Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Naver will consider company benefits in deciding on selling Line shares: CEO
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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Nationalist Japanese politicians raise ire
Japanese nationalist politicians’ recent remarks and behavior underlining their unwillingness to atone for the country’s wartime crimes are raising the ire of South Korea and China, and posing hurdles to the U.S.’ strategic refocus on the Asia-Pacific.Experts said Japan’s rightward shift could hamper efforts to ease the confrontational mood stemming from historical and territorial disputes, and multilateral practical cooperation in security, the economy and other areas. Japanese Prime Minister S
May 15, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Choi, Jun elected floor leaders
The new floor leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties took office on Wednesday with the shared goal of highlighting the presence and role of their respective parties. The Democratic Party’s new floor leader Rep. Jun Byung-hun is a hard-liner who aims to step up pressure on the government, while his Saenuri Party counterpart is Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, a key ally of President Park Geun-hye. Along with Choi, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon was elected to lead the party’s policy committee. Jun began his c
May 15, 2013
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Fired spokesman removed from government payroll
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae removed a disgraced former spokesman at the center of a sexual abuse scandal from the government payroll, an official said Wednesday.Yoon Chang-jung was sacked last week as a spokesman for President Park Geun-hye following allegations that he sexually abused a young intern working as his secretary during a trip to Washington as a member of Park's entourage.Still, he had technically remained a government official until his removal from the payroll.Government
May 15, 2013
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Creative economy guru urges caution
Aiming to nurture new growth engines, the Park Geun-hye administration is accelerating steps to support the development of creative industries.The government, however, should “intervene with caution,” says John Howkins, a pioneer of the term and movement for a creative economy based in London.“Governments can provide incentives and tax breaks, and implement regulations to encourage economic activity. But it cannot enforce creativity in the same way as it can, say, infrastructure,” said Howkins i
May 15, 2013
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Park pledges to take follow-up measures swiftly over sexual abuse
President Park Geun-hye said Wednesday she will swiftly take follow-up steps as soon as the United States completes an investigation into allegations that her now-fired spokesman sexually abused a young woman during his visit to Washington last week.Park made the remarks during a meeting with dozens of political editors of newspapers and broadcasters, saying it is regrettable such an unsavory incident happened near the end of her trip, the first overseas visit since taking office in February."As
May 15, 2013
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UPP leader wins libel suit against conservative columnist
A well-known conservative online columnist was ordered by a local court on Wednesday to compensate Lee Jung-hee, the head of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP), for calling her a "pro-Pyongyang leftist."Siding with Lee in a libel suit, the Seoul Central District Court ordered Byun Hee-jae to pay 15 million won ($13,500) in compensation, saying that there is no truth in his claims.Byun called the UPP head a "pro-Pyongyang leftist" and accused her of joining a pro-North Korean gr
May 15, 2013
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Hardliner Jun Byung-hun elected DP floor leader
The main opposition Democratic Party elected three-term lawmaker Rep. Jun Byung-hun as its new floor leader Wednesday. Jun, who replaced Rep. Park Ki-choon, will serve until next year’s local elections scheduled for June 4.Jun, considered a hardliner, has emphasized the need to strengthen the Democratic Party’s presence.The lawmaker clinched victory in a second round of voting as none of the three candidates -- Jun and Reps. Woo Yoon-keun and Kim Dong-cheol -- received more than 50 percent of th
May 15, 2013
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Police: No charge decided for ex-S. Korean official on sex scandal
U.S. police said Tuesday it is too early to say which charges a former South Korean presidential spokesman might face."It's under investigation. I don't know which way the investigation is going," officer Paul Metcalf, spokesman for the Washington, D.C., police, told Yonhap News Agency by phone.Police are investigating the allegation that Yoon Chang-jung molested a Korean-American woman during his trip here last week as a member of the entourage accompanying South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
May 15, 2013
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Park calls for deregulation to facilitate M&As of venture firms
President Park Geun-hye called Tuesday for sweeping deregulation aimed at facilitating mergers and acquisitions of venture start-ups, saying investments, not loans, are key to revitalizing the industry that is considered a backbone for her "creative economy" vision.Park has championed the vision as one of her main economic policies. It calls for boosting South Korea's economy by creating unheard-of business opportunities and more jobs through the fusion of information technology and cultural and
May 14, 2013
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Fresh allegations escalate Yoon’s sex abuse scandal
The sexual assault scandal involving dismissed presidential spokesperson Yoon Chang-jung escalated Tuesday as new reports and witness statements emerged linking him to an attempted rape and indicating Seoul officials may have tried to dissuade the victim from filing complaints. Reports said that a naked Yoon “grabbed” the buttocks of a female intern in his hotel room in Washington, after sexually harassing her at a basement hotel bar ― an allegation Yoon denied Saturday.Temporarily hired by the
May 14, 2013
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Ahn likely to field own by-election candidates
Former presidential contender Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo will back his own candidates in October’s by-elections.Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ahn indicated that he would form his own power base before the elections.“In the end it is a matter of people. The form (which the organization takes) comes later. (I) must look for people,” Ahn said, saying that he would become involved in the October by-elections if he managed to gather the right people. Ahn added that he was looking for individuals who wante
May 14, 2013
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Park to tighten entourage discipline
Cheong Wa Dae is reviewing ways to tighten the reins on public servants in the aftermath of the sexual assault scandal involving fired spokesman Yoon Chang-jung.The office of senior secretary on civil affairs currently questioning the officials who worked with Yoon during President Park Geun-hye’s U.S. trip last week will expand the investigation to all members of the delegation, Cheong Wa Dae officials said.Cheong Wa Dae has been trying to contain the political impact of Yoon’s alleged sexual a
May 14, 2013
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FM delays press conference amid ex-spokesman's sex scandal
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se abruptly delayed his first press conference with domestic and foreign journalists, an official said Tuesday, amid a damaging scandal involving a now-fired presidential spokesman overallegations of sexual misconduct in the United States. Yun had been scheduled to hold the press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday to brief about the results of President Park Geun-hye's visit to the U.S., but it was postponed until next Monday, the senior ministry officia
May 14, 2013
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Ethics team to accompany Park on overseas trips
A team of ethics officials will travel together with President Park Geun-hye when she visits foreign countries to make sure that no traveling officials engage in any misconduct, such as the alleged sexual abuse by a now-firedspokesman, officials said Tuesday. The top office came up with the measure as it reviewed the entire course of Park's visit to the United States last week during which then spokesman Yoon Chang-jung allegedly made unwanted sexual advances to a young intern working as his s
May 14, 2013
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Gov't eyes more manpower to better supervise sex offenders
The government plans to newly hire more than 100 personnel to supervise sex offenders and other violent criminals as part of efforts to eradicate such violent crimes, officials said Tuesday.According to the plan endorsed by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Justice will expand its structure to hire 125 more employees, including probation officers and researchers, who will oversee the criminals.There have been consistent calls for beefing up manpower in the wake of a series of repeated crimes by serio
May 14, 2013
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Former presidential aspirant to form his own political camp
Ahn Cheol-soo, former presidential aspirant who ran as an independent, indicated Monday he will form a political camp of his own by fielding candidates of his choice in October's re- and by-elections, a move certain to complicate the rivalry within the country's opposition bloc.Ahn, elected to parliament through last month's by-election, told reporters he hopes to challenge the elections in October if he "can find the people," the first set of comments from Ahn himself confirming speculations th
May 13, 2013
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Missionaries urge Korea to lift travel ban
Kim Jin-dae hoped he could persuade the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lift its ban on travel to countries it deemed as too dangerous for Korean passport holders, but he knew better. Instead, the 52-year-old pastor discussed with diplomats “unofficial” Christian missionary activity in several Muslim and communist countries in a meeting on April 17, including one man detained for two months in Libya before being deported back to Korea in early April.Korea has banned its citizens since 2007 from t
May 13, 2013
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Cheong Wa Dae slammed for poor crisis management
Cheong Wa Dae, currently struggling to cope with a burgeoning scandal involving fired spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, is receiving flak for poorly managing the crisis by taking belated measures.The brouhaha stooped to a new low over the weekend following Yoon’s news conference, an apparent vendetta against his boss, senior secretary for public relations Lee Nam-ki, for his dismissal, by claiming Lee was behind his abrupt return to Seoul last Thursday.Yoon had returned to Seoul after police were calle
May 13, 2013
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Park apologizes for scandal
President Park Geun-hye on Monday apologized to the public over the groping scandal involving her former spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, as the controversy continued to spill over to her office and undermine political momentum that she had hoped to pick up upon her first overseas tour.“I regret that an unsavory incident involving a public servant occurred toward the end of the U.S. visit, thereby causing great disappointment to the people,” Park said during a weekly meeting with senior secretaries.It
May 13, 2013
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Park apologizes over alleged sexual misconduct by ex-spokesman
President Park Geun-hye apologized Monday over allegations of sexual misconduct by her now-fired spokesman, as she struggled to bring growing public outrage over the unprecedented, embarrassing incident under control.It was the first time Park has spoken about the case that has been rocking South Korea since revelations Friday that former spokesman Yoon Chang-jung allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward his temporarily hired secretary while accompanying Park on her first trip to Washingto
May 13, 2013