Most Popular
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
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S. Korea, China, Japan in talks to hold trilateral summit May 26-27: official
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[Photo News] [Photo News] At loggerheads
Aug. 6, 2013
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Park counters with offer of five-way talks with parties
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday suggested expanded talks with the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties, in effect agreeing to Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea’s suggestion made Monday. (The president) suggests five-person talks, including the ruling and opposition floor leaders as there are many issues within the parliament,” new presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon said. Kim Ki-choon also said that Park suggested meeting the parties’ leaders on several occasions, an
Aug. 6, 2013
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Number of civil servants to top 1m this year
The number of public officials in South Korea is likely to exceed the 1 million mark this year due to the government's pledge to increase police officers to guarantee public safety and security, data showed Tuesday. According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, the number of civil servants under the central and local governments amounted to 991,481 as of the end of June, up 1,058 from the end of 2012.Of all civil servants, some 61.7 percent work under the
Aug. 6, 2013
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Roh's NLL remarks viewed as NLL abandonment: NIS chief
The nation's intelligence chief reportedly said on Monday that he believes the late Former President Roh Moo-hyun made remarks to the effect of giving up the western sea border during the 2007 summit with late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a ruling party lawmaker said. Nam Jae-joon, the chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), made the remarks as a witness before a parliamentary investigative committee, said Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the Sanuri Party after attending a closed-door inves
Aug. 6, 2013
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Park’s new man: ‘Mr. Law and Order’
Kim Ki-choon, 74, the newly appointed presidential chief of staff, is a prosecutor-turned-politician with close personal ties to President Park Geun-hye, and has been one of her key political mentors for years.The former justice minister is said to be well versed in Park’s state philosophy and vision, and thus considered an appropriate choice to tighten control of Cheong Wa Dae.Born in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim graduated from Kyung Nam High School and Seoul National University. He se
Aug. 5, 2013
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S. Korea cuts budget for promoting Dokdo ownership
South Korea's parliament said Monday it has earmarked for next year a reduced budget for globally promoting the country's ownership of its easternmost islets of Dokdo.According to the National Assembly, a total of 3.47 billion won ($3.1 million) has been allocated to the foreign ministry's 2014 budget to finance archival and legal efforts to back up the country's claim to sovereignty over the easternmost islets that lie about halfway between the two rival nations. The 2014 budget marks an 18 per
Aug. 5, 2013
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Saenuri leader calls for 3-way meeting with Park, DP chief
Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea on Monday suggested holding a three-way meeting among President Park Geun-hye, Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil and himself, raising hopes for an end to bipartisan deadlock over the parliamentary probe into the National Intelligence Service. “As the chairman of the ruling party, I suggest a trilateral meeting where the chief of the ruling and opposition parties meet with the president,” Hwang said at Monday’s Supreme Council meeting. “I implore
Aug. 5, 2013
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Park replaces chief of staff
President Park Geun-hye replaced her chief of staff and four senior secretaries on Monday to reinvigorate her administrative drive as she enters the second half of her first year in office.Kim Ki-choon, a former prosecutor-general, justice minister and three-term lawmaker, replaced Huh Tae-yeol in Park’s first presidential office reshuffle, carried out 162 days after her inauguration.Kim, 74, is a member of the so-called “seven-member circle,” an unofficial group comprised of veteran politicians
Aug. 5, 2013
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Rival parties reach partial agreement on ending political deadlock
The ruling and main opposition parties again failed Sunday to narrow their differences on a parliamentary probe into the spy agency's alleged involvement in last year's presidential election, only agreeing to jointly receive a report from the agency.The agreement took place at a special meeting between the leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP)."The sides agreed their leaders will continue to hold discussions on which witnesses will be summoned after re
Aug. 4, 2013
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Parties in last-ditch effort to rescue NIS scandal talks
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party on Sunday engaged in last-minute negotiations to bring the parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service back on track.Floor leaders Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan of the Saenuri Party and DP Rep. Jun Byung-hun met in an effort to resolve the deadlock on selecting witnesses for the investigation. The meeting was also attended by Saenuri Party deputy floor leader Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun and Rep. Kweon Sung-dong, DP deputy f
Aug. 4, 2013
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Opposition party offers talks to President Park over political deadlock
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proposed talks with President Park Geun-hye on Saturday as part of efforts to resolve the political stalemate over a parliamentary probe into the spy agency's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election. "In order to make a breakthrough in the political deadlock, the president and the chief of the main opposition party should get together," Rep. Kim Han-gil, the DP chairman, told Yonhap News Agency. "Who will be able to resolve the current si
Aug. 4, 2013
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Rival parties denounce Japan over Dokdo survey
South Korea's rival political parties lashed out at the Japanese government Friday for releasing a public opinion poll backing Tokyo's claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. On Thursday, Japan's Cabinet Office published a survey showing that 60.7 percent of all Japanese regard Dokdo as their territory historically and under international law. It was the first survey of its kind by the Japanese government. "We cannot help but be angry at the Japanese government for trying to
Aug. 4, 2013
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DP’s Park asks for N.K. visit permit
Democratic Party’s Rep. Park Jie-won who chairs the National Assembly’s special committee on inter-Korean relations requested the government on Friday to permit his visit to North Korea to deliver Seoul’s position to break through the frozen relations.“Allow me the opportunity to meet with such figures as North Korea’s Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, and Kim Ki-nam, Workers’ Party of Korea secretary, to explain the views of our government and President P
Aug. 2, 2013
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Political battle intensifies outside National Assembly
The rival parties on Friday slammed each other for impeding parliamentary operations as the main opposition Democratic Party continued its street protest, which the ruling Saenuri Party defined as a “denial of election outcome.”The two sides further clashed over some Saenuri Party lawmakers’ visit to Seoul Metropolitan Office to condemn the latest safety accidents, which the DP denounced as a ploy to overshadow their protest. The parties’ leadership, meanwhile, continued their behind-closed-doo
Aug. 2, 2013
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[Graphic News] University student numbers fall
The Ministry of Education will roll out a series of measures to strengthen provincial universities and address a decrease in the number of students. As part of the plans, the government will increase financial support for provincial universities, and introduce regulations that allow such institutions to set aside a portion of available places for students from nearby areas.
Aug. 1, 2013
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Park maintains over 60 percent approval
President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings have stabilized at more than 60 percent this week, indicating a successful first six months in office.The latest survey conducted by Realmeter on July 29 showed 62.4 percent of respondents approve of Park’s administration, a 3.1 percentage point rise from a week before.Park’s approval started around the low 40 percent level upon her inauguration due to consecutive personnel appointment debacles, but slowly picked up mainly because of her consistency in
Aug. 1, 2013
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Saenuri-DP discord deepens as opposition takes to streets
Conflict between the Saenuri Party and Democratic Party escalated Thursday as the DP’s street campaign to increase pressure on the ruling party over the parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service got underway. The two main parties have been at loggerheads over who will be called as witnesses for the hearing on the NIS’ actions during last year’s presidential election, with each accusing the other of causing delays. The parliamentary investigation is scheduled to end on Au
Aug. 1, 2013
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Park to visit Britain in November
President Park Geun-hye will make a state visit to Britain from Nov. 5 to 7 upon the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.The formal announcement was made simultaneously by the two countries, one month after Park’s plan was initially released in June. Park’s detailed schedule is currently under discussion, the presidential office said.The visit coincides with the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Britain, and will be the second state visit made by a
July 31, 2013
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DP takes feud over NIS to the public
Democratic Party chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil announced Wednesday that he would personally take charge of the party’s efforts to reform the National Intelligence Service and to shed light on its part in last year’s presidential election. Saying that his party had run out of patience and that the public was angered by the NIS’ actions, he vowed the DP would no longer stand by while the ruling Saenuri Party held back the parliamentary investigation into the case. The ruling party and the DP have been
July 31, 2013
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Bumpy road for free high school education
The government plans to make all high school education free by 2017 as pledged by President Park Geun-hye on the campaign trail, but the biggest hurdle remains how to appropriate the mammoth budget for the plan.Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling Saenuri Party and the Education Ministry agreed Tuesday to gradually increase the number of high schools providing free education starting next year. This is in line with Park’s promise to raise the number of free schools from 2014 by 25 percent through subsidizi
July 31, 2013