Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Park GH’s quagmire deepens
Key man on political reform threatens to quit as internal call for reshuffle intensifiesClouding unity efforts by presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye, internal strife at the ruling Saenuri Party worsened Monday with a threat by her key political reform man to quit unless she revoked her latest appointment of a former opposition lawmaker.Ahn Dae-heui, a former Supreme Court justice who heads the Saenuri Party’s political reform committee, said at a press conference, “No matter how much (we)
Oct. 8, 2012
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Surprise defections a boon or a bane?
Former lawmakers Han Gwang-ok and Kim Sung-sik are making waves in the closely contested presidential race, having chosen to side with candidates with whom they have had little connection or common ground. On Friday, Han joined the campaign of Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, saying that the move was in accordance with late President Kim Dae-jung’s wishes to “unify the public.”Although politicians switching sides is a common occurrence in Korea, Han’s move is perceived as bein
Oct. 8, 2012
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Preemptive strike against N.K. possible: JCS chief
South Korea will consider launching a preemptive strike against North Korea should it detect signs that the communist state will use its nuclear weaponry during wartime, said Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Speaking to the National Assembly’s national defense committee on Monday, Jung said that the new missile guidelines agreed between Korea and the U.S. will give the country more “flexibility” in countering threats from the North.He added that he is satisfied with the outco
Oct. 8, 2012
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No time to vote, or no desire to vote?
Rival parties divided on extending voting timeAssembly Voice looks into key issues and controversial bills through a series of interviews with rival lawmakers who lead the legislative debate at the National Assembly. ― Ed.A declining voter turnout is a problem in many established democracies. In the United States, for instance, the voter turnout has dropped since the 1960s, albeit with slight fluctuations.In South Korea, the same has been occurring. The voting rate for the past five presidential
Oct. 8, 2012
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Foreign textbooks provide wrong information about S. Korea: lawmaker
(Yonhap) -- Foreign elementary, middle- and high-school textbooks have provided wrong information about South Korea, a lawmaker said Sunday, urging his government to make more effort to correct such information. Citing an analysis of 543 foreign textbooks, conducted by the state-run Academy of Korean Studies, Rep. Kim Tae-won of the ruling Saenuri Party said there is a total of 602 cases of wro
Oct. 7, 2012
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Ahn pledges transparency, fairness
Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo announced on Sunday that he will reduce the powers of the president, and focus his policies on establishing a fairer and more sustainable society. In revealing a more detailed policy picture, Ahn stressed his intentions to disperse the authority of the president and to conduct a far-reaching reform that will encompass the country’s political and economic systems, as well as its education, welfare and diplomatic policies. As part of his plans for i
Oct. 7, 2012
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Park GH’s key aide resigns
Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, the chief secretary to the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, offered his resignation on Sunday in an attempt to contain growing internal pressure for a sweeping reshuffle.The three-term lawmaker, who has been accompanying the candidate to most of her campaign events, was seen by the reformists in the party as one of the major pro-Park figures hindering the party’s overhaul.“There is no time for us to further wrangle over who is at fault. I earnest
Oct. 7, 2012
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Former P.M. Aso seeks to meet Lee
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is reportedly seeking to meet President Lee Myung-bak this week to deliver Tokyo’s message on improving the bilateral ties strained over the diplomatic spat surrounding Dokdo.Kyodo News reported Saturday that Aso, who held the premiership from September 2008 for one year, was to visit Seoul on Sunday and have talks with Lee at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae the next day.Aso of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party is expected to deliver a
Oct. 7, 2012
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Presidential trio in dead heat
Park ties with Ahn, Moon in hypothetical match-upsThe race for next presidency is turning into a dead heat, with the conservative ruling party’s long-time frontrunner slumping to a tie with her two liberal contenders, latest polls showed Sunday. According to the Oct. 4-5 poll by Gallup Korea, Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri Party tied in hypothetical two-way races with her main rivals -― independent Ahn Cheol-soo and Moon Jae-in of the liberal opposition Democratic United Party. The supposed Park-A
Oct. 7, 2012
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Ahn vows closer cooperation with N. Korea to promote peace
Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo vowed to seek closer dialogue and cooperation with North Korea as he announced his first official set of election pledges on Sunday. "Upon the basis of firm security, I will facilitate peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation between the South and the North," the computer technology mogul-turned-politician said in a news co
Oct. 7, 2012
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Former P.M. Aso seeks to meet Lee
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is reportedly seeking to meet President Lee Myung-bak next week to deliver Tokyo’s message on improving the bilateral ties strained over the diplomatic spat surrounding Dokdo. Kyodo News reported Saturday that Aso, who held the premiership from September 2008 for a year, hopes to visit Seoul on Sunday and have talks with Lee at the presidential office of Ch
Oct. 6, 2012
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Presidential race in dead heat
(Yonhap) -- South Korea's presidential contest is in a dead heat, with a survey released Saturday showing ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye tied in hypothetical two-way races with her two main rivals, opposition candidate Moon Jae-in and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. Park and Moon tied at 47 percent of support in a supposed two-way race, while she also tied with Ahn at 47 percent of s
Oct. 6, 2012
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Lee yields, names special counsel for home probe
Bowing to pressure from political parties, President Lee Myung-bak on Friday appointed an independent counsel to probe suspicions concerning a canceled plan to build his retirement home.Progressive lawyer Lee Kwang-bum will head the special investigation into the scandal involving his son and aides. The former judge was one of two candidates recommended by the opposition Democratic United Party earlier this week along with lawyer Kim Hyeong-tae. “The president has made the nomination, thinking t
Oct. 5, 2012
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‘Military bases exposed on Google satellite images’
An opposition lawmaker claimed Friday Korea’s military bases are exposed to the Google Maps satellite service accessible to any user online.Satellite images from the popular GPS-based program have allowed the general public to view some of the country’s key military bases since its service launch in 2001, according the report presented to the Ministry of National Defense by Rep. Kim Kwang-jin of the Democratic United Party.He took examples of the Defense Security Command building in Gyeonggi Pro
Oct. 5, 2012
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‘Ahn will remain in race but unlikely to create new party’
A key aide said Friday independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo will remain in the presidential race until the end, further complicating the prospect of a single opposition candidacy against Saenuri nominee Park Geun-hye.When asked whether the former software businessman and professor would run till the end during a radio interview with PBC, Keum Tae-sup, an attorney and situation room chief for Ahn’s campaign, said, “Of course.” Ahn is widely expected to ally with Rep. Moon Jae-in, the main oppositi
Oct. 5, 2012
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Ex-chief of staff to Kim DJ joins Park’s campaign
The right-hand man of deceased former President Kim Dae-jung on Friday joined Saenuri Party nominee Park Geun-hye’s campaign, which strives to win over liberal voters and the southwestern region of Jeolla, Kim’s stronghold.Han Gwang-ok, Kim’s chief of staff, defended his defection as “an act to fight regionalism and bridge the divide between liberals and conservatives.”“Regionalism is a societal ill that we must not pass to future generations,” he said in a press conference at the headquarters o
Oct. 5, 2012
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Saenuri struggles with internal feud
Leaders refuse reformists’ call for drastic reshuffle of party and campaignersThe ruling Saenuri Party’s leaders and presidential nominee were struggling Friday to contain an internal feud fanned by reformists’ call for a drastic reshuffle of the party organs.The party’s leadership panel urged unity and harmony, effectively turning down the demand for personnel changes. “It is not feasible to demand (that the leadership resign en masse),” party chairperson Rep. Hwang Woo-yea told reporters after
Oct. 5, 2012
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Saenuri reformists call for retreat of Park faction
With the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye languishing in opinion polls, reformist members called for a major reshuffle, demanding that pro-Park figures take a step back from the election front lines.In a closed-door meeting of the party’s lawmakers Thursday, Yoo Seong-min, vice chairman of the election committee, demanded the resignation of all leading members of the party organization and the campaign office.“The party should leave all options open including the
Oct. 4, 2012
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Voters in 40s, ‘PK region’ key to election result
Korea Herald survey shows Park keeping lead but lagging behind in two-way racesVoters in their 40s and those living in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province who are open to ideological standings and prefer practical economic measures are likely to decide the upcoming Dec. 19 presidential election, a survey commisioned by The Korea Herald showed Thursday.The ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye maintained her slim lead against her progressive rivals in a three-way
Oct. 4, 2012
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Fringe candidates hope to have some impact
The December presidential election is being spiced up by minor league candidates with small but not insignificant approval ratings. Excluding the major players ― Ahn Cheol-soo, Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye ― there are five minor presidential hopefuls so far.The list includes former public prosecutor and civic activist Kang Ji-won, former chairwoman of the Unified Progressive Party Lee Jung-hee and lawyer Lee Kun-kae.The probability of one of the minor players winning the election is close to ze
Oct. 4, 2012