament talks, a visiting senior U.S. official said Thursday. “It would be fair to say that we did make some progress,” Kurt Campbell, assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters. “(But) there were no breakthroughs. There is a substantial amount of work that needs to be done. No decisions have been taken about next steps
Foreign AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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GNP prepares push for FTA ratification
Rival parties are once again facing a standoff over the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement as the ruling party is set to push for its ratification despite opposition.“The main opposition Democratic Party effectively called off its FTA renegotiation plan, as it agreed to cooperate in the ratification processes in exchange for reinforcing protective measures for local industries,” said Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the ruling Grand National Party on Wednesday.Should the DP continue trying to block the bill,
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Young, disillusioned behind Park’s win
Generation gap likely to be a key factor in general, presidential elections next yearVoters in their 20s to 40s, who have grown largely disillusioned with the ruling Grand National Party, have been key to independent Park Won-soon’s victory in Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral by-election, political analysts said Thursday. By giving overwhelming support to Park over GNP candidate Na Kyung-won, the young voters have vented their disappointment with the ruling camp, which has failed to address their key c
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Police to restrain domestic abusers
From Thursday, police officers can now restrain domestic abuse offenders temporarily on the spot without referring the case to the prosecution. The National Police Agency said that under a special law on domestic violence, which took effect Thursday, officers will have the authority to intervene in family violence. In case of an emergency, police officers will be able to seclude the attacker from the victim by ordering a 100-meter restraining order, keeping them from the residence and prohibitin
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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Seoul City offers honorary citizenship to ‘bridgebuilders’
Seoul City will confer honorary citizen certificates to 16 people from a dozen countries for their contribution in developing the capital and promoting Korea’s culture around the world, officials said Thursday.Among the beneficiaries is Benjamin Hughes, 46, an international arbitrations expert and Christopher Vaia, 65, a soldier-turned-“Bridgebuilder.”A retired Sergeant Major for the U.S. Forces Korea, Vaia has been an important figure in bridging the gap between the U.S. and Korean communities
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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World cities vie for LivCom Awards in Songpa
The International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), given to local communities to recognize the best management of environment, kicked off its five-day event at Lotte Hotel in the Seoul district of Songpa, Thursday.It is the first time for Songpa to host the event in Korea since the award was launched in 1997 in partnership with the U.N. Environment Program.About 80 countries selected from 330 applicants will compete for the award this year and share their environment practices with othe
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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New mayor signs off on free school meal expansion
Park expected to halt civil engineering projectsSigning off on a plan to finance free lunches for all elementary school students starting next month was the first thing new Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon did as he began his job Thursday.With his signing, the free school meal program, currently offered to first through fourth graders, will be extended to fifth and sixth graders, two months after ex-mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned over his failure to thwart the free meal expansion plan pushed by the oppositi
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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High turnout indicates hopes for change
Nearly 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the Seoul mayoral by-election Wednesday, seemingly indicating their desire for change as the presidential race draws closer. Turnout was more than 48 percent, according to the election watchdog, with more than 4 million out of the 8.3 million Seoul voters turning up at polling stations. The turnout for 11 other posts in smaller local municipalities stood at 46 percent, the National Election Commission said.The higher-than-expected turnou
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Park’s victory a bitter blow for ruling party
Wednesday’s election victory of opposition-backed civic activist Park Won-soon rocked the ruling party, added to President Lee Myung-bak’s woes, and rattled the country’s traditional two-party political landscape.The 9 percentage-point gap in television exit polls piled pressure on the Grand National Party and the presidential office, already reeling from a series of setbacks including an opposition offensive on Lee’s purchase of property for his retirement and the bribery allegations of two of
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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[NEWS ANALYSIS] Victory comes with a price for DP
The main opposition Democratic Party scored a major win against the ruling Grand National Party in the Seoul mayoral by-election, but it came at a price. The liberal party lent its full support to Park Won-soon, an independent candidate backed by civil groups, in order to take Seoul from the control of the conservative GNP. But the decision to root for a civil activist, not one of its politicians, may backfire for the party, as Park and his key ally Ahn Cheol-soo are likely to gain more influenc
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Park wins Seoul mayorship
Opposition-backed candidate Park Won-soon won a resounding victory in Wednesday’s Seoul mayor by-election, seen as a crucial test of voter sentiment ahead of next year’s general and presidential elections.His Grand National Party rival Na Kyung-won conceded defeat as the vote count stacked up in Park’s favor.“Citizens won against established power and old politics,” Park said.With the win, Park became the first-ever civic activist mayor of the capital city.With 75 percent percent of the votes c
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011