Most Popular
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas
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Yoon apologizes over first lady’s Dior bag scandal, but accuses special probe attempt as political maneuvering
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South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Coupang earnings hit hard by losses from ailing Farfetch
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Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately
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[K-pop’s dilemma] Time, profit pressures work against originality
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Why femicide and dating violence are growing issues in S. Korea
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Saenuri, DP agree on NIS probe
The ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic Party agreed on Thursday to pass the plans for a parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s election interference during the June session of the National Assembly. Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan and his DP counterpart Rep. Jun Byung-hun agreed on the need to process the issue as their predecessors planned. The development comes just two days after Saenuri chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea and DP chairman
June 20, 2013
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Greenpeace agrees to settle lawsuit with Korean ministry
Greenpeace East Asia and Greenpeace International agreed to drop the lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice in exchange for “positive measures” and government assurances it would permit Greenpeace campaigners to enter the country in the future.Greenpeace agreed to drop the suit “with an understanding that the Ministry of Justice would take positive measures including the end of its denial of entry against Greenpeace campaigners,” the environmental organization said in a statement on Thursday.Si
June 20, 2013
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Park to visit ancient Chinese capital Xian
President Park Geun-hye will stop by Xian, a cultural, industrial and educational center of China’s central-northwest, as part of her four-day state visit to China next week, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.Park will hold a summit with President Xi Jinping next Thursday to discuss North Korea, economic cooperation and other bilateral issues. Then she will travel to the ancient city in Shaanxi Province Saturday, the presidential office said.“This ancient city with more than 3,000 years of history is
June 20, 2013
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Ruling party fuels NLL controversy
The ruling Saenuri Party said Thursday it has seen government records backing up allegations that late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun tried to nullify the de facto maritime border separating the two Koreas, a move that is seen as undermining South Korea's sovereignty. The controversy centered on allegations that Roh, who stepped down in early 2008 at the end of a single five-year term, had tried to nullify the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL) during an inter-Korean summit in 2007 with
June 20, 2013
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Universities condemn spy agency scandal en masse
Students from a number of South Korean universities on Thursday issued statements condemning the National Intelligence Agency for allegedly interfering in last year’s presidential election.Seoul National University’s student council held a press conference at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office and made a statement denouncing the top spy agency.“For stomping on the basic principles of democracy with the power of the state, former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon and former Seoul police
June 20, 2013
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Rival parties agree to go ahead with probe into spy agency scandal
The ruling and main opposition parties agreed Thursday to go ahead with their plan to conduct a parliamentary investigation into allegations that the national spy agency meddled in last year's presidential election. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) announced the agreement following a meeting between their respective floor leaders, Rep. Choi Kyoung-hwan and Rep. Jun Byung-hun, saying they will try to pass a proposal for the investigation during this month's
June 20, 2013
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Ahn sparks battle over liberalism
A turf battle over “progressive liberalism” is unfolding between two major opposition groups that once united around their shared commitment to the ideal. Independent lawmaker Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo formally declared his political direction as progressive liberal Wednesday, sparking discord with the Democratic Party which claims the perspective as its own. At the symposium marking the launch of his think-tank Policy Network Tomorrow, Ahn hinted that the organization could form the basis of his own p
June 19, 2013
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Lee to lead panel on regional development
President Park Geun-hye named a former veteran technocrat with decades of experience in public administration to lead a presidential advisory panel on regional development, her office announced Wednesday.Lee Won-jong, 71, who served as mayor of Seoul and governor of North Chungcheong Province, was appointed chairman of the Presidential Committee on Regional Development, senior presidential press secretary Lee Jung-hyun said.The committee aims to contribute to balanced national development.Lee pa
June 19, 2013
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Employers seen avoiding older single men
The term “Gold Miss” has long been used to indicate a woman in her late 30s or 40s who is still single and highly committed to her career. But it now could be getting more difficult for men to ape their female counterparts, with employers avoiding single men in their 30s and 40s, according to one human resources worker.“We prefer someone who can harmonize well with the organization. However these old single men usually lose points in the criteria of responsibility and commitment when applying fo
June 19, 2013
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Park pledges support for overseas Koreans
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday she will draw on the talents of Koreans living abroad to create a more competitive South Korea in the world.Park made the remarks in a meeting with representatives of Korean communities across the world, emphasizing that her vision for "happiness of the people" includes also the millions of Koreans living overseas."I'm going to build a strong South Korea that can boldly compete in the world," she said at the meeting at a Seoul hotel. "(I) will provide ample o
June 18, 2013
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Party chiefs’ talks deadlocked over probe into NIS
The meeting of the ruling and main opposition party leaders on Tuesday failed to produce significant results, with the two sides clashing over the parliamentary investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s election interference.Although Hwang and Kim agreed to give priority to issues concerning the public such as the economic democratization laws during the June session, it is regarded as being of little significance as the ruling and opposition parties had reached a similar agreement
June 18, 2013
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Korea, U.S. agree to joint probe into pollution
South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to set up a joint committee to resolve the case involving a U.S. Forces Korea’s garrison in Seoul suspected of polluting groundwater and nearby land, Seoul’s municipal government said Tuesday.During a tripartite meeting held a day earlier, officials from South Korea’s environment ministry, USFK and the Seoul Metropolitan Government agreed to establish a joint working-level committee to explore ways to resolve the environmental issues surrounding the Yongsan G
June 18, 2013
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[Photo News] Face-off
June 18, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Return of ex-minister angers unions
Kim Dae-hwan was one of the most credited scholars among unionists and activists in the 1980s when they fought the dictatorial government and exploitive capitalists. Two decades later, the progressive labor economics expert turned into the trade unions’ public enemy No. 1. While serving as labor minister from 2004-06, he pushed for an ambitious social compromise aiming both to boost growth and protect labor rights. He demanded labor concessions on greater market flexibility and an improved barga
June 17, 2013
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Han Gwang-ok to head top social unity committee
President Park Geun-hye on Monday appointed Han Gwang-ok, former opposition magnate and her key campaigner, as the inaugural chief of the presidential committee on people’s grand unity. Han also headed the same committee with Park’s election camp and her transition team. “The committee will address the wounds and discord within our society and establish the culture of coprosperity,” said Lee Jung-hyun, senior secretary for public relations.“With the launch of the committee, the president’s activ
June 17, 2013
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President urges measures to fix historical distortions
President Park Geun-hye expressed her dismay at “distorted” history education on Monday, signaling for tough measures against the leftist teachers’ union. She criticized the result of a controversial survey on students’ perception of the start of the Korean War (1950-53). In the poll conducted by a newspaper, 506 high school students were asked whether the war was triggered by “buk-chim” (invasion by the South) or “nam-chim” (invasion by the North). Of them, 349 students or 69 percent picked “bu
June 17, 2013
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Moon’s return fuels friction in main opposition party
A new power struggle is apparently brewing in the main opposition Democratic Party with former presidential candidate Rep. Moon Jae-in resuming political activities in a potential challenge for the leadership seized by a rival faction. Moon has stayed mostly on the sidelines since his defeat in the Dec. 19 election. However, Moon broke his silence on Sunday to criticize DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil’s reform plans. On Sunday, Moon told reporters that the efficacy of DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil’s
June 17, 2013
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‘Nationalism is Northeast Asia’s main challenge’
China’s increasing assertiveness and Japan’s sense of insecurity would further spur nationalism in Northeast Asia, hampering the region from achieving huge potential gains from mutual cooperation, a renowned foreign policy analyst said.In a recent interview with The Korea Herald, Nayan Chanda, the director of Publications of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, called for countries to craft effective policies of information and education to ease antagonism. “In addition to tasks of ac
June 16, 2013
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Ex-minister tapped to head tripartite labor panel
Former Labor Minister Kim Dae-hwan was picked to lead a presidential advisory panel on labor policy, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Kim, 64, will replace Choi Jong-tae who has recently offered to step down. The new chairman served as labor and employment minister for the Roh Moo-hyun administration from 2004 and currently teaches economics at Inha University in Incheon. The Economic and Social Development Commission offers advice on labor and related economic and industry policies and how to improve
June 14, 2013
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DP to slim down national head office
The opposition Democratic Party said on Friday it will slim down the central party organ and relocate to a smaller building in what it called the start of reform. Chairman Kim Han-gil said the party will reduce the number of staff at its central headquarters from the current 160 to around 100. It will also dispose of the current building in southern Seoul by August and move into one 10 times smaller, he said. “We will normalize this inappropriately bloated central party system,” he said in a new
June 14, 2013