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Korea, ASEAN leaders agree to broaden partnership
BUSAN ― The leaders of South Korea and 10 Southeast Asian countries agreed Friday to maximize the use of their free trade agreement to achieve the 2020 target of $200 billion in two-way trade volume and continue to strengthen their multi-faceted strategic partnership.In a joint statement announced at the close of the summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the leaders also agreed to bolster cooperation in development, security and other areas, and reaffirmed th
Dec. 12, 2014
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Schedule spat threatens Assembly deal
South Korea’s main political parties on Friday struggled to finalize a previous deal on setting up three parliamentary panels, suggesting further wrangling in the coming parliamentary session later this month.The governing Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed Wednesday to create three panels. One will probe the Lee Myung-bak administration’s investments in energy projects abroad and two will continue talks on reforms to civil servants’ pensions.But par
Dec. 12, 2014
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Full text of joint communique of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit
The following is the full text of a joint statement issued by South Korean President Park Geun-hye and leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) at the end of their two-day summit in South Korea's port city of Busan on Friday.We, the Heads of States/Government of Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and the Republic of Korea, gathered on 12 December 2014 in Busan, ROK, to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations,
Dec. 12, 2014
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Park offers proposals to ASEAN to boost ties
South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday offered a set of proposals to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of Seoul's efforts to further boost ties with one of the world's fastest-growing regions.Park said South Korea will raise its contribution to a cooperation fund by US$2 million to $7 million next year for a wide-range of projects in the region, including human resources development.South Korea has contributed about $67 million to the ASEAN-South Korea
Dec. 12, 2014
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S. Korea counter-punches N. Korea for criticism of President Park
South Korea condemned North Korea Friday for its sharp criticism of President Park Geun-hye.The unification ministry said it's "deeply regrettable" that the North has publicly condemned Park by name.Such behavior "demonstrates the characteristics of the North Korean authorities," the ministry's spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.The North will have to reflect on why the international community expresses serious concerns about its attitude, he added. He was responding to a Thursd
Dec. 12, 2014
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Park urges ASEAN FTA expansion
BUSAN ― President Park Geun-hye on Thursday called on the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to further liberalize bilateral trade through their free trade pact to expand business opportunities for both sides.Speaking at the CEO Summit, part of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit here, Park also stressed that the two sides should make more efforts to help small and medium enterprises to join the “global value chains” ― international networks to optimize manufacturers’ production p
Dec. 11, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Lee’s resource diplomacy faces scrutiny
South Korea’s legislature will begin probes into former President Lee Myung-bak’s “resource diplomacy” initiative sometime early next year after the country’s two main parties on Wednesday agreed to set up an investigative committee. But the probes are expected to be highly politicized, with the main opposition party saying the ex-president must be held accountable for allegedly wasting billions of won, and Lee supporters saying the investigation is a witch hunt based on a political deal between
Dec. 11, 2014
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N.K. defector sues prosecutors after being acquitted of espionage
A North Korean defector acquitted of spying for Pyongyang filed a complaint against prosecutors and another defector for their alleged involvement in framing him, his lawyers said Thursday.Yoo Woo-Seong, the 34-year-old defector who formerly held a Chinese nationality in the communist regime, was at the center of a high-profile forgery case in which Seoul’s main intelligence agency was found to have fabricated Chinese government documents to frame him. Upholding a lower court ruling, a Seoul app
Dec. 11, 2014
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Park steps up summit diplomacy to court ASEAN
BUSAN -- President Park Geun-hye intensified her summit diplomacy toward the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations Thursday as she held talks with the leaders of six ASEAN states to strengthen strategic partnerships with them.On the sidelines of the summit between Korea and ASEAN here, Park held bilateral summits with the leaders of Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore as her government steps up multifaceted cooperation with the geostrategically crucial bl
Dec. 11, 2014
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Ruling party chief mulls meeting with ex-President Lee
The chief of the ruling Saenuri Party could pay a visit to former President Lee Myung-bak early next year, a party official said Thursday, following a bipartisan agreement to investigate alleged irregularities in the former administration's overseas resource development projects.The visit could come as early as New Year's Day as Saenuri Chairman Kim Moo-sung plans to offer his New Year's greetings to the former president affiliated with the ruling party, the official told Yonhap News Agency by p
Dec. 11, 2014
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Parties reach agreement on divisive bills
Rival political parties on Wednesday made partial compromises on contentious draft bills and alleged political scandals, leaving room for partisan wrangling in the coming parliamentary session.The governing Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy will create two panels by year-end. One will continue talks on proposed civil servant pension reforms. The other will probe former President Lee Myung-bak over alleged graft in public energy investments abroad during hi
Dec. 10, 2014
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Prosecution grills Park’s former aide in leak probe
The prosecution on Wednesday questioned former aide Chung Yoon-hoi as it deepened its investigation into the development surrounding a leaked intelligence report that said he meddled in state affairs.Chung, who served President Park Geun-hye while she was still a lawmaker, is alleged to have held secret meetings with presidential aides to discuss state affairs, and plotted to have Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon replaced. “Who is playing with fire, and who danced to the tune will all be revealed. Al
Dec. 10, 2014
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Park’s approval rating drops to lowest ever
President Park Geun-hye’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level ever according to a survey released Monday, coinciding with a public backlash at a recent scandal involving her former chief of staff.Park’s endorsement rating stood at 39.7 percent according to Realmeter, a local pollster, with a 3.1 percent margin of error and a 95 percent confidence level. The result was a drop from a Gallup Korea poll announced Friday, which put Park’s rating at 42 percent.The tally is Park’s lowest sin
Dec. 10, 2014
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Seoul to post draft dodgers’ photos online
South Korea will publicize the names and faces of military draft dodgers online, parliamentary officials said Wednesday, following the passage of a new law aiming to curb service evasion in a country that is technically still at war with North Korea. The South requires all able-bodied males to serve in the military for 21 months. But approximately 1,000 evade the draft annually, according to the Military Manpower Administration. The number includes those refusing to serve on religious grounds.Th
Dec. 10, 2014
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Summit marks 25 years of ties
South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have had ties for 25 years, but each of its members continue to have unique values and things to offer each other. ASEAN’s roots go back to 1961 when Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines formed the Association of Southeast Asia. The association then became the foundations for ASEAN, which was launched in 1967 with the participation of Indonesia and Singapore. The five nations were joined by Brunei in 1984, followed by Vietnam in 1995,
Dec. 10, 2014
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Korea, Vietnam strike FTA deal
BUSAN ― South Korea and Vietnam reached a free trade agreement on Wednesday, paving the way for a deepened bilateral strategic partnership, Cheong Wa Dae said.President Park Geun-hye meets Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Busan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The announcement came as President Park Geun-hye held bilateral talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who came to Busan to attend the two-day special summit between South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asi
Dec. 10, 2014
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Assembly session misses targets
The National Assembly’s 100-day regular session ended Tuesday with less than half of pending bills approved, pushing thorny issues back to next week, when the extraordinary session begins.Laws passed include the revised Public Service Ethics Act, and the so-called “three mother-daughter acts.”The latter refers to revisions to three welfare-related acts prompted by the deaths of a mother and two daughters in February. The three committed suicide due to financial difficulties. The revised Public S
Dec. 9, 2014
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Park confronts critical moment
President Park Geun-hye could become a premature lame duck, analysts said Tuesday, as a scandal revolving around some of her current and former top aides continued to brew.The president has been under fire concerning accusations that Chung Yoon-hoi, her former chief of staff, had illicitly interfered in top government personnel decisions. Chung even tried to get presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon fired by circulating bad rumors, leaked presidential office papers allege.Although Park and me
Dec. 9, 2014
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Two cops detained in document leak probe
The prosecution on Tuesday took two police inspectors into custody on suspicion of copying and leaking the reports on former presidential aide Chung Yoon-hoi.In addition, investigators raided the head office of Hanwha Group, believing that one of its employees, whose identity has been withheld, was involved in the leak.“The prosecution only searched and seized the office of an individual in connection with the document leak,” said a prosecutor close to the investigation. (Yonhap)Chung, who serv
Dec. 9, 2014
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Two police officers nabbed for allegedly leaking presidential document
Two police officers were arrested Tuesday on charges of leaking a presidential document alleging a former close aide to President Park Geun-hye meddled in state affairs although he held no official position in the incumbent government, prosecutors said.Jeong Yun-hoe, who served as an adviser for Park when she was a lawmaker, is alleged to have held regular meetings with several senior presidential officials and sought to collaborate with them to replace Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon, according to
Dec. 9, 2014