Most Popular
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
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S. Korea's working-age population to dip nearly 10m by 2044 amid low births
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Doggy patrol team on the move to protect their cities
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Ahn pledges to defend NLL and boost defense
Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo pledged to safeguard the Northern Limit Line, responding to an ongoing dispute over the de facto maritime border with North Korea.“I will protect the NLL and establish an omnidirectional defense system,” Ahn said Wednesday during his visit to the Air Force Operations Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.“I will also shelter the people’s lives, properties, territorial sovereignty and (other fundamental) values from harm, under any military cris
Nov. 7, 2012
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South Koreans keeping close eye on U.S. presidential election
As the 2012 U.S. presidential election was under way on Wednesday local time, many South Koreans showed keen interest in what is projected to be one of the closest presidential races in the history of America.On the eve of the election, many of the major Korean newspapers -- including The Korea Herald, Joongang Ilbo, DongA Ilbo, Maeil Business Newspaper -- ran stories about it on their front pages.SBS, one of the country’s top three broadcasting stations, organized nearly seven hours of special
Nov. 7, 2012
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Park GH pledges to create 2-term, 4-year presidency
Presidential candidate Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party pledged Tuesday to seek constitutional change to introduce a two-term, 4-year presidency, but insisted that discussions should start after the presidential election.Park also vowed to legislate an open primary system when selecting the party’s candidates for the National Assembly and to abolish the party’s nomination of regional heads and local assemblymen. These and other political reform measures were announced just hours before
Nov. 6, 2012
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Moon and Ahn’s policies look alike
Now that Ahn Cheol-soo and Rep. Moon Jae-in are set on seeking a candidacy merger, the key point of concern for their supporters is whether the two have so far reached a general consensus in terms of policies.Both candidates repeatedly spoke of a value-based alliance and pledged not to seek unity only for the sake of an election victory.“It would be good for me and Moon to meet first to share each other’s values and philosophies and to agree on political reform,” Ahn said Monday, reiterating his
Nov. 6, 2012
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Moon, Ahn to unify by registration deadline
Opposition presidential candidates Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday agreed to unify their candidacies and form a broader alliance around their shared vision for political reform.Moon, the Democratic United Party nominee, and independent Ahn announced a seven-point agreement after their first meeting to discuss their candidacy merger to compete against Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye in the Dec. 19 election.“We agreed to decide on the single candidate before the candidate registration (slat
Nov. 6, 2012
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‘Blast furnace’ camp tuned for power change
In announcing his candidacy in September, the Democratic United Party’s Moon Jae-in put forward three changes ― of regime, politics and era ― as his objectives.In his efforts to achieve his objectives, what he and the DUP referred to as a “blast furnace election committee” was created to conduct Moon’s election campaign. As suggested by the name, the election committee drew individuals from a wide range of fields, and from within the party regardless of factional alignment. The DUP has suffered
Nov. 6, 2012
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‘Citizen Camp’ adds network, numbers to Moon’s campaign
The Democratic United Party has tried to present itself as the commoners’ party in opposition to the ruling party, which it criticizes as representing only the upper echelon of society. The strategy is reflected in the inclusion of the Citizen Camp in Moon Jae-in’s campaign machine.The Citizen Camp, which makes up one third of Moon’s camp along with the party-centric group and expert advisers’ group, consists of a large number of figures from a range of fields including civic activism, academia,
Nov. 6, 2012
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Election prompts political reform drive in DUP and campaign team
Political reform has been one of the main issues of this year’s presidential election from the start, and this political environment has brought significant changes to the Democratic United Party candidate’s camp. The public’s distrust of local politics and the desire to see fundamental change launched the campaign of Ahn Cheol-soo.In line with the apparent public demand for change, and with Ahn’s stance on the issue, the DUP and the camp of its candidate Moon Jae-in have been in the grip of pol
Nov. 6, 2012
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Political clash rekindles NLL dilemma
In the crucial weeks ahead of the presidential election, rival parties have been wrangling over the allegation surrounding late President Roh Moo-hyun’s stance on the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea.The dispute over whether the past government suggested it was willing to compromise over the NLL exposed not only the internal split in South Korea but a deeper dilemma faced by the peninsula that remains technically at war.Opinions vary on whether the NLL can or should be defined as a territoria
Nov. 6, 2012
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NLL is a non-aggression line upheld by all past governments
Rep. Baek Kun-ki of the Democratic United Party demanded the conservatives stop distorting the party’s stance on the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea in an attempt to affect the outcome of the presidential election. Baek, a former four-star Army general, says that the NLL is clearly defined as a “line of non-aggression” and that the Saenuri Party’s referring to it as a territorial demarcation is misleading. “The documented agreement between the South and the North clearly states that it (the
Nov. 6, 2012
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DUP should clarify alleged renouncement of NLL
Rep. Song Young-keun of the ruling Saenuri Party regards the Northern Limit Line as an official border that Seoul should defend at any cost.“The Democratic United Party stresses a peaceful coexistence but (the NLL) is a matter of national security over which no compromise should be allowed,” the former chief of Defense Intelligence Command said.“North Korea had raised no objection for 20 years before it suddenly claimed jurisdiction of Yeonpyeong and the other four islands in the West Sea in 197
Nov. 6, 2012
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Park proposes office in Pyongyang
Saenuri Party candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye said on Monday she would push to establish representatives’ offices in Seoul and Pyongyang to normalize strained bilateral ties.During a press conference on her diplomacy, security and unification policies, she promised a “flexible and balanced” approach in handling North Korea, expressing her willingness to meet its leader Kim Jong-un. Park also stressed “comprehensive defense capabilities” to deter Pyongyang’s provocations through the long-standing al
Nov. 5, 2012
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Welfare key campaign agenda for big three
Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye pledges to introduce one month’s paid paternity leave so fathers can take care of their newborn babies. Democratic United Party nominee Moon Jae-in seeks to halve the costs of child care, education and medical services. Independent Ahn Cheol-soo is laying out a future in which no elderly people are below the poverty line and public housing accounts for 10 percent of people’s homes. Welcome to the welfare state as envisioned by the three main presidential can
Nov. 5, 2012
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New choices spice up Park’s campaign
From a maverick female CEO to a former political enemy, Park Geun-hye’s campaign team has no shortage of egos loved and hated by the public. The member of her cadre that stands out most is Kim Sung-joo, the chairwoman and CEO of Sungjoo Group and MCM Holdings AG.With her short spiky hairdo, bold makeup, fearless manner and signature red sneakers, Kim sticks out from the crowd of stiff, middle-aged figures in dark suits. In announcing Kim as one of the four co-chairs of the election committee las
Nov. 5, 2012
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Park keeps aides close, but not too close
Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye is well-known for being picky in choosing her people. Efficiency comes before personal history. Devotion and principle are said to be priority considerations. She keeps her aides close but not too close, giving her the image of being “uncommunicative.”“Her style of making personnel decisions is shown through the uncommunicativeness between Park and her various committees, not to mention the lack of communication amongst the committees,” said politics profess
Nov. 5, 2012
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Park’s ‘dream team’ volatile but ambitious
Boasting high-profile figures and mammoth organizational power, the campaign machine of Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye is overflowing, enthusiastic and boisterous.Her team is comprised of some of the nation’s most influential politicians, seasoned bureaucrats, high-flying business executives and prominent experts.From the outset of her campaign, Park prioritized unity and reform in her personnel decisions, leading to recruitment from all walks of life and both sides of the political spect
Nov. 5, 2012
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Moon, Ahn agree on private talks on unified candidacy
Two opposition presidential candidates will meet Tuesday to discuss the proposed candidacy unification and political reforms, their aides said.The meeting was arranged soon after independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo expressed his willingness in a public speech Monday to accept his Democratic United Party counterpart Moon Jae-in’s overtures. The two candidates have long been expected to merge their campaigns to fight Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye, who is ahead of both in a three-way race in opinio
Nov. 5, 2012
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Special counsel to grill first lady in Lee retirement home scandal
The special counsel team investigating a property scandal ensnaring the presidential family said Monday they will question first lady Kim Yoon-ok.“We have reached a decision to question first lady Kim,” assistant special counsel Lee Chang-hoon said in a press briefing. “We’re now in the process of consulting with Cheong Wa Dae to finetune the method and timing of an interview.”Options being discussed include a face-to-face inquiry at the team’s office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul; the presiden
Nov. 5, 2012
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Lee to visit Indonesia, Thailand for democracy forum, economic cooperation talks
(Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit Indonesia for an international democracy forum this week on a trip that will also take him to Thailand for summit talks aimed at boosting economic cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation, his office said Sunday. Lee will depart for the Indonesia resort island of Bali on Wednesday to attend the Bali Democracy Forum set for Thursday and Friday. Lee plans to deliver a keynote speech at the conference expected to be attended by repre
Nov. 4, 2012
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Ex-ruling party chief Hong selected as candidate for South Gyeongsang Province governor
(Yonhap) -- The ruling Saenuri Party selected former party chief Hong Joon-pyo as its candidate for governor of South Gyeongsang Province in a primary election on Sunday, officials said. Hong, who served as party chief last year, clinched the nomination, as he won 3,024 votes in a primary held at an indoor stadium in Changwon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Rep. Suh Byung-soo announced. Changwon Mayor Park Wan-soo came in second with 2,788 votes. The governor post has been vacant
Nov. 4, 2012