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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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Human rights commission urges Korea to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights
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Teens banned from entering, working at 'hold 'em' pubs, cafes
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Samsung expected to introduce new Exynos processor in next Galaxy series
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Park 'inside presidential compound' on day of deadly ferry sinking: lawmaker
President Park Geun-hye stayed at her office on the day of April's deadly ferry sinking and received multiple reports on the accident, a ruling party lawmaker said on Wednesday, countering allegations that she'd been away from the presidential compound when the tragedy occurred.Rep. Cho Won-jin of the Saenuri Party said he'd asked the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae for details on Park's whereabouts on April 16, when the ferry Sewol capsized, leaving 300 people dead or missing.According to Cho
Aug. 13, 2014
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Plenary session fails to open over Sewol bill
The ruling and main opposition parties failed to kick off the planned plenary session Wednesday morning, casting a cloud over the prospect to work on the “special Sewol bill” drawn up to investigate the April 16 ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing. The National Assembly was set to hold a plenary session at 10 a.m. to process the bill along with a host of other bills and issues, but the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy refu
Aug. 13, 2014
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Three-pronged effort to investigate Sewol
The South Korean public is questioning the validity of three separate investigations into the April ferry disaster, close to four months after the maritime accident. The investigations have led to arrests and indictments. But the efforts have also raised fresh allegations that require, critics of the government say, further examination. Prosecutors and police launched the first official probe into the ferry accident on April 18, only two days after the Sewol ferry had sunk in waters off th
Aug. 12, 2014
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NPAD chief pulled in two directions
New Politics Alliance for Democracy interim chief Rep. Park Young-sun is facing a crisis that could break her political career less than week since taking the helm of the main opposition party. The crisis came three short days after she was named the party’s interim leader on Aug. 4 when she reached an agreement over the special bill concerning the April 16 Sewol ferry tragedy with her Saenuri Party counterpart Rep. Lee Wan-koo.On Aug. 7, Park and Lee drew up an agreement regarding the so-called
Aug. 12, 2014
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Parties deadlocked over Sewol bill again
Negotiations over the so-called “special Sewol bill” continued Monday at the National Assembly after strong public opinion compelled the main opposition party to nullify an earlier bipartisan agreement on the legislation.Party leaders last week reached a breakthrough in negotiations over the bill. Ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Lee Wan-koo and New Politics Alliance for Democracy Rep. Park Young-sun subsequently agreed to pass the bill at a full parliamentary session Wednesday.But after the deal spark
Aug. 11, 2014
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Park’s ratings rally in wake of elections
Despite the public outrage at deadly abuse cases in the military and the protracted Sewol ferry disaster, President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings recently firmed up for the first time in two months.The Gallup Korea poll, which surveyed 1,004 adults between Aug. 4 and 6, had Park’s favorability at 46 percent positive and 43 percent negative. The positive evaluation of Park’s performance went up 6 percentage points from the previous week, surpassing her negative assessment for the first time in
Aug. 11, 2014
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Opposition party hints at further negotiations over Sewol bill
Main opposition leader Rep. Park Young-sun on Sunday hinted at further negotiations over the “Special Sewol Bill” that has raised ire among relatives of victims.“There is room for negotiation regarding the method for selecting the special counsel,” Park, the New Politics Alliance for Democracy emergency committee chair, said at the National Assembly. She added that making the probe committee as advantageous as possible for the families was her priority, and stressed that the negotiations are not
Aug. 10, 2014
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Families outraged by Sewol bill
Families of those killed in the April ferry disaster continued to express outrage Friday after the main political parties in Seoul agreed to legislate a compromise version of the so-called special Sewol bill.After weeks of partisan deadlock over important details of the much-demanded special bill, the ruling Saenuri Party and opposition lawmakers made a breakthrough in negotiations Thursday.But families and some opposition lawmakers reacted in anger at the bill’s contents only hours after the ag
Aug. 8, 2014
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S. Korea issues travel warning for Ebola-hit Nigeria
South Korea on Friday issued a special travel advisory for Nigeria's Ebola-hit capital Lagos as part of efforts to control the spread of the virus, the health ministry said.During an emergency meeting of relevant ministries on how to deal with the outbreak in West Africa, the government decided to issue the special travel advisory effective immediately, advising its citizens to leave the region and cancel non-essential trips there, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The move came ho
Aug. 8, 2014
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Presidential aide denies Park absent when ferry sank
A senior South Korean official on Friday rejected allegations by a Japanese newspaper that President Park Geun-hye had a secret meeting with an unidentified person at an undisclosed location on the day of April's deadly ferry sinking, saying she stayed in her office.Park's whereabouts on April 16 have emerged as a sensitive political issue in South Korea since Japan's conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported on an alleged secret meeting between the president and a man that day, citing rumo
Aug. 8, 2014
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Park praises U.S. alliance
South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday praised the country's decades-old alliance with the United States during a meeting with a senior U.S. lawmaker who voiced concerns over North Korea's threats to conduct another nuclear test and alleged progress in its nuclear and missile programs."The South Korea-U.S. alliance is referred to as one of the most successful alliances around the world and the state of our alliance has never been better," Park said in a meeting with a U.S. delegation led
Aug. 8, 2014
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Parliament endorses ex-ruling party chief as education minister
The National Assembly on Friday endorsed a former ruling party chief as education minister in one of the last steps to forming President Park Geun-hye's new Cabinet.The parliamentary education and culture committee adopted a report endorsing Hwang Woo-yea, a five-term lawmaker and former chief of the ruling Saenuri Party, as the new education minister following a confirmation hearing Thursday.Park tapped Hwang last month immediately after she withdrew her first nominee, Kim Myung-soo, amid contr
Aug. 8, 2014
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Cabinet OKs nomination of new Army chief
The government approved the nomination of Gen. Kim Yo-hwan as the country's new Army chief on Friday, an official said.The decision reached at a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won came a day after Kim was tapped to lead the Army, which is under mounting public fire over the beating death of a soldier.Kim's formal appointment requires the approval of President Park Geun-hye.Kim's predecessor quit earlier this week over the latest incident that illustrated a deep-rooted
Aug. 8, 2014
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Park’s office to sue Japanese newspaper
South Korea’s presidential office said on Thursday that it would consider taking legal actions against the Sankei Shimbun, a Japanese conservative newspaper, for allegedly running an offensive story about President Park Geun-hye.“(The newspaper) published a story that even (makes one feel) ashamed to talk about,” said Yoon Doo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public relations, at a meeting with reporters. “They might have attracted one more reader based on a lie, but we will follow throug
Aug. 7, 2014
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Park calls for humanitarian approach to reduce N.K. tension
President Park Geun-hye urged officials, politicians and civilian experts on Thursday to seek ways to reduce tension on the Korean peninsula and boost humanitarian aid, calling unification the ultimate goal to heal the decades-long pain of the divided Koreas.Park also called for joint efforts to build social infrastructure in North Korea to improve the quality of life there and to narrow differences between the two Koreas, which have been divided for more than 60 years following the 1950-53 Kore
Aug. 7, 2014
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Parties break deadlock over Sewol bill
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed to process the Special Sewol Act on Aug. 13 at a weekly floor leaders’ meeting on Thursday. The two sides also agreed to establish a special parliamentary committee on human rights issues and general service conditions in the military in the wake of the death of Army Pfc. Yoon. Yoon, a 23-year-old draftee, died in early April from injuries inflicted by senior soldiers. The Sewol bill, designed to address
Aug. 7, 2014
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Saenuri Party lawmaker probed for railroad graft
The ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Cho Hyun-yong was questioned by prosecutors on Wednesday in connection with an investigation into corruption in the railroad industry. The prosecution is said to be planning to file for a preliminary arrest warrant against Cho on charges of bribery and violation of the Political Funds Act. Cho is suspected of receiving large bribes from railroad track component maker Sampyo E&C in return for using his position to help the company win contracts for a number of rail
Aug. 6, 2014
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Opposition demands national security chief’s resignation
National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin is coming under fire as more evidence emerges suggesting that the military attempted to keep the death of an Army private under wraps. “The core of this case is concealment (by the military). The minister (Kim) was aware of the facts beforehand,” said Rep. Park Young-sun, the chief of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s emergency committee, in a radio interview on Wednesday.“It can only be seen as that (former) Defense Minister Ki
Aug. 6, 2014
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43 indicted for shipping industry corruption
A total of 43 people have been indicted for allegedly committing various irregularities in the shipping industry that have been cited as a principal cause of April’s ferry disaster, prosecutors said Wednesday.Investigators at Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office in the western port city announced the outcome of their expanded investigation into corruption and malpractice in the shipping industry. The suspects, including a former chief of the Korea Shipping Association, a nonprofit organization i
Aug. 6, 2014
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NPAD chief visits Army boot camp
NONSAN, South Chungcheong Province ― The acting chair of the main opposition party visited the Army’s largest boot camp on Wednesday to raise awareness of hazing and physical violence among enlisted recruits in the wake of one of the worst abuse incidents on record in the South Korean military.Rep. Park Young-sun, who heads the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, visited the Korea Army Training Center at Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. The three-term lawmaker repeatedly told senior Army off
Aug. 6, 2014